Such bills simplify the statute book without significantly changing the state of the law,[1][2] and are subject to an expedited Parliamentary procedure.
The parliamentary practice of legislating only for small portions of a subject at a time can create undue complexity in statute law.
Acts relating to a particular subject often end up scattered over many years, and through the operation of clauses partially repealing or amending former acts, the specific meaning of the law regarding the subject becomes enveloped in intricate or contradictory expressions.
[3] By 1911, such bills had been passed dealing with subjects as diverse as customs, stamps and stamp duties, public health, weights and measures, sheriffs, coroners, county courts, housing, municipal corporations, libraries, trustees, copyhold, diseases of animals, merchant shipping, and friendly societies.
On the other hand, in settling local acts, such as those relating to railway and canal enterprise, the legislature always inserted certain clauses founded on reasons of public policy applicable to the business in question.
[3] Consolidation bills are introduced in the House of Lords which, by convention, has primacy in these matters.