Guidance

Independent Human Rights Act Review

The Review was set up to consider how the Human Rights Act is working in practice and whether any change is needed. The independent Panel submitted their report to the Deputy Prime Minister in October 2021.

About the Independent Human Rights Act Review

The government established the Independent Human Rights Act Review in December 2020 to examine the framework of the HRA, how it is operating in practice and whether any change is required. Specifically, the review considered two key themes, which are outlined in the Terms of Reference (ToR) as follows:

  • the relationship between domestic courts and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)
  • the impact of the HRA on the relationship between the judiciary, the executive and the legislature

The Panel submitted its report to the Deputy Prime Minister in October 2021. The report has now been published.

The government has responded to the report by setting out its proposals to reform the Human Rights Act in a consultation paper published on consult.justice.

The Panel’s Report

The Independent Human Rights Act Review: Full Report (PDF, 3.92 MB, 580 pages)

The Independent Human Rights Act Review: Executive Summary (PDF, 2 MB, 28 pages)

Adolygiad Annibynnol o’r Ddeddf Hawliau Dynol: Crynodeb Gweithredol (PDF, 587 KB, 27 pages)

Call for Evidence

The Review launched a public Call for Evidence (PDF, 294 KB, 12 pages) on 13 January 2021, which closed on the 3 March 2021. Responses have been uploaded to this webpage.

Publication of submissions on this website does not imply the views contained therein are endorsed by the Independent Human Rights Act Review. The Independent Human Rights Act Review Panel reserves the right not to publish submissions on this website. It may decide not to publish submissions where it concludes their publication is likely to be abusive, defamatory, likely to incite the commission of an offence or otherwise potentially unlawful.

Call for Evidence responses

Call for Evidence: Individual responses A to L (ZIP, 9.35 MB)

Call for Evidence: Individual responses M to Z (ZIP, 7.11 MB)

Organisation responses: A to D (ZIP, 14.9 MB)

Organisation responses: E to K (ZIP, 13.3 MB)

Organisation responses: L to Q (ZIP, 22.4 MB)

Organisations responses: R to Z (ZIP, 12.5 MB)

Roadshows

Recordings of IHRAR’s roadshow events can be found on Youtube.

Privacy Notice

The Ministry of Justice is the data controller for any personal data included in responses to the IHRAR Call for Evidence. That data will be collected and processed for the purpose of informing the IHRAR Panel’s consideration of the issues set out in its Terms of Reference and associated purposes, such as development of the Government’s response to the Panel’s report. For more information, see the Privacy Notice (PDF, 148 KB, 2 pages).

In the interests of openness and transparency, responses to the call for evidence have been published on the IHRAR website, with the respondent identified.

It should be noted that even if your response has not been published, it may still be disclosed in accordance with the access to information regimes (these are primarily the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the UK General Data Protection Regulation, and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004).

Membership

  • Sir Peter Gross – Panel Chair
  • Simon Davis
  • Baroness O’Loan
  • Sir Stephen Laws QC
  • Lisa Giovannetti QC
  • Professor Maria Cahill
  • Professor Tom Mullen
  • Alan Bates

Meeting minutes

Meeting minutes (ZIP, 3.54 MB)

Terms of Reference

Terms of Reference (PDF, 118 KB, 2 pages)

Secretariat

The Secretariat was provided by the Ministry of Justice.

Updates to this page

Published 7 December 2020
Last updated 14 December 2021 + show all updates
  1. Full report and executive summary published.

  2. Meeting minutes updated.

  3. Meeting minutes updated.

  4. Meeting minutes updated.

  5. Meeting minutes updated.

  6. Meeting minutes updated.

  7. Meeting minutes updated.

  8. Link to Roadshow videos added.

  9. Meeting minutes published.

  10. Call for Evidence: Individual responses M to Z updated.

  11. Oxford roadshow registration link added.

  12. UCL Roadshow event register link added.

  13. Glasgow roadshow registration link added.

  14. Roadshow dates updated.

  15. Roadshow information published.

  16. Organisation & individual responses updated.

  17. Organisation responses to Call for Evidence published.

  18. Organisation responses updated.

  19. Call for evidence individual and organisation responses updated and published.

  20. Minor updates to call for evidence document, added privacy notice and responses

  21. Call for Evidence responses published.

  22. Call for Evidence published.

  23. First published.

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