The Origins of the Office of the Parliamentary Draftsman in Ireland

Abstract

The establishment of the Office of the Parliamentary Draftsman in Ireland marked the beginning of a real adventure of the law, which continues to this day. Sadly, there is a real absence of material relating the period leading up to the establishment of the Office of the Parliamentary Draftsman. 1 However, the lack of documentation relating to this period is of little surprise, as just prior to the Office’s establishment in 1923, Ireland had been through a rather turbulent time—first with the War of Independence in 1919–1921 and secondly, the Irish Civil War in 1922–1923. Owing to the course of history, an examination of the development of the Office of the Parliamentary Draftsman 2 in Ireland necessitates an examination of the Parliamentary Counsel Office in England. 3 In the course of his evidence to a Select Committee of the House of Commons in 1833, William Harrison described himself as being Parliamentary Counsel to the Treasury. 4 He stated that his duties were ‘to draw or settle all the Bills that belong to Government in the Department of the Treasury’. 5