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With that spirit in mind, DeHavilland brings you an update on a selection of Private Members’ Bills drawn in the 2017 Ballot. As we reach the halfway point in the bumper two-year session of Parliament, those MPs lucky enough to have their Bills chosen last year have found that fortune can be a tricky business. Some Bills such as Kevin Hollinrake’s Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill have had a smooth journey through Parliament, whereas others such as Angus Brendan MacNeil’s Refugees (Family Reunion) (No. 2) Bill have had a rockier time.

The following briefing provides a list of those Bills which may, if passed into law, significantly impact their relevant sectors. The Bills have also been narrowed down to those which have gained or have the potential to gain momentum in Parliament.

We have provided a succinct description of both the sponsor and content of each Bill alongside analysis of its Parliamentary support and the next steps in the legislative process. The listing of Bills in this briefing begin with those furthest through the process to become law, gradually moving to those that are further away.

For more information on each MP in this document, simply click their name to be transferred to DeHavilland PeoplePoint, where there is further insight and contact information.

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Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill ...... 2

Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Bill ...... 4

Prisons (Interference with Wireless Telegraphy) Bill ...... 4

Parliamentary Constituencies (Amendment) Bill ...... 6

Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation and Liability for Housing Standards) Bill ...... 8

Stalking Protections Bill ...... 9

Refugees (Family Reunion) (No. 2) Bill ...... 9

Organ Donation (Deemed Consent) Bill ...... 11

Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration Etc) Bill ...... 12

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The Sponsor

Conservative MP Kevin Hollinrake is a property entrepreneur, who has expressed political interest in policy areas such as the Northern Powerhouse, devolution, the rural economy and fracking.

Mr Hollinrake was appointed Principle Private Secretary (PPS) to Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary in 2017 and also stands on the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee.

What the Bill does

The Parental Bereavement Bill seeks to create statutory entitlements to ‘parental bereavement leave and pay’ for when employees’ children have died. The entitlements, at the Bill’s current stage, only apply to those parents whose children have died under the age of 18.

The Bill makes numerous amendments to previous Acts such as the Employment Rights Act 1996 and Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992.

Parliamentary Support

Mr Hollinrake’s Bill has support from Government, with comments from the Digital and Creative Industries Minister Margot James describing the Bill as going “significantly further than most other countries in providing this kind of workplace right for employees”.

In the most recent debate of the Bill, its Third Reading, Energy and Industry Minister Richard Harrington reaffirmed the Governments full support. Additionally, Mr Hollinrake’s Bill has received the ‘Money Resolution’ from Government, providing the funding for any costs incurred by the proposed legislation. It is highly likely the Bill will become law.

Next Steps

• The Bill has passed all stages of the Commons and passed its First Reading at the on 14 May 2018. • It awaits its Second Reading where the Bill will be debated by the Lords, the date of which is yet to be announced.

A copy of the Bill can be found here – accurate as of the briefing’s publication date.

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The Sponsor

Shadow Civil Society Minister ’s main areas of political interest include home affairs, local government, education, health and crime and justice.

Mr Reed was appointed Shadow Minister for Local Government after the 2015 General Election. However, he resigned from the Labour frontbench following the EU Referendum result in June 2016.

Mr Reed returned in October 2016 as Shadow Civil Society Minister as has remained in post since.

What the Bill does

The Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Bill seeks to make provision about the oversight and management of the appropriate use of force in relation to people in mental health institutions. The Bill also seeks to make provision for the wearing of body cameras by police officers in their dealings with people in mental health institutions.

Parliamentary Support

Mental Health and Inequalities Minister Jackie Doyle-Price highlighted Government support for the Bill as it was an “important ingredient in our broader agenda to improve the treatment of people with mental health problems and illnesses”.

The Bill has received its relevant Money Resolution, albeit with some delay. The Money Resolution provides the funding for any costs incurred by the Bill, so it is likely the Bill will pass into law. Mr Reed’s Bill also received very wide support from across the House of Commons during its Second Reading.

Next Steps

• Mr Reed’s Bill will enter Report Stage in the House of Commons on 15 June 2018, which will be the final chance for amendments to be made to it by the Commons. • Very soon after, the Bill will enter its Third Reading, where MPs will debate and vote on the contents of the Bill.

