Clear the Lobby: What Laws are MPs voting on this week? W/C 13th March 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,

Rishi Sunak’s anti-immigration law lands in the Commons.

It denies adults arriving in the UK on small boats the right to claim asylum.

Gary Lineker is joined by the Archbishop of York among others as those condemning the bill, while it’s drawn praise from several European far-right leaders.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt presents his first Budget on Wednesday.

Given the fragile economic environment, don’t expect major tax cuts, but there could be more support for struggling households.

And Friday brings private members’ bills.

We kick off with a bid to ban the import of hunting trophies into Britain.

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

Sebastian (@sebastiansalek)

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MONDAY 13 MARCH

Illegal Migration Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Denies adults arriving in the UK on small boats the right to claim asylum, among other things.
Draft bill (PDF)

TUESDAY 14 MARCH

Planning (Quarries) Bill
Introduces a presumption against approving quarry developments near settlements. Requires environmental and public health risks of proposed quarries to be assessed as part of the planning process. Provides that only the government can decide on planning applications for quarries. Ten minute rule motion presented by Paul Holmes.

WEDNESDAY 15 MARCH

The Budget
The Chancellor delivers the Spring Budget.

THURSDAY 16 MARCH

No votes scheduled

FRIDAY 17 MARCH

Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill – report stage and 3rd reading
Bans the import of hunting trophies into Britain. Private members’ bill presented by Henry Smith.

Child Support (Enforcement) Bill – report stage and 3rd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland
Concerns the enforcement of child support maintenance and other maintenance. Private members’ bill presented by Siobhan Baillie.
Draft bill (PDF)

Powers of Attorney Bill – report stage and 3rd reading
Concerns proof of instruments creating powers of attorney. Private members’ bill presented by Stephen Metcalfe. More information not yet available.

Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill – report stage and 3rd reading
Bans the sale and advertising of activities abroad which involve low standards of welfare for animals. Private members’ bill presented by Angela Richardson.

Palestine Statehood (Recognition) Bill – 2nd reading
Recognises the state of Palestine. Private members’ bill presented by Layla Moran.

Chalk Streams (Protection) Bill – 2nd reading
Gives chalk streams an enhanced status to protect them from pollution and environmental damage. Private members’ bill presented by Sarah Green.

Access to Elected Office Fund (Report) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires the government to report on the merits of reinstating the Access to Elected Office Fund, a grant programme for disabled people standing for elected office or selection as a candidate. Private members’ bill pesented by Daisy Cooper.

Evictions (Universal Credit) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires the government to prevent the evictions of Universal Credit claimants who are behind on rent. Private members’ bill presented by Chris Stephens.

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.

Non-Disclosure Agreements Bill – 2nd reading
Restricts the use of non-disclosure agreements, which can be used by employers to silence allegations of unlawful discrimination and harassment. Private members’ bill presented by Layla Moran.

Kinship Care Bill – 2nd reading
Creates a legal definition of “kinship care” (when a child lives with a relative or friend who isn’t their parent, usually because their parents aren’t able to care for them). Entitles kinship carers to allowances and parental leave, among other things. Private members’ bill presented by Munira Wilson.

Bowel Conditions (Assessment) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires the government to publish an assessment of incidences of bowel conditions and diseases, including geographical and socioeconomic trends. Private member’s bill presented by Chi Onwurah. She’s previously talked about a “hidden epidemic of bowel disease” in the North East.

Referendums (Supermajority) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires referendums on constitutional change to have a “supermajority” in order to be effective. Private members’ bill presented by Ian Paisley.

Fertility Treatment (Employment Rights) Bill – 2nd reading
Requirs employers to give employees time off for fertility treatment appointments. Private members’ bill presented by Nickie Aiken.

War Pension Scheme and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (Public Inquiry) Bill – 2nd reading
Establishes an independent public inquiry into the administration of the War Pension Scheme and the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme by Veterans UK. Private members’ bill presented by Owen Thompson.

Ministerial Code (Enforcement) Bill – 2nd reading
Makes the Ministerial Code legally enforceable. Private members’ bill presented by Owen Thompson.

Ministerial Interests (Public Appointments) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires ministers to make an oral statement to Parliament if they appoint someone to a paid position and they have a personal, political or financial interest in that person. Private members’ bill presented by Owen Thompson.

General Election (Public Support) Bill – 2nd reading
Allows the public to call a general election. Must be supported by at least half the number of voters in the previous General Election, and could only be initiated more than halfway into the 5-year maximum period for a Parliament. Private members’ bill presented by Richard Burgon.

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.

Benefit Sanctions (Warnings) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires benefit claimants to be given warnings before they are sanctioned. Private members’ bill presented by Chris Stephens.

Universal Credit Sanctions (Zero Hours Contracts) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland
Prevents a Universal Credit claimant from being sanctioned for refusing work on a zero-hours contract. Private members’ bill presented by Chris Stephens.
Draft bill

Devolution (Employment) (Scotland) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: Scotland
Devolves employment matters in Scotland. Private members’ bill presented by Chris Stephens.
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 Chris Stephens.
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.

Multi-Storey Carparks (Safety) Bill – 2nd reading
Increases the minimum required height of guarding in multi-storey car parks. Requires existing guarding to meet minimum height requirements. Requires 24 hour staffing of multi-storey car parks. Private members’ bill presented by Maria Eagle.

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

Dyslexia Screening and Teacher Training Bill – 2nd reading
Introduces dyslexia screening in schools and teacher training around neurodivergent conditions. Private members’ bill presented by Matt Hancock.

National Health Service Co-Funding and Co-Payment Bill – 2nd reading
Extends co-payment (paying for treatment at the point of service like going to the dentist) to more NHS services in England. Private members’ bill presented by Christopher Chope.

Anonymity of Suspects Bill – 2nd reading
Creates an offence of disclosing the identity of a person who is the subject of an investigation. Private members’ bill presented by Christopher Chope.

NHS England (Alternative Treatment) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales
Gives patients access to alternative non-NHS England treatment if they’ve waited for more than one year for hospital treatment. Private members’ bill presented by Chris Stephens.
Draft bill (PDF)

Green Belt (Protection) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England and Wales
Establishes a national register of green belt land in England. Restricts the ability of local authorities to de-designate green belt land. Private members’ bill presented by Christopher Chope.
Draft bill

BBC Licence Fee Non-Payment (Decriminalisation for Over-75s) Bill – 2nd reading
Decriminalises non-payment of the licence fee by over-75s. Private members’ bill presented by Christopher Chope.

Renewable Liquid Heating Fuel Bill – 2nd reading
Cuts the duty charged on renewable liquid heating fuel, an alternative to heating oil. Private members’ bill presented by George Eustice.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Pension Contributions Bill – 2nd reading
Requires employers to pay pension contributions into a pension scheme of the employee’s choosing. Private members’ bill presented by Anthony Browne.

LAST WEEK’S VOTES

Passed

• Social Security (Additional Payments) (No.2) Bill – goes to Lords
• Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill – becomes law
• Pension Contributions Bill – goes to second reading
• Public Order Bill – goes back to Lords
• Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation And Adjustments) Bill – goes to Lords

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