Clear the Lobby: What Laws are MPs voting on this week? W/C 18th October 2021

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!

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Hey team.

Parliament resumes on Monday on a sombre note.

Expect a rejigging of the agenda to make room for tributes to David Amess, as well as conversations about how MPs can be better protected during constituency surgeries.

On Tuesday, MPs vote to extend the government’s coronavirus powers.

This has to happen every six months. Some of the most controversial powers (like banning gatherings or detaining infectious people) won’t be put up for renewal by the government, which makes a rebellion from lockdown sceptics less likely.

And Friday brings a raft of private members’ bills.

As usual, time constraints mean only the first few will actually be debated on Friday.

Until next week. In the meantime, feel free to tweet me, or just reply to this email.

Sebastian (@sebastiansalek)

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MONDAY 18 OCTOBER

The Judicial Review and Courts Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Scotland (part), Wales, Northern Ireland (part)
Reforms judicial review (where judges decide whether an action taken by a public body was lawful) and other bits of the legal system. Among other things, it introduces an online-only conviction procedure for defendants pleading guilty so they don’t have to go through a court.
Draft bill (PDF) / Commons Library briefing

TUESDAY 19 OCTOBER

Bereavement Leave and Pay (Stillborn and Miscarried Babies) Bill
Extends statutory bereavement leave to parents whose babies are miscarried or stillborn during early pregnancy. Currently it only applies after 24 weeks of pregnancy. Ten minute rule motion presented by Sarah Owen.

WEDNESDAY 20 OCTOBER

Decarbonisation and Economic Strategy Bill
Introduces a “Green New Deal”, a ten-year plan to transition away from carbon. Ten minute rule motion presented by Caroline Lucas.

Environment Bill – consideration of Lords amendments
Applies to: England (part), Wales (part), Scotland (part), Northern Ireland (part)
Lays out the legal framework for environmental governance after Brexit. This includes establishing the Office of Environmental Protection to hold public authorities to account, putting the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan into law, and requiring the government to set long-term targets. Also introduces a range of measures, including: enabling charges for single-use plastic items, allowing deposit return schemes (where you pay a bit extra for items like bottled drinks, but recoup that amount when the bottle is returned), and standardising what items can be collected for recycling by local authorities in England.
Draft bill (PDF) / Commons Library briefing

THURSDAY 21 OCTOBER

No votes scheduled

FRIDAY 22 OCTOBER

Employment and Trade Union Rights (Dismissal and Re-engagement) Bill – 2nd reading
Bans “fire and rehire”, where an employer dismisses an employee an rehires them on new, usually less favourable, terms. Private members’ bill presented by Barry Gardiner.
Draft bill (PDF)

Local Government (Disqualification) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England and Wales
Closes a legal loophole to disqualify councillors from standing for office if they’ve been convicted of a child pornography offence, even if they haven’t been jailed. Private members’ bill presented by Paul Beresford.
Draft bill (PDF)

Corporate Homicide Bill – 2nd reading
Makes changes to the criminal offence of corporate homicide. More information not yet published. Private members’ bill presented by Chris Stephens.

Education Employment (Accompaniment to Hearings) Bill – 2nd reading
Allows teachers and other educational staff to bring anyone they linke to a workplace disciplinary or grievance hearing. Currently they’re only allowed to be accompanied by a colleague or trade union representative. Private members’ bill presented by Brendan Clarke-Smith.

Energy Pricing Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland
Bans energy companies from offer better prices to new customers compared to existing ones, among other things. Private members’ bill presented by Martyn Day.
Draft bill (PDF)

Electric Vehicle Charging Points (New Buildings) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires electric car charging points to be included in the design of new buildings. Private members’ bill presented by Felicity Buchan.

General Election (Leaders’ Debates) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Sets up a commission to arrange debates between party leaders during a General Election. Private members’ bill presented by Peter Bone.
Draft bill (PDF)

Homeless People (Current Accounts) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires banks to provide current accounts for homeless people seeking work. Private members’ bill presented by Peter Bone.

Electoral Candidates (Age) Bill – 2nd reading
Changes the minimum age of candidates in parliamentary and local elections to age 18 on the day of the election. It’s currently age 18 at time of nomination. Private members’ bill presented by Peter Bone.

