This chapter focuses on the legislative process. In any one parliamentary session, somewhere between thirty and forty Public General Acts are passed. The vast majority of these are government-inspired measures. The actual process of legislating involves a number of parliamentary and extra-parliamentary stages. There are normally five stages in the parliamentary life of a Bill: first reading, second reading, committee stage, report stage, and third reading. Each of these stages is discussed in turn. Parliamentary sessions also address Private Bills, hybrid Bills, Private Members’ Bills, consolidation Bills, and delegated legislation.
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This chapter focuses on the legislative process. In any one parliamentary session, somewhere between thirty and forty Public General Acts are passed. The vast majority of these are government-inspired measures. The actual process of legislating involves a number of parliamentary and extra-parliamentary stages. There are normally five stages in the parliamentary life of a Bill: first reading; second reading; committee stage; report stage; and third reading. Each of these stages is discussed in turn, as are the new arrangements where the Bill in question relates to England-only matters. Parliamentary sessions also address private Bills, hybrid Bills, Private Members’ Bills, consolidation Bills, and delegated legislation.
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This chapter considers the remedies available to a seller if the buyer fails to pay for the goods pursuant to a contract of sale. It should be noted at the outset that the term ‘seller’ also includes ‘any person who is in the position of a seller, such as an agent of the seller to whom a bill of lading has been indorsed, or a consignor or agent who has himself paid (or is directly responsible for) the price’. This is of particular assistance to an agent who, having paid the price to the seller with the intention of recovering the money from the buyer, will have the same protection afforded to unpaid sellers as if he or she were the seller directly.
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This chapter examines ‘primary legislation’, in the form of UK Acts of Parliament, and how they are made. The discussions cover who or what is the ‘legislature’ in the British constitution; the roles of different institutions in policymaking; drafting bills by Parliamentary Counsel; pre-legislative scrutiny of some ‘draft bills’ before the start the formal legislative process in Parliament ; the parliamentary year; parliamentary stages of a bill—first reading, second reading, committee stage, report stage, and third reading; bills of constitutional importance; the constitutional framework for bringing legislation into force; how government and Parliament carries out post-legislative scrutiny of some Acts of Parliament to review how they are operating in practice; and legislative functions in the British system of devolution.
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This chapter explores the principle of parliamentary sovereignty. It defines the theory in orthodox terms set out by Dicey and explains the manner in which it has developed out of the Bill of Rights and on the back of the unsettled constitutional times that prevailed during the seventeenth century. It then sets out the legal basis for sovereignty, calling on the authority of Wade, Jennings, and Goldsworthy to explain the importance of the courts’ role in determining and providing the foundation for Parliament’s authority. Next, it explores the fundamental aspects of the orthodox theory, explaining how that operates in practice and discussing the various challenges and limitations that have arisen since the late nineteenth century. The chapter concludes by considering the position of parliamentary sovereignty today, analysing the extent to which orthodox Diceyan theory can be said still to be relevant.
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Course-focused and comprehensive, the Textbook on series provide an accessible overview of the key areas on the law curriculum. This chapter provides an overview of the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA 1998) and how it operates. It discusses the extent to which the Act fulfils the role of a ‘Bill of Rights’, as that concept is understood in other jurisdictions. A particular issue relevant to that discussion is that of ‘entrenchment’ and the extent to which the HRA 1998 can be said to have any special status different from other legislation. The supervision of the HRA 1998 is also considered.
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This chapter considers the remedies available to a seller if the buyer fails to pay for the goods pursuant to a contract of sale. It should be noted at the outset that the term ‘seller’ also includes ‘any person who is in the position of a seller, such as an agent of the seller to whom a bill of lading has been indorsed, or a consignor or agent who has himself paid (or is directly responsible for) the price’. This is of particular assistance to an agent who, having paid the price to the seller with the intention of recovering the money from the buyer, will have the same protection afforded to unpaid sellers as if he or she were the seller directly.
Chapter
This chapter examines ‘primary legislation’ (UK Acts of Parliament) and how it is made. We look at who or what is the ‘legislature’ in the British constitution; the roles of different institutions in policymaking; drafting bills by Parliamentary Counsel; pre-legislative scrutiny of some ‘draft bills’ before the start of the formal legislative process in Parliament; the parliamentary year; parliamentary stages of a bill—first reading, second reading, committee stage, report stage, and third reading; bills of constitutional importance; the constitutional framework for bringing legislation into force; how government and Parliament carries out post-legislative scrutiny of some Acts of Parliament to review how they are operating in practice; and legislative functions in the British system of devolution.
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D Fox, RJC Munday, B Soyer, AM Tettenborn, and PG Turner
This chapter focuses on bills of exchange, especially in the context of international trade. It first provides an overview of how bills of exchange are used as a method of payment before discussing the relevant provisions of the Bills of Exchange Act 1882. It then considers the definition of a bill of exchange, how a bill of exchange is transferred, and persons entitled to the benefit of the obligation on the bill. It also examines the general principles governing liability on the bill of exchange as well as the enforcement and discharge of the bill. Finally, it looks at mistaken payment, focusing on cases where the payment was received in good faith and in ignorance of the mistake.
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D Fox, RJC Munday, B Soyer, AM Tettenborn, and PG Turner
This chapter focuses on the use of cheques and similar instruments as a mode of payment in commercial transactions, and discusses the relation between them and bills of exchange (of which they are a specialised type). Cheques are intended as instruments which will immediately be paid, whereas bills of exchange are typically drawn payable at a future date and used as a credit instrument. Unlike bills of exchange, cheques are not, and are not intended to be, accepted by the bank on which they are drawn. This chapter first explains what a cheque is, and discusses the likely future of the institution, before discussing promissory notes, banker’s drafts, and travellers’ cheques.
