The
long title (properly, the
title) is one of the parts, together with the
short titleThe short title is the formal name by which a piece of primary legislation is usually referred to in the United Kingdom and other Westminster-influenced jurisdictions . It contrasts with the long title which, while usually being more fully descriptive of the legislation's purpose and effects, is...
, and the operative provisions (sections and Schedules), which comprise an
Act of ParliamentAn act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament....
or
BillA bill is a proposed new law introduced for debate within a legislature. Even after a bill has been passed by the legislature, it is still formally called a "bill"...
in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and other countries with Westminster-based political systems. An Act or Bill is usually identified by its short title, but the long title provides a longer description of the purposes or scope of the Act. The long title appears at the beginning of every Act, and opens with the words "An Act to ..." (or, before the Act is enacted, "A Bill to...").
For example, the short title of the
House of Lords Act 1999The House of Lords Act 1999 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. It was a major constitutional enactment that greatly reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. For centuries, the House of Lords had included...
is
House of Lords Act 1999, but its long title is
An Act to restrict membership of the House of Lords by virtue of a hereditary peerage; to make related provision about disqualifications for voting at elections to, and for membership of, the House of Commons; and for connected purposes.
Like other descriptive components of an act (such as the
preambleA preamble is an introductory and explanatory statement in a document that explains the document's purpose and underlying philosophy. When applied to the opening paragraphs of a statute, it may recite historical facts pertinent to the subject of the statute...
, section headings, side notes, and short title), the long title seldom affects the operative provisions of an Act, except where the operative provisions are unclear or ambiguous and the long title provides a clear statement of
ParliamentA parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French parlement, the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at...
's intention.
The long title is important since, under the procedures of Parliament, a Bill cannot be amended to go outside the scope of its long title.
The
long title (properly, the
title) is one of the parts, together with the
short titleThe short title is the formal name by which a piece of primary legislation is usually referred to in the United Kingdom and other Westminster-influenced jurisdictions . It contrasts with the long title which, while usually being more fully descriptive of the legislation's purpose and effects, is...
, and the operative provisions (sections and Schedules), which comprise an
Act of ParliamentAn act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament....
or
BillA bill is a proposed new law introduced for debate within a legislature. Even after a bill has been passed by the legislature, it is still formally called a "bill"...
in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and other countries with Westminster-based political systems. An Act or Bill is usually identified by its short title, but the long title provides a longer description of the purposes or scope of the Act. The long title appears at the beginning of every Act, and opens with the words "An Act to ..." (or, before the Act is enacted, "A Bill to...").
For example, the short title of the
House of Lords Act 1999The House of Lords Act 1999 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. It was a major constitutional enactment that greatly reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. For centuries, the House of Lords had included...
is
House of Lords Act 1999, but its long title is
An Act to restrict membership of the House of Lords by virtue of a hereditary peerage; to make related provision about disqualifications for voting at elections to, and for membership of, the House of Commons; and for connected purposes.
Like other descriptive components of an act (such as the
preambleA preamble is an introductory and explanatory statement in a document that explains the document's purpose and underlying philosophy. When applied to the opening paragraphs of a statute, it may recite historical facts pertinent to the subject of the statute...
, section headings, side notes, and short title), the long title seldom affects the operative provisions of an Act, except where the operative provisions are unclear or ambiguous and the long title provides a clear statement of
ParliamentA parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French parlement, the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at...
's intention.
The long title is important since, under the procedures of Parliament, a Bill cannot be amended to go outside the scope of its long title. For that reason, the long title tends to be rather vague, ending with the formulation "and for connected purposes".
Many early Acts were enacted without a short title, and the long title was used to identify the Act, although short titles were given to many of the extant Acts at later dates. The
Bill of RightsA bill of rights is a list of the rights that are considered important and essential by a nation. The purpose of these bills is to protect those rights against infringement by the government...
was given that short title by the Short Titles Act 1896; previously, it was formally known by its long title,
An Act Declaring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject and Settling the Succession of the Crown. The long title for older Acts is sometimes termed its
rubricA rubric is a word or section of text which is written or printed in red ink to highlight it. The term derives from the , meaning red ochre or red chalk, and originates in Medieval illuminated manuscripts from the 13th century or earlier...
because it was sometimes printed in red.
The long title should be distinguished from the
preambleA preamble is an introductory and explanatory statement in a document that explains the document's purpose and underlying philosophy. When applied to the opening paragraphs of a statute, it may recite historical facts pertinent to the subject of the statute...
, which is an optional part of an Act or Bill and follows immediately after the long title and date of
Royal AssentThe granting of Royal Assent is the formal method by which a constitutional monarch completes the legislative process of lawmaking by formally assenting to an Act of Parliament. While the power to withhold Royal Assent was once exercised often, it is exceedingly rare in the modern, democratic...
, consisting of a number of preliminary statements of facts similar to
recitalIn Law, a recital consists of an account or repetition of the details of some act, proceeding or fact. Particularly, in law, that part of a legal document--such as a lease, which contains a statement of certain facts--which contains the purport for which the deed is made....
s, each starting
Whereas....
External links