Guyana Independence Act 1966

Fully responsible status of Guyana

1

• (1) On and after 26th May 1966 (in this Act referred to as “the appointed day”) Her Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom shall have no responsibility for the government of the territory which immediately before that day constitutes the Colony of British Guiana and which on and after that day is to be called Guyana.

• (2) No Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed on or after the appointed day shall extend, or be deemed to extend, to Guyana as part of its law; and on and after that day the provisions of Schedule 1 to this Act shall have effect with respect to the legislative powers of Guyana.

Consequential modifications of" British Nationality Acts

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• (1) On and after the appointed day the British Nationality Acts 1948 to 1965 shall have effect as if in section 1(3) of the British Nationality Act 1948 (Commonwealth countries having separate citizenship) there were added at the end the words " and Guyana ".

• (2) Except as provided by section 3 of this Act, any person who immediately before the appointed day is a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies shall on that day cease to be such a citizen if he becomes on that day a citizen of Guyana.

• (3) Section 6(2) of the British Nationality Act 1948 (registration as citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies of women who have been married to such citizens) shall not apply to a woman by virtue of her marriage to a person who on the appointed day ceases to be such a citizen under subsection (2) of this section, or who would have done so if living on the appointed day.

Retention of citizenship of United Kingdom and Colonies by certain citizens of Guyana

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• (1) Subject to subsection (5) of this section, a person shall not cease to be a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies under section 2(2) of this Act if he, his father or his father's father—,

• (a) was born in the United Kingdom or in a colony; or

• (b) is or was a person naturalised in the United Kingdom and Colonies; or

• (c) was registered as a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies; or

• (d) became a British subject by reason of the annexation of any territory included in a colony.

• (2) A person shall not cease to be a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies under the said section 2(2) if either—

• (a) he was born in a protectorate or protected state, or

• (b) his father or his father's father was so born and is or at any time was a British subject.

• (3) A woman who is the wife of a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies shall not cease to be such a citizen under the said section 2(2) unless her husband does so.

• (4) Subject to subsection (5) of this section, the reference in subsection (1)(b) of this section to a person naturalised in the United Kingdom and Colonies shall include a person who would, if living immediately before the commencement of the British Nationality Act 1948, have become a person naturalised in the United Kingdom and Colonies by virtue of section 32(6) of that Act (persons given local naturalisation in a colony or protectorate before the commencement of that Act).

• (5) Any reference in this section to a colony, a protectorate or a protected state is a reference to a territory which is a colony, a protectorate or a protected state, as the case may be, within the meaning of the British Nationality Act 1948, on the appointed day, and accordingly does not include a reference to Guyana; and subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to a person by virtue of any certificate of naturalisation granted or registration effected by the governor or government of a territory outside the United Kingdom which is not such a colony, protectorate or protected state on the appointed day.

• (6) Part III of the British Nationality Act 1948 (supplemental provisions) shall have effect for the purposes of this section as if this section were included in that Act.

Effect of certain certificates of naturalisation

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• (1) Any document which on or after 1st January 1949 and before the passing of this Act was issued to a person by the Governor of British Guiana with the approval of the Secretary of State and which—

• (a) purported to be a certificate of naturalisation, but

• (b) did not contain a declaration that, upon taking the oath of allegiance within the time and in the manner required by the regulations made in that behalf, that person was to be a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies as from the date of the certificate,

shall have effect, and shall be deemed always to have had effect, as if (instead of any other declaration contained in the document) it had contained such a declaration as is specified in paragraph (b) of this subsection.

• (2) Any document to which the preceding subsection applies shall have effect, and shall be deemed always to have had effect, as a certificate of naturalisation granted under section 10 of the British Nationality Act 1948, whether it purported to be granted under that Act or not.

Consequential modification of other enactments

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• (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• (3) For the purpose of the making, on or after the appointed day, of Orders in Council under section 4 of the West Indies Act 1962, Guyana shall be treated as not being a colony with the meaning of that Act.

• (4) On and after the appointed day the provisions specified in Schedule 2 to this Act shall have effect subject to the amendments respectively specified in that Schedule.

• (5) Subsection (4) of this section, and Schedule 2 to this Act, shall not extend to Guyana as part of its law.

Power to provide constitution for Guyana

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Judicial Committee of Privy Council

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Interpretation and repeal

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• (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• (2) References in this Act to any enactment are references to that enactment as amended or extended by or under any other enactment.

• (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Short title

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This Act may be cited as the Guyana Independence Act 1966.

SCHEDULE 1

1

The Colonial Laws Validity Act 1865 shall not apply to any law made on or after the appointed day by the legislature of Guyana.

2

No law and no provision of any law made on or after the appointed day by that legislature shall be void or inoperative on the ground that it is repugnant to the law of England, or to the provisions of any Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, including this Act, or to any order, rule or regulation made under any such Act, and accordingly the powers of that legislature shall include the power to repeal or amend any such Act, order, rule or regulation in so far as it is part of the law of Guyana.

