Law Revision

The Commission has the mandate to prepare revised edition of the laws of Seychelles. In achieving this task, the Commission may consider to propose amendments to any written law.

What comprises the revised edition of the laws of Seychelles?

a) The revised edition of the Constitution of the Republic of Seychelles;

(b) The revised edition of all Acts in force;

(c) The revised edition of the subsidiary legislation;

(d) The edition of the Constitution, Acts or subsidiary legislation which are not in force.

Revision powers of the Commission

In the preparation of a revised edition of the laws of Seychelles or the revision of a particular law, the Commission shall have the following powers in relation to any enactment other than the

Constitution —

(a) arrange the laws in such order, manner or groups as the Commission may determine;

(b) add, alter or amend the preamble, long title or short title of any enactment;

(c) add, alter or amend a table of contents to any enactment;

(d) add, alter or amend a marginal note, section heading, heading note in an enactment;

(e) change any reference to a person, office, body, place or thing to reflect a change of name, transfer of function or provision for constructions of the reference;

(f) change any word or reference to a person or office to make it gender neutral, where it is possible without having to reconstruct a legislative sentence;

(g) correct any typographical error or other error of spelling, punctuation, grammar or layout;

(h) change spelling, punctuation and layout;

(i) change expressions of date, money, number, time and units of measurement;

(j) omit any obsolete or redundant words;

(k) alter or amend any word to secure uniformity of expression throughout an enactment;

(l) add numbering where there is none and change numbering to correct an error or reflect any other change;

(m) substitute for a reference to a law or provision of a law which has been re-acted or replace a

reference to the law or provision re-enacting or replacing it;

(n) change a cross-reference to a law or provision of a law to correct an error or reflect any other change;

(o) include examples, notes, annotations, references to case law and other similar material designed to better explain and present the law, and to do all other things which appear to the Commission to be necessary to render the revised edition of the laws of Seychelles or a particular law consistent with the current legislative drafting practice in Seychelles.

The Commission shall not have the power to —

(a) change conjunctives and disjunctives in any written law;

(b) omit any Schedule, map, picture, drawing, diagram or other object in any written law;

(c) shorten or simplify any phrase or sentence in any written law. Effect of revised edition of laws of Seychelles

A revised edition of the laws of Seychelles, brought into force under section15 of the Law

Commission Act, shall be deemed to be the sole authentic edition of the laws of Seychelles.

However, it shall not affect the operation of any law which comes into force after the revision date and which repeals, alters or amends any law included in the revised edition.

Wherever in any document of whatever kind reference is made to any enactment affected by the operation of the Law Commission Act, the reference shall, where necessary and practicable, be construed as a reference to the corresponding provision in the revised edition of the laws of Seychelles.

The revised edition of the laws of Seychelles shall not be held to operate as new laws, but shall be construed and have effect as a consolidation and as a declaratory form of the written laws that have been revised and published therein, and shall not be construed as a legislative endorsement of any judicial interpretation of a pre-existing law.