Oxford LibGuides: Legislation: Statutory interpretation

Intent & policy background

Explanatory Notes are documents that explain the purpose of a Bill. All Government Bills and some Private Members' Bills have an accompanying Explanatory Note. They can be found among the 'Bill documents' on the relevant Bill page. [Glossary on parliament.gov.uk]

Bills before Westminster (Current Session)
Part of official website. Has Explanatory Notes alongside the bills.
Bills in previous sessions of Westminster
Part of official website. Collection starts c2001/2
Commons Public Bill Committee Debates
Free resource. From Session 2006/7. Also has Public Standing Committee Debates Session 1997-98 to Session 2005/6.
House of Lords Communications Committee (Archive)
Free resource Until the Dissolution of Parliament on 12 April 2010.
House of Lords Select Communications Committee
Official website established in May 2010.

For help with finding & using Hansard (online or in print on the Ground Floor) and other government official papers, please start with the special guide below, created by a Bodleian Official Papers colleague

Parliamentary Papers, Proceedings and Departmental Papers : UK
by Hannah Chandler Last Updated Apr 7, 2021 2900 views this year

Law Commission (E&W)
Official website of the statutory independent body created by the Law Commissions Act 1965 to keep the law under review and to recommend reform where it is needed. Its reports and consultation papers are made freely available.

Statutory interpretation in UK

Current practice

Pepper (Inspector of Taxes) v Hart (26 November 1992)
Free resource. Transcript of House of Lords decision. Note. This case has since been reported: the most authoritative version is [1993] AC 593.
R (Westminster City Council) v National Asylum Support Service
This links to transcript of judgment [2002] UKHL 38 It has subsequently been reported [2002] 1 W.L.R. 2956. Lord Steyn on admissibility & role of Explanatory Notes in statutory interpretation.
Pepper v Hart - Commons Library Standard Note (2005)
Free resource "Following the decision in Pepper v Hart in 1993, if primary legislation is ambiguous or obscure the courts may in certain circumstances take account of statements made in Parliament by Ministers or other promoters of a Bill in construing that legislation. Until that decision, using Hansard in that way would have been regarded as a breach of Parliamentary privilege."
Styles, 'The Rule of Parliament: Statutory Interpretation after Pepper v Hart '
Remote access requires Oxford SSO. (1994) 14 OJLS 151