PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
REFORM OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS (16 June 1993)

That this House welcomes the Report of the Hansard Society Commission on the Legislative Process entitled Making the Law; endorses its conclusion that there needs to be a re-think of the way in which statute law is made; and would welcome an early opportunity to discuss its recommendations that (a) consultation by Government be more thorough and open, (b) Parliament should play a greater part in pre-legislative inquiry, (c) to secure more effective scrutiny there should be formal time-tabling of legislation by a steering committee chaired by the Speaker and including representatives of the Government, Opposition and back benchers, (d) 'First Reading Committees' should examine complex bills immediately after their presentation and hear representations, (e) after second reading, a bill should normally be committed to a special standing committee, which could also consider more detailed points at report stage and on Lords Amendments, (f) more detailed matters should be left to be delegated legislation with proper Parliamentary scrutiny, (g) notes should be published with Acts to explain their purpose and intended effect, (h) the operation of Acts should be reviewed by select committees, (i) the public should be helped to follow legislation before Parliament, (j) the Government should develop a publicly available statute law database and (k) the Government should have a two-year legislative programme and permit the carry-over of some bills from one session to another.

Sponsored by:
Austin Mitchell (Labour)