Queen's Speech 14 New Laws This Year

Queen's Speech 14 New Laws This Year.

The Queen has set out the government's plans for the year ahead in a speech to both Houses of Parliament, which includes legislation to reform the House of Lords.

Key legislation in the Queen's Speech includes:

• Children and Families Bill: Mothers in England, Scotland and Wales will be able to transfer maternity leave to their partners.  There will be better support for special needs pupils and improved access arrangements for divorced fathers in England.  The adoption process in England will also be reformed to end delays and place less emphasis on the ethnicity of the child
• Banking Reform Bill: Splitting banks into separate retail and investment arms
• Draft Communications Bill: Making it easier for police and other agencies to access, store and share data on private phone calls and email communications
• Crime and Courts Bill: Moving towards televised court proceedings and creating a specific offence of driving under the influence of drugs.  Establishing a National Crime Agency
• Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill: Curbing the power of large supermarkets and ensuring suppliers are "treated fairly and lawfully" through a new independent adjudicator
• Electoral Registration and Administration Bill: Introducing individual voter registration to cut down on fraud

There is also a bill to establish a Green Investment Bank, make it easier for companies to sack workers by reforming the employment tribunal system and to strengthen shareholders' ability to curb directors' pay.