Pepper (Inspector of Taxes) v Hart [1993] A.C. 593 was an historic case that acknowledged that the intention of legislation was not always clear by the time it got debated and finally appeared on the statute books. It allowed that in instances where legislation was “ambiguous or obscure” reference may be made to parliamentary material to try and clarify the intentions of parliament.

This sounds simple enough, but when was the last time you tried to track the debates of a section back to their conception?
Do you even know how to start? Bearing in mind that tracking a single section of an Act can take two full days! In the next issue of the CLIG newsletter I’ll be giving hints and guidance on how to go about this type of research.

If you get stuck in the meantime though, the Law Society Library is able to undertake the research for you, and until the end of January they have a special offer of £175, (rising in February to a £250 +VAT flat rate). Contact them on 0870 606 2511 for more information.