Queen's Speech summary: Bill-by-bill at a glance
- Published
This year's Queen's Speech comes in the wake of a general election that left the Conservatives without a majority. Legislation to deliver Brexit dominated the government's plans. Here is a bill-by-bill guide to what is in the 2017 Queen's Speech - and what was left out.
Brexit
Repeal Bill
This measure will repeal the 1972 European Communities Act and convert EU law into UK law
The UK Parliament (and where appropriate, the devolved legislatures) will be free to make any future changes to its laws
Customs Bill
The bill will ensure:
the UK has a standalone UK customs regime on exit
flexibility to accommodate future trade agreements with the EU and others
changes can be made to the UK's VAT and excise regimes on exit from the EU, whatever the outcome of negotiations
the government can collect payments of customs duties, administer the customs regime and tackle duty evasion
control over the import and export of goods
Trade Bill
puts in place a legal framework to allow Britain to strike free trade deals with countries around the world while ensuring domestic businesses are protected from unfair trading practices
Immigration Bill
enables the government to end the free movement of EU nationals into the UK, but still allows the country to attract "the brightest and the best".
EU nationals and their families will be "subject to relevant UK law"
Fisheries Bill
enables the UK to control access to its waters and set UK fishing quotas once it has left the EU
Agriculture Bill
This measure will ensure an effective system is in place to support UK farmers and protect the natural environment after the UK leaves the EU and therefore the Common Agricultural Policy
Nuclear Safeguards Bill
establishes a UK nuclear safeguards regime as the UK leaves the EU and Euratom
ensures the UK continues to meet its international obligations for nuclear safeguards, as applies to civil nuclear material through the International Atomic Energy Agency
to support international nuclear non-proliferation and protect UK electricity supplied by nuclear power
International Sanctions Bill
ensures that as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the UK continues to play a central role in negotiating global sanctions to counter threats of terrorism, conflict and the proliferation of nuclear weapons, as well as bringing about changes in behaviour
returns decision-making powers on non-UN sanctions to the UK
enables the UK's continued compliance with international law after the UK's exit from the EU
allows the UK to impose sanctions to ensure compliance with obligations under international law, including asset freezes, travel bans and trade and market restrictions
ensures individuals and organisations can challenge or request a review of sanctions imposed on them
exempts or licenses certain types of activity, such as payments for food and medicine that would otherwise be restricted by sanctions
amends regulations for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing and to pass new ones
Economy
Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill
extends compulsory motor vehicle insurance to cover the use of automated vehicles, to ensure compensation claims continue to be paid quickly, fairly and easily, in line with longstanding insurance practice
allows the government to require the installation of charge points for electric vehicles at motorway service areas and large fuel retailers, and to require a set of common technical and operational standards. This will ensure charge points are convenient to access and work seamlessly right across the UK
These provisions would apply to England, Wales and Scotland
Space Industry Bill
new powers to license a wide range of new commercial spaceflights, including vertically launched rockets, space planes, satellite operation, spaceports and other technologies
a comprehensive and proportionate regulatory framework to manage risk, ensuring commercial spaceflight in the UK remains safe
measures to regulate unauthorised access and interference with spacecraft, spaceports and associated infrastructure, particularly in aviation security
promote public safety by providing a regulatory framework to cover operational insurance, indemnity and liability
High Speed 2 Phase 2A Bill
allows cities in the north of England and Scotland to enjoy increased capacity, improved connections, economic benefits and reduced journey times of HS2 sooner by accelerating the building of a connection to Crewe
powers to compulsorily acquire the land needed for the railway, construct the railway and operate it
deemed planning permission to deliver the scheme. Details of planning will be developed on a site-by-site basis in coordination with the local planning authority
set out the way railway regulation will apply to the railway
Goods Mortgages Bill
repeals the Victorian-era Bills of Sale Acts and replaces them with a Goods Mortgages Act that enables individuals to use their existing goods (such as a vehicle) as security for a loan, while retaining possession of the goods
increases protection for borrowers who get into financial difficulties, by introducing a new requirement for a lender to obtain a court order before seizing goods where a borrower has made significant repayments
helps borrowers in financial difficulties by giving borrowers the right to voluntary termination by handing over their vehicle or other goods to the lender
provides protection for innocent third parties who buy a vehicle subject to a logbook loan that may be at risk of repossession, and makes clearer that borrowers who knowingly sell goods with a logbook loan attached could be committing fraud
Smart Meter Bill
puts consumers in control of their energy use, helping them understand their energy and bills, bringing an end to estimated billing and transforming the experience of pre-paying customers
protects the operation of the national data and communication service to safeguard smart services at all times
ensures smart meters will be offered to every household and business by the end of 2020
