This book brings together past and present law commissioners, judges, practitioners, academics and law reformers to analyse the past, present and future of the Law Commissions in the United Kingdom and beyond. Its internationally recognised authors bring a wealth of experience and insight into how and why law reform does and should take place, covering statutory and non-statutory reform from national and international perspectives. The chapters of the book developed from papers given at a conference to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Law Commissions Act 1965.

The Law Commission (of England and Wales) and the Scottish Law Commission were both established in 1965 to promote the reform of the laws of their respective jurisdictions. Since then, they have each produced hundreds of reports across many areas of law. They are independent of government yet rely on governmental funding and governmental approval of their proposed projects. They also rely on both government and Parliament (and, occasionally, the courts or other bodies) to implement their proposals. This book examines the tension between independence and implementation and recommends how a balance can best be struck. It proposes how the Commissions should choose their projects given that their duties outweigh their resources, and how we should assess the success, or otherwise, of their output. Countries around the world have created law reform bodies in the Commissions' image. They may wish to reflect on the GB Commissions' responses to the changes and challenges they have faced to reappraise their own law reform machinery. Equally, the GB Commissions may seek inspiration from other commissions' experiences. The world the GB Commissions inhabit now is very different from when they were established. They have evolved to remain relevant in the face of devolution, the UK's changing relationship with the European Union, increasing pressure for accountability and decreasing funding. Further changes to secure the future of independent law reform are advanced in this book.

The Eleventh programme of law reform includes: charity law, conservation covenants, contempt, data sharing between public bodies, electoral law, electronic communications code, European contract law, family financial orders, misconduct in public office, offences against the person, rights to light, taxis and private hire vehicles - regulation, trade mark and design litigation - unjustified threats, wildlife

The report Renting Homes in Wales (Cm. 8578) updates the recommendations of the 2006 Law Commission report Renting Homes: The Final Report, for the purpose of an introduction of a bill by the Welsh Government. At the core of the recommendations is the creation of a simplified statutory framework which: (i) Reduces the number of available forms of rental occupation of residential property to two: the secure contract; and the standard contract. (ii) Provides model contracts which set out the basis on which occupiers occupy rented housing in clear terms. Whilst the Renting Homes recommendations were designed as far as possible to maintain the current balance of rights and responsibilities between landlords and occupiers, the development of the proposals inevitably involved some modifications to the status quo. This review highlights the most significant of these modifications and where these have proved controve

In this report the Law Commission sets out conclusions from its review of administrative redress in public and private law following consultation (Law Commission consultation paper 187, 2008, ISBN 9780118404532). The aim of the Commission's review was to consider when and how individuals should be able to obtain redress against public bodies that have acted in a substandard way. The report discusses individuals' access to remedies through the courts, as well as through avenues outside the court system, such as the public sector ombudsmen. In examining court-based remedies, the Commission concludes that there are good arguments for reform but, given the level of opposition to its earlier proposals and the absence of available data on the costs of compensation paid by public bodies, work will not be taken forward on reviewing this area of the law. The report does, however, recommend that government should establish a process for collecting and publishing information on the cost of public compensation. The Commission is taking forward its review of the public sector ombudsmen, following a favourable response to its proposals. The scope of the review will be extended and include suggestions for improving citizens' access to the public sector ombudsmen, and increasing the powers of ombudsmen to refer points of law to the courts. The Commission will consult on its proposals for reform of public sector ombudsmen later in 2010 and expects to make final recommendations to government the following year.

A Law Commission consultation paper 'A new homicide act for England and Wales?' was published as LCCP 177 (ISBN 0117302643) in April 2006.