Administrative Law

This chapter charts the contribution of the House of Lords to some of the main developments in administrative law, with particular attention being given to the second half of the 20th century. Administrative law in the UK did not of course begin in the 20th century - judicial review on both procedural and substantive grounds has existed in developed form from at least the 17th century. It would, however, be impossible within the confines of this chapter to chart the House of Lords' contribution to the evolution of administrative law over this period. It is for this reason that the primary focus is on the 20th century and the revival or reinvigoration of judicial review in the second half. It is shown that judicial review has been reinvigorated from the 1960s onwards. The incidence and nature of such review continues to evolve. The most important influences have been the Human Rights Act 1998 and membership of the EU.