This week, Her Majesty laid out the Queen’s Speech, which presents the Government’s priorities going forward. Included in the Queen’s Speech were thirty new laws covering:
Health and Social Care
The new Health and Care Bill will place a greater emphasis on integrated care and prevention and later in the year, the government will bring forward proposals to reform adult social care to ensure our elderly and vulnerable are given the support they need. The government will also continue work to reform the Mental Health Act, giving people greater control over their treatment, ensuring dignity and respect.
Supporting Jobs and Increasing Opportunity
The Skills and Post-16 Education Bill will transform access to skills across the country, ensuring that people can train and retrain at any stage in their lives, supporting them to move into higher quality, higher skilled jobs and equipping the workforce with the skills employers need. The government will build on this with its flagship Plan for Jobs to increase job opportunities in all parts of the UK and its Plan for Growth to lay the foundations for a recovery driven by the private sector, spreading investments and opportunity throughout the UK. Public service debt will be brought under control through a fair and progressive package that achieves fiscal sustainability, delivers first-class frontline public services and builds the future economy. The Education Recovery Plan will contain a package of ambitious measures to make sure pupils have the chance to make up their learning over the course of this Parliament, on top of the multibillion-pound school investment and Covid catch up support already in place.
The Building Safety Bill will strengthen the regulatory system for building safety, change the industry culture and introduce rigorous safety standards for construction products and a clearer path to redress for homeowners. The Leasehold Reform Bill, which will ensure leaseholders of new, long residential leases cannot be charged a financial ground rent for no tangible service. Reforms will also be brought forward to deliver a fairer and more effective private rental market in England. The government will respond in detail to the findings and recommendations of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities. and the Dormant Assets Bill will unlock around an additional £880 million for social and environmental initiatives across the UK.
Research and Development
The Advanced Research and Invention Agency will be created to focus on funding high-risk, high-reward research and development. Spending on research and development will be increased to £22 billion to make the UK a global science superpower.
Post-Brexit Support
Following our departure from the EU, the government will introduce a number of significant regulatory reforms that allow us to support British business and deliver the UK’s needs, including a Subsidy Control Bill which will implement a domestic UK subsidy control regime that reflects our strategic interests and national circumstances, a Procurement Bill which will slash the 350+ EU-derived regulations and make our procurement regime quicker, simpler and easier to use, allowing more freedom for suppliers and the public sector to innovate and work in partnership with the private sector and a Professional Qualifications Bill that will create a new bespoke framework for the UK to recognise professional qualifications from across the world to ensure employers can access professionals where there are UK shortages. The government will also set up the Turing Scheme to give young people across the UK, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds, the opportunity to work and study globally
Crime and Sentencing
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will ensure we can cut crime, support our police and build confidence in our criminal justice system by reforming bail, and modernising court processes. The government will also address the effect of Covid-19 on the criminal justice system, speeding up cases and renewing efforts to tackle issues that pre-date the pandemic. A draft Victims Bill will be brought forward to place the simplified and stronger set of rights for victims, set out in the new Victims’ Code, on a statutory footing. The government will refresh the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy to better protect women and improve outcomes for rape cases. A draft Online Safety Bill will be brought forward to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online, improving protections for users, especially children, whilst protecting freedom of expression, making companies responsible for their users’ safety online, and supporting a thriving and fast growing digital sector.
Security and Defence
The government will continue with its unprecedented programme of funding and modernisation of our Armed Forces, making them fit for the threats of a more competitive age and the opportunities of a Global Britain and deliver the manifesto commitment to further incorporate the Armed Forces Covenant into law through the Armed Forces Bill. The government will also implement the Integrated Re view of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, taking action at home and with other countries to ensure that we are stronger, safer and more prosperous in a more competitive age. The Counter-State Threats Bill will give the security services and law enforcement agencies the tools they need to tackle the evolving threat from hostile activity by foreign states and foreign actors and the Telecommunications (Security) Bill will ensure the long-term security and resilience of the UK’s telecoms networks and infrastructure and minimise the threat of high risk vendors.
Environment
The UK will continue to lead the way globally in acting on climate change, hosting the vital COP26 climate negotiations in November. The government's sector strategies and comprehensive Net Zero Strategy will transition the UK to a net zero economy by 2050. The Environment Bill will be implemented, which will set legally binding targets, restore nature and biodiversity, tackle air pollution, establish an independent Office for Environmental Protection, cut plastic use and revolutionise how we recycle. The government will also deliver important animal welfare and conservation improvements through a series of bills, demonstrating our world-leading commitment to the highest standards of animal welfare
Strengthening the Union and Democracy
The Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Bill will strengthen Northern Ireland’s institutions, making them more sustainable and resilient. New legislation will be introduced to address the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, delivering better outcomes for victims, survivors and veterans, focusing on information recovery and reconciliation and ending the cycle of investigations. The Electoral Integrity Bill will place the participation of British citizens at the heart of our democracy and maintain confidence in the electoral process. The Higher Education (Free Speech) Bill will strengthen freedom of speech and academic freedom in higher education in England. The Judicial Review Bill will protect the judiciary from being drawn into political questions and preserve the integrity of Judicial Review for its intended purpose. The Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Bill will repeal the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, reinstating the constitutional principle that the Government of the day has the confidence of Parliament and is able to seek a fresh democratic mandate when it is needed.
Welcoming the Queen's speech, Richard Fuller, MP for North East Bedfordshire, said:
This government is determined to look forward and get on with fulfilling the promises we made to the British people by backing the NHS, making streets safer, supporting jobs and businesses and and working towards net zero greenhouse gases by 2050.
This Queen's Speech not only addresses the legacies of the pandemic but goes further to spread opportunity across the country as we build back better.
A transcript of the full speech can be read here.
