Delegated Legislation Review: Preliminary Recommendations (members’ briefing)

Events / Members

Delegated Legislation Review: Preliminary Recommendations (members’ briefing)

26 Jan 2023

The UK Houses of Parliament at dusk. CC BY-ND 2.0

Ahead of publication of the Preliminary Recommendations of the Hansard Society’s Delegated Legislation Review, Members of the Society are invited to a special pre-launch briefing to learn about the key changes that we think are needed to reform how the delegated legislation system works.

1:00pm, 26 January 2023 Private briefing for members (webinar)

Become a member

About this event

The Society’s research team will give an advance briefing to Members of the Society ahead of publication of the Preliminary Recommendations of our Delegated Legislation Review.

Over the last 12 months, we have been working with an expert Advisory Panel to develop proposals to reform how the delegated legislation system works.

This briefing will explore our key proposals that have emerged to reset the system so that it is more efficient and effective.

There will be an opportunity for Members to question the research team about the proposals and to discuss our plans for the final stage of the Review.

Key themes

We will be setting out and discussing how we propose to:

reset the boundary between what should go in Bills and what should go in Statutory Instruments (SIs);
improve scrutiny of SIs by replacing the current scrutiny model of ‘negative’, ‘affirmative’ and ‘strengthened’ procedures;
support scrutiny by introducing a sifting mechanism for all SIs;
introduce an amendment provision into the SI process;
enhance the resources available to MPs in the House of Commons to improve scrutiny of SIs (at present, legislative scrutiny is significantly under-resourced compared to select committee scrutiny);
introduce stronger safeguards around the use of SIs in an emergency.

Our Preliminary Recommendations will be published shortly to enable us to gather feedback from stakeholders inside and outside Parliament.

This briefing is an opportunity to get an early insight into the Review’s proposals, the thinking that lies behind our recommendations, and how we hope to take them forward and persuade Government and Parliament to adopt them.

Speakers

Dr Tom West Researcher and manager of the Delegated Legislation Review, Hansard Society

Dr Ruth Fox Director, Hansard Society

Who funds this work?

This work is supported by the Legal Education Foundation as part of the Hansard Society's Delegated Legislation Review.

Latest / Highlights

Blog / Once again, there is still no alternative: the costed proposals for Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster

The Restoration and Renewal Client Board’s latest report once again confirms what Parliament has known for nearly a decade: the cheapest, quickest and safest way to restore the Palace of Westminster is for MPs and Peers to move out during the works. The “full decant” option was endorsed in 2018 and reaffirmed repeatedly since. Remaining in the building could more than double costs, extend works into the 2080s, and increase risks to safety, accessibility and security. With the Palace already deteriorating and millions spent each year on patchwork repairs, further delay would itself be an expensive course of action, one that defers decisions without offering a viable alternative.

News / A Humble Address: How MPs confronted the Mandelson scandal - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 130

It has been a bruising week for the Prime Minister after the House of Commons backed a Conservative “Humble Address” demanding documents on Sir Keir Starmer’s vetting of Lord Mandelson for the Washington Ambassadorship. We explain how the procedure works, what role the Intelligence and Security Committee may play in decisions on disclosure, and how legislation to strip a peerage could be introduced. Plus, the latest on the Restoration and Renewal of Parliament as yet another report lands with a new set of costings. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Acast · YouTube · Other apps · RSS

News / Why MPs can’t just quit: The curious case of the Chiltern Hundreds - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 129

Why can’t MPs simply resign, and why does leaving the House of Commons still involve a medieval-sounding detour via the Chiltern Hundreds or its less glamorous cousin the Manor of Northstead? This week we unravel the history, constitutional logic and legal fudges behind this curious workaround, with some memorable resignations from the past along the way. We also assess the Government’s legislative programme as the Session heads toward its expected May close, including the striking lack of bills published for pre-legislative scrutiny. Finally, as Parliament begins the five-yearly process of renewing consent for the UK’s armed forces, we examine why an Armed Forces Bill is required and hear from Jayne Kirkham MP on how her Ten Minute Rule Bill helped extend the new Armed Forces Commissioner’s oversight to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Acast · YouTube · Other apps · RSS

News / Assisted dying bill: How could the Parliament Act be used? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 128

As the assisted dying bill grinds through the House of Lords under the weight of more than a thousand amendments, Lord Falconer has signalled that time is running out. With the Bill unlikely to complete its Lords stages this Session, he has openly raised the possibility of using the Parliament Act to override the upper House in the next Session. In this episode we explore what that would mean, how it could work in practice, and the political choices now facing ministers and Parliament. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Acast · YouTube · Other apps · RSS

News / Who really sets MPs’ pay – And why you might be wrong about it. A conversation with Richard Lloyd, chair of IPSA - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 126

What are MPs actually paid and what does the public fund to help them do their job? In this conversation with Richard Lloyd, chair of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) we explore the delicate balance between supporting MPs to do their jobs effectively and enforcing strict standards on the use of public money. We discuss how IPSA has shifted from a rule-heavy “traffic cop” to a principles-based regulator, why compliance is now very high, and the security risks and pressures facing MPs‘ offices as workloads rise and abuse becomes more common. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | ACAST | YouTube | Other apps | RSS