Republic Bill 2020

A Bill To

Establish a Republic through the abolition of the institution of the Monarchy alongside the creation of the institution of the Presidency, and for connected purposes.

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-

Section 1: Abolition of the Monarchy

1. The Monarch shall no longer be recognized as the Head of State of the United Kingdom.

2. The Sovereign Grant Act 2011, the Civil List Act 1952, the Civil List Act 1837, and the Civil List Act 1972 are hereby repealed.

3. The Home Department shall be given the power to issue and revoke passports. However, the Home Department may not revoke a passport from an individual unless they have evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that it is in the best interests of national security, and that any and all less restrictive means of promoting national security are infeasible.

4. References to the Monarchy in public institutions otherwise not addressed in this act shall be removed within one year of the passage of this act.

Section 2: Changes to the Legislature

1. No legislation shall require royal assent to be enacted. Any act which is passed in the Houses of Parliament will automatically be vested Parliamentary Assent, and may be enacted.

2. No preamble of any bill shall have any mandatory mention of the monarchy.

3. The official Oaths of Office for Parliament shall be changed within one year of the enactment of this Act. No parliamentary oaths of office make any mention of royalty or the monarchy. The responsibility for the oversight and implementation of this initiative shall be the Secretary of State with responsibility for cultural affairs.

4. The Life Peerages Act 1958, section 1, subsection 1, shall be amended to read: “The House of Lords Appointments Commission shall have power by letters patent to confer on any person a peerage for life having the incidents specified in subsection (2) of this section.”

5. The party or coalition that ascertains the largest number of seat-holding members in the House of Commons in favour of it forming Government shall automatically assume Government, and its chosen leader shall assume the role of Prime Minister in the same manner.

Section 3: National Symbols

1. There shall be established a commission named the National Symbols Commission (hereinafter, “the Commission”).

2. The Commission shall be headed by a committee of three individuals, two appointed by the Prime Minister, and one appointed by the Leader of the Opposition.

3. The Commission shall be responsible for working with the Treasury to select a set of designs for future mints of currency which do not depict monarchs or symbols of monarchy.

4. The Commission shall be responsible for organizing public submissions, followed by binding referendums, on the future of the national Anthem, and the national title (ie, the United Kingdom).

5. All public services or other government apparatuses with a title including a mention of royalty shall have their names changed to omit such mention of royalty.

Section 4: Establishment of the Presidency

1. There shall be a position of President, recognized as the Head of State.

2. The President shall be selected by election every ten years.

   a. The President shall be elected via STV in a single national vote.

   b. No individual who has previously served as President for two consecutive terms directly preceding the next election may be a candidate in the next election for the Presidency.

3. The President shall have the power to send bills he believes to be unconstitutional to the United Kingdom Supreme Court for review.

   a. If the United Kingdom Supreme Court rules that the bill is unconstitutional, it shall not take effect until Parliament convenes to modify and approve another rendition.

   b. If the United Kingdom Supreme Court rules that the bill is constitutional, it shall take effect.

4. The President shall be responsible for the accreditation of High Commissioners and Ambassadors, and the reception of heads of missions from foreign states.

5. The President shall be responsible for the ratification of treaties and other international agreements, at the advice of the Prime Minister and pending a confirmatory vote in the House of Commons.

Section 5: Changes to the Armed Forces

1. The designated commander-in-chief of the British Armed Forces, as the “Head of the Armed Forces”, shall be the President.

2. The President shall exercise no executive authority over the Armed Forces except on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State responsible for Defense.

3. The military shall have its oath of allegiance changed within one year of the enactment of this Act. The new oath must not make any mention of royalty and must have an option that makes no reference to any religion or religious entities. The responsibility for the oversight and implementation of this initiative shall be the Secretary of State with responsibility for cultural affairs in conjunction with the Secretary of State with responsibility for defence.

4. The power to declare war shall be held by the President, but may not be exercised without the advice of the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State responsible for Defense, and an assenting vote in the House of Commons.

Section 6: Crown Properties

1. The Crown Estate Act 1961 shall be repealed.

2. There shall be established a public body called the National Estate.

3. The National Estate shall be administered by a Board of Commissioners, appointed by the President at the advice of the Prime Minister.

4. All property of the Crown Estate, and the Royal Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster, shall be transferred to the National Estate. The Crown Estate and Royal Duchies will be disestablished.

5. No section of this act shall be interpreted to mean the property personally owned by members of the Royal Family will be seized.

6. The National Estate shall be responsible for the administration of the portfolio of properties and investments assigned to it, and may make new investments from its incomes amounting to up to 50% of the incomes of that year.

7. The net income of the National Estate shall be transferred to the Treasury.

8. The National Estate shall be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of historic sites within its portfolio nominated by the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport, and may not sell these properties. These nominated properties should be established as museums or national monuments.

Section 7: Referendum Parameters

1. A confirmatory referendum for the purposes of this bill shall be one that will require the following in order to be valid:

a. 25% turnout,

b. a majority of voters in favour, and

c. an impartially-designed question as determined by the Electoral Commission.

2. A referendum shall be held under the conditions of Section 7(1) no later than two months after the passage of this bill.

Section 8: Short Title, Extent, and Commencement

1. This bill may be cited as the Republic Act 2020.

2. This bill shall extend to the entire United Kingdom.

3. This bill shall come into effect one month after a confirmatory referendum under the conditions set in Section 7.

a. Section 7 shall come into effect immediately after passage of this Act.

This bill was authored by Archism_ and ZanyDraco on behalf of the Democratic Reformist Front.

This reading ends on the 19th of May.

OPENING SPEECH

I stand here proudly today to deliver the Democratic Reformist Front's most critical manifesto promise to the House today. For far too long, the monarch has been vested with immeasurable wealth, status and prestige only by virtue of emerging from the womb of another royal. Her heirs will follow that same line, and this system of the elite reigning over the rest of us while we all have to work for a living will continue if nothing is done. That's why I say we should do something about it, and stop this perpetual cycle of unaccountable and privileged monarchs gaining immense fortune simply because they were lucky enough to be born into it! Social mobility for the people is of the utmost importance, and this hasn't even gone into the democratic drawbacks of having a head of state who has zero accountability to any person but themselves. People deserve a choice as to who represents them, and the monarchy inherently prevents that choice from being given. It also creates a systemic lack of accountability as there is no measure the people can take to remove a monarch acting in a manner that is unacceptable for a head of state. This must end, and it must end now. That's why I propose this bill for our woes, a cure to the ailment that is the institution of the monarchy, and a shining beacon of hope for better times ahead.

Drug Reform (Amendment) Bill

A

BILL

TO

Amend the Drug Reform Act 2015 to include a new offense of selling or otherwise providing knowingly altered controlled substances, amend the current offences around unlicensed sale and sale by licensed persons to minors and sober adults and for connected purposes.

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows—

1- Offence of selling or otherwise providing knowingly altered controlled substances

In the Drug Reform Act 2015 after section 19A insert—

19A- Offence of selling or otherwise providing knowingly altered controlled substances
(1) A person commits an offence if they sell or otherwise provide, or attempt to sell or otherwise provide knowingly or through recklessness, a controlled substance categorised as a “prescription only substances”, “pharmacy substances”, a “licensed premises substance” and “licensed sales substances” under Schedule 2 Parts 1, 2, 3 or 4 respectively of this act, that has been tampered with and/or altered from its intended state at time of legal acquisition.
(i) “tampered with and/or altered” includes, but is not limited to: the addition of another substance and/or ingredient to the controlled substance, also referred to as ‘cutting’; any sort of process to render the controlled substance more or less potent; mixing or combining the controlled substance into another means of ingestion; and any other process or method that may render the controlled substance more harmful.
(ii) “legal acquisition’ refers to the original acquisition of the controlled substance by its intended recipient.
(2) Where an individual is charged with an offence under this section by reason of an act of another person of which the accused is unaware, it is a defence that the accused is not criminally responsible because they took all due diligence to assess the purity of the substance.

2- Offence of unlicensed sale of controlled substances

(1) In Section 18 of the Drug Reform Act 2015 omit “Section 10(1) (sale of a controlled substance without a licence)” from column one.

(2) In the Drug Reform Act 2015 after section 18 insert—

18A- Offence of unlicensed sale of controlled substances
(1) An individual (“the accused”) is guilty of an offence if they—
(a) intentionally, or
(b) recklessly,
and without license supply a dangerous substance to another person.
(i) where a “dangerous substance” is any controlled substance that is categorised as a “prescription only substance”, “pharmacy substances”, a “licensed premises substance” and “licensed sales substances” under Schedule 2 Parts 1, 2, 3 or 4
(2) In proving an offence it is required that—
(a) the act of supply was without license;
(b) the accused had the required mens rea for the act of supply;
(c) the substance is a dangerous substance;
(d) the amount provided was equal to or exceeded the amount which is considered potentially harmful.
(3) Where a person is charged with an offence under this section under circumstances that would not be an offence had the person they supplied been over 18, it is a defence that—
(a) they believed that the individual was aged 18 or over, and
(b) either—
(i) they had taken all reasonable steps to establish the individual’s age, or
(ii) nobody could reasonably have suspected from the individual’s appearance that he was aged under 18.
(4) For the purposes of subsection, a person is treated as having taken all reasonable steps to establish an individual’s age if—
(a) they asked the individual for evidence of their age, and
(b) the evidence would have convinced a reasonable person.
(5) In this section a “harmful amount” is defined as the amount of the licensed sale substance that could reasonably be expected to cause bodily harm grievous enough to require medical intervention and/or grievous enough to cause death.
(6) In this section the council means the body set up in section 1.
(7) Assistance in drug taking or the provision of medical support for drug takers who do so by their own free will, including but not limited to applying a tourniquet or providing safe and sterile syringes does not incur any liability under this section as regards supply of drugs.

