Washminster

Washminster
Washminster

Monday 20 June 2011

The Legislative Process at Westminster

On Saturday I looked at the US legislative process, highlighting the fact that the traditional description of the stages in the process may not necessarily reflect what really happens.

We haven't yet reached the stage when a British "Unorthodox Lawmaking" is necessary - but the study of the various Readings is merely the starting point.

But let's start with the traditional model. The parliamentary website has an excellent resource which goes through the various stages, illustrating them with video clips. This is accessible here. It makes the textbook description come alive!

There is an excellent series of podcasts from Oxford University about the process, called "Statute Law: Making Legislation" - it is available on iTunes U or it can be accessed here.

The Hansard Society has produced some excellent material on the legislative process.
Law in the Making contains a number of case studies - I strongly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the legislative process - or a practical interest in getting bills changed before they are finally passed



There most recent large report on the legislative process, Making Better Law, looks at ways of improving the process.

It is worth spending some time exploring the parliamentary website - as details of bills - including the text and explanatory notes - can be found there.