Minors
Infants Relief Act 1874
CHAPTER LXII.
An Act to amend the Law as to the Contracts of Infants. [7th August 1874.]
[Preamble.]
Contracts by infants, except for necessaries to be void.
1. All contracts, whether by specialty or by simple contract, henceforth entered into by infants for the repayment of money lent or to be lent, or for goods supplied or to be supplied (other than contracts for necessaries), and all accounts stated with infants, shall be absolutely void: Provided always, that this enactment shall not invalidate any contract into which an infant may, by any existing or future statute, or by the rules of common law or equity, enter, except such as now by law are voidable.
No action to be brought on ratification of infant’s contract.
2. No action shall be brought whereby to charge any person upon any promise made after full age to pay any debt contracted during infancy, or upon any ratification made after full age of any promise or contract made during infancy, whether there shall or shall not be any new consideration for such promise or ratification after full age.
Short title.
3. This Act may be cited as “The Infants Relief Act, 1874.”
Age of Majority Act 1985
AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW RELATING TO THE AGE OF MAJORITY AND TO THE TIME WHEN A PERSON ATTAINS A PARTICULAR AGE AND TO MAKE OTHER PROVISIONS CONNECTED WITH THE FOREGOING. [12th February, 1985]
BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:
Interpretation.
1.—(1) In this Act—
“full age” shall be construed in accordance with section 2 ;
“statutory provision” means any provision of a statute (within the meaning of section 3 of the Interpretation Act, 1937 ) or of a statutory instrument (within the meaning aforesaid) made under a power or authority conferred by such statute.
(2) A reference in this Act to a section or to the Schedule is a reference to a section of, or the Schedule to, this Act, unless it is indicated that a reference to some other statutory provision is intended.
(3) A reference in this Act to a subsection or paragraph is a reference to the subsection or paragraph of the provision in which the reference occurs, unless it is indicated that some other provision is intended.
(4) A reference to any other statutory provision shall, except where the context otherwise requires, be construed as a reference to that statutory provision as amended by or under any other statutory provision, including this Act.
Reduction of age of majority.
2.—(1) Where a person has not attained the age of twenty-one years prior to the commencement of this Act, he shall, subject to section 4 , attain full age—
(a) on such commencement if he has attained the age of eighteen years or is or has been married, or
(b) after such commencement when he attains the age of eighteen years or, in case he marries before attaining that age, upon his marriage.
(2) Subsection (1) applies for the purposes of any rule of law and, in the absence of a definition or of any indication of a contrary intention, for the construction of “age of majority”, “full age”, “infancy”, “infant”, “minor”, “minority” and of other cognate words and expressions in—
(a) any statutory provision passed or made before, on or after the commencement of this Act, and
(b) any deed, will, court order or other instrument (not being a statutory provision) made on or after such commencement.
(3) Where there is, in any statutory provision passed or made before the commencement of this Act, a reference to the age of twenty-one years, such provision shall, subject to subsection (4), be construed and have effect as if the reference therein were a reference to full age.
(4) (a) This section does not affect the construction of any reference to the age of twenty-one years, or of any word or expression to which subsection (2) relates, in any statutory provision to which this subsection applies.
(b) This subsection applies to—
(i) the Marriages (Ireland) Act, 1844,
(ii) the Marriage Law (Ireland) Amendment Act, 1863 ,
(iii) the Matrimonial Causes and Marriage Law (Ireland) Amendment Act, 1870 ,
(iv) the Marriages Act, 1972 ,
(v) the Adoption Acts, 1952 to 1976,
(vi) the Social Welfare Acts, 1981 to 1984,
(vii) the Income Tax Acts and any other statutory provision dealing with the imposition, repeal, remission, alteration or regulation of any tax or other duty under the care and management of the Revenue Commissioners,
(viii) any provision of the Illegitimate Children (Affiliation Orders) Act, 1930 , the Guardianship of Infants Act, 1964 , or the Family Law (Maintenance of Spouses and Children) Act, 1976 , that provides for payments to be made for maintenance or support of children up to the age of twenty-one years,
(ix) any statutory provision that provides for the payment of a pension or other allowance for children up to the age of twenty-one years, and
(x) any statutory provision relating to prisons, to Saint Patrick’s Institution or to any other place for the custody of persons.
Description of person not of full age.
3.—A person who is not of full age may be described as a minor instead of as an infant and, accordingly, in this Act “minor” means such a person.
Time at which person attains a particular age.
4.—(1) Subject to subsection (3), the time at which a person attains a particular age expressed in years shall, for the purposes of any rule of law or of any statutory provision, deed, will or other instrument, be the commencement of the relevant anniversary of the date of his birth.
(2) Subsection (1) applies only where the relevant anniversary falls on a date after that on which this Act comes into operation, and, in relation to any statutory provision, deed, will or other instrument, has effect subject to any provision therein.
(3) (a) The date on which a person attains the age of eighteen years shall, for the purposes of any statutory provision to which this subsection applies, be calculated in the same manner as it is calculated for the purpose of determining whether a person has the right to vote at an election for members of Dáil Éireann.
(b) This subsection applies to—
(i) the Electoral Acts, 1923 to 1983,
(ii) the Presidential Elections Acts, 1937 to 1973,
(iii) the Seanad Electoral (University Members) Acts, 1937 to 1973,
(iv) the Referendum Acts, 1942 to 1984,
(v) the Local Elections Acts, 1963 to 1974, and
(vi) the European Assembly Elections Acts, 1977 and 1984.