Reviewing the law of contempt, European contract law and financial provision on divorce are among the 14 projects that the Law Commission has revealed it will look into over the next three years.

The Commission has published its eleventh programme of law reform projects, selected from more than 200 proposals generated through consultation with lay people and legal professionals throughout England and Wales.

The projects are: Commission chairman Lord Justice Munby said: ‘Our eleventh programme brings together a diverse range of law reform projects, each of which is important and highly relevant to our lives today.’

  • Charity law - examining a range of issues concerning the constitution and regulation of charities and their activities.
  • Conservation covenants - investigating the case for a new statutory interest in land that would enable a conservation obligation to be enforceable against a landowner by someone who is not a neighbour.
  • Contempt - reviewing the law to take into account use of the internet and other technologies and to ensure courts have the powers they need to deal with contempt in the face of the court.
  • Data sharing between public bodies - clarifying the existence and nature of legal obstacles to data sharing.
  • Electoral reform - simplifying the framework of rules governing the electoral process and taking account of advances in technology.
  • Electronic communications code - considering whether the code can be made more transparent, user-friendly and efficient.
  • European contract law - assessing the impact of EC-generated instruments that set out which laws apply to contracts made between businesses in different member states.
  • Family financial orders - looking at enforcement of financial arrangements made following divorce or the end of civil partnerships.
  • Misconduct in a public office - simplifying and clarifying the common law offence.
  • Offences against the person - restructuring the law, creating a new hierarchy of offences and simplifying the language used to define offences.
  • Rights to light - assessing whether the current law strikes the correct balance between the right to light against the right to develop land.
  • Taxis and private hire vehicles - simplifying the complex and separate regulatory systems.
  • Trademark and design litigation, unjustified threats – considering whether to repeal, reform or extend four provisions that impose liability to pay damages on the makers of an unjustified threat of intellectual property litigation.
  • Wildlife - simplifying the law on wildlife management.

‘The Law Commission exists solely to review the law and recommend reforms to make it fair, modern, accessible and cost-effective.

'Each area of law we will examine in the eleventh programme has been identified as being flawed and at risk of creating confusion and injustice. Each demands review and reform,’ said Munby.