BENNION ON STATUTORY INTERPRETATION
Fifth Edition Updating Notes (Version 19, 3 Sep 2009)
Introductory Since its first publication in 1984 Bennion on Statutory Interpretation (‘the work’) has been expressly updated each year by the Statute Law chapter in the All England Law Reports Annual Review, written by Francis Bennion. The practice has been in time to use these chapters in compiling an updating Supplement to the work, and later in producing the next edition. However in the volume of the All England Law Reports Annual Review for 2008, published in the spring of 2009, the Statute Law chapter was instead written by Dr Kay Goodall and Mr Ian McLeod. They departed from the previous practice by writing the 2008 Statute Law chapter in a form which did not expressly update the work.
In these circumstances, for the assistance of users of the work, these unofficial notes, titled Fifth Edition Updating Notes, are prepared on an ongoing basis by Francis Bennion with the agreement of the publishers. They continuously update the work by giving information on new or newly-discovered cases, articles etc relating to matters dealt with in the fifth edition. They do not form part of the work and are the copyright of Francis Bennion rather than the publishers.
References in such cases, etc. to previous editions of the work are converted so that they refer to the corresponding passage in the fifth edition. Cases, etc. referred to in the Fifth Edition Updating Notes can be accessed on BAILII, CommonLII or similar portals.
The Fifth Edition Updating Notes begin with a list of Updated Material. This comprises sections etc. of the work that are updated in what follows, giving page numbers of the Fifth Edition Updating Notes. To access a page click on the page number.
Next follows a Table of Statutes referred to in the Fifth Edition Updating Notes and a Table of Cases referred to therein.
In the main body of the Fifth Edition Updating Notes the page numbers refer to the fifth edition of the work.
At the end is an Index to the Fifth Edition Updating Notesusing entries corresponding to those in the fifth edition Index together with new entries required by material in the Fifth Edition Updating Notes. The Index to the Fifth Edition Updating Notes is continuously updated as new versions of the notes are produced.
For copyright information about the Fifth Edition Updating Notes and details about permission to use see .
For disclaimer see .
Updated Material
For disclaimer see
Updated Material
Table of Statutes
Table of Cases
Other Countries
Introduction
Division One. Interpreter, Instrument and Enactment
Part I. The Interpreter
Section 1. To ‘construe’ or ‘interpret’?
Section 2. Interpreter’s duty to arrive at legal meaning
Section 3. Real doubt as to legal meaning
Section 8. Duty to obey legislation
Section 9. Ignorantia juris neminem excusat
Section 10. Mandatory and directory requirements
Section 12. Where contracting out and waiver not allowed
Section 14. Civil sanction for disobedience (the tort of breach of statutory duty)
Section 15. Administrative or executive agencies
Section 17. Investigating agencies
Section 18. Prosecuting agencies
Section 19. Courts and other adjudicating authorities
Section 20. Interpretation by adjudicating authorities
Section 21. Doctrine of judicial notice
Section 23. Adjudicating authorities with appellate jurisdiction
Section 26. Dynamic processing of legislation by courts and other enforcement agencies
Section 28. Types of Act
Part II. The Instrument to be Interpreted: Acts of Parliament
Section 28. Types of Act
Section 32. Overriding effect of an Act
Section 33. Uniqueness of an Act
Section 34. Whether an Act binds the Crown: the doctrine of Crown immunity
Section 38. Royal assent (signification)
Section 45. Settling of text of Act and promulgation
Section 48. Nature of a prerogative instrument
Part III. The Instrument to be Interpreted: Subordinate Legislation
Section 50. Nature of delegated legislation
Section 51. Parliamentary control of delegated legislation
Section 58. Ultra vires delegated legislation
Section 59. Delegated legislation: the rule of primary intention
Section 65. Types of delegated legislation: (5) byelaws
Section 66. Types of delegated legislation: (6) other instruments
Part IV. Commencement, Amendment and Repeal of Acts
Section 78. Textual amendment
Section 81. Amendment by delegated legislation
Section 83. References to an amended enactment
Section 85. Meaning of ‘repeal’
Section 87. Implied repeal
Section 87. Implied repeal
Section 88. Generalia specialibus non derogant
Section 89. Savings on repeal
Section 96. Transitional provisions on repeal, amendment etc
