Unfair Terms in Contracts

Project status: Complete

In 2001, the Department of Trade and Industry asked the Law Commission and Scottish Law Commission to rewrite the law of unfair contract terms as a single regime, in clearer and more accessible language. We were also asked to consider whether the law should do more to protect businesses, particularly small businesses. The project responded … Read more >

Damages for Personal Injury

The Law Commission undertook a review of the law of damages, particularly personal injury damages, as part of the 5th and 6th Programmes of Law Reform.    

Defamation and the Internet

Project status: Complete

A preliminary investigation to clarify the issues relating to defamation on the internet. We were asked to provide preliminary advice to Government on whether the existing law causes difficulties for online publishers, internet service providers, their customers or others, with a view to informing possible further work.  

Consumer Insurance Law: Pre-Contract Disclosure and Misrepresentation

Project status: Complete

The Law Commission and the Scottish Law Commission recommended the creation of a new consumer statute setting out what a consumer should tell their insurer before taking out insurance. The law under the Marine Insurance Act 1906 requires consumers to volunteer information about everything which a “prudent insurer” would consider relevant. We think this duty … Read more >

Consumer Redress for Misleading and Aggressive Practices

Project status: Complete

The regulations form part of a package of measures to clarify consumer law.  These measures will draw on three joint reports by the Law Commission and Scottish Law Commission. Read more about our consumer rights work and the legislation. This is a joint project with the Scottish Law Commission.  It was formerly referred to as the … Read more >

Consumer Remedies for Faulty Goods

Project status: Complete

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 forms part of a package of measures to clarify consumer law. These measures draw on three joint reports by the Law Commission and Scottish Law Commission.Read more about our consumer rights work and the Bill. The problem Currently, UK consumers have a legal “right to reject” faulty goods. This means a … Read more >

Common European Sales Law

Project status: Complete

Each state of the European Union has its own legal system (or systems) leading to a variety of contract laws across the EU. The European Commission believes that this variety of national contract laws inhibits trade within the internal market. On 11 October 2011, the European Commission published a proposal for a common European sales … Read more >

Company Security Interests

Project status: Complete

Companies often grant charges and other security interests over their assets to secure loans. This project looked at how such security interests should be registered. It also considered how to resolve conflicts between different secured lenders and between lenders and buyers. The project We presented our final report on this project to Government on 31 … Read more >

Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts

Project status: Complete

The project This project updated and implemented a previous report on unfair terms, but only for contracts between consumers and businesses. In 2005, the Law Commission and Scottish Law Commission made recommendations to reform the law of unfair terms. The report and associated consultation paper can be found here. In May 2012, the Department for … Read more >