La ley y su macroestructura

1. Statutes

Despite the fame of the English system of common law and the importance within it
of judge-made law (jurisprudencia) based on the rules of binding precedent
(precedentes vinculantes), by far the greatest number of new laws introduced in
Britain are the outcome of parliamentary decision. This legislative activity takes the
form of statutes (legislación, and NOT estatutos, which is a different thing).
Statutes are either Acts of Parliament, which are passed by Parliament and come
into force (entran en vigor) on the date on which they are enacted (promulgadas)
by receiving the royal assent (sanción real), or Orders (órdenes ministeriales), for
which individual ministers and their departments are responsible. All Acts, before
they become such, are presented to Parliament for debate, discussion and
emendation in the form of bills (proyectos de ley),1 which at a still earlier stage
started life as draft Bills (anteproyectos). The macrostructure of a typical Act is
made up of the following elements:

(a) The short title (encabezamiento abreviado)

This appears at the top of the page, below the royal seal, and is the name by which
the Act is commonly known and cited, e.g. “Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988”, “Law
Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1971”. The date, as one would expect, is the
year in which the Act received the royal assent. An alternative system of reference
is to omit the short title and cite instead the calendar year and the chapter number
to which the Act was assigned in the Statute Book (memoria legislativa o
compendio de Diarios de Sesiones), optionally including the date of the session.
Acts passed prior to 1963 are often cited by reference to the regnal year (año del
reinado del monarca), session and chapter.

(b) The long title (encabezamiento completo)

The long title should not be confused with the preamble, which is explained in the
next section. It is in fact a formal and sometimes fairly elaborate description of the
scope and purpose of the Act, invariably beginning with the words AAn Act ...”
followed by some such performative verb as ‘to amend ...’ or ‘for codifying ....”. An
example of the briefer long title is AAn Act for codifying the law relating to the Sale
of Goods”. An example of the more complex type is provided by the Hire-Purchase
Act 1964, which reads as follows:

An Act to amend the law relating to hire-purchase and credit-sale, and in relation
thereto, to amend the enactments relating to the sale of goods; to make provision
with respect to dispositions of motor vehicles which have been let or agreed to be
sold by way of hire-purchase or conditional sale; to amend the Advertisements (Hire-
Purchase) Act 1957; and for the purposes connected with the matters aforesaid.

It is important to bear in mind that the long title forms an integral part of
the law, since its serves as a contextual frame of reference which may be invoked if
necessary as an instrument of interpretation and construction of the meaning to be
attached to the legislator’s words in the event of dispute.

(c) The preamble (el preámbulo)

1. The term “bill” in some contexts is equivalent to “law” (e.g. the Bill of Rights[carta o declaración de
derechos]), and in others to the verdict or decision of a jury, as in the expression “true bill” (fallo o
veredicto ratificado por los miembros de un jurado).
 Not all contemporary statutes contain a preamble. Where there is one, it is
normally very brief; its purpose is either to relate the law to the altered
social, political or commercial conditions which, in Parliament’s view, justify
the introduction of new legislation, or simply to set out the facts or state of
the law for which Parliament is intending to legislate. The usual formula is
one or more “whereas” clauses (considerandos), or equivalent clauses of the
“in view of” (a la vista de, ante) or “given that” (dado, dado que) type.

(d) The enacting words (la fórmula promulgatoria)

This is an unvarying and highly solemn formula, couched in archaic English to

increase its impressiveness (the complex mood of the impersonal verb B a mixture
of optative and passive B, the formal titles, the rhetorical repetition of prepositions
to balance the phrases, the pairing of prepositions or prepositional phrases, the
placing of the adjectives and participles after their nouns, and so on). The optative
(desiderativo) functions as a performative, giving legal force to the statute. Here is
the hallowed formula:

Be it Enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice
of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present
Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows...2

