Sale of Offices Act 1551

The Sale of Offices Act 1551 (5 & 6 Edw. 6. c. 16) is an Act of the Parliament of England. The Act is concerned with corruption in public office.^[3] It has been repealed completely in the United Kingdom since 2013, but only partly in the Republic of Ireland, where it makes it an offence to sell certain public offices, or to receive or agree to receive money for an office.

Sale of Offices Act 1551^[1]

Act of Parliament
Parliament of England
Long title	An Act against buyinge and sellinge of offices.[2]
Citation	5 & 6 Edw. 6. c. 16
Dates
Royal assent	15 April 1552
Other legislation
Amended by	Statute Law Revision Act 1863 Statute Law Revision Act 1888
Repealed by	Statute Law (Repeals) Act 2013
Status: Repealed
Revised text of statute as amended

The Sale of Offices Act 1551 was extended to Scotland and Ireland, and to all offices in the gift of the Crown, by section 1 of the Sale of Offices Act 1809,^[4] now also repealed in the UK.^[5] The two Acts had to be construed as one.^[6]

The Sale of Offices Act 1551 was repealed, from and after 5 July 1826, so far as regards the Revenue of Customs or Offices in the Service of the Customs, by sections 1 and 10 of the Act 6 Geo. 4. c. 105.^[7]

The whole Act was repealed in the UK by section 1 of, and Group 7 of Part 2 of Schedule 1 to, the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 2013.

Parts of this Act were retained for the Republic of Ireland by section 2(2)(a) of, and Part 2 of Schedule 1 to, the Statute Law Revision Act 2007.

See Graeme v Wroughton (1855) 11 Exch 146, (1855) 24 LJ Ex 265.

Provisions

Section 2

This section, from "be it also" to "aforesaide", was repealed by section 1(1) of, and Part I of the Schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1888.

Section 3

This section was repealed by section 1 of, and Schedule 1 to the Statute Law Revision Act 1948.

This section was repealed for the Republic of Ireland by section 1 of, and Part III of the Schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1983.

Section 5

This section was repealed for England and Wales by section 1 of, and the Schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1863 and for Ireland by the Statute Revision Act (Ireland) 1872. This section, in so far as it extended to Northern Ireland, was repealed by section 1(1) of, and Schedule 1 to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1950.

This section was repealed for the Republic of Ireland by section 1 of, and Part III of the Schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1983.

Section 6

This section was repealed for England and Wales by section 1 of, and the Schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1863. This section, in so far as it extended to Northern Ireland, was repealed by section 1(1) of, and Schedule 1 to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1950.

This section was repealed for the Republic of Ireland by section 1 of, and Part III of the Schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1983.

See also

• Political corruption

References

1. The citation of this Act by this short title was authorised by section 1 of, and Schedule 1 to, the Short Titles Act 1896. Due to the repeal of those provisions, it is now authorised by section 19(2) of the Interpretation Act 1978.
2. These words are printed against this Act in the second column of Schedule 1 to the Short Titles Act 1896, which is headed "Title".
3. Halsbury's Statutes. Fourth Edition. 2008 Reissue. Volume 12(1). Page 59.
4. The Statutes Revised. Third Edition. HMSO. 1950. Volume I. Page 295.
5. By the Statute Law Revision Act 1983 and the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 2013.
6. Halsbury's Statutes. Fourth Edition. 2008 Reissue. Volume 12(1). Page 79.
7. The Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 6 George IV. 1825. Printed by His Majesty's Statute and Law Printers. London. 1825. pp 614 and 616.

External links

• The Sale of Offices Act 1551, as amended, from Legislation.gov.uk.
• List of amendments and repeals in the Republic of Ireland from the Irish Statute Book.