QUEEN'S SPEECH 2009

Legislative plans for the 2009-2010 session of Parliament

The Queen's Speech set out the next steps in Building Britain's Future. This means taking tough action on the big issues that matter to people coupled with Labour's core values of fairness and responsibility.

At its heart, is the conviction that government can be a force for good - to secure economic prosperity and at the same time build a much fairer society.

Fair chances for all -
Building the next generation of public services

A better Britain means world-class public services, underpinned by guarantees not gambles. So Labour will build on the achievements of the last 12 years to move to a system where patients, parents and people have enforceable rights over the services they receive - and front-line staff will have more freedom to shape services.

The Children, Schools and Families Bill will provide guarantees for parents and pupils, setting out what they can expect, with School Report Cards letting parents know how their school is performing and a new duty on local authorities to act when parents are unhappy. Where standards are unacceptably low, ministers will be able to tell councils to issue a warning notice to a school and to close any school which fails to comply with a warning notice. The Government will also set out - in law - new guarantees for pupils and parents at all state schools, including curriculum reforms, to equip young people with the skills they need to succeed. There will also be a new entitlement to one-to-one tuition for children falling behind.

The Social Care Bill will create a new national care service with free personal care in their own homes for those with the highest need. From October 2010, more than 275,000 people with the greatest need will be protected for good from charges and top-up fees for care in their own homes. To help more people meet this aspiration, the Government will - from 2010 - begin to offer 130,000 older people needing care for the first time, six weeks of more personal intensive support designed to help all who want to remain in their homes. This will mean that those who have suffered from a stroke, fall or hospital stay will have the best possible opportunity to return to their homes and the intensive support to give them dignity and confidence in doing so.

Fair rules -
Building a strong society

On crime, The Government will prioritise new ways to tackle the anti-social behaviour that still blights some estates and neighbourhoods. The Crime and Security Bill will protect communities by making parents take responsibility for their child's antisocial behaviour by imposing parenting orders when a young person has breached an ASBO. The Bill will cut the time police spend on stop and search forms, help victims of domestic violence by allowing police to bar suspected perpetrators from their homes for fixed periods, set a six-year time limit on DNA record-keeping for adults who are arrested, but not charged, and introduce compulsory licensing for wheel clamping businesses.

The Digital Economy Bill will protect children through new age-ratings for computer games. The Bribery Bill will equip prosecutors and courts to deal effectively with bribery at home and abroad.

With the Equality Bill, the Labour Government will introduce a new public sector duty to narrow the gap between rich and poor, ban age discrimination outside the workplace, and introduce reporting for large employers on gender pay.

The Government will also enact the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 to provide agency workers equal treatment with permanent staff on pay and holidays - after 12 weeks in a job.

Rebuilding trust in a modern, democratic Britain

Confidence in this country's democratic institutions is at an all-time low. The
Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill contain measures to rebuild trust in our democracy by putting the civil service on a statutory footing, provide a power for the House of Lords to expel a member and end the by-election of hereditary peers. The draft House of Lords Reform Bill will set out how the Government will bring about a wholly or substantially elected second chamber of Parliament.

Britain in a fairer, safer world

The Labour Government will also ensure a better world by extending Britain's influence as a global force for good. Fulfilling our responsibilities means we must remain at the heart of Europe and a leading member of the wider international community. And a safer Britain means continuing to tackle the terrorist threat at source - in the borderlands of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Cluster Munitions (Prohibitions) Bill will implement in UK law the Convention on Cluster Munitions that bans the use, development production, stockpiling, retention or transfer of cluster munitions. And the draft International Development Bill will make binding the Government's commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of gross national income on international development by 2013.

Investing for the future
Building tomorrow's economy today

We must make sure that the banking crisis never happens again. The collapse of financial institutions was felt around the world and it has impacted on countless families.

The financial sector needs to be policed better to prevent future collapses. The Financial Services Bill creates a legal duty on the Financial Services Authority to promote financial stability, to regulate bankers pay (including a power which allows the FSA to tear up future contracts which do not comply with the rules) and a requirement for banks to organise themselves to deal with possible future difficulties.