(e) The parts, articles and sections of statutes

Acts are divided into parts (capítulos, partes), sections (artículos), subsections
(apartados), paragraphs (subapartados) and sub-paragraphs (incisos, letras).
Sections are indicated by a number, and subsections by a number in brackets;
paragraphs are shown in lower-case letters between brackets and sub-paragraphs
in lower-case Roman numerals, also between brackets. In citation, there is no
space between numbers and brackets, so that sub-paragraph (iii) of paragraph (b)
of subsection (2) of section 18 is printed As 18(2)(b)(iii)”, where ‘s’ stands, of
course, for ‘section’. Given the precision of these references, the preposition used
to direct attention to the exact whereabouts of the matter of law under discussion is
usually ‘at’. English statutes are extremely densely worded, partly as a result of the
legislative habit of framing each subsection, and sometimes an entire section, as a
single complex sentence built up from a dizzying number of subordinate and
interpolated clauses and phrases, which are distributed over the paragraphs and
sub-paragraphs. A good example of this complexity is seen in section 1 of the
Further Education Act 1985:

1.──(1) For the purposes of this Act goods are supplied through a further education
establishment if they result──

(a) from its educational activities;

(b) from the use of its facilities and the expertise of persons employed at it in
the fields in which they are so employed;
(c) from ideas of a person employed at it, or of one of its students, arising
out of its educational activities.

(2) For the purposes of this Act services are supplied through such an
establishment──

(a) if they are provided by making available──

2. A similar formula is found in most US legislation, viz: “Be it Enacted by the

Senate and House of Representatives in Congress assembled and by the authority
of the people of the State of... , as follows ... ”.
 (i) its facilities;
(ii) the expertise of persons employed at it in the fields in which they
are so employed;

(b) if they result──

(i) from its educational activities;

(ii) from ideas such as are mentioned in subsection (1)(c) above.

It is not uncommon for one or more subsections of an Act to be devoted to

clarification of the precise legal meaning to be attached to some of the terms used
in it, or to contain one or more interpretative clauses, normally beginning “This Act
shall be construed...”, designed to aid construction of the scope and purpose of the
statute as a whole or some particular part of it. For instance, section 2(10) of the
Further Education Act 1985 defines two of the terms used in it as follows:

(10) In this section──

“rate fund” ──

(a) in relation to the Inner London Education Authority means any fund for
which a precept is issued by the Greater London Council; and
(b) in relation to any other local education authority, means the county fund
or general rate fund; and

“year” means a period of twelve months ending with 31st March. [Emphasis added.]

(f) Schedules (anexos)

These are appendices containing miscellaneous information and clarification, such

as prescribed forms (formularios, impresos) to be used in connection with the Act
for purposes of application, registration, information transfer, etc; detailed
illustration of matters referred to in the body of the law, often in the form of tables,
tariffs and so on; a list of repeals effected (disposiciones que se derogan) by the
Act; a list of temporary or transitional provisions (disposiciones transitorias), and
other data of a similar kind.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that when proposed legislation is progressing
through Parliament in the form of Bills, the texts are technically broken down into
clauses, sub-clauses and paragraphs rather than the subdivisions described above.
However, since this is a mere convention, the translator who is (unusually, one
would imagine) called upon to deal with a Bill is obviously free to select any suitable
system of subdivision that makes sense in the TL, and may very well opt to use the
same terms in translating both Bills and Acts.

1. Leyes

Las leyes se publican en el BOE y su macroestructura consta de las siguientes

secciones:
a) Nombre de lay y número por el que se la conoce

Ley 10/2001, de 5 de julio, del Plan Hidrológico Nacional.

b) Fórmula de sanción real

Don Juan Carlos I,

Rey de España.
A todos los que la presente vieren y entendieren.
 Sabed: Que las Cortes Generales han aprobado y Yo vengo en sancionar la
siguiente Ley.

c) Exposición de motivos

El artículo 45.2 de la Constitución Española establece que los poderes

públicos velarán por la utilización racional de todos los recursos naturales,
con el fin de proteger y mejorar la calidad de la vida y defender y restaurar
el medio ambiente, apoyándose en la indispensable solidaridad colectiva.
Constituyendo el agua un recurso natural, su disponibilidad debe ser objeto
de una adecuada planificación que posibilite su uso racional en armonía con
el medio ambiente.

d) Cuerpo de la ley
Contiene las disposiciones generales presentadas en forma de artículos
(sections); éstos suelen agruparse en capítulos (chapters), títulos (titles)
y, a veces, dentro de estos títulos, se distinguen secciones (articles).

