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An Act to provide for the constitution of Commissions for the reform of the law.
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
(1) For the purpose of promoting the reform of the law [ F1 of England and Wales ] there shall be constituted in accordance with this section a body of Commissioners, to be known as the Law Commission, consisting [ F2 (except during any temporary vacancy) ] of a Chairman and four other Commissioners appointed by the Lord Chancellor.
[ F3 (1A) The person appointed to be the Chairman shall be a person who holds office as a judge of the High Court or Court of Appeal in England and Wales. ]
(2) The persons appointed to be [ F4 the other ] Commissioners shall be persons appearing to the Lord Chancellor to be suitably qualified by the holding of judicial office or by experience as a [ F5 person having a general qualification (within the meaning of section 71 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990) ] or as a teacher of law in a university.
(3) A person appointed to be a Commissioner shall be appointed for such term (not exceeding five years) and subject to such conditions as may be determined by the Lord Chancellor at the time of his appointment; but a Commissioner may at any time resign his office and a person who ceases to be a Commissioner shall be eligible for reappointment.
(4) A person who holds judicial office may be appointed as a Commissioner without relinquishing that office, but shall not (unless otherwise provided by the terms of his appointment) be required to perform his duties as the holder of that office while he remains a member of the Commission.
(1) For the purpose of promoting the reform of the law of Scotland, there shall be constituted in accordance with this section a body of Commissioners, to be known as the Scottish Law Commission, consisting of a Chairman and not more than four other Commissioners appointed by . . . F7 the [ F8 Scottish Ministers ] .
(2) The persons appointed to be Commissioners shall be persons appearing to . . . F7 the [ F8 Scottish Ministers ] to be suitably qualified by the holding of judicial office or by experience as an advocate or solicitor or as a teacher of law in a university.
(3) A person appointed to be a Commissioner shall be appointed for such term (not exceeding five years) and subject to such conditions as may be determined by . . . F7 the [ F8 Scottish Ministers ] at the time of his appointment; but a Commissioner may at any time resign his office, and a person who ceases to be a Commissioner shall be eligible for reappointment.
(4) A person who holds judicial office may be appointed as a Commissioner without relinquishing that office, but shall not (unless otherwise provided by the terms of his appointment) be required to perform his duties as the holder of that office while he remains a member of the Commission.
[ F9 (5) Subsection (4) above shall have effect, in relation to a salaried [ F10 sheriff], notwithstanding anything in [ F11 section 6 of the M1 Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act 1971] (which among other things prohibits such a [ F10 sheriff] from being appointed to any office except such office as shall be by statute attached to the office of [ F10 sheriff]). ]
F7 Words repealed by S.I. 1972/2002 art. 3(3)(b)
F11 Words substituted by virtue of Interpretation Act 1978 (c. 30) s. 17(2)(a)
(1) It shall be the duty of each of the Commissions to take and keep under review all the law with which they are respectively concerned with a view to its systematic development and reform, including in particular the codification of such law, the elimination of anomalies, the repeal of obsolete and unnecessary enactments, the reduction of the number of separate enactments and generally the simplification and modernisation of the law, and for that purpose—
(a) to receive and consider any proposals for the reform of the law which may be made or referred to them;
(b) to prepare and submit to the Minister from time to time programmes for the examination of different branches of the law with a view to reform, including recommendations as to the agency (whether the Commission or another body) by which any such examination should be carried out;
(c) to undertake, pursuant to any such recommendations approved by the Minister, the examination of particular branches of the law and the formulation, by means of draft Bills or otherwise, of proposals for reform therein;
(d) to prepare from time to time at the request of the Minister comprehensive programmes of consolidation and statute law revision, and to undertake the preparation of draft Bills pursuant to any such programme approved by the Minister;
(e) to provide advice and information to government departments and other authorities or bodies concerned at the instance of the Government [ F12 of the United Kingdom or the Scottish Administration ] with proposals for the reform or amendment of any branch of the law;
[ F13 (ea) in the case of the Law Commission, to provide advice and information to the Welsh Ministers; ]
(f) to obtain such information as to the legal systems of other countries as appears to the Commissioners likely to facilitate the performance of any of their functions.
(2) The Minister shall lay before Parliament any programmes prepared by the Commission and approved by him and any proposals for reform formulated by the Commission pursuant to such programmes.
(3) Each of the Commissions shall make an annual report to the Minister on their proceedings, and the Minister shall lay the report before Parliament with such comments (if any) as he thinks fit.
[ F14 (3A) Subsections (2) and (3) of this section shall have effect in relation to the Scottish Law Commission with the substitution of “the Scottish Parliament” for “Parliament”. ]
(4) In the exercise of their functions under this Act the Commissions shall act in consultation with each other [ F15 and the Northern Ireland Law Commission ] .