§ Mr. John MorrisTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what consideration Her Majesty's Government have given to the implications, including cost of litigation, of the ruling in the case of Pepper v. Hart.
Mr. John M. TaylorThe implications of the decision have been considered in detail by an inter-departmental working group, and a number of practical steps for the avoidance or correction of mistakes or ambiguities arising out of ministerial statements during the passage of legislation are being put into practice, for example by guidance to Departments on legislative procedures. Issues concerning the cost of litigation are being taken up with legal practitioners' governing bodies throughout the United Kingdom.