Recording available | Improving the Statute Book: A Legislative Drafter's Viewpoint

About this event

The Statute Law Society Annual Lord Renton Lecture 2022

to be given by Dame Elizabeth Gardiner, First Parliamentary Counsel, Cabinet Office

on Improving the Statute Book: A Legislative Drafter’s Viewpoint

Wednesday 9th November 2022 at 18:00

In-person at UCL’s Faculty of Laws and Online on Zoom

About this talk

It is almost 50 years since the Renton Committee was appointed to consider how to achieve greater simplicity and clarity in statute law. What might the Committee say about the state of today’s statute book? What recommendations might they make for reform?

About the speaker

Elizabeth Gardiner is a lawyer who has worked in the Civil Service since 1991 as a legislative drafter (“parliamentary counsel”) in the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel in the Cabinet Office. In 2015 Elizabeth was appointed as First Parliamentary Counsel, the first woman to hold the office in its 150-year history. She now leads the Government in Parliament Group in the Cabinet Office which consists of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and the Offices of the Business Managers (Chief Whip and Leader in each House of Parliament).

Elizabeth is the Gender Equality Champion for the Cabinet Office, supporting the department’s Gender Equality Group and a number of “sibling networks” (Parents, Menopause etc) and is involved in developing a network for senior women in the department. She is also the Civil Service Champion for the Civil Service Retirement Fellowship. Elizabeth is also the Parliamentary Capability Champion for the Cabinet Office, helping civil servants understand the importance of Parliament in each government department.

Watch a recording of this talk on the Statute Law Society Vimeo page