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Welcome to our weekly feature courtesy of Sebastian Salek, the brains behind Clear the Lobby, working to bring you all the laws MPs are voting on this week, and explained in plain English!
Click here to join more than 5,000 people and get this in your email inbox for free every Sunday. Click here for daily updates on Twitter.
The week kicks off a day earlier than planned, with tributes to Prince Philip.
When the Queen Mother died, it was a two-hour session with speeches from the prime minister, party leaders, Father of the House, and certain backbenchers who had a personal connection.
The big government bill to watch is the Domestic Abuse Bill.
It’s been a long time coming (remember it got carried over from the last Parliament), and there’s still some difficulty getting it through.
The government was defeated on nine points in the Lords. Issues include adding domestic abusers to the sex offenders register, as well as amendments on protecting migrants and bringing carers within the scope of the Bill.
Watch to see how many of the changes the government tries to reverse. Peers have a bit of leverage because the end of the parliamentary session is approaching, and any bills that aren’t passed or carried over will get killed.
Until next week. In the meantime, feel free to tweet me, or just reply to this email.
Sebastian (@sebastiansalek)
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MONDAY 12 APRIL
No votes scheduled
TUESDAY 13 APRIL
Road User Charging (Outer London) Bill
Prevents the Mayor of London from imposing charges for driving in Outer London. This is in response to the Greater London Boundary Charge, a proposal by the Transport for London to charge vehicles at least £3.50 to enter the capital. (It’s a separate thing to the Congestion Charge, the Low Emission Zone, and the Ultra Low Emission Zone.) Ten minute rule motion presented by Gareth Johnson.
Finance (No. 2) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland
Implements the changes announced in the Budget.
Draft bill (PDF) / Commons Library briefing
WEDNESDAY 14 APRIL
NHS Pay Award (Report) Bill
Requires the government to present a report to Parliament if it wants to increase NHS pay by less than 2.1% in 2021/22, and to have MPs vote on it. (Ministers have currently proposed a rise of 1% in England.) Ten minute rule motion presented by Carolyn Harris.
THURSDAY 15 APRIL
Domestic Abuse Bill – consideration of Lords amendments
Applies to: England (part), Wales (part), Scotland (part), Northern Ireland (part)
A wide-ranging bill aiming to tighten the law around domestic abuse. Among other things, it establishes a legal definition for domesticabuse, creates the position of Domestic Abuse Commissioner and bans abusers from cross-examining their victims in family courts.
Draft bill / Commons Library briefing
FRIDAY 16 APRIL
No votes scheduled
Want more?
Check your MP’s voting record and read the day’s debates at TheyWorkForYou.
LAST WEEK’S VOTES
Passed
- Trade Bill – goes back to Lords
- Fire Safety Bill – goes back to Lords
- Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill – goes to Royal Assent
- Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Bill – goes back to Lords
- First-Aid (Mental Health) Bill – goes to 2nd reading
- Advanced Research and Invention Agency Bill – goes to committee stage
Not passed
- Gaming Hardware (Automated Purchase and Resale) Bill – withdrawn before debate
Click here to read details of the bills in last week’s newsletter.
