While those of us who work in the industry understand Parliament it is still surprisingly a vague word to many lay people. To put in its simplest terms, Parliament is the United Kingdom equivalent to the United States Congress i.e. the national law-making body, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.

While Parliament performs other functions the main function as outlined by the Constitution is to “make laws for the peace, order and good government of [country]….”  For Parliamentary Counsel such as myself, Parliament is the final examination of Bills and other Subsidiary legislation that require scrutiny before the are passed into laws. It is a sacred function, notwithstanding the political stances that punctuate the debates and other protocol of the process.

It is important that Bills, having been edified by the process of proper instruction and based on sound policy and drafted to the highest standards, are then presented for the final examination in the house of Parliament. It is very fitting that Parliament is a public place, and, in fact, the proceedings are publicized to allow every citizen the opportunity of being aware of the activities therein.

An important role of Legislative Counsel is to ensure the Attorney General, and indeed the relevant Parliamentarian presenting the Bill, is informed of the salient points contained in the Bill and is on hand to offer any guidance as required. This process should be an ongoing effort to include how the Bill should be administered by the relevant ministry, which is also an important element of the process.