## Consolidating Statutes and Previous Law
### Rule
Where a statute's preamble uses expressions such as 'An Act to consolidate' the previous law, courts apply a presumption:
- The statute is not intended to alter the existing law.
- It is intended to bring scattered provisions together in one place, in a clearer or more systematic form.
### Why This Matters for Interpretation
If doubt arises about a section in a consolidating statute, the earlier law can be referred to in order to determine the meaning, because the legislature is presumed to have continued — not changed — the existing position.
Of course, this is only a presumption. Where the language of the consolidating statute clearly does change the law, that intent prevails over the presumption.