How does the proposed Regulatory Responsibility bill measure up against the principles? Changing the role of Parliament and the courts

Abstract

The Regulatory Responsibility Bill is, at its heart, an interpretative measure that would require the courts to interpret legislation in a way that ensures so far as possible that it is consistent with a set of principles contained in the bill. This article looks at the bill from two perspectives. The first is whether the bill itself conforms to those principles. The second is what impact the bill might have on the existing relationship between the legislature and the courts, and whether it is compatible with current approaches to the interpretation of legislation mandated by Parliament and applied by the courts.