Canadian Delegation to the Westminster, 1931

1931年〈西敏規章〉（The Statute of Westminster）

22 George V, c. 4 (U.K.)

■雲程譯

 

依據1926年與1930年帝國會議通過特定決議案之實踐。

雲程1931年12月11日雲程

鑑於派至聯合王國英王政府的代表，加拿大王權自治領、澳大利亞國協、紐西蘭王權自治領、南非聯邦、愛爾蘭自由邦和紐芬蘭，在西元1926年以及1930年於西敏所召開之帝國會議的該會議報告中，發佈宣言與決議：雲程

同時，鑑於集會與法案前言，英王開始成為不列顛國協之自由聯合成員國之象徵，同時成員國也因對英王效忠而整合一致。隨著國協成員國間相互建立憲法地位，其任何與王位繼承或皇室稱號之法律有關者，從此需所有王權自治領以及聯合王國國會之同意。

而鑑於遵循已建立之憲法地位，此後任何聯合王國國會所通過之法律，若未徵詢與獲得王權自治領的同意，不得適用至前述之王權自治領而成為其法律的一部份。

且，鑑於必需經過批准、確認以及建立部份前述會議之宣言與決議，而法律須由聯合王國國會經由正當形式制訂與生效：雲程

有鑑於加拿大王權自治領、澳大利亞國協、紐西蘭王權自治領、南非聯邦、愛爾蘭自由邦和紐芬蘭，在本法案之範圍中，以遞交不列顛國會制訂此類條款之議案，而被個別徵詢並求取同意：

現在，在本次召集之國會，由最尊貴的陛下以及與貴族和平民百姓諮詢與同意後，制訂如下：

1. 本法案所稱「王權自治領」（Dominion）為下述自治領，即加拿大王權自治領（the Dominion of Canada）、澳大利亞國協（the Commonwealth of Australia）、紐西蘭王權自治領（the Dominion of New Zealand）、南非聯邦（the Union of South Africa）、愛爾蘭自由邦（the Irish Free State）和紐芬蘭（Newfoundland）。

2. （1）1865年《殖民地法律效力法案》於此法案為王權自治領國會通過後失效。雲程

（2）此法案為王權自治領國會通過生效後，任何與英格蘭法律、或與任何既存或未來聯合王國國會通過之法案、或與任何依據本法案制訂之命令、章程、條例，以及各王權自治領國會權力包括上訴或修訂法案權力抵觸之法律與法律條款，不得立即作廢或無效。

3. 茲宣布並頒佈王權自治領國會擁有完全制訂對外行動法律之權力。

4. 本法案生效後，任何聯合王國國會通過之法案不應適用或視為適用至王權自治領而成為其法律，除非本法案有明示規定且徵詢王權自治領並獲得其同意。

「注意：至於加拿大，第4節被1982年憲法法案所取代」雲程

5. 為不減損本案前述條款之一般性，1894年〈商業船運法案〉（the Merchant Shipping Act）735節與736節，應如同涉及不列顛屬地立法部門般，不包括涉及任一王權自治領國會。

6. 為不減損本案前述條款之一般性，在本法案生效後，1890年〈殖民地海事法庭法案〉（the Colonial Courts of Admiralty Act）第4節，即為英王要求保留特別法律，或包含擱置條款；以及第7節，即需要英王批准任何規制殖民地海事法庭實務與程序之法院章程，應停止適用至各王權自治領。雲程

7. （1）本法案不得視為適用至1867年至1930年〈英屬北美法案〉之廢止與修訂，或其任何命令、章程或條例。雲程

　（2）本法案第2節條款應適用至加拿大各省所制訂之法律，以及適用至其各省之立法權。

　（3）由加拿大國會或其各省所授權本法案之權力，應限定在加拿大國會或其各省制訂法律的權限內。

8. 本法案不得視為授權澳大利亞國協之憲法或憲法法案，或紐西蘭王權自治領憲法法案之修訂，應依據本法案生效前之現有法律為之。

9. （1）本法案不得視為授權澳大利亞國協國會制訂有關澳大利亞各州權限內之法律，但非澳大利亞國協國會或政府權限內之事務。

（2）本法案應視為需經澳大利亞國協國會或政府同意，任何由聯合王國國會所通過有關澳大利亞各州事務之法律，但非澳大利亞國協國會或政府權限內之事務，以免其符合於本法案生效前既存之現行憲法實務，即聯合王國國會之法律不需經其同意。

　（3）本法案適用至澳大利亞國協，第4節之徵詢與取得其同意，意指徵詢國協國會與政府並取得其同意。

10. （1）本法案以下各節，即第2、第3、第4、第5、第6節，不應適用至王權自治領而作為其法律一部份，除非經過該王權自治領國會採用，且其國會所採用之本法案條款得無論是本法案自生效起，或從較晚者之日起，認為採用此法案。

　（2）前述王權自治領國會得隨時撤回採用與有關本節（1）有關之條款。

　（3）本節所適用之自治國，為澳大利亞國協、紐西蘭自治國，和紐芬蘭。雲程

11. 儘管在1899年〈解釋法案〉中有規定，但在本法案生效後聯合王國國會通過的法案中，所謂的「殖民地」不應包括自治國或自治國的省或州。

12. 本法案得簡稱為1931年〈西敏規章〉。雲程

 

 

The Statute of Westminster, 1931

22 George V, c. 4 (U.K.)

An Act to give effect to certain resolutions passed by Imperial Conferences held in the years 1926 and 1930.

