Interpretation Act, 2005

• Jurisdiction: Ireland
• Citation: IR No. 23/2005

Number 23 of 2005
INTERPRETATION ACT 2005
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
PART 1
Preliminary and General
Section 1. Short title and commencement. 2. Interpretation. 3. Repeals and savings. 4. Application.
PART 2
Miscellaneous Rules
5. Construing ambiguous or obscure provisions, etc. 6. Construing provisions in changing circumstances. 7. Supplemental provision to sections 5 and 6. 8. Reading provisions together as one and summary proceedings for offences. 9. References in enactments to Parts, etc. 10. Enactment always speaking. 11. References in enactments to examples. 12. Deviation from form.
PART 3
Citation and Operation of Enactments
13. Judicial notice. 14. Citation and references to amended enactments. 15. Date of passing of Acts of Oireachtas. 16. Commencement. 17. Exercise of statutory powers before commencement of Act.
PART 4
Meaning and Construction of Words and Expressions
18. General rules of construction. 19. Construction of statutory instruments. 20. Interpretation provisions. 21. Interpretation of words and expressions in Schedule.
PART 5
Powers and Duties
22. Powers under enactments. 23. Duties under enactments. 24. Rules of court. 25. Service by post.
PART 6
Amendment of Enactments, Etc.
26. Repeals and substitutions. 27. Effect of repeal of enactment.
SCHEDULE
Interpretation of Particular Words and Expressions
PART 1
PART 2
Acts Referred to
Adoption Act 1976 1976, No. 29 Adoption Acts 1952 to 1998 An Act for the Union of Great Britain and Ireland 40 Geo. 3. c. 38 Companies Acts 1963 to 2001 Constitution of the Irish Free State (Saorstát Eireann) Act 1922 1922, No. 1 Interpretation Act 1889 52 & 53 Vict. c. 63 Interpretation Act 1923 1923, No. 63 Interpretation Act 1937 1937, No. 38 Interpretation (Amendment) Act 1993 1993, No. 35 Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1977 1977, No. 28 Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 1997, No. 20 Social Welfare Acts Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 1993 1993, No. 27 Standard Time (Amendment) Act 1971 1971, No. 17 Status of Children Act 1987 1987, No. 26 Statutory Declarations Act 1938 1938, No. 37 Survey (Ireland) Acts 1825 to 1870 Valuation Act 2001 2001, No. 13
Number 23 of 2005
INTERPRETATION ACT 2005
AN ACT RESPECTING THE INTERPRETATION AND APPLICATION OF ACTS AND OF STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS MADE UNDER ACTS AND PROVIDING FOR THE REPEAL OF CERTAIN ENACTMENTS RELATING TO THOSE MATTERS.
[17th October, 2005]
BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:
PART 1 Preliminary and General
	Short title and commencement.	1.—(1) This Act may be cited as the Interpretation Act 2005.
	(2) This Act comes into operation on 1 January 2006.
	Interpretation	2.—(1) In this Act—
	“Act” means—
	(a) an Act of the Oireachtas, and
	(b) a statute which was in force in Saorstát Éireann immediately before the date of the coming into operation of the Constitution and which continued in force by virtue of Article 50 of the Constitution;
	“enactment” means an Act or a statutory instrument or any portion of an Act or statutory instrument;
	“repeal” includes revoke, rescind, abrogate or cancel;
	“statutory instrument” means an order, regulation, rule, bye-law, warrant, licence, certificate, direction, notice, guideline or other like document made, issued, granted or otherwise created by or under an Act and references, in relation to a statutory instrument, to “made” or to “made under” include references to made, issued, granted or otherwise created by or under such instrument.
	(2) For the purposes of this Act, an enactment which has been replaced or has expired, lapsed or otherwise ceased to have effect is deemed to have been repealed.
	Repeals and savings.	3.—(1) The following Acts are repealed:
	(a) the Interpretation Act 1889;
	(b) the Interpretation Act 1923 ;
	(c) the Interpretation Act 1937 ;
	(d) the Interpretation (Amendment) Act 1993 .
