Interpretation Act, 1923

Meaning of certain official expressions in Acts.

2.—In this Act and in every Act passed after the commencement of this Act, the following expressions shall, unless the contrary intention appears, have the meanings hereby respectively assigned to them, namely:—

(1) the expressions “the Constitution” and “the Constitution of Saorstát Eireann” shall mean the Constitution set forth in the First Schedule annexed to the Constitution of the Irish Free State (Saorstát Eireann) Act, 1922 (No. 1 of 1922):

(2) the expression “the Governor-General” shall mean the Governor-General of the Irish Free State (Saorstát Eireann) for the time being:

(3) the expression “the Comptroller and Auditor-General” shall mean the Comptroller of the Receipt and Issue of the Exchequer of Saorstát Eireann and Auditor-General of Public Accounts for the time being appointed under the Comptroller and Auditor-General Act, 1923 (No. 1 of 1923):

(4) the expression “the Executive Council” shall mean the Executive Council for the time being constituted and appointed in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution:

(5) the expressions “the President” and “the Vice-President” shall respectively mean the President and the Vice-President for the time being of the Executive Council:

(6) the expression “an Executive Minister” shall mean a Minister who is for the time being a member of the Executive Council:

(7) The expression “the First Dáil Eireann” shall mean the assembly of members of Parliament elected for constituencies in Ireland at a Parliamentary Election held on the 14th day of December, 1918, who first came together in a Parliament held on the 21st day of January, 1919, in the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin called the Mansion House at Dublin, and there drew up and promulgated a provisional constitution for the said assembly as Dáil Eireann and Government of Saorstát Eireann:

(8) the expression “the Second Dáil Eireann” shall mean the assembly of members of Parliament elected for constituencies in Ireland at a Parliamentary Election held on the 13th day of May, 1921, who met as Dáil Eireann and Government of Saorstát Eireann in a Parliament held at Dublin in the Mansion House aforesaid on the 16th day of August, 1921:

(9) the expression “the Third Dáil Eireann” shall mean the assembly of members of Parliament elected by an Election held pursuant to a Resolution of the Second Dáil Eireann passed on the 20th day of May, 1922, and in manner particularly mentioned in an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament entitled “The Irish Free State (Agreement) Act, 1922,” in which Act the said Dáil Eireann is referred to as the House of the Parliament to which the Provisional Government shall be responsible being the constituent assembly which enacted the Constitution:

(10) the expression “the Treaty of 1921” shall mean the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty between Great Britain and Ireland signed at London on the 6th day of December, 1921, and subsequently approved and ratified by the Second Dáil Eireann and by the United Kingdom Parliament respectively, the text whereof is set forth in the Second Schedule to the Constitution of the Irish Free State (Saorstát Eireann) Act, 1922 (No. 1 of 1922):

(11) the expression “the United Kingdom Parliament” shall mean the Parliament of the late United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland:

(12) the expression “British Statute” shall mean an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament continued in force and effect in Saorstát Eireann by Article 73 of the Constitution:

(13) the expression “the Bank of Ireland” shall mean, as circumstances require, the Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland or the bank of the Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland.