Category
Organisations carrying out public functions at a distance from ministers — and the deliberate distance is the point, though it creates a genuine accountability question that has never been fully
Because the Freedom of Information Act contains a set of exemptions, some absolute and some qualified — and the majority of refusals rely on a small number of them. The basic right. Anyone, anywhere,
Sometimes, and rather more than cynics assume — but the mechanism by which it works is not the one most people imagine. It is not a vote. The common misconception. People assume the side with more
In England and Wales, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decides in most cases — not the police, and not the victim. That separation is deliberate and is the point of the arrangement. Why the CPS
A duty is something a public body must do. A power is something it may do. The distinction determines whether you can compel action — and it is why so many complaints about councils and public bodies
No. They are entirely separate institutions belonging to different organisations, and conflating them is among the most persistent confusions in British public discussion. The European Court of Human
They are three different things with very different consequences — and the most important distinction is whether you have admitted an offence. Conviction. A finding of guilt by a court, after a trial
A byelaw is a local law made by a council or other authorised body, and it is far more limited than people assume — a council cannot simply invent rules and enforce them. The essential constraint: a
One enforces the rules impartially; the other enforces party discipline ruthlessly. They are the two figures most visible in Commons procedure and they work in opposite directions. The Speaker. The
A select committee is a cross-party group of backbench MPs or peers appointed to scrutinise a department, a subject or an issue — and its power is almost entirely about exposure rather than
Contempt of court covers conduct that interferes with the administration of justice — and reporting restrictions exist because a jury must decide on the evidence it hears in court, not on what it
They are the two standards of proof in English law, and the gap between them explains how the same events can produce an acquittal in a criminal court and a finding of liability in a civil one.
It means a company has a legal identity separate from the people who own and run it — it can own property, enter contracts, sue and be sued, and incur liabilities in its own name. This is called
Devolution is the transfer of specified powers from the UK Parliament to the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Senedd and the Northern Ireland Assembly. It is not federalism, and the distinction
In England and Wales the two are now legally almost identical, and the differences that remain are largely historical, symbolic and procedural rather than substantive. The background. Civil
An inquest is a public court hearing investigating a death. Its purpose is narrow and specific, and misunderstanding that narrowness causes considerable distress to families expecting something else.
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check reveals criminal record information for employment and volunteering purposes in England and Wales. There are levels, and which level applies is determined
Considerably less than most people assume, and knowing the limits matters because misrepresentation of their powers is common. Terminology. In England and Wales the correct term for most is
A public inquiry investigates a matter of serious public concern to establish what happened and why, and to make recommendations preventing recurrence. It is fundamentally different from litigation,
The House of Lords is the second chamber of the UK Parliament. Its central function is revision and scrutiny — examining legislation in detail and asking the Commons to think again — rather than
First past the post (FPTP) is the voting system used for UK general elections. Each constituency elects one MP, and the candidate with the most votes wins — not a majority, simply more than anyone
They operate at different levels of government with different powers, and people frequently contact the wrong one. An MP — Member of Parliament. Elected to the House of Commons to represent a
The UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 give individuals a set of specific, enforceable rights over their personal data. They are more powerful than most people realise and cost nothing to exercise.
A non-disclosure agreement is a contract restricting what one or both parties may disclose. It is generally enforceable as a contract — but there are significant limits, and some uses are void or