The Hansard Society has long argued that the system of delegated legislation is not fit for purpose. This leaflet explains our Delegated Legislation Review.
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Parliament is under-scrutinising swathes of important law. But the problem can be fixed
Delegated legislation may not be glamorous but it is essential to how our democracy works. Time to treat it accordingly.
Launching our Delegated Legislation Review: powers, procedures, politics and time
The launch event for our Delegated Legislation Review raised a number of challenging constitutional and practical issues to be explored further during the Review process. The vivid discussions also confirmed the existence of both heightened interest in delegated legislation and a large degree of cross-party consensus on the need for reform.
Delegated legislation: glossary of key terms
Our explanations of key terms to help you understand the delegated legislation system at Westminster and the debate about its reform
Launch of the Hansard Society Delegated Legislation Review
On 2 November, the Society launched its Delegated Legislation Review to an audience of MPs, Peers and constitutional experts. The event – which included two panel discussions with Members from across the political spectrum and a keynote address by Steve Baker MP – unpacked the problems with the delegated legislation system and explored avenues for reform.
Delegated legislation: the problems with the process
There are problems with both the delegation of powers to make delegated legislation and the scrutiny of the Statutory Instruments (SIs) that arise from those powers. This report sets out some of the central problems that need to be resolved with respect to each of these two aspects of the system.
Democratic control of political power matters: keynote address by Steve Baker MP
The full text of the keynote address given by Steve Baker MP at the launch of the Hansard Society Delegated Legislation Review, 2 November 2021.