Justice and Security Bill (2012-13)
The Justice and Security Bill was introduced to Parliament in January 2012. It was one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in recent years. It allowed courts, for the first time, to decide ordinary civil claims, including judicial reviews, on the basis of evidence which is not disclosed to one of the parties.
The Bingham Centre was very active in its response to the Government's consultation on the Justice and Security Green Paper. A working paper in January 2012 was followed by briefing papers on the Bill for the House of Lords in July 2012 (where some of the Centre's proposed amendments were accepted) and for the House of Commons in December 2012.
The Centre's contribution was acknowledged by Lord Wallace of Tankerness, on behalf of the government, who stated in the House of Lords: "I am particularly grateful to the Bingham Centre for taking time to scrutinise the Bill and for writing to me and asking the Government to rethink. The Centre is an important legal research institute and the Government welcome its contribution to make sure that the Bill is suitably drafted".
Read / download:
- Justice and Security Bill: Briefing for the House of Commons (Dec 2012)
- Minimum Safeguards: Briefing Paper on the Justice and Security Bill (July 2012)
- Bingham Centre Response to Justice and Security Green Paper (Jan 2012)
