12. Grounds for judicial review: irrationality, proportionality, merits-based judicial review, and the Human Rights Act 1998

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the grounds for judicial review. These include irrationality—meaning unreasonableness—which is now linked to the principle of proportionality. In addition, the relevant case law and key principles concerning distinction between procedural and merits based judicial review are fully explained. The impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 on judicial review is assessed generally. The emergence and development of the ‘outcomes is all’ approach to judicial review where breach of convention rights is alleged is explored by examining a number of significant House of Lords cases.

11. Grounds for judicial review: illegality

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the grounds for judicial review. This chapter looks at the classification of grounds for judicial review, illegality, ultra vires, jurisdictional and non-jurisdictional error, subjective discretion, and the ultra vires doctrine, improper purpose with or without express stipulation in the empowering statute, mixed motives, relevant and irrelevant considerations with or without express stipulation in the empowering statute, lack of evidence, and unlawful failure to exercise a discretionary power by policy, estoppel based on a representation made by an official, agreement, or wrongful delegation.

8. The sovereignty of Parliament

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the definition of parliamentary sovereignty, AV Dicey’s views concerning parliamentary sovereignty, the jurisdiction of the courts, whether the substance of an Act of Parliament can be challenged, the enrolled bill rule; whether the jurisdiction of the court over an Act of Parliament be enlarged; the rule in Pepper v Hart; entrenchment clauses; prospective formula; the effect of the Human Rights Act 1998; the purposive approach to statutory interpretation; and the implications of EU law for parliamentary sovereignty.

6. The executive: central, devolved, and local government

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the executive branch of government. The executive consists of the reigning monarch who is legally the head of state, the Prime Minister, Cabinet, unanimity of advice and collective cabinet responsibility; Secretaries of State, ministers of the Crown, departments of state, non-departmental public bodies, the civil service, the civil service commission, parliamentary accountability, the ministerial code, the seven principles of public life, legal accountability devolved administrative organizations, in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and London, local authorities, the police, and the armed forces, the effect of the Localism Act 2011, the Scotland Acts 2012 and 2016, and the Cities and Devolution Act 2016.

2. Sources of constitutional law and constitutional conventions

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter first discusses the five key sources of UK law: the common law in the form of judicial decisions and cases involving the interpretation of statutes, Acts of Parliament, EU law, the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and the law and custom of Parliament. It then turns to the issue of constitutional conventions, covering the distinction between laws and conventions, whether constitutional conventions are binding, and examples of constitutional conventions.

14. Introduction to human rights in UK law

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR) and the Human Rights Act (HRA) 1998. The ECHR guarantees civil and political rights. These are the right to life; the prohibition of torture, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment; the prohibition of slavery and forced labour; the right to liberty; the right to a fair and unbiased hearing; the prohibition of retrospective legislation; the right to respect for private and family life; freedom of conscience and religion; freedom of expression; freedom of association; the right to marry and found a family. The ECHR has been expanded by a series of supplementary treaties called protocols. The First and Sixth Protocols give individuals additional rights which were incorporated into British law by the HRA 1998.

3. The rule of law

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the meaning of the rule of law; government according to law; the key features of a legal system based on the rule of law; whether the UK legal system complies with Dicey’s conception of the rule of law, whether wide arbitrary and discretionary powers are ever justified, privileges and immunities and whether the courts ought to be able to extend the criminal law.

10. Introduction to administrative law: the foundations and extent of judicial review

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the concept of judicial review. Judicial review allows a High Court judge to examine the lawfulness of decisions made by public bodies carrying out their public functions and enactments where there is no right of appeal or where all avenues of appeal have been exhausted. The defendant must be a public body, the subject matter of a claim must be a public law matter, and the claimant must have the right to claim. This chapter also looks at the basis procedure for judicial review.

9. European Union law and institutions

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the framework and institutions of the European Union. It covers European Union Treaty framework since 1957; sources of EU law; failure to transpose a Directive into national law; breach of a Treaty provision by the national legislature; breach of a Treaty provision by the national administration; incorrect transposition of a Directive into national law; liability of judicial acts; the Lisbon Treaty and the procedure for withdrawal from the European Union under Article 50.

16. Public order and terrorism

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the law on public order, and terrorism; the Public Order Act 1986, which concerns the control of protests and assemblies; the Terrorism Act 2000, which introduced comprehensive counter-terrorist measures throughout the UK; and the Anti-terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001, which focuses on terrorist funding, intelligence gathering, immigration, and the elimination of organized crime. There is also a section on the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015.