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| Queen's Speech: What are the government's planned new laws and how controversial are they? | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 1. Digital Economy Bill | 1. Digital Economy Bill |
| • Give every household the legal right to fast broadband – but if they live in some remote areas they’ll have to pay part of the cost themselves | • Give every household the legal right to fast broadband – but if they live in some remote areas they’ll have to pay part of the cost themselves |
| • Phone and broadband companies to be forced to release details of customer complaints and average broadband speeds. | • Phone and broadband companies to be forced to release details of customer complaints and average broadband speeds. |
| • New powers to allow public bodies like councils and government department to share swathes of data – including unpaid bills. | • New powers to allow public bodies like councils and government department to share swathes of data – including unpaid bills. |
| Controversy Rating: 1/5 | Controversy Rating: 1/5 |
| Change Britain Rating: 3/5 | Change Britain Rating: 3/5 |
| 2. Transport Bill | 2. Transport Bill |
| • New laws to govern the development of driverless cars, drones and space planes which the Government hopes will encourage investment in the new technologies to take place in the UK. | • New laws to govern the development of driverless cars, drones and space planes which the Government hopes will encourage investment in the new technologies to take place in the UK. |
| • Making it legal for customers to buy insurance for driverless vehicles. | • Making it legal for customers to buy insurance for driverless vehicles. |
| Controversy Rating: 1/5 | Controversy Rating: 1/5 |
| Change Britain Rating: 4/5 | Change Britain Rating: 4/5 |
| 3. Planning Bill | 3. Planning Bill |
| • Giving legal powers to villages and towns to set their own priorities for new housing. They won’t be able to turn down new homes but they will have a say in where they can be built. | • Giving legal powers to villages and towns to set their own priorities for new housing. They won’t be able to turn down new homes but they will have a say in where they can be built. |
| • Create a new National Infrastructure Commission to push through big projects such as nuclear power stations and new rail and road links – cutting the amount of time it takes to develop them. | • Create a new National Infrastructure Commission to push through big projects such as nuclear power stations and new rail and road links – cutting the amount of time it takes to develop them. |
| Controversy Rating: 3/5 | Controversy Rating: 3/5 |
| Change Britain Rating: 3/5 | Change Britain Rating: 3/5 |
| 4. Jobs Bill | 4. Jobs Bill |
| • Give powers to local authorities to reduce the level of business rates they charge. City Mayors would also be able to increase rates in some areas to pay for specific infrastructure projects to that would boost local growth. | • Give powers to local authorities to reduce the level of business rates they charge. City Mayors would also be able to increase rates in some areas to pay for specific infrastructure projects to that would boost local growth. |
| Controversy Rating: 2/5 | Controversy Rating: 2/5 |
| Change Britain Rating: 2/5 | Change Britain Rating: 2/5 |
| 5. Markets Bill | 5. Markets Bill |
| • Making it easier for consumers to switch electricity and gas suppliers. | • Making it easier for consumers to switch electricity and gas suppliers. |
| • Cutting down the time it takes for the Competition and Markets Authority to launch investigations into uncompetitive practices. | • Cutting down the time it takes for the Competition and Markets Authority to launch investigations into uncompetitive practices. |
| Controversy Rating: 1/5 | Controversy Rating: 1/5 |
| Change Britain Rating: 3/5 | Change Britain Rating: 3/5 |
| 6. Bus Services Bill | 6. Bus Services Bill |
| • Give local authorities and mayors powers to set standards for local buses – including frequency of services and fairs. | • Give local authorities and mayors powers to set standards for local buses – including frequency of services and fairs. |