TÍTULO PRELIMINAR.
Artículo 1. Objeto de la Ley.
El objeto de la presente Ley es la regulación de las materias a que se refiere
el artículo 43 de la Ley 29/1985, de 2 de agosto, de Aguas, como contenido
del Plan Hidrológico Nacional, así como el establecimiento de aquellas
previsiones normativas necesarias para garantizar su cumplimiento.
Artículo 2. Objetivos de la Ley.
1. Son objetivos generales de la presente Ley:
a) Alcanzar el buen estado del dominio público hidráulico, y en
particular de las masas de agua.
b) Gestionar la oferta del agua y satisfacer las demandas de aguas
presentes y futuras a través de un aprovechamiento racional,
sostenible, equilibrado y equitativo del agua, que permita al
mismo tiempo garantizar la suficiencia y calidad del recurso para
cada uso y la protección a largo plazo de los recursos hídricos
disponibles.
c) Lograr el equilibrio y armonización del desarrollo regional y
sectorial, en aras a conseguir la vertebración del territorio
nacional.

e) Disposiciones adicionales, transitorias, derogatorias y finales

La última parte de la ley consta de una serie de disposiciones que
reciben distintos títulos:
1. Las adicionales (additional provisions) tienen como objeto aportar las
modificaciones y ajustes técnicos de la práctica actual necesarios
para la correcta aplicación de la nueva ley.

Modificación de la Ley 18/1981, de 1 de julio, sobre actuaciones en materia

de aguas en Tarragona.
1. El artículo 1, párrafo 2, de la Ley 18/1981 queda redactado de la
siguiente forma:
Dos. Podrá destinarse al abastecimiento urbano e industrial de los
municipios de la provincia de Tarragona un caudal equivalente al
recuperado, con el límite máximo de cuatro metros cúbicos por segundo,
previa concesión administrativa, cuyo otorgamiento no comprometerá
volúmenes de agua del Ebro adicionales a los actualmente otorgados para
los regadíos del Delta; a cuyos efectos se realizarán, en su caso, los
necesarios reajustes de las actuales concesiones.

2. Las transitorias (temporary provisions) afirman qué disposiciones de

qué leyes serán de aplicación mientras no se redacten y aprueben las
anunciadas en las disposiciones finales.

DISPOSICIÓN TRANSITORIA PRIMERA. Adaptación de las

transferencias de pequeña cuantía.
Las transferencias de pequeña cuantía existentes con anterioridad a la
presente Ley deberán adaptarse a lo previsto en su artículo 14 en el plazo de
un año.

3. Las derogatorias (repealing provisions) tienen como propósito indicar

cuáles son las disposiciones que quedan sin valor a la entrada en
vigor de la ley que se promulga.

DISPOSICIÓN DEROGATORIA ÚNICA. Régimen del embalse de

Alarcón.
A la entrada en vigor de la presente Ley quedará derogado el artículo
segundo de la Ley 21/1971, de 19 de junio, sobre el aprovechamiento
conjunto Tajo-Segura, en lo que se refiere a la utilización del embalse de
Alarcón.

4. Las finales (closing provisons) anuncian la preparación de la nueva

legislación que indicará en alguna parte de la materia tratada en la
presente ley, o que ésta hace necesaria.

DISPOSICIÓN FINAL PRIMERA. Autorización para el desarrollo

reglamentario.
El Consejo de Ministros y el Ministro de Medio Ambiente, en el ámbito de
sus respectivas competencias, dictarán las normas reglamentarias que fueren
precisas para el cumplimiento de esta Ley.