A copy of the Bill can be found here – accurate as of the briefing’s publication date.

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The Sponsor

This Bill was initially sponsored by Conservative MP Esther McVey, but the sponsorship changed following Ms McVey’s appointment as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to Conservative MP Maria Caulfield.

Speaking to DeHavilland about her candidacy at the 2015 General Election, Ms Caulfield highlighted her experience of working in the health sector. Having pursued a lengthy career in the health service, her main areas of policy interest include health, housing and rural issues, and she has a strong affinity with efforts to improve the lot of breast cancer sufferers after having lost her mother.

What the Bill does

The Bill would create a new power for the Secretary of State to authorise public communications providers (for example mobile phone network operators) to interfere with wireless telegraphy to disrupt unlawful mobile phone use in prisons.

The Bill however does not apply to Prisons in Scotland.

Parliamentary Support

The Bill has a wide range of support from across the House of Commons including both the Government and the Labour Party. Further, those MPs which explicitly stated support for the Bill include Members from Wales, which Ms Caulfield welcomed as support from across the .

The Bill passed committee stage after only one sitting and without amendment on 9 May 2018. Given its cross-party support and the speed at which the Bill is passing through the House of Commons, it is highly likely the Bill will pass into law.

Next Steps

• The Bill is to enter Report Stage and Third Reading on 6 July 2018 after which it shall enter the House of Lords for further scrutiny.

A copy of the Bill can be found here – accurate as of the briefing’s publication date.

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The Sponsor

At the time of his selection, Labour MP Afzal Khan was an MEP in the European Parliament, first elected in 2014. He was a Substitute for the Committee on Budgets, a Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence.

Mr Khan’s primary policy interests are in financial affairs and social issues concerning racism. Mr Khan discussed issues of race and discrimination in his maiden speech to the House of Commons in July 2017, saying “in the House, I will always be a champion of equality”.

He currently sits as Shadow Immigration Minister.

What the Bill does

The Bill essentially challenges the Government’s boundary review, which would see the number of Parliamentary constituencies across the UK go from 650 down to 600. It specifies that the number of seats should stay at the current level of 650, even after the boundary review.

Parliamentary support

Mr Khan’s Bill is currently at Committee Stage, with the Committee having met four times previous.

The Committee last met on 23 May and plans to meet every Wednesday. However, it is currently waiting on a Money Resolution from the Government and cannot progress further with the Bill without.

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The Committee members are as follows:

Click on a name to see their DeHavilland PeoplePoint profile for more information including contact details

• (Con) – Chair • Afzal Khan (Lab) • Peter Bone (Con) • Karen Lee (Lab) • Kevin Foster (Con) • Bambos Charalambous (Lab) • (Con) • Colleen Fletcher (Lab) • Bob Stewart (Con) • Cat Smith (Lab) • Bill Wiggin (Con) • • (Con) Alex Norris (Lab) • Nigel Mills (Con)

• Ian Paisley (DUP) • David Linden (SNP)

As it is challenges Government plans, it has unsurprisingly received no support from the front benches and majority of the Conservative party. Explicit support has been given to the Bill by several opposition parties such as the SNP and Labour. It is unlikely the Bill will pass into law, as it does not have Government backing.

Next Steps

• As previously iterated the Bill will remain in Committee Stage until there is a Money Resolution, but that Resolution is unlikely to appear.

A copy of the Bill can be found here – accurate as of the briefing’s publication date.

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The Sponsor

A formal local government officer, Labour MP lists her policy interests as housing, urban regeneration, healthcare, welfare, children, child poverty, and environment & climate change.

Ms Buck had previously introduced this Bill to Parliament in 2015, but it did not make sufficient progress during 2015-16 so it was not passed. However, Ms Buck has reintroduced the Bill in its current form, revised from the 2015-16 version

What the Bill does

The Bill proposes to create a new requirement on all residential landlords to ensure their properties are fit for human habitation. It will do this by applying the definition of ‘hazard’, outlined in Section 2(1) of the Housing Act 2004, to the responsibilities of the landlord.

Ms Buck said the Bill aimed to “modernise the housing fitness standard and it will extend to cover almost all tenancies – private, housing association and council. She cited the importance of the potential legislation in the wake of the Grenfell disaster, where “the residents had no legal route available to them to pursue their concerns”.

