Interpretation Act 1978

Interpretation Act 1978^[a]

Act of 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.
Citation	1978 c. 30
Territorial extent	United Kingdom
Dates
Royal assent	20 July 1978
Commencement	1 January 1979[b]
Other legislation
Repeals/revokes	Wales and Berwick Act 1746 Statutes (Definition of Time) Act 1880
Amended by	Magistrates' Courts Act 1980 British Nationality Act 1981 Building Act 1984 County Courts Act 1984 Family Law Reform Act 1987 Finance Act 1987 Criminal Justice Act 1988 Children Act 1989 Water Act 1989 Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 Health Authorities Act 1995 Police Act 1996 Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 Scotland Act 1998 Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 British Overseas Territories Act 2002 Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 Criminal Justice Act 2003 Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 Civil Partnership Act 2004 Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 Constitutional Reform Act 2005 Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006 Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 Offender Management Act 2007 UK Borders Act 2007 European Union (Amendment) Act 2008 Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act 2011 Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 Charities Act 2011 Crime and Courts Act 2013 Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 Infrastructure Act 2015 Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 Legislation (Wales) Act 2019 European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 Fisheries Act 2020 Sentencing Act 2020 Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022 Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023
Status: Amended
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended
Text of the Interpretation Act 1978 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

The Interpretation Act 1978^[a] (c. 30) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The act makes provision for the interpretation of acts of Parliament,^[1] Measures of the General Synod of the Church of England, Measures of the Church Assembly,^[2] subordinate legislation,^[3] "deeds and other instruments and documents",^[4] acts of the Scottish Parliament and instruments made thereunder (added 1998),^[5] and Measures and acts of the National Assembly for Wales and instruments made thereunder.^[6] 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 act repealed the whole of the Interpretation Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict. c. 63), except for sections 13(4) and 13(5) and 13(14) in their application to Northern Ireland.^[7]

The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954^[8] applies in the same way to Acts of the Parliament of Northern Ireland or Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

The act applies to itself and to any act passed after the commencement of the act (section 22) and, to the extent specified in Part I of Schedule 2, to acts passed before the commencement of the act.

The act binds the Crown.^[9]

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