[11th December, 1931]

WHEREAS the delegates to His Majesty's Governments in the United Kingdom, the Dominion of Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, the Irish Free State and Newfoundland, at Imperial Conferences holden at Westminster in the years of our Lord nineteen hundred and twenty-six and nineteen hundred and thirty did concur in making the declarations and resolutions set forth in the Reports of the said Conferences:

And whereas it is meet and proper to set out by way of preamble to this Act that, inasmuch as the Crown is the symbol of the free association of the members of the British Commonwealth of Nations, and as they are united by a common allegiance to the Crown, it would be in accord with the established constitutional position of all the members of the Commonwealth in relation to one another that any alteration in the law touching the Succession to the Throne or the Royal Style and Titles shall hereafter require the assent as well of the Parliaments of all the Dominions as of the Parliament of the United Kingdom:

And whereas it is in accord with the established constitutional position that no law hereafter made by the Parliament of the United Kingdom shall extend to any of the said Dominions as part of the law of that Dominion otherwise than at the request and with the consent of that Dominion:

And whereas it is necessary for the ratifying, confirming and establishing of certain of the said declarations and resolutions of the said Conferences that a law be made and enacted in due form by authority of the Parliament of the United Kingdom:

And whereas the Dominion of Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, the Irish Free State and Newfoundland have severally requested and consented to the submission of a measure to the Parliament of the United Kingdom for making such provision with regard to the matters aforesaid as is hereafter in this Act contained:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED by the King's Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:--

1. In this Act the expression "Dominion" means any of the following Dominions, that is to say, the Dominion of Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, the Irish Free State and Newfoundland.

2. (1) The Colonial Laws Validity Act, 1865, shall not apply to any law made after the commencement of this Act by the Parliament of a Dominion.

(2) No law and no provision of any law made after the commencement of this Act by the Parliament of a Dominion shall be void or inoperative on the ground that it is repugnant to the law of England, or to the provisions of any existing or future Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom, or to any order, rule, or regulation made under any such Act, and the powers of the Parliament of a Dominion shall include the power to repeal or amend any such Act, order, rule or regulation in so far as the same is part of the law of the Dominion.

3. It is hereby declared and enacted that the Parliament of a Dominion has full power to make laws having extra-territorial operation.

4. No Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom passed after the commencement of this Act shall extend or be deemed to extend, to a Dominion as part of the law of that Dominion, unless it is expressly declared in that Act that that Dominion has requested, and consented to, the enactment thereof.

[Note: As far as Canada is concerned, section 4 was repealed by the Constitution Act, 1982.]

5. Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provisions of this Act, section seven hundred and thirty-five and seven hundred and thirty-six of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, shall be construed as though reference therein to the Legislature of a British possession did not include reference to the Parliament of a Dominion.

6. Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provisions of this Act, section four of the Colonial Courts of Admiralty Act, 1890 (which requires certain laws to be reserved for the signification of His Majesty's pleasure or to contain a suspending clause), and so much of section seven of that Act as requires the approval of His Majesty in Council to any rules of Court for regulating the practice and procedure of a Colonial Court of Admiralty, shall cease to have effect in any Dominion as from the commencement of this Act.

7. (1) Nothing in this Act shall be deemed to apply to the repeal, amendment or alteration of the British North America Acts, 1867 to 1930, or any order, rule or regulation made thereunder.

(2) The provisions of section two of this Act shall extend to laws made by any of the Provinces of Canada and to the powers of the legislatures of such Provinces.

(3) The powers conferred by this Act upon the Parliament of Canada or upon the legislatures of the Provinces shall be restricted to the enactment of laws in relation to matters within the competence of the Parliament of Canada or of any of the legislatures of the Provinces respectively.

8. Nothing in this Act shall be deemed to confer any power to repeal or alter the Constitution or the Constitution Act of the Commonwealth of Australia or the Constitution Act of the Dominion of New Zealand otherwise than in accordance with the law existing before the commencement of this Act.

9. (1) Nothing in this Act shall be deemed to authorize the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia to make laws on any matter within the authority of the States of Australia, not being a matter within the authority of the Parliament or Government of the Commonwealth of Australia.

(2) Nothing in this Act shall be deemed to require the concurrence of the Parliament or Government of the Commonwealth of Australia, in any law made by the Parliament of the United Kingdom with respect to any matter within the authority of the States of Australia, not being a matter within the authority of the Parliament or Government of the Commonwealth of Australia, in any case where it would have been in accordance with the constitutional practice existing before the commencement of this Act that the Parliament of the United Kingdom should make that law without such concurrence.

(3) In the application of this Act to the Commonwealth of Australia the request and consent referred to in section four shall mean the request and consent of the Parliament and government of the Commonwealth.

10. (1) None of the following sections of this Act, that is to say, sections two, three, four, five, and six, shall extend to a Dominion to which this section applies as part of the law of that Dominion unless that section is adopted by the Parliament of the Dominion, and any Act of that Parliament adopting any section of this Act may provide that the adoption shall have effect either from the commencement of this Act or from such later date as is specified in the adopting Act.

(2) The Parliament of any such Dominion as aforesaid may at any time revoke the adoption of any section referred to in sub-section (1) of this section.

(3) The Dominions to which this section applies are the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of New Zealand, and Newfoundland.

11. Notwithstanding anything in the Interpretation Act, 1889, the expression "Colony" shall not, in any Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed after the commencement of this Act, include a Dominion or any Province or State forming part of a Dominion.

12. This Act may be cited as the Statute of Westminster, 1931.

 

來源：http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/places/cth/cth12.htm