18C- Aggravating factors
(1) It shall be an aggravating factor in sentencing persons found guilty of an offence as described in section 18A, where the offence was a cause for the death of another person.
(2) It shall be an aggravating factor in sentencing persons found guilty of an offence as described in section 18A, where the offence where the offence was done for commercial gain.
(3) It shall be an aggravating factor in sentencing persons found guilty of an offence as described in section 18A, where the offence was done in relation to a person who was under 18 years of age or otherwise unable to consent.

3- Offence of supplying “General Sale” Controlled Substances to minors or persons unable to consent

(1) In the Drug Reform Act 2015 Section 21 is amended as follows—

(a) before “controlled substance” insert “non-general sale”.

(2) In the Drug Reform Act 2015 after Section 21 insert—

21A- Offence of supplying “General Sale” Controlled Substances to minors
(1) A person commits an offence if they sell a controlled substance categorised as a “general sale substance within schedule 2 part 5, to an individual aged under 18.
(2) Where a person is charged with an offence under this section by reason of his own conduct it is a defence that—
(a) they believed that the individual was aged 18 or over, and
(b) either—
(i) they had taken all reasonable steps to establish the individual’s age, or
(ii) nobody could reasonably have suspected from the individual’s appearance that he was aged under 18.
(5) For the purposes of subsection, a person is treated as having taken all reasonable steps to establish an individual’s age if—
(a) they asked the individual for evidence of their age, and
(b) the evidence would have convinced a reasonable person.
(6) Where a person (“the accused”) is charged with an offence under this section by reason of the act or default of some other person, it is a defence that the accused exercised all due diligence to avoid committing it.
21B- Offence of attempting to buy “General Sale” Controlled Substances on behalf of minors
(1) A person commits an offence if—
(a) they buy or attempt to buy alcohol on behalf of an individual aged under 18, or
(2) Where a person is charged with an offence under this section it is a defence that he had no reason to suspect that the individual was aged under 18.
21C- Offence of supplying “General Sale” Controlled Substances to persons unable to consent
(1) A person commits an offence if they sell a controlled substance categorised as a “general sale substance within schedule 2 part 5, to an individual unable to consent.
(2) Where a person is charged with an offence under this section by reason of his own conduct it is a defence that they reasonably believed that the individual to be a person who is unable to grant consent.

4- Reclassification of certain substances

(1) In the Drug Reform Act 2015 Schedule 2 Part 4, omit;

(a) “Cannabis and cannabis resins;” and
(b) “Khat, that is it say the leaves, stems or shoots of the species Catha edulis.”

(2) In the Drug Reform Act 2015 Schedule 2 Part 5, insert in Schedule 2 Part 5;

Cannabis and cannabis resins; and
Khat, that is it say the leaves, stems or shoots of the species Catha edulis.

5- Extent, commencement, and short title

(1) This Act shall extend across the United Kingdom.

(2) This Act shall come into force after receiving Royal Assent.

(3) This Act may be cited as the Drug Reform (Amendment) Act.

This Bill was written by The Baron Blaenavon /u/LeChevalierMal-Fait, and submitted on behalf of the Libertarian Party and sponsored by u/SapphireWork on behalf of Coalition! and is also sponsored by the Liberal Democrats

Explanatory Notes

Section 1

Creates a new offence to better catch the cutting of drugs with unapproved additives. This would not include personal use of such additives or indeed additives approved by the appropriate pharmaceutical regulator.

Section 2

Recent events have exposed issues with Britain’s drug laws, the section 18(1) offence was apparently unusable by the CPS.

Further the current offence of is overly broad treating all drugs of all amounts no matter the categorisation the same. There is very little point in categorising drugs according to harm if this is not to be used considering the seriousness of an offence.

Therefore this bill in section 2 reworks the offence of supplying controlled substances by unlicensed persons, to a point where it would be useable.

The offence further does not include small amounts of “personal use” licensed sale drugs between consenting adults.

It also makes sentencing proportionate the the harm of the drug supplied, and specifies some aggravating factors in sentencing. It does this explicitly because it is important that we as parliament communicate clearly what the sentences are now.

Section 3

Reforms the section 21 offence of giving a drug to a minor, adding a short criminal sentence as a maximum term, for anything more serious than a general sale drug.

The sale of general sale drugs to under 18s are left to new offences Ismaili to the sale of alcohol to the same.

Section 4

Recategorises cannabis and khat to general sale to remove them from some of the new provisions of this act. For instance it would be legal now to sell a potted marijuana plant.

This is done because of the lower potential for harm of these drugs compared to others.

This reading ends 1st June 2021 at 10pm BST.

Vote Content, Not Content, or Present.

A
BILL
TO

provide funding and guidance to local councils responsible for transportation for the construction and maintenance of transportation and infrastructure.

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1) Definitions

a) For the purposes of this act, “Bus Rapid Transit” or “BRT” shall be defined as a form of bus-based transit that is characterized by having greater capacity, speed and reliability than conventional bus routes.

b) For the purposes of this act, “Light Rail” shall be defined as a form of urban rail transit characterized by a combination of tram and metro features.

2) Bus Rapid Transit

a) It shall be the duty of the English Local Governments mentioned in subsection 2(i) to create and maintain a bus rapid transit system within their jurisdictions.

i) The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority, the West Midlands Combined Authority, the West of England Combined Authority, the North East Joint Transport Committee and the Greater London Authority.

b) Each organisation mentioned in subsection 2(1) shall be apportioned £57,000,000 for the construction, maintenance or expansion of a bus rapid transit system.

c) If an English Local Government believes it cannot maintain, finish construction of, or wishes to create a BRT system then it may apply for (additional) funding from the Department for Transport at the discretion of the relevant Secretary of State.

d) “National Express Group PLC” (Company number: 02590560)’s bus and coach service subsidiaries (AirLinks, Clarkes of London, Lucketts Travel, National Express Coaches, National Express West Midlands and Stewarts Coaches) within England shall be transferred to the ownership of the Department for Transport.

i) It shall be the relevant Secretary of State’s responsibility to allocate National Express Group PLC’s assets among English Local Governments.

e) “FirstGroup PLC” (Company number: SC157176)’s bus and coach service subsidiaries (First Bus: First Berkshire & The Thames Valley, First Essex, First Greater Manchester, First Hampshire & Dorset, First Leicester, First Midland Red, First East Anglia, Ipswich Rapid Transit, First Potteries, First South West, The Buses of Somerset, First South Yorkshire, First West of England, First West Yorkshire and First York) within England shall be transferred to the ownership of the Department for Transport.

i) It shall be the relevant Secretary of State’s responsibility to allocate FirstGroup PLC’s assets among English Local Governments.

3) Leeds Light Rail

a) It shall be the duty of the Leeds City Council to create and maintain a comprehensive light rail system within their jurisdiction.

b) The Leeds City Council shall be apportioned £655,000,000 for the construction and maintenance of the light rail system mentioned in subsection 3(a)

4) ETCS Research

a) A report shall be commissioned by the Department for Transport on the benefits, drawbacks and cost of implementing one of the European Train Control System (ETCS)’s different levels. The report shall also include an official recommendation to the Secretary of State for Transport on whether England and Wales should adopt ETCS.

i) The report shall be finished and given to the Secretary of State for Transport by, at the latest, one year after the passage of this act.

5) Improving Disabled Access to Railway Stations

a) £15,000,000 shall be apportioned to Network Rail for the improvement of disabled access at railway stations.

6) ATC Investment

a) £5,000,000 shall be apportioned to OATS for the implementation of AI and machine learning for the purposes of making air traffic control more efficient and safe.

b) £10,000,000 shall be apportioned to OATS for the construction of Air Traffic Control towers at aerodromes without one at the time of the passage of this act.

7) Pothole Maintenance Scheme

a) £100,000,000 shall be apportioned to Highways England for the repair of and prevention of potholes.

b) £450,000,000 shall be apportioned among English Local Governments responsible for transport for the repair of and prevention of potholes at the relevant Secretary of State’s discretion.

8) North Downs Electrification

a) £16,000,000 shall be apportioned to the Berkshire County Council for the electrification of the North Downs Line to 25kV AC 50hz rail.

b) £40,000,000 shall be apportioned to the Surrey County Council for the electrification of the North Downs Line to 25kV AC 50hz rail.

9) Short title, commencement and extent

a) This Act may be cited as the Transport Investment Act 2021.

b) This Act comes into force upon the passage of the next finance act.

c) This Act extends to England and Wales

This bill was written by Secretary of State for Transport Sir /u/model-elleeit KBE CMG PC, The Rt. Hon. Lord Fleetwood on behalf of the 28th Government

Source for BRT and Light Rail cost: https://brtguide.itdp.org/branch/master/guide/why-brt/costs#capital-costs

Source for ATC investment: https://www.themanufacturer.com/articles/is-ai-the-solution-to-heathrows-third-runway/

Source for pothole cost: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/government-funding-could-reduce-number-potholes-25-per-cent/

Source for electrification cost: https://www.nsar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/RIAECC.pdf (Page 22)

Total cost excluding nationalisations: £1,746,000,000

Opening Speech

Deputy Speaker, This house asked, I delivered. I have delivered a bill that will help every single Briton across this country. From the city centre to the village square, this bill ensures that everyone’s transport needs are fulfilled.

