Bridging the gap: legislative drafting practice and statutory interpretation [2020] Public Law 220

Abstract

This article considers the relevance of legislative drafting conventions to the interpretation of legislation and the basis on which those conventions may be established. It examines drafting guidance and other information published by legislative drafting offices within the United Kingdom and the admissibility of those materials as an external aid to construction. It concludes that they are a potentially valuable but little used resource for those trying to understand and interpret legislation. NOTE: this article was first published by Sweet and Maxwell (as 'Bridging the gap: legislative drafting practice and statutory interpretation' [2020] Public Law 220) and it is reproduced here with the permission of the publisher.