The Law Commission's projects are often in the media. We highlight them below in 'Law Commission in the news'. In 'our latest news', you will find a mix of project updates, publication announcements, and other general Commission news. We also keep catalogues of past media releases, videos and speeches as reference material for our projects.
Law Commission in the news
Our latest news
The President, Sir Douglas White, attended certifier meetings for the Partnership Law Bill on 3 December 2018 and 4 March 2019. The Bill revises the Partnership Act 1908, which is old and uses out-of-date language.
We note with deep sadness the death on 31 May 2019 of Sir Grant Hammond who was President of the Law Commission between 2010 and 2016. During that time, Sir Grant made an extremely significant contribution to the law reform work of the Commission.
The Justice Committee’s report on the Administration of Justice (Reform of Contempt of Court) Bill was tabled in Parliament on 5 April 2019.
Following a recommendation by the Law Commission, a new offence of strangulation or suffocation came into force on 3 December 2018, carrying a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment (section 189A of the Crimes Act 1961).
One of the challenges for any Law Commission is how to measure its performance. One proxy measure, while it has limitations, is the adoption of Commission recommendations by the Government. It is difficult, if not impossible, to establish with precision the implementation rate for Commission reports. The decision whether to implement a report, in whole or in part, is a matter for the Government and Parliament, and may be influenced by a wide range of factors, including other Government priorities.