Section 97. Presumption against retrospective operation
Section 98. Retrospective operation: procedural provisions
Part V. Extent and Application of Acts
Section 103. The ‘extent’ of an Act
Section 104. Uniform meaning throughout area of extent
Section 105. Composition of an enactment’s territory
Section 128. General principles as to application
Section 129. Application to foreigners and foreign matters within the territory
Section 131. Application to Britons and British matters outside the territory
Section 133. Deemed location of an omission
Section 134. Deemed location of composite act or composite omission
Part VI. The Enactment and the Facts
Section 136. Applying the enactment to the facts
Section 139. Selective comminution
Section 142. Drafting presumed competent
Section 144. The legal thrust
Section 146. Proof of relevant facts
Section 149. Opposing constructions of an enactment 429
Division Two. The Legal Meaning of an Enactment
Part VII. Grammatical and Strained Constructions
Section 150. Nature of the legal meaning
Section 158. When strained construction needed
Part VIII. Legislative Intention
Section 163: Legislative intention as the paramount criterion
Section 164. Is legislative intention fictitious?
Section 166. The duplex approach to legislative intention
Section 171. Intention distinguished from motive
Part IX. Filling in the Textual Detail
Section 172. Nature of a legislative implication
Section 173. Is it legitimate to draw implications?
Section 174. When legislative implications are legitimate
Section 175. When legislative implications affect related law
Section 177. Interstitial articulation (general)
Part IX. Filling in the Textual Detail
Section 179. Interstitial articulation by the court
Part X. Interpretative Criteria and Interpretative Factors
Section 182. Strict and liberal construction
Section 185. Interpretative factors all pointing one way
Division Three. Rules of Construction
Part XI. Rules of Construction (General)
Section 192. Nature of rules of construction
Section 193. Basic rule of statutory interpretation
Section 197. The commonsense construction rule
Section 198. The rule ut res magis valeat quam pereat
Part XII Rules of Construction Laid Down by Statute
Section 199. Statutory definitions
Section 200. The Interpretation Act 1978
Part XIII. The Informed Interpretation Rule (General)
Section 201. Statement of the rule
Section 205. Interpreter’s need for legal knowledge
Section 210. The pre-Act law
Section 211. Consolidation Acts
Section 213. Meaning of enacting history
Section 217. Use of Hansard
Section 220. Special restriction on parliamentary materials (the exclusionary rule)
Section 221. Use of international treaties
Section 231. The basic rule
Section 232. Use of official statements on meaning of Act
Section 233. Use of delegated legislation made under Act
Section 234. Use of later Acts in pari materia
Section 235. Use of judicial decisions on Act
Section 238. Statement of the rule
Section 242. The proviso
Part XV. The Functional Construction Rule
Section 245. The long title
Section 247. The purpose clause 734
Section 255. Heading
Section 256. Section name (sidenote, heading or title)
Section 257. Format
Section 258. Punctuation
Section 259. Nature of incorporation by reference
Section 260. Archival drafting
Division Four. Interpretative Principles Derived from Legal Policy
Part XVI. Interpretative Principles (General)
Section 263. Nature of legal policy
Section 264. Law should serve the public interest
Section 265. Law should be just and fair
Section 266. Law should be certain and predictable
Section 267. Law should not operate retrospectively
Section 268. Law should be coherent and self-consistent
Section 269. Law should not be subject to casual change
Section 270. Municipal law should conform to international law
Part XVII. Principle against doubtful penalisation
Section 271. Principle against penalisation under a doubtful law
Section 273. Statutory restraint of the person
Section 278. Statutory interference with economic interests
Section 281. Statutory interference with rights of legal process
Division Five. Interpretative Presumptions Based on the Nature of Legislation
Part XVIII. Interpretative Presumptions (General)
Section 285. Presumption that literal meaning to be followed
Section 286. Presumption that consequential construction to be given
Section 287. Presumption that rectifying construction to be given
Section 288. Presumption that updating construction to be given
Part XIX. The Mischief and its Remedy
Section 294. Party-political mischiefs
This topic is further dealt with in FB’s 2008 article ‘Law-Churning and the Sociologists’.
