Draft Bills 2012-13
Listed on this page are the Draft Bills published by the Government so far in this parliamentary session (2012-13). Also published are select and joint committee reports, Government responses to select or joint committee reports or consultations, if available.
Draft Anti-Social Behaviour Bill
The Home Office published on 13 December 2012 a draft anti-scoial behaviour bill for pre-legislative scrutiny by the Home Affairs Select Committee.
Draft Care and Support Bill
The Department of Health published on 11 July 2012 a draft Bill which consolidates provisions from over a dozen different Acts into a single, modern framework for care and support.
Draft Communications Data Bill
The Home Office published on 14 June 2012 a draft Bill on the Government's proposals to update the framework for ensuring the availability of communications data and the regulatory regime governing how public authorities obtain this data.
Draft Energy Bill
The Department for Energy and Climate Change published on 22 May 2012 a draft Bill which the Government aims to further its objectives to meet the UK’s decarbonisation and renewable targets, at least cost to consumers.
Draft Enhanced Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Bill
The Government published the Draft Enhanced Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Bill (Cm 8166) on 1 September 2011. This draft bill was presented during the 2010-12 session of Parliament and will be considered in the 2012-13 session.
Draft Financial Services (Banking Reform) Bill
HM Treasury published on 12 October 2012 a draft Bill on reform of the banking system and promotion of stability and competition through structural and related nonstructural measures.
Draft legislation on family justice
The Department for Education published on 3 September 2012 draft legsilation on family justice. The provisions would introduce changes to the operation of the family justice system, as recommended by the Family Justice Review and accepted by the Government in its response published in February 2012.
Draft legislation on reform of provision for children and young people with Special Educational Needs
The Department for Education published on 3 September draft legislation on reform of provision for children and young people with Special Educational Needs.
Draft Local Audit Bill
The Department for Communities and Local Government published on 6 July 2012 a draft Bill which sets out the Government's vision for a new local audit framework, where bodies will be able to appoint their own auditors from an open and competitive market, on the advice of an independent auditor appointment panel.
Draft Pensions Bill
The Department for Work and Pensions published on 18 January 2013 a draft Bill which contains provisions to introduce a single-tier pension which will, for future pensioners, replace the current two-component State Pension (basic State Pension and additional State Pension) with a single component flat-rate pension that is set above the basic level of means-tested support.
Voting Eligbility (Prisoners) Draft Bill
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has described the UK’s current blanket ban on prisoner voting as "general, automatic and indiscriminate" and found it to be in breach of Article 3 of Protocol 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights (A3P1, ECHR). The ECHR requires the UK to bring forward legislative proposals to amend current legislation to be compliant with A3P1 of the Convention.
The Ministry of Justice published on 22 November a draft Bill consisting of three options for full Parliamentary scrutiny to a Committee of both Houses. These three options are:
- A ban for prisoners sentenced to 4 years or more.
- A ban for prisoners sentenced to more than 6 months.
- A ban for all convicted prisoners – a restatement of the existing ban.
The Joint Committee that will scutinise the draft Bill may put forward other possible options.
Draft Water Bill
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published on 10 July 2012 a draft Bill which includes measures to strengthen the water sector’s ability to respond to the challenges of a growing population and less certain water supplies, and improve the deal it offers to its customers by offering more choice, and driving efficiency and innovation.