This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk_politics/8367429.stm

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Labour denies expenses 'omission' PM attacked on expenses 'silence'
(about 2 hours later)
The government has defended its decision not to include legislation in the Queen's Speech on MPs' expenses. Tory leader David Cameron has accused the government of a "big omission" by not making any mention of MPs' expenses in the Queen's Speech.
The Conservatives accused Gordon Brown of lacking courage on the issue, and Sir Christopher Kelly, who proposed the reforms, said he was "disappointed". Either ministers were "incompetent" in not realising new laws were needed to implement reforms, or were afraid of Labour backbenchers, he said.
But employment minister Jim Knight said the government had already introduced legislation on expenses during the summer. Sir Christopher Kelly, author of the reforms, said he was "disappointed".
If any new legislation were needed it would be passed, he added. But deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman said laws had already been passed to allow reforms to be brought in.
Mr Knight told BBC Breakfast: "We did legislate very quickly over the summer to set up the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority and that legislation gives us all of the powers we need to tackle all of the things in respect of MPs' expenses." 'Bears scars'
'Clean sheet' Sir Christopher's committee on standards in public life carried out a six-month inquiry in the wake of the scandal about MPs' expenses and made a series of recommendations earlier this month to change the system.
Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw said the government had "given control of the process away" in order to end hundreds of years of self-regulation. While he was conducting his review the government rushed through legislation to set up a new body, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, with the power to implement the Kelly review's recommendations.
"It is extraordinary for me for the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats to now be suggesting that MPs take back control of this process. The whole point is we've given control of the process away," he said. It is disappointing therefore that today's Queen's Speech did not contain measures to address the changes we believe to be necessary Sir Christopher Kelly class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8364858.stm">Brown draws election battle lines class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8365163.stm">At-a-glance: Bill-by-bill class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8366146.stm">Analysis: Electioneering speech?
PLANNED NEW LAWS Fiscal Responsibility Bill - put into law promise to halve deficitFinancial Services and Business Bill - clamp down on bonuses for bankers taking too many risksThe Flood and Water Management Bill - give councils powers to prevent floodsSocial Care Bill - neediest elderly to get home carePolicing, Crime and Private Security Bill - DNA of more sex offenders added to databaseChildren, Schools and Families Bill - Guarantees school standards and extra help pupils who fall behindEnergy Bill - give Ofgem more powers to act on behalf of customers over pricesBribery Bill - make it offence to bribe foreign officials and for business to fail to prevent briberyDigital Economy Bill - set up fund to bring in universal broadband by 2012Cluster Munitions Prohibition Bill - ratify international ban on cluster bombs class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8364858.stm">Brown draws election battle lines class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8365163.stm">At-a-glance: Bill-by-bill class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8366146.stm">Analysis: Electioneering speech? class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=7248">Send us your comments class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8367318.stm">Brown to offer more graduate help But Sir Christopher said in his report that the new authority did not have sufficient powers and should be made responsible for MPs' pay and pensions, as well as expenses, and be given tougher enforcement and investigation powers, among other changes.
Sir Christopher - chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life - said legislation was required to strengthen the role and powers of the new Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, which will authorise all expenses claims in the future. "It is disappointing therefore that today's Queen's Speech did not contain measures to address the changes we believe to be necessary affecting the remit, powers and independence of the new body being established to regulate expenses," Sir Christopher said in a statement after the Queen's Speech.
"The committee believes it is very important that the new Parliament starts with a clean sheet," he said.
"There is no reason why the relatively straightforward legislation needed in this area should prevent the new regulatory body from getting other important changes under way.""There is no reason why the relatively straightforward legislation needed in this area should prevent the new regulatory body from getting other important changes under way."
No 10 said it believed no new laws were needed to introduce the main changes to what MPs can claim - changes which have already been accepted by all parties - but would consider legislation if necessary. 'Fear of backbenchers'
Tory leader David Cameron said there were 11 separate measures that still need to be passed into law in order to implement the Kelly report - including one to take away from MPs the power to set their own pay and pensions. Mr Cameron said there were 11 separate measures which needed to be passed into law in order to implement the Kelly report - but accused Mr Brown of "a great big silence" when challenged to bring them forward.