Part XX. Purposive Construction
Section 304. Nature of purposive construction
Section 305. Purposive-and-literal construction
Section 306. Purposive-and-strained construction
Part XXI. Construction Against ‘Absurdity’
Section 312. Presumption that ‘absurd’ result not intended
Section 313. Avoiding an unworkable or impracticable result
Section 314. Avoiding an inconvenient result
Section 315. Avoiding an anomalous or illogical result
Section 316. Avoiding a futile or pointless result
Section 317. Avoiding an artificial result
See entry for pp 969-1008 s. 312-318 ‘absurdity’ above.
Section 318. Avoiding a disproportionate counter-mischief
Part XXII. Construction Against Evasion
Section 319. Presumption that evasion not to be allowed
Section 320. Evasion distinguished from avoidance
Section 322. Methods of evasion: doing indirectly what must not be done directly
Section 324. Methods of evasion: repetitious acts
Section 326. Construction which otherwise defeats legislative purpose
Part XXIII. Application of Ancillary Rules of Law
Section 327. Presumption that ancillary rules of law apply
Section 329. Presumption that public law decision-making rules apply
Section 330. Presumption that rules of equity apply
Section 331. Presumption that rules of contract law apply
Section 332. Presumption that rules of property law apply
Section 334. Presumption that rules of criminal law apply
Section 335. Rules of evidence
Part XXIV.Application of Ancillary Legal Maxims
Section 342. Double detriment: bona fides non patitur, ut his eadem exigatur
Section 343. De minimis principle: de minimis non curat lex
Section 346. Impossibility: lex non cogit ad impossibilia
Section 347. Necessity: necessitas non habet legem
Section 350. Presumption of correctness: omnia praesumuntur rite et solemniter esse acta
Section 351. Agency:qui facit per alium facit per se
Section 352. Vigilance: vigilantibus non dormientibus leges subveniunt
Section 353. Volenti principle: volenti non fit injuria
Division Six. Linguistic Canons of Construction
Part XXV. Linguistic Canons of Construction: General
Section 355. Construction of Act or other instrument as a whole
Part XXVII. Linguistic Canons of Construction: Interpretation of Particular Words and Phrases
Section 363. Ordinary meaning of words and phrases
Section 364. Composite expressions
Section 365. Technical terms (general)
Section 366. Technical legal terms
Section 367. Technical non-legal terms
Section 369. Neologisms and slang
Section 373. Homonyms
Section 375. Judicial notice of meaning
Part XXVIII. Linguistic Canons of Construction: Elaboration of Meaning of Words and Phrases
Section 378. Noscitur a sociis principle
Section 384. Ejusdem generis principle:general words followed by narrower genus-describing terms
Section 388. Reddendo singula singulis principle
Section 389. Expressum facit cessare tacitum 1249
Section 390. Expressio unius principle: description
Section 393. Expressio unius principle: words of extension
Section 397. Implication where statutory description only partly met
Division Seven. Europe
Part XXIX. Community law and the European Court
Section 404. Legitimate expectation
Section 412. Transposing of Community law
Section 413. Effect of Community law on UK enactments
Section 417. Remedies against Member States
Part XXX. Human Rights Act 1998
Section 419. Nature of the Convention rights
Section 422. Judicial declaration of incompatibility (primary legislation)
Section 426. Ministers’ statements of compatibility regarding Bills
Section 443. Article 5 of Convention (right to liberty and security)
Section 455. Article 1 of First Protocol (protection of property)
Section 463. Meaning of ‘the Convention’.
