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Good law?

Nicholas Bevan calls out the DfT over arrangements for the victims of uninsured & untraced drivers

Last April the government launched an important campaign under the banner of “Good Law”. It is intended to increase the quality of lawmaking and to drive these improved standards across all the different organs of government. The initiative is the brainchild of Mr Heaton, who occupies the dual role of First Parliamentary Counsel and Permanent Secretary for the Cabinet Office. There are many of us who wish him luck; he’ll need it.Heaton’s recipe for “Good Law” is premised on the following key ingredients in the mission statement below:

“The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (OPC) would like the user to experience good law—law that is: necessary, clear, coherent, effective, accessible.”

The law buffs among us will immediately recognise that these principles share a more than passing acquaintance with Lord Bingham’s seminal speech in 2006 on the rule of law, and rightly so. It is worth quoting directly from Lord Bingham on the need for legal certainty:

“First,

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Winckworth Sherwood—Tim Foley

Winckworth Sherwood—Tim Foley

Property litigation practice strengthened by partner hire

Kingsley Napley—Romilly Holland

Kingsley Napley—Romilly Holland

International arbitration team specialist joins the team

Red Lion Chambers—Maurice MacSweeney

Red Lion Chambers—Maurice MacSweeney

Set creates new client and business development role amid growth

NEWS
Property lawyers have given a cautious welcome to the government’s landmark Bill capping ground rents at £250, banning new leasehold properties and making it easier for leaseholders to switch to commonhold
Four Nightingale courts are to be made permanent, as justice ministers continue to grapple with the record-level Crown Court backlog
The judiciary has set itself a trio of objectives and a trio of focus areas for the next five years, in its Judicial Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2026-2030

The Sentencing Act 2026 received royal assent last week, bringing into law the recommendations of David Gauke’s May 2025 Independent Sentencing Review

Victims of crime are to be given free access to transcripts of Crown Court sentencing remarks, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confirmed
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