A guide to Westminster

Legislation stems from an extensive process of inspiration, deliberation and reformation before it arrives on the statute book. Understanding how this process develops and where and when to feed into it forms a crucial part of making politics and government work for you.

Making it Happen

Whilst bills, or Acts once they have received Royal Assent, may establish laws, often they do not regulate every aspect of the area they cover. Therefore, in order for a minister to establish and develop the detail of legislation without the need to go through the laborious process of passing a new Act, Acts often contain powers for the making of more detailed rules or extending the scope of extant ones.

Secondary legislation

The powers contained within these bills, known as delegated or secondary legislation, may vary widely. They may take the form of regulations, powers to increase fines, or to introduce later stages of the primary legislation.

Regulatory bodies

Operational support for overseeing new regulation is often now placed in the hands of task-forces or regulatory bodies. Privatised utilities, the financial services industry and even food preparation are all now watched over by independent regulatory bodies responsible for ensuring compliance with the letter and spirit of the law, and to feed back to ministers where further legislation may be necessary, or deregulation appropriate.

[About us] [Working with Politics International] [Our Reach] [Political Research and Information Service]
[Code of Conduct] [Our Clients] [Political Training] [Contact Us]