Queen’s Speech focuses on a stronger economy and fairer society
4 Jun 2014 03:57 PM
David Jones: "This
legislative programme reaffirms our commitment to improve the lives of people
in Wales and across the United Kingdom."
Commenting on the
government’s legislative programme for the coming year, announced by Her
Majesty The Queen today (4 June 2014), Secretary of State for Wales David Jones
said:
“The programme announced
in the Queen’s Speech today underlines the government’s commitment
to our long term economic plan to build a stronger and a fairer
society.”
Our three priorities for the
fourth session legislative programme are:
The legislative programme
contains 11 Bills and 3 draft Bills.
It also includes five carry over
Bills introduced in the last session, including the Wales Bill which will
devolve new powers to the National Assembly for Wales and Welsh Ministers over
taxation.
David Jones MP
said:
“As a government we have
shown that we are not afraid to take difficult decisions when it comes to
reducing the deficit and growing the economy.
“By delivering sustainable
growth driven by the private sector we will continue to repair the damaged
economy we inherited in 2010.
“Our fourth parliamentary
legislative programme will make a real difference to people’s lives
across the United Kingdom.
“The Small Business,
Enterprise and Employment Bill will allow small businesses to access the
finance they need to grow and to reduce red tape, making the UK a more
attractive place to start, and develop a business.
“The Pensions Tax Bill and
the Private Pensions Bill with allow for innovation in the private pensions
market, providing more choice for those saving for retirement and giving
greater freedom to individuals in how they access their pension
benefits.
“The Childcare Payments
Bill will help working families with childcare costs. The Bill will introduce a
scheme providing working families with support towards qualifying childcare
costs, up to a maximum of £2,000 per year for each
child.
“The Modern Slavery Bill
will strengthen the existing powers to prevent modern slavery and human
trafficking, while improving support for victims of such
crimes.
“The Serious Crime Bill
will strengthen the powers of the police to prevent serious and organised
crime, as well as enhanced powers to tackle child neglect.
“The Infrastructure Bill
will guarantee long-term investment in infrastructure and improve economic
competitiveness.
“The Armed Forces (Service
Complaints and Financial Assistance) Bill will improve the complaints system in
the Armed Forces through the creation of an ombudsman.
“The Social Action,
Responsibility and Heroism Bill provides that where a person acts heroically,
responsibly or for the benefit of others, this will be taken into account by
the courts.
“We are continuing with
legislation, through the Wales Bill, to give the Assembly and the Welsh
Government more powers over taxation.
“This legislative
programme reaffirms our commitment to improve the lives of people in Wales and
across the United Kingdom.”
Find out more about what
the Queen’s Speech 2014 means for you.