The mosaic is elaborated further by a complex patchwork of statutory instruments, including statutory instruments to give effect to European Union legislation. The difficulties associated with the complexity of the Statute Book and the problems caused by that complexity are adverted to from time to time by judges applying the law and Government- appointed Committees charged with the task of making recommendations about improving the law 1 . The Publication of Revised Statutes 6. In addition to consolidation, the weeding out process along with consolidation facilitates the compilation of revised statutes. Revised Statutes are an edition of the statutes, prepared officially, which shows all amendments incorporated.
Similar provisions operate in the United States, Canada and Australia.
While some headway has been made in recent years commercially in this area 2 the situation is that since the foundation of the State no official Revised Statutes have been published in respect of pre-1922 legislation or of Acts of the Oireachtas. This is to an extent a consequence of the amount of statute law revision and consolidation undertaken since 1922. 3 6.8 It is understood that the Statute Law Reform and Consolidation Office was primarily used as the strategic arm of the Office of the Parliamentary Draftsman. The last mentioned Act was drafted in the Office of the Parliamentary Draftsman. The Review Group is aware that work is in hand in the Office of the Parliamentary Draftsman on a consolidation of the Tax Acts and the Wireless Telegraphy Acts.