Law Commission celebrates 40 years of reform

The Law Commission, the independent body that advises the Government on law reform, today celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Law Commissions Act 1965 receiving Royal Assent, and publishes the 39th Annual Report, available from the Law Commission website.

The report illustrates the continuing good work of the Commission, and pays tribute to Lord Scarman, the first Chairman of the Law Commission who passed away shortly before Christmas.

The Honourable Mr Justice Toulson, Chairman of the Commission, said:

The scope for law reform is huge. After thorough public consultation, we have announced our 9th Programme of Law Reform. It includes projects on cohabitation, housing, murder and remedies against public authorities. We have published four reports which contain robust and far-reaching proposals for change. We have started looking at the ways in which the Commission decides on programmes of law reform in a far more strategic and thoughtful fashion, and we are working on improving consultation to reach a wider and more diverse audience.

I am encouraged by the work we are doing with DCA, our sponsor department, and the Cabinet Office to examine ways in which the reports accepted by government can be passed into law quicker. This is becoming an increasing problem and one we must tackle if our work is to bring real benefits to those who are affected by bad, out of date, or unnecessarily complex law.

The report is available electronically.

For further information, please contact the communications team.