I gave evidence yesterday to the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee in the Commons as part of their inquiry into legislative standards. I was appearing alongside Lord Maclennan and MP Nick Raynsford. It was very much a case of singing from the same hymn sheet but, then again, it would be rather difficult to be against improving legislative standards.
It was a substantial two-hour session. I have already done a more substantial post on Lords of the Blog. I will do another post once my written and oral evidence are available online.
Is there a set-in-stone process by which every gvt department passes its scribbles to Parliamentary Counsel to be shaped into a Bill?
ladytizzy: Once a Bill has been approved for introduction, the relevant Department sends the instructions to Parliamentary Counsel who then set to work on drafting the Bill. There will be a discourse between officials and the counsel working on the Bill. Sometimes what a Department wants may not be achievable in terms of legislative drafting. Parliamentary Counsel will also examine and advise on Private Members’ Bills that are supported by the Government.