# Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954, Section 31: Enactment always speaking.


(1) Every enactment shall be construed as always speaking and if anything is expressed in the present tense it shall be applied to the circumstances as they occur, so that effect may be given to each enactment according to its true spirit, intent and meaning.
(2) The expression “now”, “next”, “heretofore” or “hereafter” shall be construed as referring to the time when the enactment containing the expression came into force.

---
Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/apni/1954/33/section/31 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/interpretation-act-northern-ireland-1954/section-31
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.