The Council on Legislation (Swedish: Lagrådet) scrutinizes draft bills which the Government intends to submit to Parliament. A parliamentary standing committee can also request a statement of opinion in a legislative matter.
The Council on Legislation consists of one or more divisions – with a maximum of five. Each division has three members, of whom at least one must be a justice of the Supreme Court and at least one a justice of the Supreme Administrative Court.
Draft bills are presented to the Council by civil servants or parliamentary officials who have been involved in the preparation process. One important feature of the Council’s work is to consider whether the draft bill is compatible with the constitution and general legal principles.
The Council on Legislation’s views are of an advisory nature, and are not binding on the Government or Parliament. The Council’s statement of opinion is a public document which is included in the Government bill or standing committee statement, together with the draft text.