Channel 4 (Privatisation) Bill – 2nd reading
Privatises Channel 4. Private members’ bill presented by Christopher Chope.

British Broadcasting Corporation (Privatisation) Bill – 2nd reading
Privatises the BBC and distributes shares in the corporation to all licence fee payers. Private members’ bill presented by Christopher Chope.

Public Sector Exit Payments (Limitation) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland
Caps exit payments made to outgoing employees of public sector organisations. Private members’ bill presented by Christopher Chope.
Draft bill

Workers (Rights and Definition) Bill – 2nd reading
Establishes a legal definition of employment, which includes zero-hours contracts and agency workers. The aim is to prevent abuse of people working under these arrangements. Private members’ bill presented by Chris Stephens.

Immigration (Health and Social Care Staff) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland
Grants indefinite leave to remain to health and social care staff. Private members’ bill presented by Christine Jardine.
Draft bill (PDF)

Workers (Rights) Bill – 2nd reading
Makes provisions around workers’ rights. More information not yet published. Private members’ bill presented by Gavin Newlands.

Planning and Local Representation Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England and Wales
Aims to improve the process of creating development plans (documents written by local planning authorities setting out how an area should look in the future). Gives people who comment or object to them the right to take part in examination hearings (part of the independent scrutiny process). Requires public consultation on development plans. Gives local authorities the power to apply local design standards for permitted development and to refuse permitted development proposals that would be detrimental to the health and wellbeing of an individual or community. Makes planning permission for major housing schemes contingent on work starting within two years. Private members’ bill presented by Rachel Hopkins.
Draft bill (PDF)

Motor Vehicles (Compulsory Insurance) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Scotland, Wales
Scraps compulsory insurance for vehicles that are used on private land, or aren’t built for use on public roads. The law mandating this insurance is EU caselaw that was retained by the UK after Brexit, but the government has previously announced its intention to repeal it. Private members’ bill presented by Peter Bone.
Draft bill (PDF)

Covid Vaccine Damage Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland
Requires the government to establish an independent review of disablement caused by Covid-19 vaccinations, and the adequacy of the compensation offered to the people affected.
Draft bill (PDF)

Public Advocate Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England and Wales
Creates the role of public advocate to give advice to families of people killed in major incidents. Seeks to avoid a repeat of the lengthy process after the Hillsborough disaster. Private members’ bill presented by Maria Eagle. More information here.
Draft bill (PDF)

Wellbeing of Future Generations (No. 2) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Among other things: Requires a public consultation to inform a set of national wellbeing goals, and requires public bodies to act in pursuit of the UK’s environmental, social, economic and cultural wellbeing by meeting wellbeing objectives. Private members’ bill presented by Simon Fell.
Draft bill (PDF)

Hospitals (Parking Charges and Business Rates) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England and Wales
Bans NHS hospitals from charging patients and visitors for car parking. Makes NHS hospitals exempt from business rates. Private members’ bill presented by Peter Bone.
Draft bill

Voter Registration Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Bans people from registering to vote in parliamentary elections in more than one constituency. Private members’ bill presented by Peter Bone.
Draft bill (PDF)

Asylum Seekers (Return to Safe Countries) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Requires asylum seekers who have arrived in the UK from a safe country to be returned immediately to that country. Private members’ bill presented by Peter Bone.
Draft bill (PDF)

Planning (Street Plans) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England and Wales
Grants the relevant planning permission to local authorities when they confirm a “street plan”, a plan for development on a specified street. Private members’ bill presented by John Penrose.
Draft bill (PDF)

Hen Caging (Prohibition) Bill – 2nd reading
Bans the caging of commercially reared, egg-laying hens and pullet (young hens). Private members’ bill presented by Henry Smith.

Want more?
Check your MP’s voting record and read the day’s debates at TheyWorkForYou.

LAST WEEK’S VOTES

Passed

• The Social Security (Uprating Of Benefits) Bill – goes to Lords
• Unauthorised Development (Offences) Bill – goes to second reading
• Hen Caging (Prohibition) Bill – goes to second reading (above)
• Compensation (London Capital & Finance PLC and Fraud Compensation Fund) Bill – goes to Lords
• Subsidy Control Bill – goes to committee stage

Click here to read details of the bills in last week’s newsletter.