Exercise of the equitable power (NOBLE
OFFICIUM) of the Court of Session or High Court
of Justiciary. This is exercied as a last resort to
declare actions unlawful or to grant a remedy
where otherwise no remedy would be available.
Khaliq V HM Advocate
Legislation
UK Constitution
The UK
constitution
cannot be found in
a single document
Parliamentary
sovereignty
The Sovereign Monarch -
Queen Elizabeth II
Monarch's law making
power was given to
parliament by the Act of
Settlement in 1700.
The Queen is only a figurehead
Some Royal Preogatives remain.
Appointment of
Ministers (selected
by the Prime
Minister)
Dissolution of
Parliament (on
request of the Prime
Minister)
Power of
Pardon (the
Royal Pardon)
House of Commons
Consists of elected
members
Elected every 5 years
Role is to scrutinise legislation
Question the action of
government ministers
Debate isues
Check the financial
probity of the
Government
House of Lords
Unelected members
Recently reformed
Mixture of elected and appointed
Reflect balance of political parties
Formaly had a judicial
role now given to the
Supreme Court
Legislation of UK
Parliament most
authoritative
source of law in
the UK
The UK is bound by
EU legislation which
is then passed in to
law by the UK
parliament
The UK
parliament is the
supreme law
making body in
the UK.
The Scotland Act 1998
devolved most matters
relating to Scotland to the
Scottish Parliament. UK
parliament retains the
powers to legislate on
matters contained in the
"reserved matters2 list -
Schedule 5 of the 1998 Act.
Authoritative
Writings / Industrial
Writers
Mainly 17th and 18 Century writers
Statement of an
idustrial writer has
same force as a
decision of the Inner
House of the Court of
Session
List is now closed
Judicial Precedent
/ Case Law
Scotland has a separate
Court System from
England, Wales and NI
English and Scots Law
relies heavily on a
system of judicial
precedent
Judge made law
taken from decisions
in individual cases
The precedent must be
on the same point of law
It must have been RATIO
DECIDENDI and not OBITER DICTA
It must have been
made by a higher
court.
A court is bound to follow
the principles of law set
down in previous cases by a
higher court.