Parliament and the law
By: edited by Alexander Horne, Gavin Drewry and Dawn Oliver
Series: Hart studies in constitutional law -- volume 2
Publisher: Hart Publishing
Published: 2013
Place of publication: Oxford, United Kingdom
Language: eng
Number of pages: 370
ISBN-13: 9781849462952
Subjects: Powers and duties; Privileges and immunities; Legislative power; Great Britain. Parliament; Great Britain
Description: Parliament and the Law is an edited collection of essays, sponsored by the Study of Parliament Group and written by leading constitutional lawyers, practitioners and parliamentary officials, with a Foreword by Sir Ross Cranston (a Justice of the High Court and former Solicitor-General). The book provides a wide-ranging overview of the ways in which the law applies to Parliament and considers how recent changes to our constitutional arrangements (in particular the Human Rights Act, the establishment of a Supreme Court and increasing devolution) have impacted on Parliament as an institution. It includes discussion of a number of topical issues, including: the operation of parliamentary privilege in civil and criminal law (examining the recent examples of 'super injunctions' and Members' expenses); the powers of Parliament's Select Committees; the work of Parliament's 'watchdog' Committees: the Joint Committee on Human Rights and the House of Lords Constitution Committee. It reflects on the effect of Freedom of Information on Parliament. It also discusses arguments that have been raised in favour of a new Bill of Rights for the United Kingdom and arguments for and against the continuation of the doctrine of Parliamentary sovereignty. The book is aimed at legal academics, practitioners, political scientists, parliamentarians and parliamentary officials and others interested in the relationships between Parliament and the law. "This book, published under the auspices of the Study of Parliament Group, is very much to be welcomed. The editors are to be applauded for their initiative [and] the various authors have a profound knowledge of Parliament's operation. The essays are a mine of information. For that reason the chapters will prove a springboard for further analysis. But the book is more than that because it raises some profound issues about Parliament's future and its relationship with other institutions of the state. Those in Parliament, whether as Members or officials, and those interested in Parliament, such as academics, public officials (including, dare I say judges), and many others besides, will all learn from it." From the Foreword by Sir Ross Cranston FBA
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Privilege, Exclusive Cognisance and the Law / Liam Laurence Smyth; title: Privilege and Freedom of Speech / Oonagh Gay and Hugh Tomlinson; title: Parliamentary Privilege and Criminal Law / Sally Lipscombe and Alexander Horne; title: The Law and the Conduct of Members of Parliament / Richard Kelly and Matthew Hamlyn; title: Legal Advice to Parliament / Andrew Kennon; title: Freedom of Information and Parliament  / Ben Worthy; title: Select Committees : Powers and Functions / Richard Kelly; title: The Impact of Devolution on the UK Parliament / John McEldowney; title: The Joint Committee on Human Rights / Murray Hunt; title: From the Human Rights Act to a Bill of Rights? / Alexander Horne and Lucinda Maer; title: The House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution / Andrew Le Sueur and Jack Simson Caird; title: Parliament and the Courts : A Pragmatic (or Principled)  Defence of the Sovereignty of Parliament  / Dawn Oliver; title: Parliamentary Accountability for the Administration of Justice / Gavin Drewry.