Law-making Process in the UK

It is common knowledge that there is no written constitution in Great Britain, and the laws of the country are not listed within a single document. That is why law-making has special significance, as each new Act of Parliament represents a new page in the country's constitution.

The law undergoes constant reform in the courts as established principles are interpreted, clarified or reapplied to meet new circumstances. Occasionally obsolete laws become outdated, and pressure arises on the Government to update the law. The Government may also wish to introduce new laws in line with its policies.

Sometimes new laws are needed to ensure that the UK complies with International or European Law. The Human Rights Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 are recent examples of this.

In the UK laws made by Parliament are known as Statute Laws. Every year Parliament passes about 100 laws directly by making Acts of Parliament. Within the same period, more than 3,000 Statutory Instruments containing many rules and regulations are made indirectly, on Parliament's authority. Parliament sometimes passes a very general law and leaves the relevant minister to fill in the details.

The essence of law-making in Parliament is that decisions are taken on behalf of the people. Elected representatives sit in the House of Commons, while the House of Lords contains a variety of experts from all walks of life who provide the benefit of their experience.

No new law can be made by Parliament unless it has completed a number of stages in both Houses of Parliament and received the Royal Assent. Only after the Royal Assent does it become a new law or Act of Parliament. Before this, while it is still journeying through Parliament, it is called a Bill.

Stages of a Government Bill

A Government Bill has to pass through several stages in Parliament, each having a clear purpose. Most stages are known as 'readings' because in the days before printing, the only way in which Members could find out what a Bill said was by having the contents read out in each Chamber.

The House of Commons

First Reading (Introducing a Bill)

The First Reading is a way of letting Members know that a Bill is coming up for discussion. There is no vote on the First Reading, so a Bill automatically goes through that stage. Then it is printed so that Members have a chance to read it and decide what they think about it. Explanatory notes are often published to accompany the Bill.

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