Legislation At Westminster

The Westminster parliament is a highly visible political institution, and one of its core functions is approving new laws. Yet Britain's legislative process is often seen as executive-dominated, and parliament as relatively weak. As this book shows, such impressions can be misleading. Drawing on the largest study of its kind for more than forty years, Meg Russell and Daniel Gover cast new light on the political dynamics that shape the legislative process. They provide a fascinating account of the passage of twelve government bills - collectively attracting more than 4000 proposed amendments - through both the House of Commons and House of Lords. These include highly contested changes such as Labour's identity cards scheme and the coalition's welfare reforms, alongside other relatively uncontroversial measures. As well as studying the parliamentary record and amendments, the study draws from more than 100 interviews with legislative insiders. Following introductory chapters about the Westminster legislative process, the book focuses on the contribution of distinct parliamentary 'actors', including the government, opposition, backbenchers, select committees, and pressure groups. It considers their behaviour in the legislative process, what they seek to achieve, and crucially how they influence policy decisions. The final chapter reflects on Westminster's influence overall, showing this to be far greater than commonly assumed. Parliamentary influence is asserted in various different ways - ranging from visible amendments to more subtle means of changing government's behaviour. The book's findings make an important contribution to understanding both British politics and the dynamics of legislative bodies more broadly. Its readability and relevance will appeal to both specialists and general readers with interests in politics and law, in the UK and beyond.

To become law a Bill had to pass many different stages, at any of which, up to and including royal assent, it might fail; Bills unpassed at the dissolution of a Parliament were also automatically abandoned: Between 1660 and 1800 Parliament passed 14;216 Acts. In this period 7025 attempts to pass an act at Westminster failed. Failed Legislation, 1660-1800, provides a full list of these for the first time. It provides an essential perspective on the legislative history of the period and will be an essential tool for social, economic and political historians. Arranged chronologically, by parliamentary session, it presents the key information as to how legislative initiatives were handled. By showing patterns of demand for legislation, and categorising types of legislation and their success rate, it also reflects on many aspects of British history in this period, and not just political history. Subject coding allows the list to be analysed at a number of levels, from the general to the particular, including the examination of specific issues. Taken as a whole, it shows how extensively statute was used to address a very wide range of issues, both local and national, in the early modern period.

Neil Duxbury combines analytical legal philosophy and legal history to explore the concept of legislation.

Parliament and the legislative Process : 14th report of session 2003-04, Vol. 2: Evidence