Wade & Forsyth’s Administrative Law provides a perceptive account, and an unparalleled level of coverage, of the principles of judicial review and a sketch of the administrative arrangements of the UK. First published in 1961, Administrative Law a classic text. In the twelfth edition, the text brings its account of administrative law up to date in light of recent case law and legislation. The volume covers the following areas of administrative law: authorities and their functions; the influence of Europe; powers and jurisdiction; discretionary power; natural justice; remedies and liability; and administrative legislation and adjudication.
Book
William Wade, Christopher Forsyth, and Julian Ghosh
Chapter
16. Locus Standi
This chapter focuses on the concept of locus standi, perhaps the most important way in which administrative law deals with the question of how to balance the protection of individual citizens’ rights and interests with the desire to ensure that government decision-making remains within legal limits and that government bodies (including the courts) are protected from vexatious litigants. It is organised as follows. The first section addresses the law that existed prior to the introduction of the Order 53 reforms in 1977 whilst the second covers the short period between the introduction of those reforms and the House of Lords’ decision in IRC v National Federation of Self-Employed and Small Businesses. The third section runs from the mid-1980s to the present day. The pervasive analytical concerns are to explore the way the law of locus standi interacts with the question of the choice of procedure issues which were addressed in chapter fifteen, and—more broadly—to assess how those two matters both singly and in combination structure in a practical sense the way our constitution gives effect to the various values inherent in theories relating to the rule of law and sovereignty of Parliament.
Chapter
15. Challenging Governmental Decisions: The Process
This chapter examines the legal procedures an applicant must follow when challenging a government decision and explores how court decisions in this nominally very technical area of administrative law can have profound implications for the meaning in practical terms of such broad constitutional principles as the rule of law and the sovereignty of Parliament. The chapter begins by examining the historical duality with English administrative law of the mechanism through which citizens might question the lawfulness of government action. The chapter then continues to cover the case of Barnard v National Dock Labour Board; the Order 53 reforms; the case of O’Reilly v Mackman (1982); the post-O’Reilly case law; the case of Roy v Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster Family Practitioner Committee; and public law principle as a defence in criminal proceedings.
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20. Human Rights IV: The Impact of the Human Rights Act 1998
This chapter analyses some of the leading cases in which the courts addressed different aspects of the Human Rights Act 1998, and draws out the constitutional implications of the courts’ initial conclusions. The discussions cover the interlinked issues of the extent to which the courts have recognised a distinction between Convention articles and Convention Rights, the approach taken to statutory interpretation mandated by s 3, and the use of Declarations of Incompatibility under s 4; the doctrine of judicial ‘deference’ to legislative policy decisions; the ‘horizontality’ of the Act and its impact on the development of the common law; and the status of proportionality as a ground of review of executive action. The chapter concludes with an assessment of whether the Act has triggered a shift in understandings on the proper scope of the doctrines of the sovereignty of Parliament and the rule of law within the modern constitutional order.
Book
Brian Thompson, Michael Gordon, and Adam Tucker
Cases & Materials on Constitutional and Administrative Law is an invaluable resource. Extracts have been chosen from a wide range of historical and contemporary cases and materials to illustrate the reasoning processes of the courts and to show how legal principles are developed. The extracts from the leading cases in the field are combined with legal, political, and philosophical materials and linked together with explanatory text, alongside extensive notes and questions for discussion. The book takes a critical look at the main doctrines of constitutional law as well as the principles of administrative law, examining the operation of the constitution in relation to Parliament, the government, and the citizen. Incisive commentary throughout the text provides explanation and analysis of the key issues and challenges in constitutional and administrative law. The thirteenth edition has been fully revised and updated to reflect the latest developments in legislation, case law, and politics, including the process and implications of exiting the EU, and the UK’s new post-Brexit legal arrangements; continuing change and challenges to the devolution settlement in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; major Supreme Court decisions in Miller (No.2) / Cherry, UNISON, the Scottish Continuity Bill Reference, and Privacy International; new developments in relation to ministerial responsibility and parliamentary accountability (including the impact of the coronavirus pandemic); proposed repeal of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011; and discussion of proposals for reforms of judicial review and tribunal appeal processes, as well as proposed reform of ombudsmen. This text continues to provide instant access to an unrivalled collection of up-to-date judgments, statutory provisions, official publications, and other policy materials.
