UK Government legislative programme

HM the Queen outlined the Government's legislative programme in the Queen's Speech in May 2010. Detailed below are the various bills, together with a brief description. Basic updates will be red, or click on the title for further information (when available). 

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Office for Budget Responsibility Bill

This will establish a new body to take responsibility for producing budget forecasts – currently party of the chancellor’s role. The three person Budget Responsibility Committee will be chaired by Sir Alan Budd. The OBR was a Conservative Policy, advocated by the Tories since 2008.

February 7, 2011: The Bill completed the Lords stages and was presented to the House of Commons.
March 1, 2011: The Bill completed the first and second Committee debate sitting.
March 22, 2011: Bill has been granted Royal Assent.

National Insurance Contributions Bill

The government confirmed its objective of raising income tax allowances to £10,000 – a policy to be funded by a rise in national insurance. Nick Clegg made this proposal an important part of the Liberal Democrats’ election campaign.

February 28, 2011: The Bill has reached the Committee stage in the House of Lords, completing the first sitting.
March 14, 2011: The Bill is at the Report stage in the House of Lords.
March 22, 2011: Bill has been granted Royal Assent.

Welfare Reform Bill

Welfare reform is an important Tory objective – and a key goal of the new Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith. This bill is aimed at simplifying the welfare and benefits system and improving work incentives so that people currently on benefits will see a gain when entering work.

February 16, 2011: The Bill was published in the House of Commons.
March 9, 2011: The Bill completed the second reading in the House of Commons.
March 29, 2011: The Bill is at the Committee stage in the House of Commons.

Financial Reform Bill

Legislation will restore some regulatory powers to the Bank of England, removing them from the control of the Financial Services Authority.

Postal Services Bill

The part-privatisation of the Royal Mail, as drawn up by Lord Mandelson, will be introduced. The proportion to be sold will be set out at a later date.

February 16, 2011: The Bill completed the second reading in the House of Lords.
March 8, 2011: The Bill has reached the Committee stage in the House of Lords.
March 16, 2011: The Bill has had a third sitting at the Committee stage in the House of Lords.

Energy Bill

Aimed at promoting energy efficiency measures in the home, a "green deal" charging system will be introduced, with incentives to suppliers and households to save energy.

February 8, 2011: The Bill completed the sixth committee sitting in the House of Lords.
March 2, 2011: The Bill has reached the Report stage in the House of Lords.
March 16, 2011: The Bill has completed the first reading in the House of Commons.

Academies Bill

More schools will be permitted to become academies, giving them more freedom from Whitehall. The requirement to consult local authorities before opening an academy will be removed.

July 27, 2010: Bill was granted Royal Assent.

Health Bill

The details of this legislation will be revealed “in the next few weeks”. The bill aims to replace the "top-down approach" in the NHS with "the devolution of power and responsibility to doctors and patients".

November 12, 2009: Bill was granted Royal Assent.

Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill

This bill will make the police more accountable through "directly elected individuals". Harriet Harman singled out this bill as “politicising the police” in the Queen’s Speech debate this afternoon. The bill will also create a new dedicated border police force, ensure health and safety laws do not stand in the way of "common sense policing" and overhaul the Licensing Act.

February 17, 2011: The Bill has completed the nineteenth and twentieth Committee sittings at the House of Commons.
March 30, 2011: The Bill is at the Report stage at the House of Commons.
April 1, 2011: The Bill completed the first reading in the House of Lords.

Decentralisation and Localism Bill

This legislation aims to devolve some of the powers of government, and give individuals the power to instigate referendums on local matters and to veto excessive council tax increases. Home Information Packs will be abolished.

January 17, 2011: The Bill started its second reading in the House of Commons.
February 10, 2011: The Bill completed the eleventh and twelfth Committee debates in the House of Commons.
March 1, 2011: The Bill completed the seventeenth and eighteenth Committee debate sittings in the House of Commons.

Local Government Bill

This will stop the creation of unitary councils in Exeter and Norwich – widely seen as a means of helping Labour do better in local government in these parts of England.

December 16, 2010: Bill has been granted Royal Assent.

Fixed-term Parliaments Bill

New Legislation will introduce fixed-term parliaments - with the next General Election on 7th May 2015 - give voters the right to recall MPs found guilty of serious wrong-doing and set up a referendum on the alternative vote. These measures were welcomed by Harriet Harman. However, she and many Labour MPs attacked the proposal to establish a 55% threshold for no confidence votes to succeed in Parliament. The bill will also reduce the number of parliamentary constituencies and increase their size.