Appendix H Some responses to Code s 288 (updating construction)
II - Updating Construction and Common Law
INDEX TO UPDATING NOTES
For disclaimer see ...... 1
Updated Material...... 1
Table of Statutes...... 12
Table of Cases...... 13
Other Countries...... 17
Introduction...... 22
Division One. Interpreter, Instrument and Enactment...... 22
Part I. The Interpreter...... 22
Section 1. To ‘construe’ or ‘interpret’?...... 22
Section 2. Interpreter’s duty to arrive at legal meaning...... 22
Section 3. Real doubt as to legal meaning...... 22
Section 8. Duty to obey legislation...... 22
Section 9. Ignorantia juris neminem excusat...... 22
Section 10. Mandatory and directory requirements...... 23
Section 12. Where contracting out and waiver not allowed...... 24
Section 14. Civil sanction for disobedience (the tort of breach of statutory duty)...... 24
Section 15. Administrative or executive agencies...... 24
Section 17. Investigating agencies...... 24
Section 18. Prosecuting agencies...... 24
Section 19. Courts and other adjudicating authorities...... 25
Section 20. Interpretation by adjudicating authorities...... 25
Section 21. Doctrine of judicial notice...... 26
Section 23. Adjudicating authorities with appellate jurisdiction...... 26
Section 26. Dynamic processing of legislation by courts and other enforcement agencies.....26
Section 28. Types of Act...... 27
Part II. The Instrument to be Interpreted: Acts of Parliament...... 27
Section 28. Types of Act...... 27
Section 32. Overriding effect of an Act...... 27
Section 33. Uniqueness of an Act...... 27
Section 34. Whether an Act binds the Crown: the doctrine of Crown immunity...... 27
Section 38. Royal assent (signification)...... 27
Section 45. Settling of text of Act and promulgation...... 28
Section 48. Nature of a prerogative instrument...... 28
Part III. The Instrument to be Interpreted: Subordinate Legislation...... 28
Section 50. Nature of delegated legislation...... 28
Section 51. Parliamentary control of delegated legislation...... 28
Section 58. Ultra vires delegated legislation...... 28
Section 59. Delegated legislation: the rule of primary intention...... 29
Section 65. Types of delegated legislation: (5) byelaws...... 29
Section 66. Types of delegated legislation: (6) other instruments...... 29
Part IV. Commencement, Amendment and Repeal of Acts...... 29
Section 78. Textual amendment...... 29
Section 81. Amendment by delegated legislation...... 29
Section 83. References to an amended enactment...... 30
Section 85. Meaning of ‘repeal’...... 30
Section 87. Implied repeal...... 30
Section 87. Implied repeal...... 30
Section 88. Generalia specialibus non derogant...... 30
Section 89. Savings on repeal...... 30
Section 96. Transitional provisions on repeal, amendment etc...... 31
Section 97. Presumption against retrospective operation...... 31
Section 98. Retrospective operation: procedural provisions...... 31
Part V. Extent and Application of Acts...... 31
Section 103. The ‘extent’ of an Act...... 31
Section 104. Uniform meaning throughout area of extent...... 31
Section 105. Composition of an enactment’s territory...... 31
Section 128. General principles as to application...... 32
Section 129. Application to foreigners and foreign matters within the territory...... 32
Section 131. Application to Britons and British matters outside the territory...... 32
Section 133. Deemed location of an omission...... 32
Section 134. Deemed location of composite act or composite omission...... 32
Part VI. The Enactment and the Facts...... 33
Section 136. Applying the enactment to the facts...... 33
Section 139. Selective comminution...... 33
Section 142. Drafting presumed competent...... 33
Section 144. The legal thrust...... 33
Section 146. Proof of relevant facts...... 33
Section 149. Opposing constructions of an enactment 429...... 33
Division Two. The Legal Meaning of an Enactment...... 34
Part VII. Grammatical and Strained Constructions...... 34
Section 150. Nature of the legal meaning...... 34
Section 158. When strained construction needed...... 34
Part VIII. Legislative Intention...... 34
Section 163: Legislative intention as the paramount criterion...... 34
Section 164. Is legislative intention fictitious?...... 34
Section 166. The duplex approach to legislative intention...... 34
