In our consultation we have identified some 73 obsolete Acts relating to a variety of benevolent institutions. Many of these institutions are, or were, charitable bodies such as schools, hospitals and almshouses which were established in the 18th or 19th centuries to meet the needs of the poor, sick or elderly.
The Acts have become obsolete either because the institutions which they relate to have ceased to exist or because the Acts in question no longer serve any useful purpose, often because they have been superseded by schemes made by the Charity Commission. The Acts span the period 1721 to 1958.
The proposals include the repeal of:
- the Female Orphan Asylum Act 1800 (which helped to establish an orphanage in South London);
- the Hospital for Poor French Protestants Act 1808 (relating to a home established in central London to shelter Protestant refugees from France);
- the Refuge for the Destitute Act 1838 (relating to a charity established to help women upon their discharge from prison);
- the Imprisoned Debtors Discharge Society’s Act 1856 (to help imprisoned debtors secure their early release from prison).
These repeal proposals apply only to Acts relating to institutions operating in England or, in some cases, Ireland.
The closing date for comments is 31 December 2010.
