Law Reform Commission Act 1968

The function of the Commission shall be to take and keep under review all the law applicable to the State with a view to its systematic development and reform, including in particular—

the codification of such law; and

the elimination of anomalies; and

the repeal of obsolete and unnecessary enactments; and

the reduction of the number of separate enactments; and

generally the simplification and modernisation of the law.

To remove any doubt, it is declared that the law applicable to the State includes both substantive law and procedural law, including, for example, court rules.

For the purposes of carrying out its functions, the Commission shall—

receive and consider any proposal for the reform of the law which may be made or referred to it; and

at the request of the Minister, provide assistance to any department or instrumentality of the Government by undertaking the examination of any particular branch of the law and making recommendations for the reform of that branch of the law to bring it into accord with current conditions; and

prepare and submit to the Minister from time to time, or at the request of the Minister at any time, a program for the examination, in order of priority, of different branches of the law for the purposes of reform, consolidation or statute law revision; and

undertake, pursuant to approval by the Minister of any program, and in accordance with the approved order of priority, the examination of particular branches of the law, and the formulation of recommendations for reform, consolidation or statute law revision; and

if asked by the Minister, examine particular branches of the law and make recommendations to the Minister about the reform of the branch of the law, including consolidation of the law or statute law revision;

The Minister may vary—

any program submitted to the Minister by the Commission by adding or deleting or making such alteration to any particular branch or branches of the law as the Minister thinks fit; and

the order of priority on any such program.

For the purpose of assisting the Commission to formulate a program or recommendation the Commission may publish its working and discussion papers and such other papers as it thinks fit and may circulate those papers to such persons as it thinks fit.

Any programs of and recommendations formulated by the Commission and approved by the Governor in Council shall be laid before Parliament.