3

The legislature of Guyana shall have full power to make laws having extra-territorial operation.

4

Without prejudice to the generality of the preceding provisions of this Schedule—

• (a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• (b) section 4 of the Colonial Courts of Admiralty Act 1890 (which requires certain laws to be reserved for the signification of Her Majesty’s pleasure or to contain a suspending clause) and so much of section 7 of that Act as requires the approval of Her 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 Guyana.

SCHEDULE 2

Diplomatic immunities

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2

In section 1(6) of the Diplomatic Immunities (Commonwealth Countries and Republic of Ireland) Act 1952, before the word “and” in the last place where it occurs there shall be inserted the word “Guyana”.

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Financial

4

In section 2(4) of the Import Duties Act 1958, before the words “together with” there shall be inserted the word “Guyana”.

Visiting forces

5

In the Visiting Forces (British Commonwealth) Act 1933, section 4 (attachment and mutual powers of command) shall apply in relation to forces raised in Guyana as it applies in relation to forces raised in Dominions within the meaning of the Statute of Westminster 1931.

6

In the Visiting Forces Act 1952—

• (a) in paragraph (a) of section 1(1)(a) (countries to which that Act applies) at the end there shall be added the words “Guyana or”;

• (b) in section 10(1)(a), the expression “colony” shall not include Guyana;

and, until express provision with respect to Guyana is made by an Order in Council under section 8 of that Act (application to visiting forces of law relating to home forces), any such Order for the time being in force shall be deemed to apply to visiting forces of Guyana.

Ships and aircraft

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10

In the Whaling Industry (Regulation) Act 1934, the expression “British ship to which this Act applies” shall not include a British ship registered in Guyana.

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Commonwealth Institute

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Editorial notes

[^c667079]: Ss. 2, 3 repealed by British Nationality Act 1981 (c. 61, SIF 87), Sch. 9

[^c667080]: 1948 c. 56.

[^c667081]: S. 5(1) repealed by Interpretation Act 1978 (c. 30, SIF 115:1), Sch. 3

[^c667086]: 1962 c. 19(26:46)

[^c667087]: Ss. 6, 8(1)(3) repealed by Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1989 (c. 43), s. 1(1), Sch. 1 Pt. VI

[^c667088]: S. 7 repealed by Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1977 (c. 18), Sch. 1 Pt. XV

[^c667089]: Ss. 6, 8(1)(3) repealed by Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1989 (c. 43), s. 1(1), Sch. 1 Pt. VI

[^c667091]: 1865 c. 63(26:1).

[^c667094]: Sch. 1 para. 4(a) repealed (1.1.1996) by 1995 c. 21, ss. 314(1), 316(2), Sch. 12 (with ss. 312(1), Sch. 14 para. 1)

[^c667095]: 1890 c. 27(26:1).

[^c667096]: Sch. 2 para. 1 repealed by Finance Act 1969 (c. 32, SIF 63:1,2), Sch. 21 Pt. IX

[^c667097]: The text of Sch. 2 para. 2, which is spent, is in the form in which it was originally enacted: it was not reproduced in Statutes in Force and does not reflect any amendments or repeals which may have been made prior to 1.2.1991.

[^c667098]: 1952 c. 18.

[^c667099]: Sch. 2 para. 3 repealed by International Organisations Act 1981 (c.9, SIF 68:1) Sch.

[^c667100]: The text of s. 5(2)(b), Sch. 2 paras. 4, 6(a), 7, 8 and 12 is in the form in which it was originally enacted: it was not reproduced in Statutes in Force and does not reflect any amendments or repeals which may have been made prior to 1.2.1991.

[^c667101]: 1958 c. 6

[^c667102]: 1933 c. 6(7:3).

[^c667103]: 1931 c. 4(22 & 23 Geo. 5)(26:1).

[^c667104]: 1952 c. 67(7:3).

[^c667105]: The text of s. 5(2)(b), Sch. 2 paras. 4, 6(a), 7, 8 and 12 is in the form in which it was originally enacted: it was not reproduced in Statutes in Force and does not reflect any amendments or repeals which may have been made prior to 1.2.1991.

[^c667109]: Sch. 2 para. 7 repealed (1.1.1996) by 1995 c. 21, ss. 314(1), 316(2), Sch. 12 (with ss. 312(1), Sch. 14 para. 1)

[^c667112]: Sch. 2 para. 8 repealed (1.1.1996) by 1995 c. 21, ss. 314(1), 316(2), Sch. 12 (with ss. 312(1), Sch. 14 para. 1)

[^c667113]: Sch. 2 para. 9 repealed by Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1977 (c. 18), Sch. 1 Pt. XV

[^c667114]: 1934 c. 49(52:3).

[^c667115]: Sch. 2 para. 11 repealed by Civil Aviation Act 1971 (c. 75), Sch. 11

[^c667119]: Sch. 2 para. 12 repealed (7.1.2003) by 2002 c. 39, ss. 3, 4(2), Sch. 3