Reform also means empowering consumers to hold banks to account by taking collective action to get redress. We will require the financial services sector to fund independent consumer advice and education and ban credit card companies from sending consumers unsolicited credit card cheques.

As the economic recovery is established, Labour will legislate to require reductions in government borrowing in a fair and responsible way with the Fiscal Responsibility Bill. This will ensure the national debt returns to a sustainable level, with the Government accountable to Parliament rather than a new quango.

And as a key part of the strategy for growth, Labour will promote targeted investment that creates jobs and builds a modern green infrastructure for the digital age. The Digital Economy Bill is a key part of Labour's active industrial strategy and will maintain and build on Britain's leading position in the digital sector. It includes measures to ensure a competitive, modernised digital communications infrastructure, protect intellectual property and maintain plurality in regional news.

The Energy Bill will bring about a financial support mechanism to demonstrate carbon capture and storage at a commercial scale. It will also establish a mandatory social price support scheme to help more of the most vulnerable households with their energy bills, and requires the regulator, Ofgem, to ensure consumers get a better, fairer deal and access to secure, low carbon energy supplies.

Better protection for businesses, communities and homes from the risks of extreme weather as a result of climate change will be provided by the Flood and Water Management Bill. And the Child Poverty Bill will enshrine in law the Government's commitment to eradicate child poverty by 2020, defining what this means.

Summary of Bills

The Agency Worker Regulations will follow a joint declaration signed by the CBI and TUC agreeing to a 12-week qualifying period for agency workers to be given equal treatment with permanent staff.

The Bribery Bill will develop a comprehensive UK strategy for tackling foreign bribery, which will strengthen our work with international partners, establishing a clear legal, regulatory and policy framework.

 The Child Poverty Bill (carried over) will enshrine in law Labour's ambitious pledge to abolish child poverty by 2020.

The Children, Schools and Family Bill will introduce guarantees for pupils and parents to raise educational standards.

The Cluster Munitions Bill will put into law the significant new arms control agreement banning the use, production and transfer of cluster munitions, as laid out in the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM).   

The Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill (carried over) will help restore public confidence in the political system.

The Crime and Security Bill will protect communities by ensuring that parents take responsibility for their children's antisocial behaviour and by tackling youth gang crime.

The Digital Economy Bill will ensure a competitive digital communication infrastructure, protect intellectual property, and maintain plurality in regional news. It also will ensure the UK is at the leading edge of the global digital economy and that our creative industries remain among the worlds' best.

The Energy Bill will provide support for energy consumers, giving a greater amount of help to the poorest and most vulnerable, as well as introducing a new financial incentive for carbon capture and storage

The Equality Bill will make Britain a fairer place where people have the opportunity to make the most of their abilities whatever their race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, or family background.

The Financial Services Bill will give consumers more protection and empower the FSA and the Government to introduce tougher regulation of banks and their risky practices to protect the taxpayer.

The Fiscal Responsibility Bill will enshrine in legislation the plan to secure the recovery and then take the steps necessary to keep the public finances on a sustainable footing.

The Flood and Water Management Bill will help protect people from flooding and introduce a fairer system of charging for water bills for churches and community groups.

The Northern Ireland Assembly Members Bill will permit the NI Assembly to delegate powers in relation to the setting of salaries and expenses for MLAs.

The Personal Care at Home Bill will make it possible for those with the highest care needs to receive free personal care in their own homes.

Draft Bills

The House of Lords Reform Bill proposes to complete the reform of the House of Lords and replace it with an elected second chamber.

The International Development Spending will make binding the government's commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of gross national income on official development assistance from 2013.

The Third Parties (Rights against Insurers) Bill will modernise and simplify the procedure for a person who has suffered an injury or loss, caused by an insolvent person, but who is likely only to be able to recover compensation from the wrongdoer's insurer.

18 November 2009