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This chapter focuses on parliamentary sovereignty. The term ‘parliamentary sovereignty’ is normally defined as the ‘legislative supremacy of Parliament’. Since the constitutional settlement brought about by the Bill of Rights 1689, the UK Parliament has had unchallenged authority to create primary law. Parliament’s legislative supremacy means, therefore, that there is no competing body with equal or greater law-making power and there are no legal limits on Parliament’s legislative competence. Parliament has broad legislative power but cannot make unchangeable statutes, and a current parliament can reverse laws made by a previous parliament. Nobody but Parliament can override Acts of Parliament. The Enrolled Bill rule requires that, if a Bill has passed through the House of Commons and House of Lords and received royal assent, the courts will not enquire into what happened before or during the legislative process.
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This and the next chapter examine how human rights are protected in the domestic courts of the UK. This chapter considers the background and main features of the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) and the relationship between the courts and the executive and Parliament in human rights situations. Chapter 21 examines three case studies. The first of these is the litigation brought by Shabina Begum challenging her school’s refusal to allow her to wear a jilbab to school. The second case study considers the application of the Human Rights Act in the context of anti-terrorism measures. The third considers prisoner voting.
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This chapter is divided into two main parts. First, it aims to provide an introduction to the concept of an important piece of property called an instrument, principally by focusing on one specific example: the bill of exchange. Second, the chapter considers a bank payment mechanism called the letter of credit, especially in conjunction with bills of exchange. Bills of exchange, of which cheques are a particular type, although declining in importance in domestic sales, remain important in international sales. While bills of exchange are not the only instruments, and letters of credit are not the only mechanism supporting the financing of international trade, focusing on these two important commercial documents makes it possible to obtain a good understanding of the types of legal issues involved in documentary payments.
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The Q&A series offers the best preparation for tackling exam questions. Each chapter includes typical questions, diagram problem and essay answer plans, suggested answers, notes of caution, tips on obtaining extra marks, the key debates on each topic, and suggestions on further reading. This chapter describes issues relating to the Human Rights Act 1998. The questions presented here deal with issues such as the response to terrorism; the effect of the Human Rights Act 1998 on English law; whether the Human Rights Act 1998 should be replaced with a UK bill of rights; the Human Rights Act not changing parliamentary supremacy, but the courts being able to issue a declaration of incompatibility; and the effect of the Human Rights Act on individual rights.
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In the twenty-first century, two important pan-European forces to which English law has been subject are the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the Human Rights Act (HRA) 1998. This chapter discusses the following: the scope, outline, and enforcement of the ECHR to identify and protect fundamental human rights and freedoms and the balancing of these freedoms against the sovereignty of Parliament; its incorporation into the HRA 1998; incorporation under the devolution Acts; the consequences for legal method; and practical and conceptual issues raised by the HRA 1998 around legal research and argumentation. It closes by looking at the prospects of a ‘British Bill of Rights’.
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This chapter looks at the circumstances surrounding two events. The first is the 2005 decision of the UK Parliament to set up a committee to examine whether the constitutional conventions governing the relationship between the House of Lords and the House of Commons should be codified. The second is the decision of the Commons (and the Labour government) to press ahead and present the Hunting Bill 2004 for royal assent despite the opposition of the Lords to the policy of a total ban on hunting wild animals with dogs; the Lords preferred a policy of licensed hunting.
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Essential Cases: Public Law provides a bridge between course textbooks and key case judgments. This case document summarizes the facts and decision in Congreve v Home Office [1976] QB 629, Court of Appeal (Civil Division). This case provides an example of illegality in the context of judicial review and also discusses the concept of parliamentary intention, and theoretical models for justifying particular interpretations of it. The document also includes supporting commentary from author Thomas Webb.
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In the twenty-first century, two important pan-European forces to which English law has been subject are the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the Human Rights Act (HRA) 1998. This chapter discusses the following: the scope, outline, and enforcement of the ECHR to identify and protect fundamental human rights and freedoms and the balancing of these freedoms against the sovereignty of Parliament; its incorporation into the HRA 1998; incorporation under the devolution Acts; the consequences for legal method; and practical and conceptual issues raised by the HRA 1998 around legal research and argumentation. It closes by looking at the prospects of a ‘British Bill of Rights’.
Book
Jonathan Herring
Medical Law and Ethics covers not only the core legal principles, key cases, and statutes that govern medical law, but also explores the key ethical debates and dilemmas that exist in the field to ensure that the law is firmly embedded within its context. The title highlights these debates, drawing angles from other jurisdictions, religious beliefs, and feminist perspectives which influence legal regulations. Other features such as ‘a shock to the system’, ‘public opinion’, and ‘reality check’ introduce further sociological aspects, contributing to the way in which the subject is approached. This new edition also includes a new chapter on the medical law governing children and discussion of the response to the COVID pandemic. It also discusses important developments in the case law governing the Mental Capacity Act, clinical negligence, abortion, and reproduction.
Book
Jonathan Herring
Medical Law and Ethics covers not only the core legal principles, key cases, and statutes that govern medical law, but also explores the key ethical debates and dilemmas that exist in the field to ensure that the law is firmly embedded within its context. The title highlights these debates, drawing out the European angles, religious beliefs, and feminist perspectives which influence legal regulations. Other features such as ‘a shock to the system’, ‘public opinion’, and ‘reality check’ introduce further sociological aspects, contributing to the way in which the subject is approached. This new edition also includes coverage of new Guidance issued by the GMC and the new Protection of Liberty Safeguards. It also outlines important case law developments on the law on mental capacity and euthanasia, including the Alfie Evans and Tafida Raqeeb litigation, case law interpreting the Mental Capacity Act, and the Court of Appeal in Conway.
