Legislation
refers to the laws passed by Parliament. Each year Parliament passes a large
number of laws of varying importance. 77 statutes were enacted in 2009; 50 in
2007; and 39 in 2005. Some of the Acts passed by Parliament do not deal with
entirely new subjects but amend previous legislation.
Before a
stature is passed and becomes law it is called a Bill. There are two main types
of Bills, Public and private. Bills are limited in application and are for the
benefit of particular individuals or bodies such as local authorities.
There are also
Private Members’ Bills. There are Bills introduced by a Member of Parliament
privately, as opposed to being introduced by the government. These could be
either public or private depending on their subject matter. Unless the
government adopts a Private Member’s Bill it is unlikely to get through the
various stages necessary to be passed into law.
After looking at the way in which Parliament
passes an ordinary Bill, we will consider these special types of Bills. Bolls
which seek to amend or repeal the Constitution, or which are inconsistent with
the Constitution, are also a special category.
The
Constitution and the Standing Orders of Parliament lay down the procedure to be
complied with in the passing of a Bill into law.