This reading shall end on Monday 31st of May at 10PM GMT.

Open University Investment

This House notes that:

(1) The Open University allows people from around the United Kingdom and the rest of the world to study for a degree.

(2) Founded by the Labour Government in 1969, it has helped 2.2 million people achieve their learning goals.

(3) The OU encourages people to take up study at a different part of their life, with 72% of directly registered students working full time or part time during their studies.

This House calls upon the Government to:

(1) Increase funding to expand the number of students with the possibility of studying through the Open University.

(2) Seek greater cooperation between the Open University and job centres to ensure job seekers know taking a course with the OU could be a good way to make someone more employable.

This motion was written and submitted by The Right Honourable Sir Tommy2Boys KCT KG KT KCB KBE CVO MP MSP, Member of Parliament for Manchester North on behalf of Coalition!

Deputy Speaker,

I rise today to pursue another manifesto policy my party was elected on, investment in the Open University. And I believe it is a policy that can secure widespread support within Parliament.

The Open University was founded by Prime Minister Harold Wilson in 1969 and has allowed for millions of people within the UK and the rest of the world to study their degree in a different way to regular universities. For many, a regular university experience is not something that they wish to see. Describing itself as a “world pioneer in distance learning”, most of its teaching is done remotely through online resources, written and audio materials along with television programmes onto discs which for those young people who do not understand what a dic is, you’d put it in your computer and it would have things on it you could play / open.

This method of learning allows for people to study for a degree not just straight after they leave sixth form / college. As I have said in the motion 72% of students are working full time or part time during their studies. I know people who have studied to become a teacher through the OU, a career I know we all value, during I believe her 30s or 40s. My point being the OU is a great way for people at a different stage in life to school leavers to fill important careers and gaps in the job market.

These benefits are why Coalition! believe we should be investing more in the Open University. It is like no other university, and if the government were willing to put more money behind it we could end up pioneering it as a route for those who find themselves out of work to find a new calling in life. This won’t be for everyone. We should absolutely recognise that, but closer coordination between say OU recruiters and the job centre could be a net benefit for the UK as we make those who are out of work long term more employable. I hope this parliament can vote for this motion, and I commend this motion to the House.

This reading will end on the 29th June.

Feminist Foreign Policy Bill

A

BILL

TO

Reorientate the United Kingdom’s foreign policy around promoting social, economic and civil rights of women and girls internationally to drive sustainable growth, promote our security and encourage liberal democracy.

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows –

Section 1 - Definitions

(1) In this Act –

“The Secretary of State” is the cabinet minister with responsibility for foreign policy

“Long term” means usually lasting for two or more years

Section 2 - Recognitions

(1) Parliament recognises that-

• Women’s rights are human rights.

• Achieving gender equality globally is in the direct security interests of the United Kingdom.

• Peace negotiations involving significant female participation are significantly more likely to last and for a longer period of time and that despite this women are grossly underrepresented at peace talks.

• United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) has been largely unsuccessful with the majority of nations not implementing national action plans.

• Increased female labour force participation is strongly correlated, and causational in nature, with reductions in poverty and increases in economic well being.

• Female participation in elections, and civic society more broadly, helps to reduce conflict and improve the functioning of democratic institutions.

• To unlock the potential of women and girls around the world, UK government participation is essential.

• Discrimination against women and girls, including the resulting failure to unlock female economic potential, has held back the global economy.

• Women and girls will be disproportionately affected by climate change.

• Under 1% of current UK aid spending is earmarked towards tackling gender inequality, and that this proportion should be higher.

• Support for women’s sexual and reproductive rights must be a cornerstone of UK development policy.

• Laws which prevent female participation in the labour force represent a form of servitude, and represent a violation of Article 4 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights represented an important step in women’s rights but has failed to achieve its objectives.

• Women’s access to mobile phones globally lags substantially behind that of men and that this gap is further worsening gender inequality.

• The prevention of women from owning land and capital equipment, in countries around the world, represents a substantial economic loss.

• Access to contraception is a human right.

• Gender-related violence has an immense social and economic cost representing up to a quarter of a trillion pounds worth of lost economic output.

Section 3 - Provisions

(1) The Secretary of State is to appoint an ambassador for women and girls.

This ambassador is to-

• Identify as female.

• Be a person of note.

The ambassador is tasked with-

• Ensuring women and girls are represented in UK foreign policy decisions by advising the Secretary of State.

• Publishing an annual report on the state of women’s rights globally - this report is to include women’s reproductive and sexual health rights, women’s economic rights, the ability of girls to access education, female enjoyment of human rights.

• Promoting the rights of women and girls at international organisations, conferences and domestic events.

• Make policy recommendations to the government on issues concerning the rights of women and girls abroad.

(2) The Secretary of State is authorised to redeploy the budget of the department with responsibility for international humanitarian and developmental aid in accordance with the following-

• Money made available for developmental assistance is to be reduced for countries without a national action plan in accordance with UNSCR 1325.

• No monetary developmental assistance is to go to any country where men are able to prevent their wife or wives from working.

(3) The Secretary of State is to instruct the United Kingdom’s representative at the United Nations to advocate for a female Secretary-General of the United Nations.

(4) An annual gender audit is to be undertaken by the department with responsibility for international development spending which is to assess, to the best possible extent, the economic impact of the spending on women and girls in comparison to men and boys.

• Where this difference is greater than 10%, the Secretary of State is to appear before Parliament to explain why.

(5) The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) is to spend no less than 10% of its annual budget on work towards meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5.

(6) The Secretary of State is to establish a mechanism through which money is to be made available to non-violent women’s groups in developing countries.

• This mechanism is to be called the ‘Women’s Leadership Fund - UK Aid’

• This mechanism may contain no less than twenty-five million pounds per financial year.

(7) The Secretary of State is to develop plans in coordination with the European External Action Service and the United States Department of State to increase female access to mobile phones in the developing world.

• These plans must be laid before Parliament by the end of calendar year 2021.

(8) The Secretary of State is to draw up a list of targetted sanctions which are to be placed on all countries which have not acceded or succeeded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

• The United States and Vatican City are excluded from this.

(9) The Secretary of State is to create in coordination with the Exchequer a budgetary assessment tool using sex-disaggregated data modelled on the Swedish ‘JämKAS’.

• This assessment tool is to be used by the department with responsibility for international developmental aid to assess its work prior to, and after the completion of, each project.

(10) The Secretary of State is to launch a bidding program open to all United Kingdom universities for the creation of a masters program on Gendered Development.

• Here gendered development means international development and associated public policy through the framework of improving the economic, social and political rights of women and girls.

(11) A scholarship program is to be created for women originating in low or middle-income countries wishing to study a masters program in UK Universities.

• This program is to be called the Wollstonecraft Scholarship as it to be awarded based on academic merit and the likelihood of contributing to the development in the country of origin of the scholarship holder.

• There are to be no fewer than 100 Wollstonecraft Scholarship holders per calendar year, each scholarship must cover the cost of tuition, accommodation, and living expenses.

Section 4 - Microloans

(1) The Secretary of State is to establish a microloans program for African women in coordination with British banks.

This program is to be called ‘UK Women’s Loans; Aiding Africa’

The program is to help women purchase-

-Land

• Long-term contraceptive procedures

  -Capital equipment

  -Animals

-Any other items which the Secretary of State may deem relevant to unlocking development.

-Educative services

(c) This fund is to contain no fewer than fifty million pounds.

(d) Interest is to be charged on these microloans at such a rate as the fund grows every year.

(e) The management of the fund is to be undertaken by the partner banks.

Section 5 - Commencement

(1) Financial provisions in this bill will come into effect on the 1st of April 2021, all other provisions will come into effect on the 1st of January 2021.

(2) This bill extends to the whole of the United Kingdom.

(3) This bill may be referred to as the Feminist Foreign Policy Act 2020.

This Bill was submitted by the Rt. Hon. Dame Amber_Rudd Shadow Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change CB MBE PC MP on behalf of the Conservative & Unionist Party.

Opening Speech:

Women are globally the great under class, in every nation, that remains a constant. We, our society, both women and men, rightly aspire and sincerely believe that no gender, no sex, should constrain anyone. So long as a woman, so long as any human, is oppressed, is held back by immutable characteristics, the world will be unjust, unfair and unstable. Creating a feminist foreign policy is not something we should do just because it is morally right, it is something we should do because it is practically effective. I am not asking you to undertake a morality play in foreign policy, I am asking you our legislature to acknowledge that when women succeed the world is stronger, safer and better off and put this doctrine into effect. No society can prosper, no society can enjoy stability, where a great magnitude of its population live as second class citizens. So long as legislated violence against women exists, anywhere in this world, our global community will never be a global community. Britain now has a unique duty, a unique burden even, a unique opportunity to shape the destinies of half of the globe’s population and in doing so permanently create a better world. It is not feminist, it is not egalitarian, to pay lip service to women’s equality. It is time we put our money where our mouth is. It is time we as a Parliament, say not that “women’s rights are human rights” but that “women’s rights are not yet human rights”.

This reading ends at 10pm on Sunday 15th November.

National Health Service (Parity Of Care For Mental Health) Bill

A

BILL

TO

Ensure a parity of esteem between mental and physical health.

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows –

Section 1 - The Principle Act

The National Health Service Act 2006 is the Principle Act.

