Malta Independence Act 1964
On and after such day as Her Majesty may by Order in Council appoint (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 Malta.
No Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed on or after the appointed day shall extend, or be deemed to extend, to Malta 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 Malta.
On and after the appointed day the British Nationality Acts 1948 to 1964 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 Malta ".
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 Malta.
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.
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—
was born in the United Kingdom or in a colony; or
is or was a person naturalised in the United Kingdom and Colonies; or
was registered as a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies; or
became a British subject by reason of the annexation of any territory included in a colony.
A person shall not cease to be a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies under the said section 2(2) if either—
he was born in a protectorate or protected state, or
his father or his father's father was so born and is or at any time was a British subject.
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.
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).
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 Malta; 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.
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.
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the expression " colony " in the Army Act 1955, the Air Force Act 1955 and the Naval Discipline Act 1957 shall not include Malta; and
in the definitions of " Commonwealth force " in sections 225(1) and 223(1) respectively of the said Acts of 1955, and in the definition of " Commonwealth country " in section 135(1) of the said Act of 1957, at the end there shall be added the words " or Malta ".
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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, . . .
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , Schedule 2 to this Act and. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . subsection (4) of this section shall not extend to Malta as part of its law.
In this Act, and in any amendment made by this Act in any other enactment, “Malta” means the Island of Malta and all other territories which at the passing of this Act are comprised in the State of Malta, and “the existing Constitution Order” means the Malta (Constitution) Order in Council 1961 as amended by the Malta (Constitution) (Amendment) Order in Council 1962 and by the Malta (Constitution) (Modification) Order in Council 1963 and by any further Order in Council made before the appointed day.
References in this Act to any enactment are references to that enactment as amended or extended by or under any other enactment.
This Act may be cited as the Malta Independence Act 1964.
Section 1.
The Colonial Laws Validity Act 1865 shall not apply to any law made on or after the appointed day by the legislature of Malta.
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, subject to paragraph 5 of this Schedule, 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 Malta.
The legislature of Malta shall have full power to make laws having extra-territorial operation.
Without prejudice to the generality of the preceding provisions of this Schedule—
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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 Malta.
Nothing in this Act shall confer on the legislature of Malta any power to repeal, amend or modify the constitutional provisions otherwise than in such manner as may be provided for in those provisions; and for the purposes of this paragraph ”the constitutional provisions” means the following, that is to say—
this Act;
any Order in Council revoking the existing Constitution Order and providing for a new constitution for Malta to come into effect on the appointed day;
any law, or instrument made under a law, of the legislature of Malta which, being a law or instrument made on or after the appointed day, amends, modifies, re-enacts with or without amendment or modification, or makes different provision in lieu of, any provisions of this Act, of the Order in Council first mentioned in this paragraph, or of any such law or instrument previously made.
Section 4.
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in subsection (2), before the words " for any state " there shall be inserted the words " or Malta ";
in subsection (3), before the words " and ' Agent-General' " there shall be inserted the words " or Malta ".
In section 1(6) of the Diplomatic Immunities (Commonwealth Countries and Republic of Ireland) Act 1952, before the words “and Republic of Ireland” there shall be inserted the word “Malta”.
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In section 2(4) of the Import Duties Act 1958, before the words “together with” there shall be inserted the word “Malta”.
In the Visiting Forces (British Commonwealth) Act 1933, section 4 (attachment and mutual powers of command) shall apply in relation to forces raised in Malta as it applies in relation to forces raised in Dominions within the meaning of the Statute of Westminister 1931.
In the Visiting Forces Act 1952— and, until express provision with respect to Malta is made by 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 Malta.
in section 1(1)(a) (countries to which that Act applies) at the end there shall be added the words “Malta or”;
in section 10(1)(a) the expression “colony” shall not include Malta;
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In the definition of " excepted ship or aircraft " in paragraph 3 of Schedule 3 to the Emergency Laws (Repeal) Act 1959, before the words " or in any " there shall be inserted the words " or Malta ".
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The Ships and Aircraft (Transfer Restriction) Act 1939 shall not apply to any ship by reason only of its being registered in or licensed under the law of Malta; and the penal provisions of that Act shall not apply to persons in Malta (but without prejudice to the operation with respect to any ship to which that Act does apply of the provisions thereof relating to the forfeiture of ships).
In the Whaling Industry (Regulation) Act 1934, the expression “British ship to which this Act applies” shall not include a British ship registered in Malta.
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