A legislative programme is a list of bills which the United Kingdom government intends to introduce to Parliament during a parliamentary session. The programme is an outline of the Government's intended direction and emphases in the coming year. According to the Cabinet Office, the "Legislative Programme sets out the UK Government's plans for legislative and key non-legislative action in next year's Parliamentary session."[1]
The programme contains the names and summaries of the laws which the executive intends to produce in the following year. It is compiled by the Government and approved by the Cabinet, before the Monarch delivers the programme in the Speech from the Throne in November.[2] The speech is given from the throne in the House of Lords before members of the Houses of Commons and Lords during the State Opening of Parliament on the first day of the annual parliamentary session.[2]
After the programme is delivered, it is debated in both Houses.[2] Individual bills in the programme are introduced by the government over the course of the parliamentary session. The government is not bound by the programme and is not required fulfill the programme during the session.
Recent legislative programmes
editThe following is a list of recent legislative programmes in reverse chronological order. The year listed indicates the year of the start of the parliamentary session, which continues into the following year.
| Year | Number of bills | Prime Minister | Date of commencement | Text of speech | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 18 | Gordon Brown | 3 December 2008 | n/a | [3][4] |
| 2007 | 29 | Gordon Brown | 6 November 2007 | [1] | [5] |
| 2006 | 29 | Tony Blair | 15 November 2006 | [2] | [6] |
| 2005 | 45 | Tony Blair | 17 November 2005 | [3] | [7] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Draft Legislative Programme 2008-09". Reports - Government's draft legislative programme. Cabinet Office. 2008-05-14. Archived from the original on October 6, 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
- ^ a b c "State Opening of Parliament". About Parliament. UK Parliament. 2007-11-09. Archived from the original on 2008-06-15. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
- ^ "Draft Legislative Programme - 2008–2009". Draft Legislative Programme. Office of the Leader of the House of Commons. Archived from the original on 2008-06-19. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
- ^ "State opening fixed for December". BBC News Online. BBC. 2008-06-12. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
- ^ "The Queen's speech: bill by bill". guardian.co.uk. London: Guardian News and Media Limited. 2007-11-06. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
- ^ "Government reveals future plans". 10 Downing Street. HM Government. 2006-11-15. Archived from the original on 2007-06-29. Retrieved 2008-06-22.
- ^ White, Michael (2005-11-17). "Big reform agenda to seal Blair legacy". guardian.co.uk. London: Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 2008-06-23.