Section 171. Intention distinguished from motive...... 34
Part IX. Filling in the Textual Detail...... 35
Section 172. Nature of a legislative implication...... 35
Section 173. Is it legitimate to draw implications?...... 35
Section 174. When legislative implications are legitimate...... 35
Section 175. When legislative implications affect related law...... 36
Section 177. Interstitial articulation (general)...... 36
Part IX. Filling in the Textual Detail...... 36
Section 179. Interstitial articulation by the court...... 36
Part X. Interpretative Criteria and Interpretative Factors...... 36
Section 182. Strict and liberal construction...... 36
Section 185. Interpretative factors all pointing one way...... 37
Division Three. Rules of Construction...... 37
Part XI. Rules of Construction (General)...... 37
Section 192. Nature of rules of construction...... 37
Section 193. Basic rule of statutory interpretation...... 37
Section 197. The commonsense construction rule...... 37
Section 198. The rule ut res magis valeat quam pereat...... 38
Part XII Rules of Construction Laid Down by Statute...... 38
Section 199. Statutory definitions...... 38
Section 200. The Interpretation Act 1978...... 39
Part XIII. The Informed Interpretation Rule (General)...... 39
Section 201. Statement of the rule...... 39
Section 205. Interpreter’s need for legal knowledge...... 39
Section 210. The pre-Act law...... 39
Section 211. Consolidation Acts...... 40
Section 213. Meaning of enacting history...... 40
Section 217. Use of Hansard...... 40
Section 220. Special restriction on parliamentary materials (the exclusionary rule)...... 41
Section 221. Use of international treaties...... 41
Section 231. The basic rule...... 41
Section 232. Use of official statements on meaning of Act...... 41
Section 233. Use of delegated legislation made under Act...... 41
Section 234. Use of later Acts in pari materia...... 41
Section 235. Use of judicial decisions on Act...... 42
Section 238. Statement of the rule...... 42
Section 242. The proviso...... 42
Part XV. The Functional Construction Rule...... 42
Section 245. The long title...... 42
Section 247. The purpose clause 734...... 42
Section 255. Heading...... 42
Section 256. Section name (sidenote, heading or title)...... 43
Section 257. Format...... 43
Section 258. Punctuation...... 43
Section 259. Nature of incorporation by reference...... 43
Section 260. Archival drafting...... 43
Division Four. Interpretative Principles Derived from Legal Policy...... 43
Part XVI. Interpretative Principles (General)...... 43
Section 263. Nature of legal policy...... 43
Section 264. Law should serve the public interest...... 44
Section 265. Law should be just and fair...... 44
Section 266. Law should be certain and predictable...... 44
Section 267. Law should not operate retrospectively...... 44
Section 268. Law should be coherent and self-consistent...... 44
Section 269. Law should not be subject to casual change...... 44
Section 270. Municipal law should conform to international law...... 45
Part XVII. Principle against doubtful penalisation...... 45
Section 271. Principle against penalisation under a doubtful law...... 45
Section 273. Statutory restraint of the person...... 45
Section 278. Statutory interference with economic interests...... 46
Section 281. Statutory interference with rights of legal process...... 46
Division Five. Interpretative Presumptions Based on the Nature of Legislation...... 46
Part XVIII. Interpretative Presumptions (General)...... 46
Section 285. Presumption that literal meaning to be followed...... 46
Section 286. Presumption that consequential construction to be given...... 46
Section 287. Presumption that rectifying construction to be given...... 47
Section 288. Presumption that updating construction to be given...... 47
Part XIX. The Mischief and its Remedy...... 48
Section 294. Party-political mischiefs...... 48
This topic is further dealt with in FB’s 2008 article ‘Law-Churning and the Sociologists’.....48
Part XX. Purposive Construction...... 48
Section 304. Nature of purposive construction...... 48
Section 305. Purposive-and-literal construction...... 49
Section 306. Purposive-and-strained construction...... 49
Part XXI. Construction Against ‘Absurdity’...... 49