Making laws
Friday 4 December 2009
Before a law can be made official it must first go through numerous reviews in the Houses of Parliament. Read on to find out how today’s laws are made.
What is a law?
A law is a legal rule imposed on a group of people, an organisation or a company which governs their activity.
Laws are made to address all sorts of issues covering crime and justice, equal opportunities, citizenship and other important areas.
Parliament’s part
The Houses of Parliament play a massive role in the making of laws. Both the Commons and the Lords can introduce new ones to society. Get more information on Parliament here.
A law first starts off as an idea called a Bill. This could be a completely new idea for a law or a proposal to change one that already exists.
All Bills are presented to the Houses of Parliament. The two most common types presented are a Public Bill, which applies to the general public, and a Private Bill, which affects a specific group of people like organisations or companies. Read about the other types of Bills.
Going through stages
There are seven stages that the Bill must go through before it can be made into an official law. It goes through these stages at both Houses, and has to be passed and agreed by all members before it is made official.
First reading
The first stage that the Bill goes through is called the first reading. This is when the Bill is introduced to the Houses of Parliament.
The all important first copy of the Bill is called the Draft Bill and it covers what the Bill is about and who it affects. A lot of detail and effort goes into creating the Draft Bill.
Second reading
The Bill is then discussed between all members of the House during the second reading. The members will discuss and debate the objectives of the Bill and who it affects will be debated and talked over.
After the debate, the members of the House will decide whether the Bill should move on to the next stage. This will only happen if the Bill receives more than half of the vote of the House.
Committee stage
During the committee stage the Bill is then examined in extreme detail. Every single line is agreed on, plus, any changes made to the Bill have to be approved by everyone in the House.
Once everyone has agreed on the changes then the Bill is rewritten, ready for the next stage.
Report stage
At this stage, the committee then prepares a report on the Bill, which they will present to the rest of House. The report must explain in detail any amendments to the revised Bill.
The report stage can take up to several days to complete as many Bills deal with complex or serious issues.
Third reading
The third reading takes place immediately after the report stage. At this point the House must take a final vote on whether they approve of the revised Bill, and last minute changes can be made to it.
If approved, then the Bill will move on to the other House - either the Lords or the Commons, to go through the same process again.
Back to the original House
After the Bill passes the third reading at the other House, it must be returned to the original House so that members can consider any changes made.
Before the Bill can move to the next stage, both Houses must agree on each and every word of the Bill. If the houses don’t agree then the Bill may go back and forth between them until an agreement is made.
Royal assent
If a Bill passes the third reading then it eventually goes through Royal Assent. This is when the Head of the Monarchy, the Queen, and both Houses of Parliament approve the Bill. When this happens, the Bill will then be called an Act of Parliament a.k.a an official law.
Got an opinion on a Bill?
If you object to a Bill being made into a law then speak up. Write to your MP or contact the Government department responsible for the Bill. Get contact details here.