Section 2 - Centrality Of And A Definition Of Mental Health

Before Part 1 of the Principle Act insert–

Part A1 -

Section A1 - Centrality Of Mental Health In Health Policy

In exercising Healthcare functions or planning for Health providers all relevant persons should have regard to the importance of mental health in policy making and the equal capacity for mental health to harm life quality and threaten lives.

Section A2 - Meaning Of Mental Health

“Mental Health” does not simply mean an absence of diagnosed mental health conditions but rather a positive state of being where an individual realsies their sought after level of mental autonomy, self worth and comfort of their own abilities and is able to deal with routine stresses and support themselves and be in a position to make contribution to their own community”

Section 3 - Duty To Establish Parity Of Esteem

In section 1 of the Principle Act after subsection (1) insert—

(1A) The Secretary Of State must in exercising functions under this act aim to ensure that there is a parity of esteem between physical and mental health.

(1B) In this act Parity of esteem means equal access to effective care and treatment, equal efforts to improve the quality of care and equal status within health care.

(1C) Parity of esteem includes equality also in efforts the prevention of physical and mental health conditions with preventative measures and early interventions.

Section 4 - Parity of esteem in health board budgets

(1) In setting a budget, the National Health Services Commissioning Board, a Local Health Board, or a Clinical Commissioning Group is to have regards to ensuring a parity of esteem between mental and physical health and allocate funding to improve quality of life best no matter the cause of a lower quality of life

(2) The budget shall be accompanied by a cost benefit analysis of proposals suggested and considered for the boards and reasons for their ultimate funding allocations.

Section 5 - Equality In Health Outcomes Board

(1) The Equality In Health Outcomes Board is herein established.

(2) The purpose of the board is to independently review health policy in Wales, for—

(a) Inequalities based on protected characteristics, within the meaning of the Equality Act; and

(b) Inequalities in care for differing conditions or types of conditions, for example the difference between healthcare outcomes for mental or physical health sufferers.

And make recommendations to—

(a) The Secretary Of State; or

(b) Local Health Boards; or

(c) a Clinical Commissioning Groups; or

(d) the National Health Services Commissioning Board.

(3) Within one month of a written recommendation being made, it must be published alongside an immediate action plan from the body who received the recommendations.

(4) The board shall consist of seven persons with relevant experience appointed by the Secretary Of State to 4 year terms, with one person appointed chairperson.

(5) The Secretary Of State shall not appoint persons who may have a conflict of interest due to holding another role within the administration of a Local Health Board.

(6) In this section relevant experience includes experience in any of the following areas—

(a) Advocacy for patient groups;

(b) Healthcare administration;

(c) Mental Health;

(d) Physical Health;

(e) Public Health; and

(f) Statistics.

Section 6 - The Mental Health Review

(1) The Equality In Health Outcomes Board (England) shall in each year, starting in the budget year after this act commences publishing a mental health review.

(2) The review will measure in three indicators the degree of mental health inequality.

(3) The three indicators shall be—

(a) “Excess mortality of mental health conditions” meaning the negative impact mental health has on life expectancy.

(b) “Burden of mental ill health” meaning the comparative cause of lower quality of life caused by mental ill health, eg in the form of disabilities.

(c) “The mental health treatment gap” meaning the difference between the number of people thought to have a particular condition, and those receiving treatment for it, compared to the treatment gap for physical conditions.

(4) After considering the scientific measurement of each of the factors the review will set out, the degree of inequality experienced by mental health or physical health.

(5) After considering the scientific measurement of each measurement, the board may also set out the degree of this inequality that comes from stigma around mental health or public policy.

Section 7 - Duties Of The Secretary Of State In Respect Of The Review ect

(1) The Secretary Of State shall make a statement to Parliament within one month of the publication of a review.

(2) Where recommendations have been given to a body by the board, and the Secretary Of State feels that the body has not responded satisfactorily to the recommendations they have a duty to use their powers under the National Health Service Act 2006 to rectify the situation.

Section 8 - Commencement

This Act shall come into force after receiving Royal Assent.

Section 9 - Extent

This Act extends to England.

Section 10 - Short title

This Act shall be cited as the National Health Service (Parity Of Care For Mental Health) Act 2021.

This Bill was written by The Baron Blaenavon (u/LeChevalierMal-Fait) OBE KCMG PC on behalf of the LPUK

Links & Meta

NHS Act 2006 as it exists in mhoc canon

Opening Speech;

While I think we all in this chamber are united in agreeing that it is right that mental health and physical health should be treated equally both in theory and practice.

Recent motions such as M552 failed to deliver real change and simply sought a commitment for extra spending.

With health spending being done by the national board in respect rare ailments and clinical commissioning groups and local Health Boards more locally.

Even had it been accepted there is little indication that £4 billion is the right sum nor could there be a sherd of certainty that £4 billion extra on current budgets would always be the right sum because of changing demand for mental health services, that might go up if stigma is reduced and we uncover a substantial amount of new patients that were undiagnosed. Or as I hope, in the long term it may go down seeing that we are taking a more proactive approach to mental health in society and building greater individual resilience through early intervention.

So with I hope my reasons for opposing the former motion being clear, I would like to quickly detail what this bill does.

In a sentence it puts mental health on an equal legal footing to physical health and ensures transparency and accountability to make this legal provision a reality.

It starts in section 2, where we literally put mental health at the very start of the NHS Act 2006. We go on to establish a duty to ensure equal treatment.

And then importantly we require that budgets across a range of bodies in the NHS are made in accordance with the principle of equality regarding protected characteristics under the equality act between mental and physical health. As I said before we as a legislature cannot bind the government to spend a specific amount on healthcare, what we can do is bind local health boards to budget in a way that respects that parity of care and report on it!

That way no matter if demand goes up or down in future, no matter if the overall health budget goes up or down - this system will remain fit for purpose and will ensure that mental and physical health is treated equally. Without politicking or the need for divisive politics over evidence based decisions.

In ensuring this will be the case we are also establishing a board of independent experts to measure scientifically and report on mental health inequalities as well as all other equalities such as those suffered by BAME individuals or on account of gender.

I hope colleagues across the chamber will join me in supporting this bill for a better NHS with fairer funding for mental illness.

This reading will end on the 10th of April 2021

Palliative Home Services Bill

A BILL TO

Offer an option for terminally ill patients to die at home

"BE IT ENACTED by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—”

Section 1 - Definitions Home - Permanent place of resident for the patient Terminally ill - Patient is at the last stages, meaning no cure or viable treatment for survival and death being the expected result

Section 2 - Right to Die at Home

Under this section:

(1)If the doctor of the attending patient considers them to likely die within 6 months;

a)The terminally ill patient has the right to know that they can live the rest of days at home given appropriate treatment prescribed by the patients doctor ii. If the patient exercises the right the the doctor must record information in patients medical records

(2) The Secretary of State must provide appropriate guidelines for healthcare service in how to implement the right in an effective way

(3) The Secretary of State must make the public aware once act has passed

Section 3 - Extent, Commencement and Short Title

(1) This Act extends to England.

(2) This act shall come into force immediately at Royal Assent.

(3) This Act may be cited as the Palliative Home Services Act 2021.

This Bill was written by The Shadow Secretary of State for Education, The Rt. Hon. Baron of Silverstone KD CBE, /u/DriftersBuddy on behalf of the Conservative and Unionist party.

Opening Speech

My Lords,

I’m glad to be presenting my first bill. Firstly, I want to start off by saying that this is in no way related to assisted dying but more of giving a patient who’s expected result is death an option to live their remaining days at home. This allows them to be surrounded and supported by family members and friends which may allow more comfort and all the while still being treated. I believe that the place of death is often overlooked and I think that patients should at least know that there is an option to not die at hospital.

This reading ends 29 June 2021 at 10pm BST.

Sexual Offences (Position of Trust) Bill 2020

A BILL TO

close the loophole in the Sexual Offences Act 2003

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows –

Section 1: Definitions

(1) For the purposes of this Act, ‘the Act’ refers to the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

Section 2: Amendments to the Sexual Offences Act 2003

(1) At the end of Section 82 of the Act, insert:

(8) No registered sex offender may change their name through an unenrolled deed. They must seek an enrolled deed poll for their name change.

(a) Official notification of the name change and the new name must be sent to the appropriate police force.

(b) Once the police have notified they shall send back a notice of acknowledgment to the applicant and Royal Courts and then only shall the Royal Court of Justice approve a name change. Once the name has been changed the Royal Court of Justice shall send a final notice back to the police.

(c) No service or organization shall accept an unenrolled deed poll from a registered sex offender.

(c) Any sex offender who changes their name without following this process shall be liable to criminal prosecution and barred from using any services with their new name.

(d) Any party that knowingly assists a sex offender in creating or processing a deed poll in violation of this act shall be liable to prosecution.

Section 3: Extent, Commencement, and Short Title

(1) This Act extends to England and Wales.

(2) This Act comes into force four weeks after the day on which it is passed.

(3) This Act may be cited as the Sexual Offences (Position of Trust) Act 2020.

This bill was written by The Rt. Hon. /u/ThreeCommasClub on behalf of the LPUK.

This reading will end on the 1st of December.

OPENING SPEECH

Mr Deputy Speaker,

We all realize the reason why we need to track and make sure convicted sexual offenders have their information registered with the police. However, what we have seen is many sexual offenders changing their names so they can avoid police tracking and disappearing from any police lists. A deed poll to change one’s name can be done in minutes and according to data from Sky News roughly around 900 sexual offenders have changed their name without informing the police and have disappeared. The police have no idea what their new identities are and where they may be. This is obviously a huge concern.

