Whether it is to support a Government Bill, or to oppose an opportunistic Opposition motion, I am working hard for the people of Clwyd South at every juncture.
In the future, I will update this webpage with each piece of legislation that is passed by Parliament in each Parliamentary year with a brief summary of what the Act means for you.
If you would like further details on any piece of legislation, or would like to read the legislation, please click on the following link:
http://services.parliament.uk/bills/
This is your chance to GET IN ON THE ACT.
Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Act 2008
Gained Royal Assent on July 21st 2008
This was a piece of emergency legislation passed in response to a court judgment in which it was held that the measures ordered by the court to ensure the anonymity of some witnesses had been beyond its jurisdiction.
This was introduced as an emergency measure because the judgment had the potential to affect over 500 ongoing prosecutions in which similar anonymity measures have been ordered, as well as convictions resulting from trials in which witnesses have given evidence anonymously.
The Act seeks to:
• Abolish the common law rules relating to anonymity orders for witnesses in criminal trials
• Replace them with statutory powers
.
In particular, this legislation protects witnesses and victims of gang crime who often need greater protection in the context of a criminal trial to prevent gang masters and crime lords intimidating their way to a judgement.
In the new Parliamentary year, a new Criminal Evidence Bill will be brought before Parliament, which will seek to codify this legislation more authoritatively in law. The Government was right to enact this piece of legislation, as shown by the fact that none of the main opposition parties opposed it. I am committed to supporting any measures that protect and strengthen our criminal justice system and this is what this Act does.
Finance Act 2008
Gained Royal Assent on July 21st 2008
Each year, a Finance Act is passed to reflect all of the changes to be made to tax law for the coming year. This Act will enact many of the measures announced in the Budget, presented by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, on March 12th 2008.
Many of these measures are ones which support the Government’s aim of combating poverty and helping those in our country in most need. Such assistance comes in many forms, in particular with the expansion of tax credits.
Health and Social Care Act 2008
Gained Royal Assent on July 21st 2008
Over the next 10 years, the Government is revolutionising the National Health Service to suit the needs of its users. Part of this reform includes this Act, which seeks to enhance professional regulation. It also legislates to create a new integrated regulator, the Care Quality Commission, for health and adult social care, with a focus on providing assurance about the safety and quality of care for patients and service users.
The Act seeks to:
• Assure the safety and quality of care and creates a new regulator, the Care Quality Commission
• Equip the new regulator with tougher powers, backed by fines, to inspect, investigate and intervene where hospitals are failing to meet hygiene standards
• Strengthen clinical governance and reforms the system of professional regulation to ensure it earns and sustains the confidence of patients, professionals and Parliament
• Extend financial support to mothers-to-be from the 29th week of pregnancy
• Create an independent adjudicator to undertake independent and objective formal adjudication for the professional regulatory bodies
• Ensure that all healthcare organisations employing or contracting with doctors appoint a “responsible officer” to work with the GMC to identify and handle cases of poor professional performance by doctors
• Updates the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 with the aim of providing a more effective and proportionate response to infectious disease
Housing and Regeneration Act 2008
Gained Royal Assent on July 22nd 2008
The need for a serious increase in affordable housing was identified as one of the Prime Minister’s top priorities last year. Since then, the Government has been working hard to legislate sufficiently on this matter.
As a consequence, this Act contains provisions to merge the housing investment and regeneration functions of the Housing Corporation and English Partnerships into a new Homes and Communities Agency. The Agency would support the regeneration and delivery of new social and affordable housing, both social and private, and deliver a strategic approach to regeneration. The Agency would also be enabled to make better use of surplus public sector land and maximise the potential for brownfield development.
The Bill also creates a new regulator of social housing: the Office for Tenants and Social Landlords. The task of this new regulator will be to improve the level of service that social tenants receive and ensure that they have more choice and influence in matters central to their everyday lives.
The Act seeks to:
• Reform social housing and social housing regulation to promote better services for tenants
• Support the delivery of three million new homes by 2020 to meet growing demand and rising aspirations
• Provide for the establishment of new settlements like eco-towns, and for simplifying the ways in which the Homes and Communities Agency would facilitate delivery of these projects
• Introduce sustainability certificates
• Change the “Right to Buy” legislation
National Insurance Contributions Act 2008
Gained Royal Assent on July 21st 2008
In the 2007 Budget, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, announced that a series of changes to the personal tax system would take place, including the alignment of “the income tax system with the national insurance system”’ from April 2009. The purpose of this is to create “a tax system for income that has just two rates and two thresholds.”
Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008
Gained Royal Assent on July 21st 2008
For a number of years, the Government has been committed to an agenda of “Better Regulation”. This policy aims to improve and simplify the way legislation is made and enforced. Following the Hampton review of 2005, one aspect of this policy is a general principle that enforcement should focus on where the risks are greatest. This Act seeks to implement further recommendations of the Hampton Report.
The Act seeks to:
• Convert the Local Better Regulation Office into a statutory non–departmental public body. This will have numerous functions, including the ability to issue guidance and support best practice by local authorities
• Allow provision for a wider range of administrative sanctions to be applied for various criminal breaches. This is so that regulators are given further options and greater flexibility when imposing sanctions
• Provide a power to require regulators not to impose or maintain unnecessary regulatory burdens on businesses or individuals
Sale of Student Loans Act 2008
Gained Royal Assent on July 21st 2008
This Act enables the Government to sell its Student Loans Portfolio. This sale represents part of an ongoing Government strategy to transfer ownership of all public assets that are not essential to the Government’s public service delivery objectives.
The student loan book is worth around £18.1 billion and is expected to increase in value to £55 billion over the next ten years. The Government expects the proposed sales programme to realise around £6 billion in receipts by the end of the financial year 2010/2011.
Special Educational Needs (Information) Act 2008
Gained Royal Assent on July 21st 2008
This was a different Act as it was not a Government-sponsored Bill, but instead a Private Members’ Bill. Every year, MPs are entitled to enter their names into a ballot to receive the honour of being able to enter a Private Members’ Bill before Parliament on an issue of some importance to the lucky Parliamentarian. Usually, most Private Members’ Bills do not progress very far, but in this instance, I am delighted that my Labour colleague, Sharon Hodgson MP, has succeeded in seeing this admirable piece of legislation through Parliament.
The Act will amend the Education Act 1996 in relation to the provision and publication of information about children who have special educational needs (SEN). Currently, no information is kept centrally and as such, Parliament and Government are unable to properly coordinate responses to SEN adequately.
The Act seeks to:
• Highlight both the quality and efficiency of SEN support for children within schools and Local Education Authorities by ensuring the publication of outcomes for children with SEN
• Assist in the rolling out of best practice by enabling a more informed assessment of special educational needs policies
Did you know?
The Abortion Act 1967 began as a Private Members’ Bill as it was seen as too “controversial” to bring about as a Government-sponsored Bill.
Statute Law (Repeals) Act 2008
Gained Royal Assent on July 21st 2008
This Act seeks to repeal legislation which has long become obsolete. It follows recommendations in the 18th report of the UK Law Commission, which is responsible for modernising and simplifying the statute book to make it more accessible.
The Act seeks to:
• Repeal 260 whole Acts and part repeal 68 other Acts
• Real a range of laws on turnpikes and the East India Company, to London workhouses and the aftermath of the Peterloo Massacre of 1819
Did you know?
There have been 17 previous Statute Law Repeal Bills since 1965, repealing 2000 Acts in their entirety.
An Act of Parliament will remain fully in force until it is repealed, irrespective of when it was passed.
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