	(2) (a) The repeal by this Act of an Act which assigns a meaning to a word or expression in another enactment does not affect the meaning so assigned if—
	(i) in the absence of that meaning in this Act, or
	(ii) by the application to the other enactment of the meaning assigned by this Act to the same or a similar word or expression,
	the other enactment would be changed in intent or become unclear or absurd.
	(b) The repeal by this Act of an Act which provides for any matter (other than a matter to which paragraph (a) relates) in another enactment does not affect the matter so provided for if—
	(i) in the absence of that matter being provided for in this Act, or
	(ii) by the application to the other enactment of a matter provided for by this Act which corresponds to a matter provided for in the repealed Act concerned,
	the other enactment would be changed in intent or become unclear or absurd.
	Application.	4.—(1) A provision of this Act applies to an enactment except in so far as the contrary intention appears in this Act, in the enactment itself or, where relevant, in the Act under which the enactment is made.
	(2) The provisions of this Act which relate to other Acts also apply to this Act unless the contrary intention appears in this Act.
PART 2 Miscellaneous Rules
	Construing ambiguous or obscure provisions, etc.	5.—(1) In construing a provision of any Act (other than a provision that relates to the imposition of a penal or other sanction)—
	(a) that is obscure or ambiguous, or
	(b) that on a literal interpretation would be absurd or would fail to reflect the plain intention of—
	(i) in the case of an Act to which paragraph (a) of the definition of “Act” in section 2 (1) relates, the Oireachtas, or
	(ii) in the case of an Act to which paragraph (b) of that definition relates, the parliament concerned,
	the provision shall be given a construction that reflects the plain intention of the Oireachtas or parliament concerned, as the case may be, where that intention can be ascertained from the Act as a whole.
	(2) In construing a provision of a statutory instrument (other than a provision that relates to the imposition of a penal or other sanction)—
	(a) that is obscure or ambiguous, or
	(b) that on a literal interpretation would be absurd or would fail to reflect the plain intention of the instrument as a whole in the context of the enactment (including the Act) under which it was made,
	the provision shall be given a construction that reflects the plain intention of the maker of the instrument where that intention can be ascertained from the instrument as a whole in the context of that enactment.
	Construing provisions in changing circumstances.	6.—In construing a provision of any Act or statutory instrument, a court may make allowances for any changes in the law, social conditions, technology, the meaning of words used in that Act or statutory instrument and other relevant matters, which have occurred since the date of the passing of that Act or the making of that statutory instrument, but only in so far as its text, purpose and context permit.
	Supplemental provision to sections 5 and 6.	7.—(1) In construing a provision of an Act for the purposes of section 5 or 6 , a court may, notwithstanding section 18 (g), make use of all matters that accompany and are set out in—
	(a) in the case of an Act of the Oireachtas, the signed text of such law as enrolled for record in the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court pursuant to Article 25.4.5° of the Constitution.
	(b) in the case of an Act of the Oireachtas of Saorstát Éireann, the signed text of such law as enrolled for record in the office of such officer of the Supreme Court of Saorstát Éireann as Dáil Éireann determined pursuant to Article 42 of the Constitution of the Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann),
	(c) in the case of any other Act, such text of that Act as corresponds to the text of the Act enrolled in the manner referred to in paragraph (a) or (b).
	(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), it shall be presumed, until the contrary is shown, that a copy of the text of an Act that is required to be judicially noticed is a copy of the text to which subsection (1) relates.
	Reading provisions together as one and summary proceedings for offences.	8.—Where—
	(a) an Act or portion of an Act (whenever passed)—
	(i) provides that summary proceedings for offences under it may be prosecuted by a specified person, and
	(ii) is subsequently read together as one with any provision of another Act,
	and
	(b) an offence is created under that provision which can be prosecuted in a summary manner but no express power is given to the specified person to so prosecute,
	then, the specified person may bring summary proceedings for an offence under that other provision unless some other person is authorised by that other Act to bring such proceedings.
	References in enactments to Parts, etc.	9.—(1) A reference in an enactment to a Part, Chapter, section, Schedule or other division, by whatever name called, shall be read as a reference to a Part, Chapter, section, Schedule or other division of the enactment in which the reference occurs.
	(2) A reference in an enactment to a subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, clause, subclause, article, subarticle or other division, by whatever name called, shall be read as a reference to a subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, clause, subclause, article, subarticle or other...