Minor amendments are to be made to a raft of laws that span a century.

Last week the Statute Law Revision Bill was granted a first reading by the Legislative Council.

Attorney General John Quinn said the Bill aimed to make a ’series of minor amendments’ to legislation and would repeal ’obsolete’ provisions.

’It is by its very nature and content a piece of legislative good housekeeping,’ he said.

Among the Acts of Tynwald that will be amended are the Isle of Man Constitution Amendment Act 1919 and the European Union and Trade Act 2019.

In terms of the 1919 Constitution Act, it is not the first time changes have been made. In this instance it will replace reference to the 1976 Interpretation Act with one to the 2015 Interpretation Act.

The amendment to the EU Act changes the ’scope of a saving’ in one of the schedules.

He said his legal officers monitored changes to laws and would then periodically bring forward a revision bill to make other necessary updates.

’Statute law revision acts provide a convenient way of making such provisions, which are necessary or advisable to tidy up statutes to making necessary corrections to text when they contain obvious errors, effecting cross-references and at times repealing obsolete provisions,’ he said.

’The intention being the legislation in question, when so amended, operates as Tynwald originally intended.’

The other option would be to have separate amending legislation to each Act of Tynwald that needs changing, which he said would take longer.

’The purpose of the Bill is therefore is to ensure that the Acts of Tynwald referred to are amended by the bill and continue to be accurate and up to date.’

Other legislation that will be amended by the Statute Law Revision Bill will include the 2017 Equality Act to correct ’defective’ cross-referencing.

MLCs voted unanimously in favour of granting the Bill its first reading.

The details of the amendments will be scrutinised at the clauses stage.

The fine details of the 30-plus amendments to established laws, will be studied at the second reading and clauses stages of the bill, which will also have to go to the House of Keys for approval.