January 19, 2011: The Bill started the first reading at the House of Lords.
March 15, 2011: The Bill is at the Committee Stage in the House of Lords.
March 29, 2011: The Bill is at the third sitting at the Committee Stage in the House of Lords.

House of Lords Reform

The House of Lords will be partially or fully elected according to proportional representation.

December 3, 2010: Bill has reached the second reading in House of Lords.

Freedom (great repeal) Bill

This will aim to restore freedoms and civil liberties and repeal unnecessary laws. It will regulate the use of CCTV and restrict the scope of the DNA database, destroying some of it.

Identity Documents Bill

This will abolish the identity card system and destroy the national identity register. Both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats opposed identity cards going into the General Election. There will be no refund for those who have bought cards already.

December 21, 2010: Bill granted Royal Assent.

Scotland Bill

This will implement the final report of the Calman commission, giving more devolution to Scotland.

January 27, 2011: The Bill had its second reading at the House of Commons.
March 7, 2011: The Bill has reached the Committee stage at the House of Commons.
March 15, 2011: The Bill completed the third sitting at the Committee Stage in the House of Commons.

European Union Bill

Legislation will be introduced to ensure that there is a referendum on any future plan to transfer power from Parliament to the European Union. This was a pledge David Cameron made in opposition, after the Lisbon Treaty passed.

February 1, 2011: The Bill completed the fifth Committee sitting in the House of Commons.
March 9, 2011: The Bill is at the first reading in the House of Lords.
March 22, 2011: The Bill completed the second reading in the House of Lords.

Armed Forces Bill

This will continue in force the legislation giving the armed forces a legal basis, as well as improving provisions for service personnel.

January 10, 2011: The Bill has started the second reading in the House of Commons.
February 10, 2011: The Bill has reached the Committee stage at the House of Commons.
February 17, 2011: The Bill completed the fourth Committee debate sitting in the House of Commons.

Terrorist Asset-freezing Bill

This will extend beyond 2010 the government’s powers to seize assets from terrorists.

December 16, 2010: Bill has recieved Royal Assent.

Education Bill

A wide-ranging Bill, based on the proposals in the Department for Education's schools White Paper: 'The Importance of Teaching'. This will make changes in the way allegations against teachers are reported, providing better protection from false allegations. Resources will be used fairly, where those under 24 will be entitled to free level 2 and 3 qualifications and interest rates on student loans for higher education will be progressive in order to lower fees for part-time courses. Five quangos will also be abolished under this legislation.

January 26, 2011: The Bill has been published in the House of Commons.
February 8, 2011: The Bill completed the second reading in the House of Commons.
March 10, 2011: The Bill has reached the Committee stage at the House of Commons.

Pensions Bill

From 2012 all employers will have to sign up eligible employees into a pension scheme that meets the qualifying standards. Also, by 2020, the state pension age for both men and women will be increased to 66- an increase which was originally due to take effect between 2024 and 2026.

February 15, 2011: The Bill completed the second reading in the House of Lords.
March 15, 2011: The Bill has reached the third Committee sitting in the House of Lords.
March 30, 2011: The Bill is at the Report stage in the House of Lords.

Health and Social Care Bill

An independent NHS board will be launched in order to control the use of resources and cut administration costs by a third.  In order to achieve this target, several health quangos will be also axed- including Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities.
GPs will be given more power to commission services for their patients and the Care Quality Commission will play a more prominent role in the structure of the NHS.

January 19, 2011: The Bill was published in the House of Commons.
February 3, 2011: The Bill has reached the Committee stage in the House of Commons.
March 24, 2011: The Bill has completed the twentieth and twenty-third Committee debate sitting in the House of Commons.

Public Bodies Bill

The Public Bodies Bill will transfer power to ministers to allow them to break down or merge existing public bodies, and to control the funding arrangements of these bodies. An allowance has also been made for the Secretary of State to make an order revising the Forestry Act 1967.

November 9, 2010: The Bill started its second reading in the House of Lords.
March 23, 2011: The Bill is at the Report Stage in the House of Lords.
April 4, 2011: The Bill is at the third sitting of the Report stage in the House of Lords.