PART I

Preliminary and General

1. —(1) This Act may be cited as the Local Government Act, 1946.

(2) The Local Government Acts. 1925 to 1941, and this Act may be cited together as the Local Government Acts, 1925 to 1946.

(3) The Local Government Acts, 1925 to 1941, and this Act shall be construed together as one Act.

2. —In this Act—

the expression “the Act of 1941” means the Local Government Act, 1941 (No. 23 of 1941);

the expression “county-at-large charges” has the meaning specified in subsection (2) of section 10 of this Act;

the expression “the county fund” has the meaning specified in section 7 of this Act;

the expression “the county rate” has the meaning specified in subsection (1) of section 12 of this Act;

the word “hereditament” includes a tenement;

the expression “the Minister” means the Minister for Local Government and Public Health;

the expression “the municipal fund,” in relation to an urban authority, has the meaning specified in subsection (1) of section 15 of this Act;

the expression “the municipal rate,” in relation to an urban authority, has the meaning specified in subsection (1) of section 18 of this Act;

the word “prescribed” means prescribed by the Minister by regulations made under this Act;

the expression “rating authority” means—

(a) the council of a county,

(b) the corporation of a county borough, or

(c) the urban authority of an urban area;

the expression “reserved function” means—

(a) as respects the council of a county or an elective body for the purposes of the County Management Acts, 1940 and 1942, a reserved function for the purposes of the County Management Acts, 1940 and 1942, and

(b) as respects the corporation of a county borough, a reserved function for the purposes of the Acts relating to the management of the borough;

the expression “road authority” means—

(a) the council of a county,

(b) the corporation of a county borough, or

(c) the urban authority of an urban area;

the expression “town charges” has the meaning specified in subsection (4) of section 10 of this Act;

the expression “urban area” means—

(a) a borough other than a county borough, or

(b) an urban district;

the expression “urban authority” means the corporation or council (as may be appropriate) of an urban area;

the expression “urban charges” has the meaning specified in subsection (3) of section 10 of this Act;

the expression “voluntary civic improvement fund” means a voluntary civic improvement fund within the meaning of the Local Authorities (Acceptance of Gifts) Act, 1945 (No. 30 of 1945).

3. —This Act shall come into operation on such day or days as may be fixed therefor by order or orders of the Minister either generally or with reference to any particular purpose or provision and different days may be so fixed for different purposes and different provisions of this Act.

4. —The Minister may make regulations prescribing any matter or thing referred to in this Act as prescribed or to be prescribed.

5. —The enactments mentioned in the First Schedule to this Act are hereby repealed to the extent mentioned in the third column of that Schedule.

6. —(1) The Minister may by order make such adaptations in any enactment or order in force at the passing of this Act and relating to any matter affected by this Act as are in his opinion necessary to enable the enactment to have effect in conformity with this Act.

(2) Every order under this section shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as conveniently may be after it is made and, if a resolution annulling the order is passed by either such House within the next twenty-one days on which that House has sat after the order is laid before it, the order shall be annulled accordingly but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done thereunder.