Law Commission
From SR
History and Roles
The Law Commission is the statutory independent body created by the Law Commissions Act 1965 to keep the law under review and to recommend reform where it is needed.
The Commission’s aims are:
- To ensure that the law is as fair, modern, simple and as cost-effective as possible
- To conduct research and consultations in order to make systematic recommendations for consideration by Parliament
- To codify the law, eliminate anomalies, repeal obsolete and unnecessary enactments and reduce the number of separate statutes.
The Commission does NOT give legal advice to individuals on points of law or individual cases, nor does it investigate complaints about the law or about lawyers.
What areas of law does the Law Commission cover?
- Commercial and Common Law
- Contract Law
- Criminal Law
- Damages
- Family Law
- Housing Law
- Property, Family and Trust Law
- Public Law
- Statute Law Revision
- Tort
Parliament
The Commission's recommendations for law reform have a profound practical effect on the legal rights, duties and liabilities of a large number of people - but only if they are implemented by Parliament. The Law Commission can make recommendations, but only Parliament can change the law. More than two-thirds of the Commission's law reform recommendations have been implemented, and a number await the Government's decision, or Parliamentary time. As a result of the Commission's ongoing work, large areas of the law have been the subject of systematic investigation and improvement.