introduces a Special Administrative Regime, which will provide insurance for the national smart meter infrastructure in the unlikely event that the company responsible for it becomes insolvent
National Insurance Contributions Bill
legislates for the National Insurance contribution (NICs) changes announced in the 2016 Budget and 2016 Autumn Statement
makes the NICs system fairer and simpler
does not relate to the discussion of Class 4 contributions at the time of the Spring Budget 2017
Travel Protection Bill
improves protection for holidaymakers by updating the UK's financial protection scheme for holidays
ensures the Air Travel Organisers' Licence (Atol) travel protection scheme for holidaymakers keeps pace with innovation in the online travel market, and appropriate protection is in place regardless of whether consumers book online or the High Street
updates the Atol scheme and aligns it with enhancements to the EU and the UK package travel regulations that predate people booking holidays on the internet
Draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill
protects victims of domestic violence and abuse
establishes a domestic violence and abuse commissioner, to stand up for victims and survivors, raise public awareness, monitor the response of statutory agencies and local authorities and hold the justice system to account in tackling domestic abuse
defines domestic abuse in law to underpin all other measures in the bill
creates a consolidated new domestic abuse civil prevention and protection order regime
ensures if abusive behaviour involves a child, the court can hand down a sentence that reflects the devastating life-long impact that abuse can have on the child
applies to England and Wales only
Civil Liability Bill
cracks down on fraudulent whiplash claims and is expected to reduce motor insurance premiums by about £35 per year
ensures a fair, transparent and proportionate system of compensation is in place for damages paid to genuinely injured personal injury claimants
ensures full and fair compensation is paid to genuinely injured claimants
applies to England and Wales
Courts Bill
ends direct cross-examination of domestic violence victims by their alleged perpetrators in the family courts and allows more victims to participate in trials without having to meet their alleged assailant face to face
enables those charged with some less serious criminal offences to opt to plead guilty, accept a conviction and pay a statutory fixed penalty online, to free up court time for more serious cases. An example would be a first offender who admits travelling on a train without purchasing a ticket
introduces digital services that will allow businesses to pursue their cases quickly, enabling them to recover debts more easily
provides better working environment for judges, allowing more leadership positions in the judiciary to be offered on a fixed term, enabling judges to be deployed more flexibly to improve opportunities for career progression
applies to England and Wales and in part to Northern Ireland and Scotland
Financial Guidance and Claims Bill
establishes a new statutory body, accountable to Parliament, with responsibility for coordinating the provision of debt advice, money guidance and pension guidance
enables the body's activities to be funded through existing levies on pension schemes and the financial services industry
transfers the regulation of claims management services to the Financial Conduct Authority, and transfers complaints-handling responsibility to the Financial Ombudsman Service
ensures the Financial Conduct Authority has the necessary powers to implement a claims management regulatory regime. This will include a new power that will allow the Financial Conduct Authority to cap the fees that claims management companies charge consumers, as well as ensuring a more robust authorisation process for new companies who wish to enter the market
Data Protection Bill
allows police and judicial authorities to continue to exchange information quickly and easily with the UK's international partners in the fight against terrorism and other serious crimes
modernises and updates the regime for data processing by law enforcement agencies. The regime will cover both domestic processing and cross-border transfers of personal data
updates the powers and sanctions available to the information commissioner
Draft Patient Protection Bill
improves how the NHS investigates and learns from mistakes by establishing an independent Health Service Safety Investigation Body
ensures serious incidents can be investigated without the need for expensive, lawyer-led inquiries
applies to England and Wales
Defence
Armed Forces Bill
provides service personnel with "modern, flexible" opportunities to serve their country in a way that allows them to balance their family responsibilities and that better suits their lifestyle aspirations and circumstances, including forms of part-time service
Housing
Draft Tenants' Fees Bill
bans landlords and agents charging letting fees as a condition of their tenancy
enforces the ban with provision for tenants to be able to recover unlawfully charged fees
applies to England only - some minor amendments to the Consumer Rights Act 2015 may apply to England and Wales
Other measures
The legislative programme will also include three finance bills to implement Budget decisions, a technical bill to ratify several "minor EU agreements" and further bills to affect the UK's exit from the bloc.
What was not in the Queen's Speech?
Flagship Conservative manifesto policies that found no place in the government agenda include:
Social care funding, which opponents branded a "dementia tax" - a fresh consultation on the subject is instead promised
Means-testing of the winter fuel payment
Anything on pensioners or pensions
Grammar school plans are reined in, with a promise only to work with Parliament to bring forward proposals for school improvement "that can command a majority"
Free vote on fox hunting
Fixed-term parliaments
Free school lunches
Energy price cap - the speech states ministers are "considering the best way" to protect those on the poorest-value tariffs and suggests this could be done by regulators rather than legislative action
This report was first published on 21 June 2017.