| • Force all bus companies to provide real time information on services to app developers so everyone across the country will have the same ability as Londoners to know when the next bus is coming on their smart phone. | • Force all bus companies to provide real time information on services to app developers so everyone across the country will have the same ability as Londoners to know when the next bus is coming on their smart phone. |
| Controversy Rating: 1/5 | Controversy Rating: 1/5 |
| Change Britain Rating: 3/5 | Change Britain Rating: 3/5 |
| 7. NHS Overseas Charging Bill | 7. NHS Overseas Charging Bill |
| • Increasing the number of services that the NHS charges foreign patients for. | • Increasing the number of services that the NHS charges foreign patients for. |
| • Reduces the number of people from the European Economic Area who are eligible for free services. | • Reduces the number of people from the European Economic Area who are eligible for free services. |
| Controversy Rating: 1/5 | Controversy Rating: 1/5 |
| Change Britain Rating: 1/5 | Change Britain Rating: 1/5 |
| 8. Pensions Bill | 8. Pensions Bill |
| • Capping early exit fees on company pension schemes. | • Capping early exit fees on company pension schemes. |
| • Create a new pensions guidance body to help consumers know their pension rights – and make best use of previous Government reforms allowing pensioners the right to take the money they have saved in a lump sum on retirement to invest how they like. | • Create a new pensions guidance body to help consumers know their pension rights – and make best use of previous Government reforms allowing pensioners the right to take the money they have saved in a lump sum on retirement to invest how they like. |
| Controversy Rating: 1/5 | Controversy Rating: 1/5 |
| Change Britain Rating: 3/5 | Change Britain Rating: 3/5 |
| 9. Children and Social Work Bill | 9. Children and Social Work Bill |
| • New obligation on councils to be a ‘corporate parent’ to children in care and look after them even after they have grown up. | • New obligation on councils to be a ‘corporate parent’ to children in care and look after them even after they have grown up. |
| • Giving all children leaving care a personal advisor to help them find jobs, secure a home and deal with any problems. | • Giving all children leaving care a personal advisor to help them find jobs, secure a home and deal with any problems. |
| • Create a new regulator for social work along the lines of Ofsted to drive up standards in the profession. | • Create a new regulator for social work along the lines of Ofsted to drive up standards in the profession. |
| Controversy Rating: 2/5 | Controversy Rating: 2/5 |
| Change Britain Rating: 3/5 | Change Britain Rating: 3/5 |
| 10. Education Bill | 10. Education Bill |
| • Force failing local authorities to convert all the schools in their area to academies. | • Force failing local authorities to convert all the schools in their area to academies. |
| • Reform school funding to address long standing disparities across the country that has disadvantaged schools in some rural areas. | • Reform school funding to address long standing disparities across the country that has disadvantaged schools in some rural areas. |
| Controversy Rating: 3/5 | Controversy Rating: 3/5 |
| Change Britain Rating: 2/5 | Change Britain Rating: 2/5 |
| 11. Higher Education Bill | 11. Higher Education Bill |
| • Making it simpler and easier for companies and other providers to set up new universities around the country. Ministers want to encourage institutions like Harvard and companies like Google to consider setting up campuses in the UK. | • Making it simpler and easier for companies and other providers to set up new universities around the country. Ministers want to encourage institutions like Harvard and companies like Google to consider setting up campuses in the UK. |
| • Allowing universities who have been rated ‘excellent’ for teaching to charge more than those who are not. | • Allowing universities who have been rated ‘excellent’ for teaching to charge more than those who are not. |
| • Law to force universities to publish information about their application processes broken down by ethnicity, gender and socio economic background. | • Law to force universities to publish information about their application processes broken down by ethnicity, gender and socio economic background. |
| Controversy Rating: 2/5 | Controversy Rating: 2/5 |
