Clear the Lobby: What Laws are MPs voting on this week? W/C 6th December 2021

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.

The Nationality and Borders Bill returns to the Commons this week.

This is the stage when amendments are heard. As ever, it’s up to the Speaker to select them. Some of the more popular ones include preventing the Home Office from charging more to register a citizen than the claim actually costs to process, and issuing physical certificates for people registered under the EU settlement scheme.

The Home Affairs Select Committee needs a new chair.

Yvette Cooper is standing down to join Labour’s front bench.

Her replacement has to be another Labour MP, but all members have a say. Potential names include Dame Diana Johnson, Hilary Benn, Rupa Huq, and Yasmin Quereshi.

And Friday brings more private members’ bills.

The list is ridiculously long, especially considering not a single one was passed last week.

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

Sebastian (@sebastiansalek)

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MONDAY 6 DECEMBER

Armed Forces Bill – consideration of Lords amendments
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland (part), Northern Ireland (part), Isle of Man (part), British overseas territories except Gibraltar (part)
Renews the Armed Forces Act 2006, which provides the legal basis for the existence of the Armed Forces, and expires at the end of this year. Makes some changes to the service justice system (the Army’s disciplinary code). Creates a new independent body to oversee complaints about the Service Police. Further incorporates the Armed Forces Covenant (an understanding that those serving will be treated fairly) into law.
Draft bill (PDF) / Commons Library briefing

Dormant Assets Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Currently, when assets in bank accounts are considered dormant (e.g. the account holder has died or moved abroad and best efforts have been made to reach them) they are given to good causes. This bill broadens the types of assets that can be considered dormant to include things like pension and investment assets. Started in the Lords.
Draft bill (PDF) / Lords Library briefing

TUESDAY 7 DECEMBER

Dyslexia Screening Bill – 2nd reading
Requires screening for dyslexia in primary schools. Ten minute rule motion presented by Matt Hancock.

Nationality and Borders Bill – report stage and 3rd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
A wide-ranging bill reforming UK immigration laws after Brexit. Among other things: overhauls the system for asylum seekers, creating a new Temporary Protection Status for people who enter the UK illegally. (This will restrict family reunion rights and holders would have no recourse to public funds unless destitute.) Allows asylum seekers to be removed to a safe third country before their application for asylum is considered. Lowers the threshold for deportation for committing a criminal offence.
Draft bill (PDF) / Commons Library briefing

WEDNESDAY 8 DECEMBER

Community Wealth Fund Bill
Requires dormant assets in bank accounts to be transferred into a Community Wealth Fund. The returns from this fund are distributed to local communities for them to spend as they wish. Ten minute rule motion presented by Paul Howell.

Nationality and Borders Bill – report stage and 3rd reading
Continuation of Tuesday’s debate.

THURSDAY 9 DECEMBER

No votes scheduled

FRIDAY 10 DECEMBER

Medical Cannabis (Access) Bill – 2nd reading
Aims to improve access to medical cannabis, much of which is still bought privately. Private members’ bill presented by Jeff Smith.

Climate Change Bill – 2nd reading
Requires the government to declare a climate emergency and bring forward its deadline for hitting net-zero carbon emissions, among other things. Private members’ bill presented by Colum Eastwood. More information here.

British Goods (Public Sector Purchasing Duty) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Requires public bodies to have a presumption in favour of buying British goods. Private members’ bill presented by John Spellar.
Draft bill (PDF)

Clean Air Targets (World Health Organization Guidelines) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires UK clean air targets to comply with World Health Organization guidelines. Private members’ bill presented by Christine Jardine.

Consuming Pricing Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Bans companies (e.g. energy providers) from offering better prices to new customers than existing customers. Private members’ bill presented by John Spellar.
Draft bill (PDF)

Broadcasting (Listed Sporting Events) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Expands the list of sporting events that must be made available for broadcast by free-to-air television channels. Private members’ bill presented by John Spellar.
Draft bill (PDF)

Puppy Import (Prohibition) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland
Bans the import of young puppies. Private members’ bill presented by John Spellar.
Draft bill (PDF)

Employment (Application Requirements) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Regulates the use of minimum qualification or experience requirements in job applications. Private members’ bill presented by John Spellar.
Draft bill (PDF)

Hunting Trophy Import (Prohibition) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Bans the import of wild animals killed through trophy hunting. Private members’ bill presented by John Spellar.
Draft bill (PDF)

Plastics (Wet Wipes) Bill – 2nd reading
Bans the manufacture and sale of wet wipes containing plastic. Private members’ bill presented by Fleur Anderson.

Armenian Genocide (Recognition) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Requires the government to recognise formally the Armenian genocide of 1915-16. Private members’ bill presented by John Spellar.
Draft bill (PDF)

House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) (Abolition of By-Elections) (No. 2) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Abolishes the system of by-elections for hereditary peers. There can currently be 90 hereditary peers in the Lords at a time. This bill would gradually reduce that amount by not electing replacements. Private members’ bill presented by John Spellar.
Draft bill (PDF)

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

Local Electricity Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland
Allows electricity generators to sell their energy to local people. Private members’ bill presented by Peter Aldous.
Draft bill (PDF)

United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority Pension Transfers (Parliamentary And Health Service Ombudsman Investigation) Bill – 2nd reading
Enables the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (a body which investigates complaints about government departments) to investigate advice and information given by the government about transfers of pensions from the UK Atomic Energy Authority schemes to the AEA Technology pension scheme. AEA Technology was formed in 1996 when an offshoot of the Atomic Energy Authority was privatised. Employees were given a choice of two new pension schemes, which they were told would be at least as good as the old one, but some have said the difference in risk was not made clear. More information here. Private members’ bill presented by David Johnston.

