New areas of law set for reform

Consulting with experts and the public, the Commission aims to ensure the law is modern, simple, fair and cost-effective. Law Commission Chair Sir Peter Fraser said “With this 14th Programme of Law Reform, we are laying out a substantial body of work that will bring the existing law up to date. As always, there has been great interest in our Programme, and I would like to thank the hundreds of individuals and organisations who responded to our consultation. It is because of these contributions that we have been able to develop this diverse and forward-looking Programme of Law.” He added “Our values are independence, integrity and expertise. In all our projects, we endeavour to provide high-quality recommendations for law reform for Parliament to consider so that the law remains modern and relevant to our changing society.” The ten new projects include Agricultural tenancies, Commercial leasehold, Consent in the criminal law, Deeds, The defence of insanity, Desecration of a corpse, Management of housing estates, Ownerless land, Product liability, and Public sector automated decision-making. Under the Law Commissions Act 1965, the Law Commission is required to submit Programmes of law reform to the Lord Chancellor, and this 14th Programme follows extensive public consultation, resulting in around 500 submissions. This substantial body of work will progress alongside seventeen existing projects, ensuring a sustained commitment to legal modernisation.