Clear the Lobby: What Laws are MPs voting on this week? W/C 30th January 2023

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,

Anti-strike legislation is back on the menu.

MPs debate plans to crack down on unions on Monday.

But the government starts the week under a cloud after Nadhim Zahawi’s sacking as Conservative Party chairman over the weekend.

Wednesday is an opportunity for Labour to crank up the pressure.

There’s an Opposition Day debate, giving Labour the chance to set the agenda. No word yet on what topic they’ll chose.

And Friday brings private members’ bills.

A couple of new ones in the mix. As ever, only a few will be heard in the time available.

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

Sebastian (@sebastiansalek)

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MONDAY 30 JANUARY

Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill – committee stage, report stage, 3rd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland
Gives the government the power to require public services including rail, ambulances, and the fire services to maintain minimum service levels during strike action.
Draft bill (PDF) / Commons Library briefing

TUESDAY 31 JANUARY

Clean Air Bill
Establishes the right to breathe clean air and requires the government to publish a strategy for reducing air pollution, among other things. Ten minute rule motion presented by Geraint Davies.

WEDNESDAY 1 FEBRUARY

Scotland (Self-Determination) Bill
Gives the Scottish Parliament the power to legislate for a Scottish independence referendum. Stipulates that this can only be done when the Scottish public has demonstrated its support for a referendum. Prevents future Scottish independent referendums from being held less than seven years after the last one. Ten minute rule motion presented by Neal Hanvey.

UK Infrastructure Bank Bill – report stage and 3rd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Completes the setup of the UK Infrastructure Bank, a state-owned but operationally independent bank that invests in projects to tackle climate change and support regional economic growth. Gives the bank the power to lend directly to local authorities and the Northern Ireland Executive. Started in the Lords.
Draft bill (PDF) / Lords Library briefing

THURSDAY 2 FEBRUARY

No votes scheduled

FRIDAY 3 FEBRUARY

Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Bill – report stage and 3rd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland
Prevents employers from making someone redundant during pregnancy or six months after returning to work. Currently the law only extends to the time someone is on parental leave. Private members’ bill presented by Dan Jarvis.

Carer’s Leave Bill – report stage and 3rd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Gives employees with caring responsibilities a right to unpaid leave. Private members’ bill presented by Wendy Chamberlain.
Draft bill (PDF)

Worker Protection (Amendment of the Equality Act 2010) Bill – report stage and 3rd reading
Makes employers responsible for protecting their employees from workplace harassment. Private members’ bill presented by Wera Hobhouse.

Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill – 2nd reading
Bans the sale and advertising of activities abroad which involve low standards of welfare for animals. Private members’ bill presented by Angela Richardson.

Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill – 2nd reading
Gives workers and agency workers the right to request more predictable terms and conditions of work. Private members’ bill presented by Scott Benton.

Devolution (Employment) (Scotland) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: Scotland
Devolves employment matters in Scotland.
Draft bill (PDF)

Health and Safety at Work Bill – 2nd reading
Amend the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 to make provision about civil liability for breaches of health and safety duties. More information not yet available. Private members’ bill presented by Chris Stephens.

Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 (Amendment) Bill – 2nd reading
Amends the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 to change the law around parliamentary scrutiny of lockdowns. Private members’ bill presented by Christopher Chope.

Caravan Sites Bill – 2nd reading
Removes the requirement for planning permission when applying for a caravan site licence. Private members’ bill presented by Christopher Chope.

Marine Activities (Licensing) Bill – 2nd reading
Transfers responsibility for marine licensing from the Marine Management Organisation to local authorities. Marine licenses are required for all sorts of activities, including laying cables in the sea, dredging, and using explosives. Private members’ bill presented by Giles Watling. Follows a delay in licensing in his constituency.

Paternity (Leave and Pay) Bill – 2nd reading
Expands the people who are eligible for paternity pay and provides more flexibility around timing and notice periods for taking paternity leave. Private members’ bill presented by Gareth Davies.

NHS Prescriptions (Drug Tariff Labelling) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires community pharmacies and other providers of NHS-funded prescriptions to put Drug Tariff values on labels (the amount the NHS repays pharmacies for generic prescriptions). Private members’ bill presented by Craig Mackinlay.

Employee Share Ownership (Reform) Bill – 2nd reading
Introduces a new employee share ownership scheme with preferential access for lower income workers. Private members’ bill by George Howarth.

