On 8th April I noticed that the Queen had held a [Privy] Council at precisely 12.40p.m. I wonder what is the significance of this precision – I doubt it is mere pernickitiness
The 1985 Housing Act was meant to be a purely consolidating Act, involving no new law. A genius in the parliamentary draughtsman’s office had put together a coherent version of what had become a very convoluted set of Acts of Parliament, dating back at least as far as the Small Dwellings Acquisition Act of 1899
Shortage or parliamentary time however meant that the final stages of getting it into law were left to the very last day of the parliamentary session. In a race against the clock it had to be whizzed through both Commons & Lords, then rushed to Buckingham Palace to receive the Royal Assent. If it did not get there before parliament was prorogued it would not be the law of the land & we would have to rely on the old hodge podge until at least sometime next year
For us it was no mere technicality. We had statistical returns which should already have gone to the printer, but were sitting waiting to find out which version should be printed – the one with the old or the one with the new statutory references
I am sure there were other even more important actions hanging on this as we sat in the office waiting to hear whether la reine did indeed le veult
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