This chapter argues that administrative law is so much occupied with defining the boundaries of discretion when the substance of decisions is under review that it would not be inappropriate to give it an alternative name of the law of public discretions. Likewise, the requirements of natural justice and legitimate expectations may be seen as boundaries of different kinds, superimposed by the courts to supplement or qualify the bare bones of generally-worded discretions. And just as the subject-matter of judicial decisions in the whole field is essentially the scope of discretions, so the...

This chapter argues that administrative law is so much occupied with defining the boundaries of discretion when the substance of decisions is under review that it would not be inappropriate to give it an alternative name of the law of public discretions. Likewise, the requirements of natural justice and legitimate expectations may be seen as boundaries of different kinds, superimposed by the courts to supplement or qualify the bare bones of generally-worded discretions. And just as the subject-matter of judicial decisions in the whole field is essentially the scope of discretions, so the remedies which the courts may grant are very largely discretionary.