CONSTRUCTION OF STATUTES

• Date: 24 January 2019

"In construing the provisions of a statute, it is permissible in ascertaining the ordinary sense of particular words to refer to dictionaries which show what that sense was when the statute was passed. See: White and Collins v. Minister of Health (1939) 2 K.B. 838 and Goodhew v. Morton (1962) 2 All E.R 771. It is also to be borne in mind that words used in a statute are primarily to be construed in their ordinary meaning or popular sense and as they would have been generally understood the day after the statute was passed unless such a construction would lead to manifest and gross absurdity or unless the context requires some special or particular meaning to be given to the words - Board of Works for the Wandsworth District v. United Telephone Co. (1884) 13 Q.B.D. 904 at 920, Sharpe v. Wakefield (1888) 22 Q.B.D. 239 at 241; Re Lockwood, Atherton v. Brooke (1958) Ch. 231 and Stephens v. Cuckfield R.D.C. (1960) 2 All E.R. 716 at...