> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://research.docs.laws.africa/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://research.docs.laws.africa/consolidations/consolidations.md). # Consolidations Consolidations and revised editions {% hint style="info" %} **What you will be able to do** * Tell a consolidation apart from a gazette, and explain why they are indexed differently * Index a work from a consolidation: chapter number, consolidation date, and no publication document * Read a Uganda-style subsidiary legislation number such as "SI 141-3" * Find the year and number, consolidation date and version history in a consolidation * Give each work the subject area its consolidation uses {% endhint %} **Before you start:** you have completed Modules 3 and 4. {% hint style="info" %} A gazette publishes a law once, on the day it is made. Over the years that law is amended, partly repealed and renumbered, so the gazette text goes out of date. A consolidation, also called a revised edition, is a fresh official reprint of all the laws in force on a given date, with every amendment up to that date written in. It is prepared by an official body under a law that authorises the revision, and it gives each law a new reference number: its chapter number. {% endhint %} ### The anatomy of a revised edition The Laws of the Republic of Uganda, Revised Edition 2000, shows every part you need to recognise. | Feature | In Uganda 2000 | What it tells you | | -------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Authority** | "Prepared under the authority of The Laws (Revised Edition) Act" by the commissioners of law revision | It is an official source | | **Revision date** | "In force on 31st December, 2000" | The date the text is correct to | | **Chapter numbers for Acts** | Interpretation Act, Cap. 3; Penal Code Act, Cap. 120 | Every Act gets one chapter number | | **Numbers for subsidiary legislation** | S.I. 141-3 is the third SI under Cap. 141 | In Uganda, SIs get a chapter-style number instead of "SI 18 of 1996" | | **Disposition table** | "31/1968: Revoked"; "27-14: S.I. 243-1"; "Spent" | Maps every old number to its fate. Use it to trace a revised SI back to its original number and year. | ### How indexing differs from a gazette | Step | From a gazette | From a consolidation | | -------------------- | ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Year and number | As printed, e.g. Act 3 of 2019 | The original year and number, e.g. SI 18 of 1996. Use the disposition table. | | Chapter numbers | Blank | Filled in: see the steps below | | Consolidation date | None | Added with **Add consolidation** | | Publication details | From the gazette | Only from the original gazette, never from the consolidation | | Publication document | Attach the gazette | Indigo attaches the consolidation automatically: remove it | | Start page | Filled in | Does not apply without a publication document | | Primary work | The enabling Act | The enabling Act. In Uganda the SI number points to it: SI 141-3 sits under Cap. 141. | ### Reading metadata from a consolidation A consolidation is not a gazette, so it has no publication name, number or date. The metadata you need comes from three places: the heading of each law, its margin notes and footnotes, and the edition as a whole.
The first page of Chapter 110, The Institute of Social Work Act, in the Tanzania Revised Edition 2023, with the chapter number, the margin note Acts Nos. 26 of 1973 and 25 of 2002, the dates 14th January 1974 and GN No. 25 of 1974, and the margin note on section 1 citing Act No. 25 of 2002 marked

TANZANIA, CAP. 110, THE INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL WORK ACT, R.E. 2023

{% hint style="info" icon="list-ol" %} **1** **Chapter number.** Cap. 110. It goes in Chapter numbers, never in Number within year. **2** **The law's history.** The Acts this text is built from. The earliest is the original Act: 26 of 1973, so year `1973` and number `26`. The later one, 25 of 2002, is an amending Act already written into the text. **3** **Commencement date:** 14 January 1974. **4** **Commencing notice:** GN No. 25 of 1974. **5** **Section note.** A reference to an amendment of section 1. "Act No. 25 of 2002 Sch." means the amendment was made by the Schedule to Act 25 of 2002. It could equally name a section of the amending Act, for example section 4 of Act 25 of 2002. {% endhint %} #### Year and number Always use the original year and number, never the chapter number. * **Acts:** look at the history in the margin under the heading (marker 2). The earliest Act listed is the original. Check that its year fits the long title and the commencement date. * **Uganda SIs:** use the disposition table to trace the revised number (S.I. 141-3) back to the original (SI 18 of 1996). * If the original year and number cannot be traced, do not create the work and do not invent them: see Judgement calls below. #### Consolidation date The consolidation date is not on the law's own page. It is the date the whole edition is in force to, stated in the edition itself, for example on its title page or in its preface: "In force on 31st December, 2000". It is the same for every work in the collection. You record it on each work with **Add consolidation** (see the steps below). If the edition does not make the date clear, raise it before you index. #### Version history A consolidation shows where its text came from. The margin under the heading lists every Act the law is built from (marker 2), and a margin note beside a section, or a footnote, refers to an amendment of that section by the Act it names (marker 5). Use it to: * find the original Act, for the year and number; * see which amendments the consolidated text already contains, up to the consolidation date; * see which sections were amended, and by which Act. ### Subject areas from the consolidation Some consolidations and revised editions sort their laws into subject areas, for example "Administrative Law" or "Agriculture and Animals". Where they do, we copy that classification onto Indigo, so each law can be found by the same subjects the official edition uses. 1. First, a taxonomy that matches the consolidation's own subject list is built in the site settings, under **Subject areas per country**. This is done once for the collection, before indexing. 2. When you index each work, open **Taxonomy topics** on the work form, expand **Subject areas per country** and then the country's subject list. 3. Tick the subject area the consolidation gives that law.
The Taxonomy topics field with Subject areas per country expanded, showing lists such as African Regional Bodies, Laws of Burundi Subject Areas and Laws of eSwatini Subject Areas, and Laws of Lesotho Subject Areas expanded to show Administrative Law, Advertising, Agriculture and Animals, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Anti-Money Laundering and Bribery and Aviation

