A summary of each of the bill's outlined in the Queen's Speech:-
Education bill: will provide for further streamlining of the inspection of extended schools services, and establish three-year ring-fenced budgets for schools.
Extending financial support for 16-19 year olds: financial support will be extended for 16-19 year olds engaged in training and education.
Identity cards bill: a compulsory national identity card will be introduced targeting illegal working and immigration, and restricting access to public services. A national identity register will be established.
Serious organised crime and police bill: the Serious Organised Crime Agency will be established, and the powers of community support officers will be extended. There will also be a new offence of incitement to religious hatred, and automatic reporting restrictions in youth courts where a juvenile is convicted of breaching an anti-social behaviour order will be scrapped.
Drugs bill: will introduce the power to test drug offenders on arrest rather than when charged, and to refer those testing positively to an assessment by a drugs worker.
Clean neighbourhoods and environment bill: will give greater powers to local authorities to tackle problems such as night-time noise and litter, and introduce on the spot fines.
Management of offenders bill: will give the home secretary greater control to direct probation boards to commission services from other providers, and extend the use of electronic monitoring for those serving community sentences.
Draft youth justice bill: will establish intensive supervision and surveillance orders as an alternative to custodial sentences, and allow temporary release from custody with tagging to allow managed re-integration into the community.
Equality bill: will establish a single Commission for Equality and Human Rights to replace the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Commission for Racial Equality and the Disability Rights Commission. Will also create a duty for public sector bodies to promote gender equality, and new legislation prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of age, religion or belief, or sexual orientation.
Disability discrimination bill: will extend the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to transport and will introduce a new duty on public bodies to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people. Will extend the DDA to cover people with HIV, cancer and multiple sclerosis.
Mental capacity bill: will provide for living wills – an advance decision to refuse treatment, and create a new criminal offence of willfully neglecting or ill-treating a person who lacks capacity.
Reform of mental health law: a draft bill is currently being scruitinised by a parliamentary committee. It would mean all use of compulsory treatment beyond 28 days would have to be authorised by a new mental health tribunal, and would enforce treatment for some people against their will.
Child contact and inter-country adoption: will provide courts with more powers to enforce contact orders, including prison and fines.
Consumer credit bill: will create an unfair credit test, making it easier for people to take lenders to court for unfair lending practices, and will give the Office of Fair Trading more power to regulate credit businesses.
Charities bill: will mean charities have to pass a public benefit test, and will improve the regulation of charity fundraising.
National lottery bill: will establish the Big Lottery Fund and allow increased public involvement in distribution decisions.
Public services ombudsman (Wales) bill: will
create a new office of public service ombudsman for Wales, and
strengthen powers for the informal resolution of disputes involving
police authorities.
