About the workshop
Good quality legislation is understandable and accessible. Poor quality legislation is often neither and can incur heavy political, economic, social and environmental costs. This workshop will give you an overview of the analytical skills needed to convert policy into legislation, and of the ways in which legislation should be effectively drafted and structured.
The workshop approaches the subject primarily from that of parliamentary counsel, but also from that of policy-makers who need to understand how counsel will set about their task. For parliamentary counsel this involves producing legislation that is not only readily understandable by those that are expected to comply with and administer it but is also workable in practice and readily capable of being enforced.
What the workshop will cover
During the week you will be able to:
• Understand what it is that parliamentary counsel needs to know in order to draft legislation effectively
• Have an overview of the processes involved in analysing policy from parliamentary counsel’s viewpoint
• Work more efficiently with those whose tasks are either to formulate policy or to draft legislation.
How participants will benefit
The workshop will:
• Introduce you to the stages of the legislative process
• Explain how to analyse policy for the purposes of drafting legislation
• Help you to understand the principles of effective legislative expression
• Demonstrate the importance of avoiding jargon and using plain English in drafting legislation
• Enable you to apply skills in oral and written exercises in a practical way.