Preface
This Edition
of the Statute Law of The Bahamas has been prepared under the provisions of the
Law Reform and Revision Act which appears as Chapter 3.
The previous
Edition contained the Statute Law as in force on 30th June, 1987, and consisted
of eight main volumes, containing 358 Acts in the form of Chapters, and a
supplementary volume containing an index, chronological tables and certain Acts
omitted from the main volumes. The present Edition contains the Statute Law as
in force on 31st December, 2000 [i]*,
and consists of 393 Chapters arranged, as in the case of the previous Edition,
under Titles and Sub-titles, according to subject matter. It consists of eight
main volumes and a supplementary volume which, following the pattern of the
1987 Edition, contains the index, chronological tables and certain omitted Acts
which were nevertheless in force on 31st December, 2000 [ii]*. This Edition is available to the
public in looseleaf form and on CD-ROM.
The form of
the previous Edition has, in general, been followed, but some re-arrangement
has been unavoidable in an attempt to present the various statutes in an order,
which, it is hoped, will prove convenient to the practitioner.
The Quieting
Titles Act, 1969, though enacted before 31st December, 2000 [iii]*, had not been brought into force
by that date. It is included in the Edition as Chapter 142 but, for
convenience, the Act which it will replace is also included, as Chapter 393.
Other Acts which have not been brought into force are included and noted as
such.
All amending
Acts are noted and opposite the Long Title of each Act appear the year and the
number of its enactment and the year and number of any relevant amending Act,
while the date of assent and date of commencement of the Act, if not the same,
appear below the Long Title.
Although the
laws have been revised to 31st December, 2000 [iv]*,
some amendments to the financial legislation passed in 2001 have been included
as indicated by the marginal references. Other amendments to Acts generally
have been included pursuant to the Statute Law Revision Act, 2001, but no
marginal references have been inserted as the Act had not been passed before
the printing of the laws. However, such references will be inserted at a later
date.
The Revised
Edition of the Subsidiary Legislation on any of the Acts included in the
Edition has been taken into account and, as in the case of an amending Act, the
number and year of any such amending legislation appears in italics in the
margin beside the affected provision. The Existing Laws Amendment Order, 1974,
however, effecting a wide variety of amendments to both Acts and Subsidiary
Legislation at the time the Bahamas became independent, is referred to as
E.L.A.O., 1974.
Finally, I
would wish to record my thanks to the Commissioner Faizool Mohammed and staff
of the Law Reform and Revision Commission of The Bahamas and Juta & Co Ltd
(Law Publishers) of the Republic of South Africa for their assistance in the
preparation of this Edition.
Carl. W.
Bethel
Attorney-General