Programmes of Law Reform

Under the Law Commissions Act 1965 the Law Commission is required to submit to the Lord Chancellor “programmes for the examination of different branches of the law with a view to reform”.

Every three or four years we consult widely, asking for suggestions for appropriate projects to include in our programmes. Decisions about whether to include a project are based on:

• the strength of the need for law reform
• the importance of the issues it will cover
• the availability of resources in terms of both expertise and funding, and
• whether the project is suitable to be dealt with by the Commission.

Although we have a duty to “take and keep under review all the law”, it is important that our efforts are directed towards areas of the law that most need reform and reforms that are most likely to be implemented. We focus on change that will deliver real benefits to the people, businesses, organisations and institutions to which that law applies.

On 24 March 2021, we published the consultation on our 14th Programme of Law Reform.

Details of all programmes from the 7th Programme (1999) up to the 13th Programme, which we launched in 2014, are available here. Earlier programmes are available to download free of charge from Bailii, the website of the British and Irish Legal Information Institute.