| Short Title: | Meeting of Parliament Act 1797[1] |
| Type: | Act |
| Parliament: | Parliament of Great Britain |
| Long Title: | An Act to shorten the Time now required for giving Notice of the Royal Intention of his Majesty, his Heirs and Successors, that the Parliament shall meet and be holden for the Dispatch of Business, and more effectually to provide for the Meeting of Parliament in the case of a Demise of the Crown. |
| Year: | 1797 |
| Citation: | 37 Geo. 3. c. 127 |
| Territorial Extent: | Kingdom of Great Britain |
| Royal Assent: | 19 July 1797 |
| Amends: | Succession to the Crown Act 1707 |
| Status: | Amended |
| Revised Text: | http://www.legislation.gov.uk/apgb/Geo3/37/127/contents |
The Meeting of Parliament Act 1797 (37 Geo. 3. c. 127) is an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of Great Britain passed in 1797.
Section 1 originally established that Parliament could be summoned fourteen days after the issuing of a proclamation recalling it to meet, notwithstanding any prorogation or law that would have stopped Parliament meeting earlier than this. This was amended by the Parliament (Elections and Meeting) Act 1943 and now refers to any day after the date of the proclamation. The rest of the Act has been repealed.
Section 3 enacted that in case of the demise of the monarch after one parliament had been dissolved, but before the day indicated by the writ of summons for electing a new parliament, then the previous parliament (i.e. that which had been dissolved) was to be recalled immediately to Westminster. It would there sit as a parliament for the next six months, to all intents and purposes as though it had not been previously dissolved; it could, however, be dissolved or prorogued at any point during this time by the new monarch. A new writ would be issued, and the election would take place. (This replaced the less detailed Succession to the Crown Act 1707, s. 6.)
Section 5 provided that if the monarch died after the date of the election, then the newly elected parliament would meet as normal.