People across the North West, and throughout the United Kingdom, are being asked to contribute their thoughts on proposed legislation that the Government will bring before Parliament in the next session.
The 2008/09 draft legislative programme - Preparing Britain for the Future - has been published as a green paper by the Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Now the people of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are being asked to make their voices heard on whether these are the right issues on which the Government should focus its efforts.
Minister for the North West Beverley Hughes welcomed the beginning of the public consultation and said it was an important exercise to hear what people in all communities thought about the Government's proposals.
The Minister said:
"This consultation ensures that the new laws being introduced to Parliament are what the people of the North West want and I am keen for them to participate in this consultation.
"Various events will be held throughout the consultation period to highlight the application of the Draft Legislative Programme including a North West regional event on the 19th June."
There are four themes that encompass the 17 proposed bills and other non-legislative action:
* economic stability: the Government's primary focus is to ensure that it supports a stable economy and that downward pressure is kept on inflation and mortgage rates. Immediate support for housing will be set out by the purchase and rent of unsold new homes and giving first time buyers and health workers access to shared equity schemes.
The Government also proposes legislation on:
- savings gateway bill: to give 8 million people on low incomes access to national savings, with the government making a pound for pound matching payment
- banking reform bill: to strengthen depositor protection and deal with banks in difficulties
* making the most of your potential: the Government aims to build a fairer Britain by ensuring that people make the most of their abilities.
The Government proposes:
- right to time off to train: to consult on giving employees the right to request time off to train
- welfare reform: to modernise the benefit system with a duty on the unemployed to have their skills needs assessed and improve the support available to people who can work to take advantage of the considerable help on offer to them
- agency workers: to bring forward legislation that will for the first time ensure fair treatment of agency workers in Britain, subject to agreement in Europe
- flexible working: consult on how to implement recommendations to extend the right to request flexible working to parents of older teenage children.
* personalisation and improvement of public services: public services like hospitals and schools will be tailored around people's needs, not the providers.
The Government proposes:
- education and skills: to support our plan to, by 2011, eliminate all under-performing schools and strengthen the accountability of schools to parents
- NHS constitution: a new NHS reform bill with a NHS constitution that sets out what patients in every region of the country can expect to get from the NHS, what we expect to give them in return and put more power in the hands of patients
- policing and crime reduction: for directly elected representatives to give local people more control over policing priorities and responsiveness and plans to allow police-time now spent on paperwork to be spent on the beat
- anti social behaviour - reclaim public places and tackle binge and underage drinking by tougher enforcement and penalties
* handing power back to the people: in building a fairer Britain means handing more power to communities; taking tough action on illegal immigration.
The Government proposes:
- community empowerment bill: the right to directly influence decisions about priorities for spending in the local area
- citizenship and immigration bill: with a tougher test for earned citizenship - including requiring newcomers to learn English
North West Regional Minister Beverley Hughes will be consulting with interested parties from the business community, local government, third sector and wider public from now until 6 August 2008.
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.
NOTES:
In the North West, people will be able to contribute in lots of different ways:
