Interpretation Act 1978

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Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom

title: "Interpretation Act 1978" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["united-kingdom-acts-of-parliament-1978", "constitution-of-the-united-kingdom", "ex-post-facto-law", "constitutional-laws-of-the-united-kingdom", "legal-interpretation"] description: "Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpretation_Act_1978" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox UK legislation"]

FieldValue
short_titleInterpretation Act 1978
typeAct
parliamentParliament of the United Kingdom
long_titleAn Act to consolidate the Interpretation Act 1889 and certain other enactments relating to the construction and operation of Acts of Parliament and other instruments, with amendments to give effect to recommendations of the Law Commission and the Scottish Law Commission.
year1978
citation1978 c. 30
territorial_extentUnited Kingdom
royal_assent20 July 1978
commencement1 January 1979
amendsPlaces of Worship Registration Act 1855
replaces
amendments
statusAmended
original_texthttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/30/contents/enacted
revised_texthttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/30/contents
use_new_UK-LEGyes
::

| short_title = Interpretation Act 1978 | type = Act | parliament = Parliament of the United Kingdom | long_title = An Act to consolidate the Interpretation Act 1889 and certain other enactments relating to the construction and operation of Acts of Parliament and other instruments, with amendments to give effect to recommendations of the Law Commission and the Scottish Law Commission. | year = 1978 | citation = 1978 c. 30 | introduced_commons = | introduced_lords = | territorial_extent = United Kingdom | royal_assent = 20 July 1978 | commencement = 1 January 1979 | expiry_date = | repeal_date = | amends = Places of Worship Registration Act 1855 | replaces = | amendments = | repealing_legislation = | related_legislation = | status = Amended | legislation_history = | theyworkforyou = | millbankhansard = | original_text = http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/30/contents/enacted | revised_text = http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/30/contents | use_new_UK-LEG = yes | UK-LEG_title = | collapsed =

The Interpretation Act 1978 (c. 30) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The act makes provision for the interpretation of acts of Parliament, Measures of the General Synod of the Church of England, Measures of the Church Assembly, subordinate legislation, "deeds and other instruments and documents", acts of the Scottish Parliament and instruments made thereunder (added 1998), and Measures and acts of the National Assembly for Wales and instruments made thereunder. The act makes provision in relation to: the construction of certain words and phrases, words of enactment, amendment or repeal of Acts in the Session they were passed, judicial notice, commencement, statutory powers and duties, the effect of repeals, and duplicated offences.

The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954 applies in the same way to Acts of the Parliament of Northern Ireland or Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Section 7

Section 7 of the act, concerned with service of documents by post, replaced section 26 of the Interpretation Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict. c. 63). It states that

Interpretation of the words unless the contrary is proved is discussed in the case of Calladine-Smith v Saveorder Ltd, as to whether the "contrary" means the contrary of the allegation that the letter was properly addressed, prepaid and posted, or whether it refers to the contrary of the deeming provision that the letter in question was delivered in the ordinary course of post. In this particular case, a letter was shown to have been properly addressed, pre-paid and posted, but not received. On a balance of probabilities the court accepted that the "contrary" to the deemed provision had been proved, the letter was not received, and therefore the deemed provision could not hold.

Section 16 – General savings

The following cases are relevant to this section:

  • Hough v Windus (1884) 12 QBD 224, CA
  • R v Fisher (Charles) [1969] 1 WLR 8, CA
  • R v West London Stipendiary Magistrate, ex parte Simeon [1983] AC 234, HL

Section 18 – Duplicated offences

Section 18 of the act provides:

This section replaces section 33 of the Interpretation Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict. c. 63). Humphreys J. said that that section did not add anything to the common law, or detract anything from it.

"... shall not be liable to be punished more than once for the same offence"

The words "same offence" at the end of section 18 of the act do not mean "same act" or "same cause". A person may be punished more than once for the same act. Two prosecutions for a single false statement in a brochure is not oppressive.

See also Williams v Hallam (1943) 112 LJKB 353, (1943) 59 TLR 287, (1943) 41 LGR 165.

Notes

References

  • Halsbury's Statutes. Fourth Edition. 2008 Reissue. Volume 41. Page 796.
  • Archbold Criminal Pleading, Evidence and Practice. 1999. Appendix A.
  • Current Law Statutes Annotated 1978

References

  1. The Interpretation Act 1978, [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/30/section/22 section 22(1)]
  2. The Interpretation Act 1978, section 22(3)
  3. The Interpretation Act 1978, [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/30/section/23 section 23(1)]
  4. The Interpretation Act 1978, section 23(3)
  5. The Interpretation Act 1978, [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/30/section/23A section 23A]
  6. The Interpretation Act 1978, [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/30/section/23B section 23B]
  7. [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/apni/1954/33/contents The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954]
  8. ''[[Archbold Criminal Pleading, Evidence and Practice]]'', 1999, para 4-209
  9. {{cite legislation UK. (1978)
  10. {{cite BAILII. (2011). (5 July 2011)
  11. [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/30/section/18 Copy of section 18] from Legislation.gov.uk
  12. ''[[Archbold Criminal Pleading, Evidence and Practice]]'', 1999, para 4–123
  13. ''R v Thomas'' [1950] 1 KB 26 at 31 to 33, 33 [[Criminal Appeal Reports. Cr App R]] 200 at 204, [[Court of Criminal Appeal (England and Wales). CCA]]
  14. ''R v Thomas'' [1950] 1 KB 26, 33 Cr App R 200, [1949] 2 [[All England Law Reports. All ER]] 662, CCA
  15. ''R v Thomson Holidays Ltd'' [1974] QB 592, [1974] 2 WLR 371, [1974] 1 All ER 823, 58 Cr App R 429, [[Court of Appeal of England and Wales. CA]]

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united-kingdom-acts-of-parliament-1978constitution-of-the-united-kingdomex-post-facto-lawconstitutional-laws-of-the-united-kingdomlegal-interpretation