That is why this bill makes provisions so sexual offenders cannot change their through normal deed polls but now instead must file with the Royal Courts and make sure the police are notified if they wish to change their names. Moreso, now different services like banks won’t be able to accept deed polls for name changes from sexual offenders. I believe this bill is a common-sense policy to ensure sexual offenders cannot escape the law. I commend this statement to the House.

A

BILL

TO

Provide for sanctions against the State of Israel, to require the Secretary of State to grant recognition to the State of Palestine, and for connected purposes.

BE IT ENACTED by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

Section 1 - Definitions.

(1) In this Act,

a) “the Levant” refers to all those territories comprising the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine prior to the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel,

b) “Israel” refers to the State of Israel,

c) “Palestine” refers to the State of Palestine,

d) “occupied territories” refer to any part of the Levant currently under the control of a state not entitled to control it under United Nations Resolution 181.

Section 2 - Declaration of the position of the United Kingdom in respect of the Levant.

(1) It is the position of the United Kingdom that Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state unless and until its people freely resolve to the contrary.

(2) It is the position of the United Kingdom that Palestine has the right to exist as an Arab state unless and until its people freely resolve to the contrary.

(3) It is the position of the United Kingdom that the territorial extent of the states of Israel and Palestine should be as set out in United Nations Resolution 181, unless Israel and Palestine freely agree to some other arrangement.

(4) It is the position of the United Kingdom that, in the event of otherwise irreconcilable disputes concerning the status of Jerusalem, the city should be administered by the United Nations in accordance with United Nations Resolution 194.

(5) It is the position of the United Kingdom that Israel has engaged in a number of serious human rights violations against the Palestinian people.

(6) It is the position of the United Kingdom that Israel has defied, and continues to defy, United Nations resolutions respecting the status of Palestine.

Section 2 - Recognition of the State of Palestine.

(1) Within 30 days of this Act coming into force, the Secretary of State shall take whatever measures are required to grant full diplomatic recognition to the State of Palestine on the same terms as the State of Israel.

(2) This section should not be interpreted as to require the Secretary of State to revoke diplomatic recognition of the State of Israel.

Section 3 - Sanctions against the State of Israel.

(1) In this section,

a) “designated official” refers to a government official of Israel or position in the government of Israel specified in Schedule 1 of this Act,

b) “government agency” refers to an agency of the government of Israel,

c) “designated agency” refers to a government agency specified in Schedule 2 of this Act,

d) “sanctions” refer to the sanctions authorized under this Act.

(2) The Secretary of State shall, within 90 days of this Act coming into force, make an order under the Sanctions Act 2022 enacting sanctions against Israel.

(3) Sanctions shall include trade sanctions consisting of:

a) prohibiting the import of goods, other than those essential for life, from Israel or Palestine if the Secretary of State is of the opinion that they originated from occupied territories,

b) prohibiting the export of goods, other than those essential for life, to Israel or Palestine if the Secretary of State is of the opinion that the goods will be used to continue the position of Israel or Palestine in occupied territories,

c) prohibiting designated agencies from participating in government procurement,

d) prohibiting the exchange of technology with any designated agency, and

e) prohibiting cooperation for military purposes with any designated agency.

(4) Sanctions shall include shipping sanctions consisting of:

a) prohibiting ships from being registered in Israel,

b) prohibiting the entry into the United Kingdom of ships registered in Israel or that fly the flag of Israel, and

c) prohibiting British citizens from crewing, controlling or operating ships registered in Israel.

(5) Sanctions shall include aircraft sanctions consisting of:

a) prohibiting aircraft from overflying Israel,

b) prohibiting aircraft from being registered in Israel, and

c) prohibiting aircraft registered in Israel from overflying or entering the United Kingdom.

(6) Designated officials shall not be permitted to enter the United Kingdom regardless of purpose.

(7) Schedule 1 of this Act may describe persons who hold positions at the time this Act comes into force, but any person who subsequently takes such a position shall be sanctioned as if their name was in this Act at the time it came into force.

Section 4 - Extent, short title and commencement.

(1) This Act extends to the United Kingdom.

(2) This Act may be cited as the Israel Sanctions Act.

(3) This Act comes into force on Royal Assent.

Schedule 1 - Designated officials.

Minister of the Interior (Michael Malchieli)

Minister of Justice (Yariv Levin)

Minister for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee and National Resilience (Yitzhak Wasserlauf)

Minister of Communications (Shlomo Karhi)

Minister of Defense (Yoav Gallant)

Minister of Finance (Bezalel Smotrich)

Minister of Aliyah and Integration (Ofir Sofer)

Minister of Information (Galit Distel-Atbaryan)

Minister of Intelligence (Gila Gamliel)

Minister of National Security (Itamar Ben-Gvir)

Minister of Science and Technology (Ofir Akunis)

Minister of Strategic Affairs (Ron Dermer)

Minister of Transportation (Miri Regev)

Chief of the General Staff, Israel Defense Forces (Herzi Halevi)

Schedule 2 - Designated agencies.

Israel Defense Forces

Mossad

Shin Bet

Aman

Israel Aerospace Industries

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems

Elbit Systems

Africa Israel Investments

Shikun & Binui

Electra Ltd

NSO Group

AnyVision

Bank Hapoalim

Bank Leumi

Israel Discount Bank

This bill was submitted by /u/model-alice as a Private Members Bill with sponsorship from the Opposition.

Opening statement:

Mr Deputy Speaker,

It gives me great pleasure that this House recently agreed to condemn Israel's flag marches for their xenophobic and Islamophobic nature. However, mere words of support for the Palestinian people are not enough at this point in history. This Parliament must act swiftly to take direct action against Israel for its documented crimes against the Palestinian people and ensure the safety of Palestine. This Act requires that the Secretary of State recognize Palestine as the nation it rightfully constitutes, and additionally requires the Secretary of State to enact a number of sanctions against Israel. These sanctions are not designed to harm the people of Israel, which this Parliament ought not to have any quarrel with. Rather, it seeks to bring economic consequences for Israel's continued oppression of Palestine by prohibiting the people and agencies responsible from participating in government procurement, barring its ships and aircraft from entering the United Kingdom, and preventing its key officials from visiting. It is my hope that this House immediately passes this legislation to prove that it isn't just all talk and no substance.

This Reading will end on the 15th at 10PM

Passports and Gender Humble Address

That a humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, that she will be graciously pleased to instruct her Ministers to end the inclusion of a gender marker on British passports issued under her hand.

This motion is moved by the Rt Hon. Dame lily-irl, MP for the East of England, on behalf of the Official Opposition, and is co-sponsored by Solidarity, the Greens, the Progessive Party UK, and the Liberal Democrats.

Opening Speech

Mr Speaker,

I am pleased to move this motion in this House today. I ask honourable and right honourable members: what good, truly, does identifying gender on a passport do? A border force officer inspecting a passport has a person’s name, age, and photograph in front of them. A gender marker is unnecessary.

I came across this idea whilst brainstorming ways to best accommodate LGBTQ+ and gender nonconforming individuals. And the solution that seems to most readily present itself is to add an ‘X’, or third gender option to passports, for those whose gender identity does not fall within the typical male-female binary. But the fact is that for those people travelling to countries that are not accepting of, or even actively persecuting, gender nonconforming individuals, having an X on their passport would just make them a target for those regimes.

The solution is simple, Mr Speaker. Including gender on passports does not assist border protection efforts in any substantial manner. It is extraneous information that also happens to serve as a barrier for gender nonconforming individuals from expressing their gender identity on government documents. As a result I think it best to simply remove it.

British passports are issued under the Royal Prerogative and not any Act of Parliament, which is why I have moved this Humble Address for this to take effect. I hope honourable and right honourable members will join me in the Aye lobbies and I commend this motion to the House.

This reading will end on 21st of October at 10PM BST

This House recognizes

(1)- In the Ethnic Minority (Shortlists) debate, a comment was made by the Conservative MP for Lincolnshire, reproduced here in full.

As a white man, I consider the idea that our great nation should indulge in 'compensatory measures' to be offensive. Our nation has a proud history and is not the USA (the home of the example provided in your notes), we should feel no shame at being the apex predator in a world in which you ate or were eaten. Likewise, the idea of racial sin should be avoided and the fact that the government believes that we committed such a sin should be avoided and is indicative of a lack of national pride and patriotism.

(2) By stating there should be “no shame”, the speaker asserted that being an “apex predator” was not undesirable, and this assertion was further proven out by them justifying this predation because, to the speaker, we live in an eat or be eaten world.

(3) That this comment could be construed to be about the status of the white race as an apex predator.

(4) That the subsequent excuse given that it was about the status of the British Empire, not the white race, is questionable considering the member said their entire paragraph was given “as a white man,” and if they meant it about the Empire they’d have said “as a citizen of the former British Empire.”

(5) Even if they meant their source of pride was in the British Empire being the apex predator, the British Empire primarily colonized non-white countries, making their comments about a specific part of the white race, just one level more abstract.

(6) To desire to be a predator over any other country is inherently suspect.

This House therefore affirms

(1) The comment referenced was an inexcusable manifestation of racial intolerance.

(2) The comment degraded the dignity of the House of Commons.

(3) MP’s should not make comments of this racially inflammatory nature.

