Legislative, scrutiny and constitutional processes

Since its inception, the Hansard Society has made many influential recommendations for improving parliamentary scrutiny. Recent research has built on this work and we continue to identify cases for change.

Making Better Law (2009-10)

A combination of research and a series of seminars cultimating in a publication that examines the process of law making and how greater expert input during the development of legislation would improve the final outcomes. Making Better Law examines legislative process from policy to Act of Parliament, including consultation, drafting and scrutiny procedures. It analyses the political, procedural and cultural factors that together help determine the quality of the UK statute book. It diagnoses the causes and consequences of deficient law and sets out a comprehensive package of reform recommendations for Government and Parliament to improve the quality of law-making in the future. The Hansard Society is grateful to the Nuffield Foundation for generously supporting this publication. For more information, click here.

The Reform Challenge (2010)

In the run up to the general election the Hansard Society asked the three main parties to lay out their party's plans for parliamentary reform, should that party form the new government. These lectures have been collected in a pamphlet, The Reform Challenge, alongside speeches from the Speaker of the House of Commons, Rt Hon John Bercow MP and the Lord Speaker, Baroness Hayman, to give an overview of their ideas for reform. In addition, Dr Ruth Fox, Director of the Parliament and Government programme, examines public confidence in Parliament and MPs, and proposes priority areas for reform. The lectures were chaired by Peter Riddell, Chair of the Hansard Society. Click here for more.

Law in the Making (2006-08)

As a result of over two year's study, the publication Law in the Making: Influence and Change in the Legislative Process presents a major piece of research that analyses the influences and elements that come together to make an act of Parliament.

The research is based on the findings from five detailed case studies which examine every step of the process from policy development, through consultation, pre-legislative scrutiny, and all the stages of parliamentary scrutiny up to royal assent. It draws upon over 80 exclusive interviews with ministers, MPs, peers, government and parliamentary officials and pressure groups. This was preceded by a discussion paper, available for free download. The Hansard Society is grateful to the Nuffield Foundation for generously supporting this publication

New Politics, New Parliament? (2005)

New Politics, New Parliament? is a review of parliamentary modernisation since 1997. The report analyses the changes that have occurred since 1997, exploring in particular the impact that the reforms have had on the relationship between Parliament and the executive, and proposes potential next steps for parliamentary reform.

Parliament, Politics and Law Making (2004)

The Parliament, Politics and Law Making publication is a collection of essays exploring issues and developments in the legislative process, following up on the influential Hansard Society Commission report Making the Law (1992). It contains chapters on pre-legislative scrutiny, delegated legislation, the impact of Europe and human rights on Westminster's legislative process, and the scrutiny of regulation.

Issues in Law Making (2003-06)

The Issues in Law Making series of briefing papers examined a wide range of contemporary issues with the law making process, including private members' bills, programming of legislation, scrutiny of EU legislation and post-legislative scrutiny.

Evidence to select committees

The programme is regularly asked to submit evidence to select committees on various aspects of the legislative and scrutiny processes. Recent contributions include:

• National Assembly for Wales review of Standing Orders (written and oral evidence) - 2010
  
• Reform of the House of Commons Committee inquiry (written evidence) - 2009
• Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee inquiry on Post-implementation scrutiny of SIs (written evidence) - 2009
  
• Lords Constitution Committee inquiry on Emergency Legislation (written and oral evidence) - 2009
• Procedure Committee inquiry on the Programming of Legislation (written evidence) - 2009
  
• Scottish Parliament's Finance Committee inquiry into the review of the Budget process (written and oral evidence) - 2008
  
• Modernisation Committee inquiry on the Role of the backbench Member (written and oral evidence) - 2007
• Modernisation Committee inquiry on Recall and Dissolution (written evidence) - 2007
  
• Procedure Commmittee inquiry on Written Parliamentary Questions - 2007
  
• Modernisation Committee inquiry on the Legislative Process - 2006
  
• Procedure Committee inquiry on Early Day Motions - 2006
• Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee inquiry on the Management of Secondary Legislation - 2005
  
• Lords Constitution Committee inquiry on Parliament and the Legislative Process - 2004
• Lords Constitution Committee inquiry on the Accountability of Regulators to Citizens and Parliament - 2003
• Procedure Committee inquiry on Private Members' Bills - 2003
  

Evidence to select committees on other areas of our work can be found under the relevant headings (see links on the left). The programme has also contributed to a number of government consultations in recent years, such as the Governance of Britain white paper and the Law Commission's consideration of Post-Legislative Scrutiny.