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Legal System | Statutory Interpretation

Intrinsic Aids: Introduction

Model Answer | A Level

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Describe what is meant by intrinsic aids

Intrinsic aids are found within the Act itself. Judges may use these to understand the meaning of the word or phrase in question.

The long and short title may be used. In Royal College of Nursing of the UK v DHSS four of the five law lords who heard the appeal referred to the long title of the Abortion Act 1967 which talked about medical practitioner . The preamble ceased to be used in the nineteenth century, except in private Acts but newer Acts may contain an objectives or purposes section at the beginning.

Sometimes words are expressly defined in definition sections for example in theAnimal Boarding Act 1963 it states .. In this Act animal means any dog or cat...

In addition to the main body of the text schedules can also be consulted. In some cases it is absolutely necessary for example the Hunting Act 2004 states ..Hunting is exempt if it is within a class specified in Schedule 1....

Punctuation can be used, as Lord Lowry noted.. To ignore punctuation disregards the reality that literate people, such as parliamentary draftsmen, do punctuate what they write... (Hanlon v Law Society).

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