Standards 
code urged 
to create 
better laws

The Political and Constitutional Reform Committee warned that wide-ranging Bills introduced by governments risk becoming “too big to be scrutinised” properly.

The committee’s Labour chairman Graham Allen said poor quality legislation caused problems for the public when flawed new laws are implemented.

The report said: “We conclude that the majority of poor quality legislation results from either inadequate policy preparation or insufficient time being allowed for the drafting process, or a combination of the two.”

The MPs accepted that “the introduction of large multi-topic Bills is, on occasion, a legitimate and appropriate use of parliamentary time”.

But the report said: “Multi-topic Bills risk becoming simply too big to be scrutinised effectively.”

Mr Allen said: “Within this inquiry the committee has considered what we, as parliamentarians, can do to improve legislation. It is important not to lose sight of the fact that poor quality legislation is not simply a problem for Parliament, but can be the cause of problems for our constituents.”

The MPs called for a code of legislative standards agreed between Parliament and the Government, with a parliamentary committee having an oversight role examining the quality of laws.

Commons Leader Andrew Lansley said: “Making good law is the Government’s objective and my personal responsibility. The challenge is to legislate in a way which effectively, simply and consistently promotes the interests of the people we serve.

“Reform has to be tested and proven. There is a need to add value, not just change for change’s sake. In the last couple of years, we in Government have made a lot of progress. We continuously aim to deliver better legislation.”