Israel Arms Trade (Prohibition) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Bans the trading of arms with Israel, among other things. Private members’ bill presented by Richard Burgon.
Draft bill (PDF)

Automated External Defibrillators (Public Access) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Requires the installation of automated external defibrillators in public buildings, sports facilities, schools, higher education establishments, and facilities that provide care to vulnerable people. Private members’ bill presented by Jim Shannon.
Draft bill (PDF)

Employment and Trade Union Rights (Dismissal and Re-engagement) Bill – 2nd reading
Bans “fire and rehire”, where an employer dismisses an employee an rehires them on new, usually less favourable, terms. Private members’ bill presented by Barry Gardiner.
Draft bill (PDF)

Wellbeing of Future Generations (No. 2) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Among other things: Requires a public consultation to inform a set of national wellbeing goals, and requires public bodies to act in pursuit of the UK’s environmental, social, economic and cultural wellbeing by meeting wellbeing objectives. Private members’ bill presented by Simon Fell.
Draft bill (PDF)

Climate and Ecology Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Requires the prime minister to declare a climate emergency and commit to meeting certain targets. Requires the government to create a strategy for meeting those targets, with help from a citizens’ assembly. Private members’ bill presented by Caroline Lucas.
Draft bill (PDF) / Commons Library briefing

Public Advocate 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.

BBC Licence Fee (Abolition) Bill – 2nd reading
Abolishes the licence fee and makes the BBC a subscription service. Private members’ bill presented by Peter Bone.

Homeless People (Current Accounts) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires banks to provide current accounts for homeless people seeking work. Private members’ bill presented by Peter Bone.

Electoral Candidates (Age) Bill – 2nd reading
Changes the minimum age of candidates in parliamentary and local elections to age 18 on the day of the election. It’s currently age 18 at time of nomination. Private members’ bill presented by Peter Bone.

Leader of the House of Commons (Election) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires MPs to elect the leader of the House of Commons. The prime minister may nominate someone who must be from the governing party. Private members’ bill presented by Peter Bone.

Electoral Commission (Abolition) Bill – 2nd reading
Abolishes the Electoral Commission. Private members’ bill presented by Peter Bone.

Public Sector Website Impersonation Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Makes it an offence to impersonate a public-sector website for the purpose of collecting payment or personal data. Private members’ bill presented by John Spellar.
Draft bill (PDF)

General Election (Leaders’ Debates) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Sets up a commission to make arrangements for debates between leaders of political parties during a General Election. Private members’ bill presented by Peter Bone.
Draft bill (PDF)

Hospitals (Parking Charges and Business Rates) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England and Wales
Bans NHS hospitals from charging patients and visitors for car parking. Makes NHS hospitals exempt from business rates. Private members’ bill presented by Peter Bone.
Draft bill

Voter Registration Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Bans people from registering to vote in parliamentary elections in more than one constituency. Private members’ bill presented by Peter Bone.
Draft bill (PDF)

Asylum Seekers (Return to Safe Countries) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Requires asylum seekers who have arrived in the UK from a safe country to be returned immediately to that country. Private members’ bill presented by Peter Bone.
Draft bill (PDF)

Local Government (Disqualification) Bill – report stage and 3rd reading
Applies to: England and Wales
Closes a legal loophole to disqualify councillors from standing for office if they’ve been convicted of a child pornography offence, even if they haven’t been jailed. Private members’ bill presented by Paul Beresford.
Draft bill (PDF)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ambulance Waiting Times (Local Reporting) Bill – 2nd reading
Requires ambulance services to provide more accessible and localised reports of ambulance response times. Private members’ bill presented by Daisy Cooper.

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.

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.

Channel 4 (Privatisation) Bill – 2nd reading
Privatises Channel 4. Private members’ bill presented by Christopher Chope.

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.

Copyright (Rights and Remuneration of Musicians, Etc.) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Aims to improve rights for musicians. Measures include splitting streaming revenues fairly between labels and artists (which is already the case for broadcast usage), as well as giving artists more information on the revenue generated by their work, and the ability to adjust existing contracts if the amount paid for work is found to be unfair. Private members’ bill presented by Kevin Brennan.
Draft bill (PDF)

Registers of Births and Deaths Bill – report stage and 3rd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland (part), Northern Ireland (part)
Introduces an electronic register for recording births and deaths. Currently they are also recorded on paper, and this bill removes that aspect. Private members’ bill presented by Saqib Bhatti.
Draft bill (PDF)

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.

NHS England (Alternative Treatment) Bill – 2nd reading
Entitles patients to non-NHS treatment if they have been on a waiting list for more than a year. Private members’ bill presented by Christopher Chope.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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)

Want more?
Check your MP’s voting record and read the day’s debates at TheyWorkForYou.

LAST WEEK’S VOTES

Passed

• Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Bill – goes to committee stage
• Microplastic Filters (Washing Machines) Bill – goes to second reading
• Quarries (Planning) Bill – goes to second reading
• Finance (No. 2) Bill – goes to third reading

Postponed

• All private members’ bills
• Click here to read details of the bills in last week’s newsletter.