This motion was written by the Rt. Hon. Viscount Houston PC KT CT KBE MSP MS, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government

Opening Speech

Deputy Speaker,

I will keep this speech short and to the point. Racism should have no place in this chamber. The comments made in the debate on my bill were beyond the pale. How one votes on my bill has nothing to do with whether or not these comments were justified. The excuses offered for them were insufficient, contradictory, and suffered from a deficit of logic. I will further note that this motion was a last resort. I asked the Conservatives, multiple times, to take action. They refused to do so. Everyone has a right to be an MP if their party so chooses them for a seat. But the House of Commons sure can say that an MP made deeply offensive comments. Let us do that. The arc of history is long, and it bends towards justice. Let us condemn people who want to turn the arc of history into a hula hoop.

This reading ends 11 November 2022 at 10pm BST.

Right to Disconnect Bill

A

BILL

TO

empower employees with a right not to be contacted about routine work matters by telephone, or other electronic means outside of agreed working hours.

Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

Section 1: The Right to Disconnect

(1) Wherein a person (A) is under employment by person (B), A shall be considered to have a Right to Disconnect.

(a) The Right to Disconnect shall be defined as the right to have no obligation to answer or be available for routine or ordinary work related communications outside of either-

(i) their time of work as agreed, or-

(ii) other time of work as defined by person A.

(b) Person B may under no circumstances penalise person A for exercising their Right to Disconnect.

Section 2: Relevant Duties

(1) Persons operating or employed by the same place of work as person A shall have a duty to take reasonable action to avoid contacting person A in hours covered by their right to disconnect.

(2) Person A shall be considered to have a duty where defining hours under (a)(ii) to ensure that those hours are reasonable in nature.

(a) Person B may disregard hours defined under (a)(ii) in favour of (a)(i) where they believe the hours to not be reasonable in nature.

Section 3: Implementation and Exemptions

(1) Unless otherwise agreed, upon commencement of their employment Person A shall be assumed to have automatically exercised their Right to Disconnect under the terms set out in (1)(a)(i).

(2) Person B may only disregard A’s Right to Disconnect in an emergency.

(a) If Person A does not have a relevant duty of care reasonably requiring them to respond, they may not be penalised for failing to do so until their agreed time of work.

Section 4: Extent, Commencement and Short Title

(1) This Act shall come into force six months after Royal Assent.

(2) This Act shall extend to England and Wales, and Scotland.

(3) This Act shall be known as the Right to Disconnect Act 2021.

This bill was written by the Secretary of State for International Trade, the Right Honourable Dame SpectacularSalad OM CT CBE PC MP on behalf of Her Majesty’s 28th Government.

Opening Speech:

Mr Speaker,

In a modern and interconnected economy, it is vital we ensure that workers do not feel pressured into becoming available at all hours for routine work. Always connected should not mean always at work, and 9 to 5 should not become 24/7.

This legislation provides an absolute right for employees to be able to disconnect from routine work communications outside of normal work hours, or another defined period. It also places a duty on others to reasonably respect that right.

In a digital economy, this right helps to rebalance the pressures on employees, and ensure that people are not pressured to work beyond their contractual hours by always on communications technologies.

This reading ends on Thursday 8th July at 10PM BST

This Statutory Instrument may be viewed here.

These Regulations are made by the Rt Hon. Dame lily-irl MP, Minister of State for Transport, on behalf of Her Majesty's Government.

The Road Traffic Act 1988

The Highway Code

The Motor Vehicles (Approval) Regulations 1996

Mr Speaker,

I am pleased to lay these Regulations before the House today. According to Cycling UK, there were 17,550 casualties involving cyclists in 2018 on Britain's roads. Of those, 99 cyclists lost their lives. And while we will likely never be able to reduce that number to zero, we can get as close as possible. Today, the Department for Transport is taking action to reduce casualties and fatalities on Britain's roads.

The intent of these Regulations is to promote greater situational awareness on the part of drivers by encouraging them to look over their shoulder when opening the car door - a manoeuvre known as the “Dutch reach”. The aim of this is to teach drivers about this technique to limit incidents where car doors open in front of cyclists, causing them to cycle into the car door, injuring or killing them.

Further details are available in the explanatory note to the Regulations. I will, of course, happily take questions. Thank you, Mr Speaker, I commend these Regulations to the House.

This debate shall end on 12th of July at 10PM BST

Statement: White Paper on English Local Government

Opening Speech by /u/SpectacularSalad

Mr Speaker,

English Local Government is a mess. Needlessly complex and unclear, with no ability to actually fund itself. This Government is committed to a program of reform for English Local Government, and we are now ready to set out how we propose to do so.

To summarise our proposals Mr Speaker, we will reform existing local governments into uniform Local Councils, each with a new Mayor above them.

The Mayors will be drawn at county and city boundaries and will provide strategic planning, coordination of large scale public services and a failsafe to step in when Local Councils face severe disfunction.

Both the Councils and Mayors will have fair and modern voting systems established for them. In Councils this will be single transferable vote, and for Mayors, Instant Runoff Voting.

Both the Councils and Mayors will have the ability to tack on LVT rates to the existing billing system in their local area, and will be able to keep the money they raise. Half of the total money raised will then be matched by central government and distributed according to deprivation criteria.

The existing centralised allocation system for council funding will be abolished, with the savings lowering the national LVT rate, with councils initially having their LVT set at a net neutral funding level, meaning that the exercise will transfer control without immediately altering the rate of LVT charged.

This entire process will be supported by primary legislation, which will hopefully be introduced in the next Parliamentary session.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IBcUO5gppG-A49H6VCVM1iLdverwkYcC70ofLBTVWYI/edit

Order, order!

Minister's Questions are now in order!

The Acting Secretary of State for Wales, /u/lily-irl will be taking questions from the House.

As Shadow Secretary of State for Wales, /u/model-willem may ask 6 initial questions.

As Spokesperson for Wales of a Major Unofficial Opposition Parties /u/RhysGwenythIV may ask 3 initial questions.

Everyone else may ask 2 questions; and are allowed to ask another question in response to each answer they receive. (4 in total)

In the first instance, only the Secretary of State or junior ministers may respond to questions asked to them. 'Hear, hear.' and 'Rubbish!' (or similar), are permitted.

This session shall end on Tuesday 1st of June at 10PM GMT, no initial questions to be asked after Monday 31st of May at 10PM GMT.

Israel Sanctions Bill

A

BILL

TO

Provide for sanctions against the State of Israel, to require the Secretary of State to grant recognition to the State of Palestine, and for connected purposes.

BE IT ENACTED by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

Section 1 - Definitions.

(1) In this Act,

a) “the Levant” refers to all those territories comprising the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine prior to the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel,

b) “Israel” refers to the State of Israel,

c) “Palestine” refers to the State of Palestine,

d) “occupied territories” refer to any part of the Levant currently under the control of a state not entitled to control it under United Nations Resolution 181.

Section 2 - Declaration of the position of the United Kingdom in respect of the Levant.

(1) It is the position of the United Kingdom that Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state unless and until its people freely resolve to the contrary.

(2) It is the position of the United Kingdom that Palestine has the right to exist as an Arab state unless and until its people freely resolve to the contrary.

(3) It is the position of the United Kingdom that the territorial extent of the states of Israel and Palestine should be as set out in United Nations Resolution 181, unless Israel and Palestine freely agree to some other arrangement.

(4) It is the position of the United Kingdom that, in the event of otherwise irreconcilable disputes concerning the status of Jerusalem, the city should be administered by the United Nations in accordance with United Nations Resolution 194.

(5) It is the position of the United Kingdom that Israel has engaged in a number of serious human rights violations against the Palestinian people.

(6) It is the position of the United Kingdom that Israel has defied, and continues to defy, United Nations resolutions respecting the status of Palestine.

Section 3 - Recognition of the State of Palestine.

(1) Within 30 days of this Act coming into force, the Secretary of State shall take whatever measures are required to grant full diplomatic recognition to the State of Palestine on the same terms as the State of Israel.

(1) Within 30 days of this Act coming into force, the Secretary of State shall take whatever measures are required to support the brokerage of a peace agreement between the State of Israel and the State of Palestine.

(2) In the event that such a deal can be brokered, and a ceasefire can be maintained for a period of at least 26 weeks, the Secretary of State will seek recognition of the State of Palestine.

(3) Upon the fulfilment of (2)(2), the Secretary of State shall take whatever measures are required to grant full diplomatic recognition to the State of Palestine on the same terms as the State of Israel, conditional upon the approval of at least a two-thirds majority of United Nations member states.

(4) This section should not be interpreted as to require the Secretary of State to revoke diplomatic recognition of the State of Israel.

Section 4 - Sanctions against the State of Israel.

(1) In this section,

a) “designated official” refers to a government official of Israel or position in the government of Israel specified in Schedule 1 of this Act,

b) “government agency” refers to an agency of the government of Israel,

c) “designated agency” refers to a government agency specified in Schedule 2 of this Act,

d) “sanctions” refer to the sanctions authorized under this Act.

(2) The Secretary of State shall, within 90 days of this Act coming into force, make an order under the Sanctions Act 2022 enacting sanctions against Israel.

(3) Sanctions shall include trade sanctions consisting of:

a) prohibiting the import of goods, other than those essential for life, from Israel or Palestine if the Secretary of State is of the opinion that they originated from occupied territories,

b) prohibiting the export of goods, other than those essential for life, to Israel or Palestine if the Secretary of State is of the opinion that the goods will be used to continue the position of Israel or Palestine in occupied territories,

c) prohibiting designated agencies from participating in government procurement,

d) prohibiting the exchange of technology with any designated agency, and

e) prohibiting cooperation for military purposes with any designated agency.

