Here are the key parts of the Queens Speech in short form
Care Bill
- A single statute on care and support.
- The right for carers to receive support from their local council.
- A cap on the care costs which someone can pay.[Dilnot]
- A legal entitlement for everyone to a personal budget for care.
The Bill will also include a legislative response to the Francis Report into the failings at Stafford Hospital:
- Ofsted-style ratings for hospitals and care homes.
- Power for the Chief Inspector of Hospitals to identify problems with the quality of care.
- A new criminal offence for providers to offer false and misleading information about their performance.
Pensions Bill
- The new flat-rate pension to replace the current two-tier system from April 2016.
- Bringing forward the increase in the state pension age to 67 by eight years.
- A system of automatic transfers for an employee’s pension pot to follow them when they change jobs.
- The Pensions Regulator will have a new objective to consider minimising any impact on the sustainable growth of employers.
- The amalgamation of bereavement benefits into the Bereavement Support Payment.
National Insurance Contributions Bill
- The £2,000 employment allowance for every business and charity announced in this year’s Budget.
- Measures to combat tax avoidance, including an extension of the General Anti-Abuse Rule, which targets aggressive tax avoidance schemes, to National Insurance Contributions.
- Further attempts to stop companies avoiding paying NICs using offshore employment payroll companies.
- Measures minimising the tax advantages for limited liability partnership members by ending the automatic presumption that they are self-employed when they are technically employees.
Deregulation Bill
- A duty on regulators of industries to consider the impact that their actions will have on growth.
- Council and housing association tenants will qualify for the Right to Buy and Right to Acquire after three years, down from five.
- Self-employed workers whose jobs don’t risk harming others will be exempt from health and safety law.
- Employment tribunals will no longer be able to make wider recommendations following successful discrimination cases under the Equality Act 2010.
- Councils will no longer need to produce assessments after designating air quality zones.
Intellectual Property Bill
- A Unified Patent Court, based in London, will introduce a single patent system across all EU countries.
- Clearer guidance for businesses on what is protected under design law. The aim is that this will aid innovation by making investment in the design sector safer. Similarly design ownership will be clarified.
- New criminal penalties for those who copy registered deigns.
- A new design rights opinion service will settle intellectual property disputes without litigation.
- Sharing of information between the UK and other patent offices on unpublished patent applications.
Draft Consumer Rights Bill
- Consolidates eight pieces of legislation in one place.
- Clarify areas where the law has fallen behind the pace of change, for example on e-books.
- Easier access to compensation for those affected by breaches of consumer and competition law. More powers for Trading Standards to require businesses to compensate consumers for breaches of consumer law.
- Deregulation for businesses and enhanced consumer protection.
Local Audit and Accountability Bill
- Closes the Audit Commission.
- Extends the council tax referendum provisions so that taxpayers can veto rises in council tax from local quangos.
HS2 Hybrid Bill / High Speed (Preparation) Bill
- The construction of the high-speed rail route and the compulsory purchase of land for it.
- Powers for the Transport Secretary to pay for design work and surveys of the land for HS2.
Energy Bill
- Help for consumers to find the best energy tariff, including clearer and simpler information on bills.
- Incentives for businesses and households to cut their electricity use.
- The power for the government to set a target range for the decarbonisation of the power sector.
Water Bill
- Makes it easier for new businesses to enter the water market and for water companies to buy and sell water from one another in order to cope with drought.
- Changes to compensation arrangements for those affected by water companies abstracting water in order prevent unsustainable practices.
Mesothelioma Bill
- A scheme for people suffering from the asbestos-related cancer to receive compensation payments if their employers cannot be traced.
Immigration Bill
- Bigger fines for businesses using illegal labour.
- Temporary migrants must make a contribution before being able to use the NHS.
- Private landlords will be forced to check the immigration status of their tenants.
- Illegal immigrants will not be able to obtain UK driving licences.
- Only cases raising the most important immigration issues will have the right of appeal.
- Limits on the use of Article 8 in immigration cases.
Offender Rehabilitation Bill
- Supervision after release for offenders serving custodial sentences of less than 12 months and an extension to supervision after release for offenders serving custodial sentences of 1-2 years.
- Drug-abusing offenders will be required to attend treatment appointments. Offenders can be tested for Class B as well as Class A substances.
- A new requirement for offenders to attend appointments or activities to support their rehabilitation. Offenders serving sentences in the community will need to seek permission before moving out of the local area.
Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill
- Six powers to deal with anti-social behaviour which combine 19 existing ones.
- Owning or being in charge of a dog that is dangerously out of control in a public place will be extended to private places too.
- An increase in the maximum penalty for the illegal importation or exportation of firearms.
- Forced marriage to become a criminal offence.
- A Police Remuneration Body will replace the Police Negotiating Board.
- Police and Crime Commissioners will have the responsibility of commissioning victims’ services.
- Implementing recommendations from Sir Scott Baker’s review on extradition.
- The Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate will inspect the Serious Fraud Office.
- The police will be able to prosecute uncontested minor offences of shoplifting.
- An extension of the witness protection scheme.
- Compensation for miscarriages of justice will depend on a new ‘clear innocence’ test.
Defence Reform Bill
- Large scale changes in procurement of defence equipment.
- An increase in the size and role of the Reserve Forces.
