The Minister Responsible for the Law Commission, Hon Andrew Little, has recently requested that the Commission commence work on a review of succession law and a review of laws related to adults with impaired decision-making capacity in the 2019/20 year. The succession law project follows the completion of the review of the Property (Relationships) Act 1976 while the review of laws relating to adults with impaired decision-making capacity will follow the completion of the review of the Criminal Investigations (Bodily Samples) Act 1995.
The President, Sir Douglas White, attended certifier meetings for the Partnership Law Bill on 3 December 2018 and 4 March 2019. The Bill revises the Partnership Act 1908, which is old and uses out-of-date language.
We note with deep sadness the death on 31 May 2019 of Sir Grant Hammond who was President of the Law Commission between 2010 and 2016. During that time, Sir Grant made an extremely significant contribution to the law reform work of the Commission.
Following a recommendation by the Law Commission, a new offence of strangulation or suffocation came into force on 3 December 2018, carrying a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment (section 189A of the Crimes Act 1961).