(4) Sanctions shall include shipping sanctions consisting of:

a) prohibiting ships from being registered in Israel,

b) prohibiting the entry into the United Kingdom of ships registered in Israel or that fly the flag of Israel, and

c) prohibiting British citizens from crewing, controlling or operating ships registered in Israel.

(5) Sanctions shall include aircraft sanctions consisting of:

a) prohibiting aircraft from overflying Israel,

b) prohibiting aircraft from being registered in Israel, and

c) prohibiting aircraft registered in Israel from overflying or entering the United Kingdom.

(6) Designated officials shall not be permitted to enter the United Kingdom regardless of purpose.

(7) Schedule 1 of this Act may describe persons who hold positions at the time this Act comes into force, but any person who subsequently takes such a position shall be sanctioned as if their name was in this Act at the time it came into force.

Section 5 - Extent, short title and commencement.

(1) This Act extends to the United Kingdom.

(2) This Act may be cited as the Israel Sanctions Act.

(3) This Act comes into force on Royal Assent.

Schedule 1 - Designated officials.

Minister of the Interior (Michael Malchieli)

Minister of Justice (Yariv Levin)

Minister for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee and National Resilience (Yitzhak Wasserlauf)

Minister of Communications (Shlomo Karhi)

Minister of Defense (Yoav Gallant)

Minister of Finance (Bezalel Smotrich)

Minister of Aliyah and Integration (Ofir Sofer)

Minister of Information (Galit Distel-Atbaryan)

Minister of Intelligence (Gila Gamliel)

Minister of National Security (Itamar Ben-Gvir)

Minister of Science and Technology (Ofir Akunis)

Minister of Strategic Affairs (Ron Dermer)

Minister of Transportation (Miri Regev)

Chief of the General Staff, Israel Defense Forces (Herzi Halevi)

Schedule 2 - Designated agencies.

Israel Defense Forces

Mossad

Shin Bet

Aman

Israel Aerospace Industries

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems

Elbit Systems

Africa Israel Investments

Shikun & Binui

Electra Ltd

NSO Group

AnyVision

Bank Hapoalim

Bank Leumi

Israel Discount Bank

This bill was submitted by /u/model-alice as a Private Members Bill with sponsorship from the Opposition.

Opening statement:

Mr Deputy Speaker,

It gives me great pleasure that this House recently agreed to condemn Israel's flag marches for their xenophobic and Islamophobic nature. However, mere words of support for the Palestinian people are not enough at this point in history. This Parliament must act swiftly to take direct action against Israel for its documented crimes against the Palestinian people and ensure the safety of Palestine. This Act requires that the Secretary of State recognize Palestine as the nation it rightfully constitutes, and additionally requires the Secretary of State to enact a number of sanctions against Israel. These sanctions are not designed to harm the people of Israel, which this Parliament ought not to have any quarrel with. Rather, it seeks to bring economic consequences for Israel's continued oppression of Palestine by prohibiting the people and agencies responsible from participating in government procurement, barring its ships and aircraft from entering the United Kingdom, and preventing its key officials from visiting. It is my hope that this House immediately passes this legislation to prove that it isn't just all talk and no substance.

Debate under this bill shall end on the 8th July at 10pm BST

Follow this link to join the Labour Party.

http://www.reddit.com/r/MHOCLabour/

Equality Act (Amendment) Bill

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BILL

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Make accents a protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010.

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows –

1. Amendments

(1) At the end of Section 4 of the Equality Act 2010 insert:

AccentPlace of origin

(2) After Section 12 of the Equality Act 2010 insert:

13. Accent

(1) a reference to a person who has a particular protected characteristic is a reference to a person’s Accent; a reference to persons who share a protected characteristic is a reference to persons of the same Accent.

Place of origin
1.A persons (P) place of origin is the identifiable area in which they were born, spent their childhood or spent enough time to impart identifiable characteristics
2.In relation to the protected characteristic of place of origin—
(a) a reference to a person who has a particular protected characteristic is a reference to a person who is from a particular place of origin;
(b)a reference to persons who share a protected characteristic is a reference to persons who are from the same place of origin.
3.Any characteristic which a reasonable person would identify as being a commonly accepted part of the characteristics of Ps place of origin is to be considered an element of the characteristic of place of origin, including but not limited to accent, vocabulary, physical expressions and clothing choice.

2. Combined discrimination; dual characteristics amended

At the end of subsection (2) in section 14 of the Equality Act 2010 insert-

(h) AccentPlace of origin

3. Occupational requirements AccentPlace of origin discrimination

After section 60 of the Equality Act 2010 insert-

60A. Occupational Requirements AccentPlace of origindiscrimination
Employment discrimination is lawful on grounds that a person has a AccentPlace of origin if it for a well-founded occupational requirement.

4. Positive action in respect of AccentPlace of origin discrimination

After section 19 of the Equality Act 2010 insert-

19A. Positive action in respect of AccentPlace of origin discrimination
Discrimination is lawful where an individual or organisation is taking positive action to encourage or develop people with a AccentPlace of origin in a role or activity where they before this action is taken were underrepresented.

5. Discrimination; dual characteristics interacting with prohibited AccentPlace of origin discrimination

After section 19 of the Equality Act 2010 insert-

19B. Discrimination; dual characteristics interacting with prohibited AccentPlace of origin discrimination
Where another part of this enactment exempts an action from being discrimination on grounds of disability or on the grounds of race then the inclusion of AccentPlace of origin discrimination does not remove or alter that exemption where AccentPlace of origin is a characteristic of race which is being discriminated against or a result of a disability.

Section 6. Extent, commencement, and short title

(1) This Act shall extend across Great Britain.

(2) This Act shall come into force immediately after receiving Royal Assent.

(3) This Act may be cited as the Equality Act (Amendment) Act 2021.

This Bill was submitted by The Rt. Hon Lord Truro /u/model-ceasar KP PC on behalf of Coalition!

Opening Speech:

Mr. Deputy Speaker,

It is imperative that we keep reviewing previous legislation and updating them to better standards when we can. This is what has led to this simple but effective bill. Only as recently as only a few weeks ago, a French politician discriminated against a reporter's accent live on television. One should not have to go through the ordeal of having their accent discriminated against. Therefore, this bill that amends the Equality Act 2010 includes accents as a protective characteristic, preventing the legal discrimination against ones accent. We should always be striving towards zero discrimination in this nation, and this bill takes further along that path.

This reading shall end on the 19th May at 10pm

Order, order!

Minister's Questions are now in order!

The Secretary of State for Scotland, /u/IceCreamSandwich401 will be taking questions from the House.

As Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, /u/ThreeCommasClub may ask 6 initial questions.

As Scotland Spokesperson of a Major Unofficial Opposition Party, /u/a1fie335 may ask 3 initial questions.

Everyone else may ask 2 questions; and are allowed to ask another question in response to each answer they receive. (4 in total)

In the first instance, only the Secretary of State or junior ministers may respond to questions asked to them. 'Hear, hear.' and 'Rubbish!' (or similar), are permitted.

This session shall end on Tuesday 15th of June at 10PM GMT, no initial questions to be asked after Monday 14th of June at 10PM GMT.

Nationalisation and Privatisation (Scrutiny) Bill

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BILL

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Make sure parliament approves of any nationalisation or privatisation; and for connected purposes.

Section 1: Parliamentary scrutiny for nationalisation

(1) In order to purchase shares in a private company, the Secretary of State must lay regulations using the affirmative procedure before parliament.

(2) Any regulations must contain an independent valuation with an independent valuer approved by parliament and must contain the timescale as well as the stake the Secretary of State wishes to purchase.

(3) The government is prohibited from purchasing shares in a private company without parliamentary approval.

(4) If the Secretary of State believes there is an emergency and it is clear that a government purchase of shares in a private company may help tackle the emergency then the Secretary of State may purchase shares in a private company but must hold a parliamentary debate afterwards.

(5) An emergency is defined as an unforeseen circumstance that requires immediate action to protect people’s lives or to ensure macroeconomic stability.

Section 2: Parliamentary approval for disposal of assets

(1) In order to sell shares in a government owned corporation the Secretary of State must lay regulations using the affirmative procedure before parliament.

(2) The regulations must lay out how the shares will be sold.

(3) If the Secretary of State believes there is an emergency and it is clear that the sale of government assets may help tackle the emergency then the Secretary of State may sell shares in a government company but must hold a parliamentary debate afterwards.

Section 3: Extent, commencement, and short title

(1) This Act shall extend across the United Kingdom.

(2) This Act shall come into force immediately after receiving Royal Assent.

(3) This Act shall be cited as the Nationalisation and Privatisation (Scrutiny) Act 2021

This Bill was written by the Right Honourable /u/Friedmanite19 OM KCMG KBE CT LVO PC MP, The Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition on behalf of the Libertarian Party United Kingdom and is co-sponsored by the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats.

Opening Speech

Mr Deputy Speaker, Recently we saw the executive purchase shares in a company with no consultation of parliament. This flew in the face of precedent as all nationalisation and privatisation bills have gone through this House. The government promised us that any nationalisation would be done with the consultation of parliament however they went back on this. It is important that parliament in light of these events evaluates the power the executive holds and ensures that the government is accountable to parliament. I have also added safeguards for the sale of public assets in the interests of consistency and our democracy. The recent events with OneWeb demonstrate that the executive has too much power and as such I table this bill here today to ensure no future government can abuse executive power in this fashion. Parliament should have the say on whether the government controls or purchases stakes in companies. The same applies for the sale of shares. If MP’s believe in democracy and accountability I urge them to support this bill today.