SUBJECT AREAS ON THE WORK FORM

{% hint style="info" icon="list-ol" %} **1** **Subject areas per country.** Where each consolidation's subject list lives. **2** **The country's list,** here Laws of Lesotho Subject Areas. **3** **The subject areas.** Tick the one the consolidation gives the law. {% endhint %} {% hint style="danger" %} **Watch out.** Use the subject area the consolidation gives, not one you think fits better. If the right subject area is missing from the list, raise it rather than choosing the nearest. {% endhint %} ### Steps 1. Open the work and click **Edit work**. 2. Under **Publication document**, click **Remove**. Indigo attached the consolidation automatically, and it cannot stay. 3. Under **Chapter numbers**, enter the **Number** exactly as printed, without "Cap." or "S.I.": `141-3`. 4. In **Name**, choose `Chapter` for an Act or `Statutory Instrument` for subsidiary legislation. So far, Uganda is the only place where we have seen chapter-style numbers for subsidiary legislation. 5. In **Revision name**, enter the edition's name: `Revised Laws 2000`. 6. In **Validity start date**, enter the date the edition is in force to: `2000-12-31`. Leave the end date blank unless a later revision replaced the number. 7. Scroll to **Consolidations**, click **Add consolidation** and enter the consolidation date. It is set by the collection, not worked out by you: the date the revised edition is in force to, the same for every work in it. This creates the point in time the editor imports the consolidated text at. 8. Save. {% hint style="success" %} **Tip.** The consolidation note and as-at date for a collection are set once, in the country's **Settings**, so they apply to every work in it. The consolidation date itself is still recorded on each work with **Add consolidation**, as in the steps above. The **As-at date override** and **Consolidation note override** fields on the work form are only for a work that needs something different, for example when one consolidation gives different consolidation dates for different documents. {% endhint %}
A gazette PDF beside the Indigo work form, showing the Chapter numbers block with Number, Validity start date, Validity end date and Revision name fields

THE CHAPTER NUMBERS BLOCK ON THE WORK FORM

{% hint style="info" icon="list-ol" %} **1** **Number.** As printed, without "Cap." or "S.I.": `141-3`. **2** **Validity start date.** The date the edition is in force to: `2000-12-31`. **3** **Revision name.** The edition's name: `Revised Laws 2000`. {% endhint %}
The Consolidations section of the work form with an Add consolidation button

FURTHER DOWN THE SAME FORM

{% hint style="info" icon="list-ol" %} **1** **Add consolidation.** Click it, then enter the consolidation date. {% endhint %} **WORKED EXAMPLE: A UGANDA SI** [Parliamentary Elections (Interim Provisions) (Prescription of Forms) Regulations](https://edit.laws.africa/works/akn/ug/act/si/1996/18/) * Original instrument SI 18 of 1996, so year `1996`, number `18`, address `/akn/ug/act/si/1996/18` * Chapter number `141-3`, Name `Statutory Instrument`, Revision name `Revised Laws 2000`, valid from 2000-12-31 * Primary work: Parliamentary Elections (Interim Provisions) Act, Cap. 141 in the same edition * Consolidation date: 2000-12-31 ### Judgement calls * **The consolidation is your only copy.** Index from it, fill in the chapter number and consolidation date, and remove the consolidation Indigo attached as the publication document. A link gazette task on approval flags that the original gazette is needed. * **The original year and number cannot be traced.** Indigo cannot hold a work without them. Do not create it and do not invent them; note the law and raise it with the project lead. * **An SI is 243-18 in one source and 31/1968 in another.** Both are right. Year and number take the original; the chapter number takes the revised one. * **SI consolidations outside Uganda.** So far, Uganda is the only place where we have seen chapter-style numbers for subsidiary legislation. If a consolidation elsewhere gives subsidiary legislation a chapter-style number, raise it before filling in Chapter numbers. Otherwise leave Chapter numbers blank. * **As-at date and consolidation note.** These are set once in the country's Settings and apply to every work. Leave the override fields on the work form empty, unless this work needs something different from the rest of the collection. ### Pitfalls * Leaving the automatically attached consolidation in place as the publication document. * Filling in the chapter number but forgetting Add consolidation. * Putting the chapter number in Number within year. * Typing "Cap. 141" or "S.I. 141-3" instead of `141` or `141-3`. * Choosing `Chapter` for a Uganda SI. ### Check yourself
A Uganda regulation is "S.I. 201-1" in the 2000 revised edition. What goes in Number, and in Name? **Answer.** Number `201-1`; Name `Statutory Instrument`.
Your only copy of an Act is from a consolidation. Do you attach it as the publication document? **Answer.** No. Only a gazette, a gazette supplement or an approved reprint can be attached. Leave it empty for the link gazette task.
The margin under a consolidated Act's heading reads "Acts Nos. 26 of 1973, 25 of 2002". What are its year and number? **Answer.** Year `1973`, number `26`: the earliest Act is the original. 25 of 2002 amended it.
What does the "141" in SI 141-3 tell you? **Answer.** The SI sits under Cap. 141, so its primary work is the Act that is Chapter 141.