| Change Britain Rating: 4/5 | Change Britain Rating: 4/5 |
| 12. Prisons and Courts Bill | 12. Prisons and Courts Bill |
| • New law to create ‘reform prisons’ giving governors powers to set their own regimes and budgets. | • New law to create ‘reform prisons’ giving governors powers to set their own regimes and budgets. |
| • Obligation to publish re-offending rates by prision. | • Obligation to publish re-offending rates by prision. |
| Controversy Rating: 2/5 | Controversy Rating: 2/5 |
| Change Britain Rating: 4/5 | Change Britain Rating: 4/5 |
| 13. National Citizen Service Bill | 13. National Citizen Service Bill |
| • New law to force schools to promote NCS to all 16 year olds and putting the scheme for the first time on a statutory footing. | • New law to force schools to promote NCS to all 16 year olds and putting the scheme for the first time on a statutory footing. |
| Controversy Rating: 1/5 | Controversy Rating: 1/5 |
| Change Britain Rating: 3/5 | Change Britain Rating: 3/5 |
| 14. Lifetime Savings Bill | 14. Lifetime Savings Bill |
| • Putting into law a Government plans to give people on working tax credits who save £50 a month a Government ‘bonus’ of £50 up to a maximum of £300 a year. | • Putting into law a Government plans to give people on working tax credits who save £50 a month a Government ‘bonus’ of £50 up to a maximum of £300 a year. |
| Controversy Rating: 1/5 | Controversy Rating: 1/5 |
| Change Britain Rating: 2/5 | Change Britain Rating: 2/5 |
| 15. Soft Drinks Industry Levy Bill | 15. Soft Drinks Industry Levy Bill |
| • Introduce a sugar tax on soft drinks to fund school sports. | • Introduce a sugar tax on soft drinks to fund school sports. |
| Controversy Rating: 3/5 | Controversy Rating: 3/5 |
| Change Britain Rating: 5/5 | Change Britain Rating: 5/5 |
| 16. Bill of Rights | 16. Bill of Rights |
| • A new bill of rights to replace the Human Rights Act that will be based on the European Convention of Human Rights but will also take account of English common law. | • A new bill of rights to replace the Human Rights Act that will be based on the European Convention of Human Rights but will also take account of English common law. |
| Controversy Rating: 5/5 | Controversy Rating: 5/5 |
| Change Britain Rating: 4/5 | Change Britain Rating: 4/5 |
| 17. Counter-Extremism Bill | 17. Counter-Extremism Bill |
| • New civil powers to allow authorities to ban so-called ‘extremist preachers’ | • New civil powers to allow authorities to ban so-called ‘extremist preachers’ |
| • New powers to intervene in Madrassas and other unregulated environments where children are present/ | • New powers to intervene in Madrassas and other unregulated environments where children are present/ |
| • New undisclosed powers to come out of Louise Casey’s review of Muslim integration. | • New undisclosed powers to come out of Louise Casey’s review of Muslim integration. |
| Controversy Rating: 5/5 | Controversy Rating: 5/5 |
| Change Britain Rating: 4/5 | Change Britain Rating: 4/5 |
| 18. Criminal Finances Bill | 18. Criminal Finances Bill |
| • Make it an offense for companies not to stop their staff facilitating tax evasion. | • Make it an offense for companies not to stop their staff facilitating tax evasion. |
| • New undisclosed powers for courts to recover criminal assets. | • New undisclosed powers for courts to recover criminal assets. |
| Controversy Rating: 1/5 | Controversy Rating: 1/5 |
| Change Britain Rating: 1/5 | Change Britain Rating: 1/5 |
| 19. Cultural Property Bill (Armed Forces) | 19. Cultural Property Bill (Armed Forces) |
| • Making it illegal for UK troops to damage cultural property in conflicts at home or abroad. | • Making it illegal for UK troops to damage cultural property in conflicts at home or abroad. |
| Controversy Rating: 1/5 | Controversy Rating: 1/5 |
| Change Britain Rating: 1/5 | Change Britain Rating: 1/5 |
| 20. Wales Bill | 20. Wales Bill |
| • Bill to put plans for further Welsh devolution on a statutory footing – following the new powers recently given to the Scottish Parliament. | • Bill to put plans for further Welsh devolution on a statutory footing – following the new powers recently given to the Scottish Parliament. |
| Controversy Rating: 2/5 | Controversy Rating: 2/5 |
| Change Britain Rating: 3/5 | Change Britain Rating: 3/5 |