Aids: Overview

[Flash Card 1 of 2]

Intrinsic:

• long Title: Abortion Act 1967: medical practitioners (Royal College of Nursing of UK v DHSS) / Christmas Trading Act 2004
• punctuation: Hanlon v Law Society
• definition sections: Animal Boarding Act 1963 S5(2): In this Act animal means any dog or cat.
• explanatory notes: since 1999 / R v A
• schedules: necessary / Hunting Act 2004: exemptions

Extrinsic:

• dictionaries: PACE 1984 / oppression (Fulling)
• Hansard: ambiguous or absurd / clear statement Minister or promoter (Pepper v Hart) / mischief approach / Denning: grope around in the dark for meaning without turning the light on (Davies v Johnson)
• previous statutes: R v Wheatley : Explosive Substances Act 1883 / long title refers to Explosives Act 1875
• white papers: use of force / dispersal area (W v Metropolitan Police Commissioner)
• committee reports: limited way only (R v Allen )
• academic studies: criminal attempts (R v Shivpuri )

bits of law

Aids: Overview

[Flash Card 2 of 2]

Rules of language

Ejusdem generis:

• of the same kind / specific words followed by general / general limited to same kind / most commonly used
• Betting Act 1853: outdoor ring not a house, office, room or other place (Powell v Kempton Park Racecourse)
• at least two specific words (Allen v Emerson)

Noscitur a sociis:

• a word is known by its associates / read in context / derive colour from those around (Bourne v Norwich Crematorium)
• Factories Act 196: floors, steps stairs, passageways & gangways free from obstruction / passage / floor for storage excluded (Pengelley v Bell Punch)

Expressio unius est exclusio alterius:

• to express one is to exclude others / mention specific excludes other / in list
• house, land or coalmine /other mines not included (Sedgley Inhabitants)
• omission may be inadvertent / immigration exclude father as only mention mother (Crew)

bits of law