ABSTRACT
The preamble is a preliminary statement which usually sets out the reasons for making the Act of Parliament and the scope of the Act. The preamble does not often appear in a modern Act of Parliament. When a preamble does occur it can be a useful guide to interpretation of the Act as is well illustrated in a statute the short title of which is the Courts of Justice Building Act 1865:
One of the commonest cases in which Parliament still uses a preamble today is what is known as a private Act which is one that affects the interests of individuals, or of particular localities, or of a statutory body such as a council, and do not involve matters of public or parliamentary policy. Ever since 1850 statutes have been treated as public Acts unless they contain an express provision to the contrary.
