Before Bills are introduced into Parliament, there is often consultation or discussion with interested parties such as professional bodies, voluntary organisations and pressure groups . In 1997 the incoming Labour Government announced its intention to publish more draft bills and encourage pre-legislative scrutiny. Proposals for legislative changes may be contained in government White Papers. Consultation papers, sometimes called Green Papers, set out government proposals which are still taking shape and seek comments from the public. There is no requirement for there to be a White or Green Paper before is introduced into Parliament.
Some Bills apply to the whole of the United Kingdom.
Bills may apply, though, to one or more constituent parts of Britain - for example, only to England and Wales. Following the establishment of a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh Assembly, powers to make legislation in certain areas have been 'devolved'. While the Scottish Parliament can pass primary legislation in such areas as agriculture and health, the Welsh Assembly's powers only allow it to pass secondary legislation in the form of statutory instruments. The Government have announced their intention of modernising the legislative process, and the Modernisation Committee has reported .