Tuesday 25 May 2010


Queen's Speech 2010: Bill by bill
Here is an at-a-glance list of the bills outlined in the 2010 Queen's Speech programme:
Academies Bill
Will give more schools in England, including primaries, the freedom to become academies allowing them to opt out of local authority control. Will also make it easier for parents and other groups to set up "free schools". A second bill in the autumn will give schools greater freedom over the curriculum and give teachers greater powers to deal with bad behaviour. It will also set up the "pupil premium" to help disadvantaged children.
Airport Economic Regulation Bill
Includes measures to increase the competitiveness of UK airports , having ruled out new runways in the South-East of England. More details to be announced in due course. Would apply across the UK, except Northern Ireland, which regulates its own airports. The government is in discussions with Northern Ireland over whether to adopt the reforms there.
Armed Forces Bill
Will increase support for serving personnel, maximising leave periods and giving more assistance to their families. Will provide extra mental health services for veterans.
Decentralism and Localism Bill
Will give councils more powers over housing and planning decisions and begin a review of local government finance. Will apply to England and Wales but implications for Scotland cannot be ruled out because of the "wide scope" of the Bill.
Energy and Green Economy Bill
Will promote enhanced energy efficiency, including the roll-out of smart meters. Will promote low-carbon energy production. Most of the measures will apply to England, Wales and Scotland with some devolved elements, "depending on the final detail".
Equitable Life Payments Scheme Bill
Will secure compensation for nearly a million policyholders hit by the near collapse of the insurer Equitable Life UK-wide.
European Union Bill
Will mean a referendum must be held to approve any future treaties handing powers to the European Union.
Financial Reform Bill
Will shift responsibility for macro-regulation of the banking system from the Financial Services Authority to the Bank of England . Despite earlier reports there is no mention of a levy on the profits of UK banks.
Freedom (Great Repeal) Bill
Will limit the amount of time that DNA profiles of innocent people can be held on national database. Will tighten regulation on the use of CCTV cameras, remove limits on right to peaceful protest. The storage of DNA is a power devolved to the Scottish Parliament. The Bill would adopt the Scottish model.
Identity Documents Bill
Will scrap identity cards and National Identity Register introduced by Labour and cancel the next generation of biometric passports. UK-wide legislation.
Health Bill
Will seek to give health professionals and patients more say over NHS decision-making. Will cut health service quangos and some central targets and increase focus on "health inequalities".
Local Government Bill
Will block the creation of single-tier councils in Exeter and Norwich.
National Insurance Contributions Bill
Will block next year's 1% rise in NI contributions by employers. UK-wide.
Office of Budget Responsibility Bill
Will provide a "statutory underpinning" to new Office of Budget Responsibility, which will provide borrowing and economic growth forecasts for the Treasury. Main elements of the proposed bill "have yet to be decided upon". No mention of reforming the remit of the National Audit Office, which was predicted in advance media coverage.
Parliamentary Reform Bills
Measures will be introduced to establish fixed-term elections for Parliament, held every five years . Will require 55% of MPs to vote for a dissolution of Parliament between scheduled elections. Will give constituents the right to "recall" corrupt MPs between elections. Will reduce the number of MPs by about 50. Review of reform of the House of Lords may be included in a separate draft bill later in the year. A Bill will also be introduced for a referendum on changing the voting system to the Alternative Vote. Will apply to the whole of the UK.
Pensions and Savings Bill
Will restore the link between earnings and the state pension from 2012 . Applies to England, Scotland and Wales. Will legislate for the phasing out of the default retirement age and set a timetable for raising the state pension age, depending on the outcome of a review.
Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill
Will provide for directly elected commissioners to oversee local police forces. There is no mention of monthly local crime statistics, which were mentioned in earlier reports. Will also give police more power to deal with alcohol-related violence and ban sale of below cost price alcohol. Would also establish a dedicated border police force, as part of a refocused Serious and Organised Crime Agency. Applies to England and Wales only, except border police force, the scope of which is "to be confirmed".
Postal Services Bill
Will allow injection of private capital into the Royal Mail, address its pension deficit, guarantee the post office network remains in public hands and seek to improve staff relations with management. Would apply to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Public Bodies Bill
Will abolish a number of non-department government bodies and limit the powers of other quangos. Applies to England and Wales only.
Scotland Bill
Will grant the Scottish Parliament more powers over taxation and borrowing under proposals made by the Calman Commission.
Terrorist Asset Freezing Bill
Will expand scope of existing legislation to cover new organisations thought to present threat to security. UK wide legislation.
Welfare Reform Bill
Will create a single welfare-to-work programme and make benefit payments more conditional on willingness to accept work. Benefit changes will be UK-wide, but will need parallel legislation in Northern Ireland, where it is devolved.
Other measures will be implemented via secondary legislation, included in future draft bills or remain commitments at this stage.
Commitment to raise spending on overseas aid by 2013
Cap on non-EU economic migrants allowed to work in UK (secondary legislation)
Reform of Parliamentary privilege laws (draft bill)
Construction of high-speed rail line (bill to come "in due course")
Increased investment in high-speed broadband (secondary legislation)
Extending the right to flexible working to all employees in the future (to be consulted on)
Source-BBC

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

______________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24, 2010

CONFERENCE CALL: HARVARD LAW SCHOOL OFFICIAL AND FORMER HARVARD LAW SCHOOL STUDENTS TO DISCUSS ELENA KAGAN’S COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SERVICE AT 12:45PM EDT TUESDAY


WASHINGTON – At 12:45pm EDT, Harvard Law School’s Assistant Dean for Public Service Alexa Shabecoff and former Harvard Law School students Brandon Weiss (HLS ’08), Lauren Sudeall Lucas (HLS ’05), and Sarah Isgur (HLS ’08) will hold a conference call to discuss the role that then-Dean Elena Kagan played in expanding opportunities for Harvard Law School students to engage in public service.


WHO: Alexa Shabecoff, Assistant Dean for Public Service, Harvard Law School

Brandon Weiss (HLS ’08), Skadden Fellow at Public Counsel

Lauren Sudeall Lucas (HLS ’05), Staff Attorney at the Southern Center for Human Rights

Sarah Isgur (HLS ’08), Republican political consultant in Texas

WHAT: Conference Call to discuss Elena Kagan’s Commitment to Public Service

WHEN: Tuesday, May 25
12:45pm EDT

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