Leader of the House of Commons Harriet Harman QC MP said that the themes, contained in a Green Paper, Preparing Britain for the Future – the Draft Legislative Programme (CM7372)., reflected the direction of the Government. These are:
· Economic stability: the Government’s first priority is to ensure that the economy and the British people weather tough times and are well prepared for future opportunities and challenges. To that end, the Government is taking important steps to address the impact of issues in the credit and housing markets, and to ensure that all workers are fairly treated as they seek to support their families;
· Making the most of potential: by increasing investment in education, skills and work support to ensure that the benefits of economic growth are available to all, not just some, and build on the Government’s support for families;
· Personalised and improved public services: the Government will continue to invest in better services, but also make changes to put users in control of the services they receive, and how and when they get them;
· Handing power back to people: the people of the United Kingdom want to work with Government to enable it to deliver for them. By giving people and local communities more say in how their neighbourhoods, towns and cities are run, this will ensure that the Government acts for and with the people.
The formal public consultation for the Draft Legislative Programme (DLP), which includes 17 Bills and other non-legislative action, will run for 12 weeks and end on 6 August 2008. There will be a focus on key stakeholders in each region.
The Government’s aim is to make active public engagement an established part of the annual legislative cycle, and to improve the quality of the legislation brought before Parliament.
Ms Harman said: “Last year, we opened up the legislative process for the first time. This year, we are broadening the consultation to give people more time to comment on and to shape the programme.
“I am keen to build on the experience of 2007 by boosting interaction with the public. The Green Paper sets out clearly what we are bringing forward. We want their views, and I hope that many more people will now take the opportunity to respond during the consultation process
“While some of the Bills will not extend throughout the United Kingdom, I believe it is important to ensure that the whole of the UK has the best possible opportunity to consider the themes and the breadth of the draft programme.”
In a letter to all MPs, the Leader of the House is inviting their views and encouraging them to discuss the DLP with their constituents ahead of a House of Commons debate, which will take place before the summer recess. The final programme of legislation for the 2008-09 Session will be published in the Queen’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament towards the end of this year.
Ms Harman today launched a new section of the website of the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons specifically for the consultation process: www.CommonsLeader.gov.uk/draftprogramme