This reading shall end at 10pm on the 15th of June 2021.

Offender Rehabilitation (Armed Forces) Bill

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BILL

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amend the Law to allow certain offenders to serve their licence period in the Armed Forces.

Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

Section 1: Enlistment of persons on suspended sentences or on license

(1) Ministers shall by regulations enable the enlistment of a person serving a suspended sentence or part of a sentence “on license” with a existing tariff of a served sentence

(2) At the point a person in subsection (1) is accepted then—

• (a) any orders attached to the license expire,

• (b) any suspended sentence is deactivated.

(2) Ministers may by regulations specify which sentencing regimes across nations of the United Kingdom are within consideration of the enlistment regulations made in respect of this part.

(3) Nothing in this section requires the armed forces to accept an application nor does it preclude them from instigating a waiting period to applications from persons with existing tariffs from criminal offences.

Section 2: Amendments to the Armed Forces Act 2006

(1) The Armed Forces Act 2006 is amended as follows.

(2) In section 328 (Enlistment), after paragraph (2)(g) insert— ;

(h) the recruitment of persons who are in possession of an unspent conviction;
(i) the appropriateness of recruiting offenders into officer roles.

Section 3: General

(1) Any offender guilty of offences listed under SCHEDULE 15B of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 is not permitted under any circumstance to enlist in the Armed Forces after conclusion of their sentence.

Section 4: Extent, Commencement and Short Title

(1) This Act extends to the whole United Kingdom

(2) This Act will come into force immediately upon Royal Assent.

(3) This Act may be cited as the Offender Rehabilitation (Armed Forces) Act 2021.

This bill was written by the Right Honourable /u/Scubaguy194 MP, Defence Secretary. It is submitted as a bill on behalf of the 27th Government. It is cosponsored by the Libertarian Party of the United Kingdom.

Explanatory Notes

• Section 1 - Chapter 4 of the Criminal Justice Act refers to conditions upon which an offender must serve a licence period upon release. The new section allows an offender to serve their licence period in the Armed Forces.

• Section 2 - Gives the legislative prerogative to the Defence Council to decide the circumstance upon which they’d like to recruit offenders prior to the offence being spent.

• Section 3 - Since the licence period doesn’t exist in Scotland, an explicit new law is required to permit offenders to leave prison and go straight to training for the Armed Forces.

This reading ends on Monday 17th May at 10PM BST

B1177.2 - British Youth Council Nationalisation Bill

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BILL

TO

boost youth engagement democracy by nationalising the British Youth Council

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1) Definition

a) The “British Youth Council” is defined as the registered charity number 1123224 and company limited by guarantee number 6226595, as defined in the Democracy and Britain (Reorganisation) Act 2019.

2) Repeal

a) The Democracy and Britain (Reorganisation) Act 2019 shall be repealed in its entirety.

3) Reorganisation

a) The British Youth Council shall be nationalised and its ownership brought under the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

i) The Secretary of State shall be responsible for appointing a Chairperson and a board of directors, not exceeding eight members.

ii) The Secretary of State shall be required to ensure that no employee of the British Youth Council shall be required to forfeit their position as a result of the nationalisation of the British Youth Council.

b) The Secretary of State shall be responsible for drafting articles of association for the British Youth Council.

4) Programmes

a) Five programmes initially associated with Democracy and Britain, from the Youth Engagement in Democracy Bill 2016, are to be reinstated.

i) The five programs are to be communities, simulations, mini-parliaments (Youth Parliament), models and groups.

b) The Chairperson and Board of Directors are required to author an annual budget of no more than one million pounds and set a limit for how many people can participate in each programme.

c) The Chairperson and Board of Directors are also required to maintain an advertising scheme targeted at people aged 11-18.

i) The Chairperson and Board of Directors will also be required to maintain a scheme where various politicians speak to youths and engage them in politics.

d) There shall be no fees related to joining and participating in any of the programmes.

5) Short title, commencement and extent

a) This Act may be cited as the British Youth Council Nationalisation Act 2021.

b) This Act comes into force 12 months after this Act is passed.

c) This Act extends to the entirety of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

This bill was written by Minister Without Portfolio, Sir /u/model-elleeit KBE PC, The Rt. Hon. Lord Fleetwood on behalf of the 28th Government. This bill is sponsored by Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport ArthurDent24 PC MP. This bill was inspired by the Youth Engagement in Democracy Bill 2016 from /u/Padanub.

Opening Speech:

Deputy Speaker,

as I stated when giving my speech on the Bank Holidays Bill, the turnout rate across the country was astoundingly low. I believe that we as a government have the responsibility to increase political awareness and engagement in democracy. One excellent way of doing this is getting our youth involved in politics.

A couple years back, a bill was passed nationalising the UK Youth Parliament and other related programmes. There was nothing faulty with it and it was an excellent tool at increasing youth political awareness and interest. As you may have guessed by now, that bill was repealed in Gregfest and Democracy and Britain was dissolved. This was an unnecessary attack on the youth and the programmes designated for them, and we need to re-implement a similar program. By bringing the British Youth Council under the reins of DCMS, we can ensure that our youth are receiving the best quality programmes they can receive. We need to ensure that our youth participate in our democracy.

This reading shall end at 10pm on June 8, 2021

B1177.2 - British Youth Council Nationalisation Bill

A

BILL

TO

boost youth engagement democracy by nationalising the British Youth Council

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1) Definition

a) The “British Youth Council” is defined as the registered charity number 1123224 and company limited by guarantee number 6226595, as defined in the Democracy and Britain (Reorganisation) Act 2019.

2) Repeal

a) The Democracy and Britain (Reorganisation) Act 2019 shall be repealed in its entirety.

3) Reorganisation

a) The British Youth Council shall be nationalised and its ownership brought under the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

i) The Secretary of State shall be responsible for appointing a Chairperson and a board of directors, not exceeding eight members.

ii) The Secretary of State shall be required to ensure that no employee of the British Youth Council shall be required to forfeit their position as a result of the nationalisation of the British Youth Council.

b) The Secretary of State shall be responsible for drafting articles of association for the British Youth Council.

4) Programmes

a) Five programmes initially associated with Democracy and Britain, from the Youth Engagement in Democracy Bill 2016, are to be reinstated.

i) The five programs are to be communities, simulations, mini-parliaments (Youth Parliament), models and groups.

b) The Chairperson and Board of Directors are required to author an annual budget of no more than one million pounds and set a limit for how many people can participate in each programme.

c) The Chairperson and Board of Directors are also required to maintain an advertising scheme targeted at people aged 11-18.

i) The Chairperson and Board of Directors will also be required to maintain a scheme where various politicians speak to youths and engage them in politics.

d) There shall be no fees related to joining and participating in any of the programmes.

5) Short title, commencement and extent

a) This Act may be cited as the British Youth Council Nationalisation Act 2021.

b) This Act comes into force 12 months after this Act is passed.

c) This Act extends to the entirety of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

This bill was written by Minister Without Portfolio, Sir /u/model-elleeit KBE PC, The Rt. Hon. Lord Fleetwood on behalf of the 28th Government. This bill is sponsored by Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport ArthurDent24 PC MP. This bill was inspired by the Youth Engagement in Democracy Bill 2016 from /u/Padanub.

Opening Speech:

Deputy Speaker,

as I stated when giving my speech on the Bank Holidays Bill, the turnout rate across the country was astoundingly low. I believe that we as a government have the responsibility to increase political awareness and engagement in democracy. One excellent way of doing this is getting our youth involved in politics.

A couple years back, a bill was passed nationalising the UK Youth Parliament and other related programmes. There was nothing faulty with it and it was an excellent tool at increasing youth political awareness and interest. As you may have guessed by now, that bill was repealed in Gregfest and Democracy and Britain was dissolved. This was an unnecessary attack on the youth and the programmes designated for them, and we need to re-implement a similar program. By bringing the British Youth Council under the reins of DCMS, we can ensure that our youth are receiving the best quality programmes they can receive. We need to ensure that our youth participate in our democracy.

This reading shall end at 10pm on 15th June 2021.

Motion to encourage more international awareness for LGBTQ+ rights

This house notes that

• The LGBTQ+ rights are still non-existent in many international countries,

• That the death penalty or imprisonment still exists for many LGBTQ+ individuals,

• Conversion therapy is still legal and unregulated in many countries.

This house encourages that

• The government puts together an international campaign to spearhead the progression and defence of LGBTQ+ rights in the international community,

• The government will campaign for a worldwide ban to conversion therapy,

• The government will campaign to end the death penalty and imprisonment being a threat to LGBTQ+ individual across the world,

• The government will make sure to maintain an LGBTQ+ asylum program for any individuals living in countries with anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in place.

This motion was written and submitted on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, by the Rt Hon. MP for Cornwall and Devon /u/RickCall12, Leader of the Liberal Democrats and Shadow First Secretary of State.

This Reading shall end on the 15th January 2018

House of Commons

Mister Speaker,

The King commands this Honourable House to attend His Majesty immediately, in the House of Peers.

The Speaker, with the House, went up to attend His Majesty.

When the Speaker and the House returned, the House was suspended.

The Speech from the Throne may be found here.