Statute Law (Repeals) Act 2008
A Bill to promote the reform of the statute law by the repeal, in accordance with recommendations of the Law Commission and the Scottish Law Commission, of certain enactments which (except in so far as their effect is preserved) are no longer of practical utility, and to make other provision in connection with the repeal of those enactments.
This Bill would repeal a number of statutes which have become obsolete. It follows recommendations in the 18th report of the UK Law Commission, which is responsible for modernising and simplifying the statute book to make it more accessible. There have been 17 previous Statute Law Repeal Bills since 1965, repealing 2000 Acts in their entirety.
Key areas
- The Bill will repeal 260 whole Acts and part repeal 68 other Acts
- These range from laws on turnpikes and the East India Company to London workhouses and the aftermath of the Peterloo Massacre of 1819.
Last fetched 25 Apr 2026 · parliament.uk
Progress through Parliament8 stages recorded
Lords
1st reading
27 Feb 2008
Lords
2nd reading
18 Mar 2008
Lords
Order of Commitment discharged
19 May 2008
Lords
3rd reading
02 Jun 2008
Commons
1st reading
02 Jun 2008
Commons
2nd reading
09 Jul 2008
Commons
3rd reading
09 Jul 2008
—
Royal Assent
21 Jul 2008
DocumentsOpen on parliament.uk →
Act of ParliamentAct of ParliamentBillBill
Statute Law (Repeals) Act 2008 c.12 - pdf version
application/pdf · 29 Jul 2008
Statute Law (Repeals) Act 2008 c.12 - html version
text/html · 29 Jul 2008
Bill as brought from the Lords - html version
text/html · 03 Jun 2008
Bill as brought from the Lords - pdf version
application/pdf · 03 Jun 2008