The act was intended, in particular, to facilitate the preparation of the revised edition of the statutes, then in progress.

[1] In 1806, the Commission on Public Records passed a resolution requesting the production of a report on the best mode of reducing the volume of the statute book.

[2] In 1816, both Houses of Parliament, passed resolutions that an eminent lawyer with 20 clerks be commissioned to make a digest of the statutes, which was declared "very expedient to be done."

[2] The Board issued three reports, recommending the creation of a permanent body for statute law reform.

An alternative approach, focusing on expunging obsolete laws from the statute book, followed by consolidation, was proposed by Peter Locke King MP, who was heavily critical of the expenditure of the Commission and the lack of results.

Wood to expurgate the statute book of all acts which, though not expressly repealed, were not in force, working backwards from the present time.

[6] In his speech introducing the bill, the Lord Chancellor, William Wood, 1st Baron Hatherley stated that the bill would repeal almost 1,100 acts and parts of acts, continuing the work of Richard Bethell, 1st Baron Westbury to publish a revised edition of the statutes.

Section 1 of the act also ensured that repealed enactments that have been incorporated into other laws would continue to have legal effect in those contexts.