Firearms and Hate Crime Bill – 2nd reading
Bans people from keeping pump action guns in their homes, with exemptions for professional pest controllers and farmers. Changes the law around checking medical records and disclosing mental health concerns for firearms certificates. Makes misogyny a hate crime. Private members’ bill presented by Luke Pollard. Responds to the shooting in his constituency in 2021.

Employment Bill – 2nd reading
Gives workers the right to request more predictable terms and conditions of work, among other things. Geared towards the gig economy. Private members’ bill presented by Steven Bonnar.

Pre-payment Meters (Self-Disconnection) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires energy companies to allow a grace period before disconnecting customers with pre-payment meters who have run out of credit. Requires energy companies to offer debt management support to all customers. Private members’ bill presented by Anne McLaughlin.

Public Advocate (No. 2) Bill – 2nd reading
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.

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.

Full Employment Bill – 2nd reading
Requires the chancellor to pursue a policy of full employment (one definition is when there are more vacancies than people seeking jobs). Creates an employment guarantee scheme for benefit claimants who have been unemployed and looking for work for longer than six months. Private members’ bill presented by Chris Stephens.

Asylum Seekers (Accommodation Eviction Procedures) Bill – 2nd reading
Allows asylum seekers to challenge a proposed eviction in an independent court or tribunal. Establishes asylum seeker accommodation eviction procedures for public authorities. Private members’ bill presented by Chris Stephens.

Disability Benefit Assessments (Recording) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires the government to allow Disability Benefit applicants to have their eligibility assessment recorded on audio. Private members’ bill presented by Chris Stephens.

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (Powers) Bill – 2nd reading
Allows the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to identify and investigate systemic problems in the benefits system and make relevant recommendations to the  government. Private members’ bill presented by Chris Stephens.

Under-Occupancy Penalty (Report) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires the government to report on the merits of repealing the so-called “bedroom tax” (a cut in benefits for those living in a council or housing association property deemed to have one or more spare bedrooms). Private members’ bill presented by Chris Stephens.

Social Security Benefits (Healthy Eating) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires the government to publish annual calculations of the benefit and tax credit rates needed for a representative household to afford to buy meals in accordance with the Eatwell Guide to eating healthily. Private members’ bill presented by Chris Stephens.

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.

Asylum Seekers (Permission to Work) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Grants asylum seekers permission to work if they have waited six months for a decision on their asylum application. Private members’ bill presented by Carol Monaghan.
Draft bill (PDF)

Housing Standards (Refugees and Asylum Seekers) Bill – 2nd reading
Introduces national minimum standards in accommodation offered to refugees and asylum seekers. Private members’ bill presented by Chris Stephens.

Rule of Law (Enforcement by Public Authorities) Bill – 2nd reading
Rrequires public authorities to investigate breaches of the law, and take enforcement action. Private members’ bill presented by Christopher Chope.

Barnett Formula (Replacement) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires the government to report on proposals to replace the Barnett Formula (the formula used to decide how much public money is given to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) with a scheme based on an assessment of relative needs. Private members’ bill presented by Christopher Chope.

Covid-19 Vaccine Damage Payments Bill – 2nd reading
Requires the government to improve the diagnosis and treatment of people who have suffered ill effects from Covid-19 vaccines. Provides for financial assistance to people who have become disabled after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine, and to the next of kin of people who have died shortly after, among other things. Private members’ bill presented by Christopher Chope.

Illegal Immigration (Offences) Bill – 2nd reading
Creates new offences for people who have entered the UK illegally, or have overstayed their visas. Private members’ bill presented by Christopher Chope.

Covid-19 Vaccine Diagnosis and Treatment Bill – 2nd reading
Requires the government to improve the diagnosis and treatment of people who have suffered ill effects from Covid-19 vaccines. Private members’ bill presented by Christopher Chope.

Covid-19 Vaccine Damage Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, 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. Private members’ bill presented by Christopher Chope.
Draft bill (PDF)

LAST WEEK’S VOTES

Passed

• Northern Ireland Budget Bill – goes to Lords
• Defamation, Privacy, Freedom of Expression, Data Protection, Legal Services and Private Investigators Bill – goes to second reading
• First-Aid (Mental Health) Bill – goes to second reading

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