James Duddridge, Member of Parliament for Rochford and Southend East, welcomed today’s Queens Speech which set out the Government’s agenda for the next Parliament including measures to control and reduce immigration, strengthen Britain’s economic competitiveness, reduce the burden of regulation on businesses and cut crime and anti-social behavior.
Bills announced for the next Parliament include:
Immigration Bill
· Stopping those from overseas accessing public services which they are not entitled to and compelling landlords of private housing to check the immigration status of tenants, facing fines if they don’t.
· Making it easier to remove people from the UK by legislating to ensure that Article 8 (the right to family life) is not abused. Courts will balance the crime committed against the right to remain in the country.
National Insurance Contributions Bill
· Reducing National Insurance bills each year by entitling every business and charity to a £2,000 Employment Allowance from April 2014.
· Extending the General Anti-Abuse Rule to National Insurance contributions, reinforcing our commitment to tackle abusive tax avoidance.
Energy Bill (carried over from previous session)
· Reforming the electricity market to deliver secure, clean and affordable electricity and ensure prices are fair.
· Enabling consumers, via Ofgem, to get on the best energy tariff for them and forcing energy companies to provide clearer and simpler information on bills.
Deregulation Bill
· Reducing or removing burdens on businesses, Civil Society, public bodies and individuals to boost growth.
· Tidying-up the statute book by repealing legislation that is no longer of any practical use.
Draft Consumer Rights Bill
· Consolidating relevant legislation into one place, bringing together eight pieces of legislation on consumer rights covering goods, services, digital content and unfair contract terms.
· Enhancing the protection of consumers by giving easier access to compensation where there have been breaches of consumer or competition law.
Pensions Bill
· Creating a new flat-rate pension set above the basic means test to replace the current two-tier system, to be implemented from April 2016. This will mean that more women can get a full state pension in their own right, stopping the shameful situation whereby women who have taken time out of work to care for their family are let down by the system.
· Bringing forward the increase to State Pension age to 67 by eight years, to take place between 2026 and 2028 and enabling a regular review of State Pension age in the light of rising life expectancy.
Care Bill
· Capping care costs and extending the means test threshold for financial assistance to ensure that no-one has to sell their home in their lifetime to pay for residential care.
· For the first time introducing a duty to meet carers’ eligible needs for support, and introducing a new adult safeguarding framework.
Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill
· Ensuring a quick, effective response to anti-social behaviour focused on the rights of victims and giving people powers to make sure action is taken.
· Introducing new measures to encourage responsible dog ownership, tackle the use of illegal firearms by gangs, and strengthen protection of the victims of forced marriage.
Offender Rehabilitation Bill
· Allowing probation providers to deal with the causes of re-offending, and meaning that all offenders released from prison will receive at least 12 months’ statutory supervision.
· Create greater flexibility for probation providers so that they are free to deliver innovative and effective community sentences to tackle re-offending.