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The Legislative Process

This episode of the Law Report focuses on Parliament’s role in scrutinising and approving legislation. This is an update level course.



Parliament is the supreme legal authority in the UK and can create or end any law. Generally, the courts cannot overrule its legislation and no Parliament can pass laws that future Parliaments cannot change.

A number of laws have limited parliamentary sovereignty. These laws reflect political developments both within and outside the UK. They include:

  • The devolution of power to bodies like the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly
  • The Human Rights Act 1998
  • The UK's entry to the European Union in 1972
  • The decision to establish a UK Supreme Court in 2009, which ends the House of Lords function as the UK's final court of appeal.


These developments do not fundamentally undermine the principle of parliamentary sovereignty, since, in theory at least, Parliament could repeal any of the laws implementing these changes.

The information in this podcast represented the legal position when it was recorded on 10/12/2007

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Aims and Outcomes

This podcast explores in detail the legislative process, including the different roles of the two Houses of Parliament and the various parliamentary committees.

It will be useful for any legal professional wanting to understand more about the how laws arrive on the statute book and how and when they might influence that process.

The interview lasts for 28 minutes. It will take you a further 20 minutes to complete the questionnaire. You will need to get 50 per cent of the questions right to gain your CPD.

Learning outcomes

After listening to the interview, you will understand:

  • The stages in the legislative process
  • How to influence the legislative process
  • The difference between primary and secondary legislation
  • The roles of the House of Commons and House of Lords
  • The difference between public and private bills
  • The consultation stages of legislation
  • The roles of the different parliamentary committees
  • The purpose of Parliament Act
  • The relationship between government and parliament
Andrew Dismore MP
Andrew Dismore

Andrew Dismore is the Labour MP for Hendon in North London. Before entering parliament in 1997 he was a lawyer specialising in getting compensation for injured workers and his cases include the Kings Cross fire and Zeebrugge ferry disaster. He was also a local councillor in Westminster.

Since his election he has brought forward a number of private members bills which have led to the introduction of the National Holocaust Memorial Day and the Corporate Manslaughter Act. He is also promoting a bill to clarify the Human Rights Act, so as to apply it to private care homes.

In 2005, he was appointed as Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights. He also serves on the Standards and Privileges Committee, which polices the activities of MPs, and on the powerful Liaison Committee, the committee of committee chairs which questions the Prime Minister at length, twice a year.