Clear the Lobby: What Laws are MPs voting on this week? W/C 20th February 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,

MPs are back from recess.

The news from Scotland of Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation will be reverberating round Westminster.

Northern Ireland Protocol talks are top of the agenda though.

If an agreement is announced, it could see legislation introduced at short notice.

Meanwhile, there’s still no Executive in Stormont.

Legislation to be debated this week extends the deadline for Westminster to intervene.

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

Sebastian (@sebastiansalek)

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MONDAY 20 FEBRUARY

No votes scheduled

TUESDAY 21 FEBRUARY

Sun Protection Products (Value Added Tax) Bill
Exempts sun cream and other sun protection products from VAT. Ten minute rule motion presented by Amy Callaghan.

Social Security (Additional Payments) (No.2) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Authorises two cost of living payments to people on benefits announced in the November 2022 Autumn Statement.
Draft bill (PDF) / Commons Library briefing

WEDNESDAY 22 FEBRUARY

Affordable Housing (Conversion of Commercial Property) Bill
Allows councils to require a certain number of homes be affordable when commercial property is converted into residential use. Ten minute rule motion presented by Vicky Ford.

Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill – all stages
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Retrospectively extends the deadline for forming a Northern Ireland Executive until 18 January 2024. Means the Westminster government will no longer be obliged to call an election until after that date.
Draft bill (PDF) / Commons Library briefing

THURSDAY 23 FEBRUARY

No votes scheduled

FRIDAY 24 FEBRUARY

Co-operatives, Mutuals and Friendly Societies Bill – report stage and 3rd reading
Modernise the laws governing co-operatives, mutual insurers, and friendly societies. Private members’ bill presented by Mark Hendrick.

Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill – report stage and 3rd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland
Requires employers to consult with workers before rejecting a request for flexible working, among other things. Private members’ bill presented by Yasmin Qureshi.
Draft bill (PDF)

Electricity Transmission (Compensation) Bill – report stage and 3rd reading
Establishes an independent mechanism for people to appeal to get fair compensation for disruptions caused to their property by the National Grid. Private members’ bill presented by Liam Fox.

Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees Bill – 2nd reading
Reforms Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees (VAPCs) – MOD-sponsored bodies that raise awareness of war pension and Armed Forces compensation schemes among other things. Private members’ bill presented by Robin Millar.

Local Authority Boundaries (Referendums) Bill – 2nd reading
Allows parliamentary constituencies to split away and form their own local authority, if agreed by referendum. Private members’ bill presented by Robbie Moore. More information here.

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.

Children’s Clothing (Value Added Tax) Bill – 2nd reading
Extends the definition of children’s clothing (including school uniforms) so more of it is VAT exempt. Currently clothes and shoes for “young children” are VAT exempt, but there is no legal definition of that term. Private members’ bill presented by Christopher Chope.

Sale of Tobacco (Licensing) Bill – 2nd reading
Raises the age of sale for tobacco from 18 to 21. Private members’ bill presented by Bob Blackman.

Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill – 2nd reading
Establishes the right to breathe clean air and requires the government to maintain clean air in England and Wales, among other things. Private members’ bill presented by Caroline Lucas. Started in the Lords.

Carbon Emissions (Buildings) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires the whole-life carbon emissions of buildings to be reported. Sets limits on those emissions at the construction stage. Private members’ bill presented by Jerome Mayhew.

Markets and Market Traders (Review of Support) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires the government to undertake a review of the support available to markets and market traders, and of the options for improving that support. Private members’ bill presented by Simon Baynes.

Working Time Regulations (Amendment) Bill – 2nd reading
Reduces the maximum working week from 48 hours to 32 hours, and provides for overtime pay. Private members’ bill presented by Peter Dowd.

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.

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.

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.

Caravan Site Licensing (Exemptions of Motor Homes) Bill – 2nd reading
Exempts motor homes from caravan site licensing requirements. Private members’ bill presented by Christopher Chope.

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.

Pre-Payment Meters (Temporary Prohibition) Bill – 2nd reading
Bans the installation of new pre-payment meters for domestic energy customers before 31 March 2023. Private members’ bill presented by Wera Hobhouse.

Rule of Law (Enforcement by Public Authorities) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires 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)

Seizure of Russian State Assets and Support for Ukraine Bill – 2nd reading
Requires the government to lay out a proposal for the seizure of Russian state assets to provide support for Ukraine. Private members’ bill presented by Chris Bryant.

LAST WEEK’S VOTES

Passed

• Seizure of Russian State Assets and Support for Ukraine Bill – goes to second reading
• Seafarers’ Wages Bill – goes to Lords
• Disposable Electronic Cigarettes (Prohibition of Sale) Bill – goes to second reading

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