Before introducing legislation into Parliament, the Government usually consults, although the basis of the consultation varies. Sometimes the Government invites views on the general principles behind its proposals; on other occasions it publishes draft legislation for comment. According to the Government's Code of Practice on consultation, the standard minimum period for consultation should be 12 weeks.
The Government department that is responsible for most legislative proposals about employment is the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) but many other Government departments produce proposals relating to employment including the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The Women and Equality Unit at BERR has responsibility for sex discrimination law.
BERR usually publishes its consultation documents on its Web site ( Making the law links ), but it will also post the documents out to interested parties free of charge. Sometimes BERR will ask for comments on its proposals from organisations that are representative of a particular interest group or have specialist experience or knowledge of the issues raised in the consultation. Employer's associations and trade unions are usually consulted in this way. Comments from individual companies are also welcome.