The Government is to consult the public on ways to make written legislation more readable and "user friendly", it has been announced.
Bertie Ahern
The Taoiseach today announced a two-month-long public consultation process on a programme to update existing legislation to make it more accessible for the public and lawyers.
Acts and the changes made to them over the years will be incorporated into a single piece of legislation under the plan.
Mr Ahern said this Statute Law Restatement programme, which will be conducted by the Law Reform Commission, will not alter the effect of the law in any way.
Speaking at the Public Affairs Ireland Conference in Dublin, the Taoiseach said the process of consultation would be central in selecting which laws should be considered first for restatement.
"Government needs to be alert to our changing environment, and that often means updating existing legislation. However, in some cases it has been necessary to amend Acts several times, usually over a number of years and in a variety of ways. This can make it difficult for both lawyers and members of the public to keep abreast of the current provisions of particular legislation."
Mr Ahern said many of our laws had been amended and revised since they came into force and that the Government would need to decide which ones have the greatest impact on citizens and business - and so should be approved for restatement first.
"Before we make that decision, we are looking for the views of the public, legal practitioners and any other interested party as to which laws they consider are most suitable for restatement."
The Law Reform Commission will undertake the project under under the guidance of a steering group comprising of representatives of the Department of the Taoiseach, the Office of the Attorney General, the Law Reform Commission and key Government Departments.
Advertisements will appear in the main national newspapers over the coming days with details of how to submit observations.