This subject is concerned primarily with the issue of legal control of the powers of government bodies. In part, the subject deals with issues of political theory and political history. Students are introduced to concepts such as the sovereignty of Parliament, the rule of law, and the separation of powers. Attention also focuses on the operation of the key institutions of government: the House of Commons, the House of Lords, the cabinet, and the courts.
The subject also addresss the implications of the United Kingdom's accession to the EC. The administrative law section of the subject examines in detail the various grounds on which courts might hold government action to be unlawful, and also analyses the impact of the Human Rights Act on traditional understandings of British constitutional law.
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