Some 14% more laws were passed in 2014—and the devolved parliaments and assemblies of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were responsible for more than one third of them.
More than 2,000 new laws (Acts and printed statutory instruments) were introduced last year, of which 1,312 came from Westminster, 294 from the Scottish Parliament, 244 from the Northern Ireland Assembly, and 165 from the Welsh Assembly.
The figures, gathered by Thomson Reuters, “highlight how eager the devolved executives are to make their mark”, according to Daniel Greenberg, barrister and Parliamentary Counsel.
“With public and political pressure to assign more powers to them seemingly irresistible, the volume of legislation stemming from outside Westminster is only likely to increase. Businesses that operate across the UK now have to assess how to best comply with regulations that have the potential to differ substantially across the country.”