He told BBC Breakfast that it was significant that the Queen's Speech, which sets out the government's whole programme, made no mention of expenses measures. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme leaving expenses out of the speech was a "big omission".
So, he said, it was "progress" that Labour had now given assurances that any legislation necessary would be brought forward "Either the government is incompetent and hadn't realised that Kelly's report requires these laws to be passed or they are frightened of their own backbenchers, or perhaps they don't think cleaning up the House of Commons is as important as they said it was.
FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME Listen to the full interview
"One of the most important legal changes that still has to go through is putting MPs' pay and pensions on an independent statutory footing so that MPs in the future can't fiddle with their own pension and their own pay."
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg also said new legislation was needed, specifically to force MPs to disclose their financial interests.Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg also said new legislation was needed, specifically to force MPs to disclose their financial interests.
'Waste of time' He had been arguing for days that the Queen's Speech was a waste of time - as so little time remained for MPs to pass laws before the next general election - and the government should concentrate instead on sorting out expenses and the economy.
'Smokescreen'
Following Sir Christopher's statement, Number 10 said the prime minister was ready to bring forward any legislation needed to complete his reforms "on a cross-party basis as required".
But Ms Harman, who is also Commons leader, told the BBC: "I think that the things Sir Christopher has recommended can and will be taken forward by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.
"I don't want anyone to think that we have simply not taken the action that was necessary."
Some recommendations, like the proposed ban on employing relatives, did not require legislation she said.
FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from Today programme
She accused Mr Cameron of creating a "smokescreen" adding: "It's not true to say that loose ends have been left and we are somehow half-hearted about this."
But she said: "I will need to reassure Sir Christopher that the things that he wants done, will be done, those legal changes that he doesn't agree with can simply be dealt with by not bringing them into effect."
Labour is widely regarded to have used the Queen's Speech, unveiled amid typical pageantry at Westminster, to draw the battle lines for the upcoming election, which must be held by next June.Labour is widely regarded to have used the Queen's Speech, unveiled amid typical pageantry at Westminster, to draw the battle lines for the upcoming election, which must be held by next June.
Among the 13 bills announced were measures to penalise excessive risk taking in the City, to provide new pupil entitlements, to give free personal care to about 400,000 pensioners and to require the government to halve the budget deficit in the next Parliament.Among the 13 bills announced were measures to penalise excessive risk taking in the City, to provide new pupil entitlements, to give free personal care to about 400,000 pensioners and to require the government to halve the budget deficit in the next Parliament.
The Queen's Speech did not include a Bill on expenses
Ministers denied the proposals amounted to a virtual election manifesto, saying they were putting national interests ahead of party interests.Ministers denied the proposals amounted to a virtual election manifesto, saying they were putting national interests ahead of party interests.
They also challenged the opposition parties to say whether they backed certain key policies such as guaranteed consultation times for cancer patients and new legal rights for parents.
But the Tories said the paucity of proposals showed Labour had run out of "money, time and ideas".But the Tories said the paucity of proposals showed Labour had run out of "money, time and ideas".
The Lib Dems, meanwhile, labelled Labour's agenda a "fantasy" and said it was a "waste of time" as half of the proposals would never make it into law. The Lib Dems labelled Labour's agenda a "fantasy" and said it was a "waste of time" as half of the proposals would never make it into law.
'Demolition job'
Treasury spokesman Vince Cable said ministers should be focusing on a "narrow" set of much-needed political reforms and not get "bogged down" trying to pass new laws where it already had powers to act.
The £670m plan to give free care to the elderly was also criticised on Thursday by Labour peer Lord Lipsey, a former member of the Royal Commission on Long-Term Care.
He told the Times newspaper that it amounted to "a demolition job on the national budget".
But Mr Bradshaw denied this was the case, adding: "It's a very, very small part of the National Health Service budget of £120 billion."
BBC political editor Nick Robinson said the Queen's Speech had felt like the opening salvo of an election campaign with ministers keen to spell out the big choices facing the electorate.
But he added there had been little mention of issues likely to dominate the campaign such as future spending cuts and the war in Afghanistan.
Should a general election be held on 6 May, on the same day as local elections, it is estimated that the Commons would have about 46 days available for legislating before Parliament is dissolved.