Parliamentary Support

The Bill has received Government support, notably from , the then Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary, who said the legislation would “help ensure rented homes are safe”.

As the Bill has Government support, it will likely pass into law, a caveat being its passage is not certain considering it is an opposition Bill.

The Bill received its Second Reading in the House of Commons on 19 January 2018, where it received explicit support from Conservative backbenchers: (who currently sits on the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee), Neil O’Brien, , , Lucy Allan, , , and . The Bill has also been supported from the outset by Conservative MP Heidi Allen.

Next Steps

• Ms Buck’s Bill has passed its Second Reading and is to be scrutinised line by line in a Public Bill Committee, which is yet to announce its membership and date of first sitting.

A copy of the Bill can be found here – accurate as of the briefing’s publication date. DeHavilland Information Services Ltd 2018 www.dehavilland.co.uk 8

The Sponsor

Having practised medicine in her career before joining Parliament, Conservative MP Dr Sarah Wollaston has unsurprisingly listed as her political interests as the NHS, alcohol related problems, bovine TB, and rural communities.

Dr Wollaston was first elected to the Chair of the Health Committee in June 2014 and re-elected in 2017. Under her Chairship of the Health Select Committee, Dr Wollaston has led many high-profile inquiries into proposals for a sugar tax, childhood obesity, social care, and the financial management of the NHS.

What the Bill does

The Bill aims to build upon previous anti-stalking protections such as the introduction of two new related offences in 2012 and the increase in the maximum sentence for stalking to ten years in 2017.

Dr Wollaston’s sponsor of the Bill comes to fill a hole within current legislation regarding lack of protection from stalking from strangers i.e. not current or former partners.

Notably, the Bill specifically gives powers for ‘stalking protection orders’ (SPOs) to be applied, which prohibits those in receipt of such an order from doing whatever is outlined within. An SPO can be applied for regardless of whether the act of stalking has been undertaken inside or outside of the UK.

Parliamentary support

The bill has received “wholehearted support” from the Labour party, as outlined by Shadow during the Bill’s Second Reading on 19 January 2018.

As the sponsor of the Bill is from the Conservative Party, it is no surprise the Government has expressed its support in a statement from Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability Minister Victoria Atkins saying the Bill “will ensure we are able to introduce a new a new SPO to protect victims at the earliest possible stage”. It is likely the Bill will pass into law considering its support from across the House of Commons.

Next steps

• Dr Wollaston’s Bill is to be scrutinised line by line in a Public Bill Committee, which is yet to announce both its membership and date of first sitting.

A copy of the Bill can be found here – accurate as of the briefing’s publication date.

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The Sponsor

Former teacher and journalist Angus Brendan MacNeil primary policy interest is in the economics of small states, and he lists Norway, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands as places of particular concern. Considered to be on the left wing of the Scottish National Party, he shot to prominence in 2006 when he asked the police to investigate allegations that the Government had sold peerages.

Mr MacNeil is currently SNP Westminster Environment, Rural Affairs and Digital Spokesperson.

What the Bill does

The Bill provides leave to enter or remain in the UK to the family members of refugees and of people granted humanitarian protection. The Bill also seeks to make provision for legal aid to be made available for such family reunion cases.

Parliamentary Support

The Government does not support the Bill as it contradicts the direction it wishes to go in relation to asylum. For that reason, it is widely speculated that the Government will seek to block the Bill. Immigration Minister expressed concern that the Bill could encourage people to take alternative pathways to the UK that could be putting them in danger.

However, Mr MacNeil’s Bill has a wide base of support from across the House of Commons, demonstrated in its passing of second reading on 16 March 2018. It is important to bear in mind the Government has a relatively small majority, so a concerted coordinated effort from opposition parties, joined with rebel Conservative backbenchers, such as (who supports the Bill), could see it pass.

It is unclear as to whether the Bill will pass, but the chances are it will not.

Next Steps

• The Bill has passed second reading and has been committed to a Public Bill Committee, the date of which has not been announced. • It is important to stress that if the Government delay or choose to refuse a Money Resolution for the Bill, it would not be able to progress further than Committee stage.

A copy of the Bill can be found here – accurate as of the briefing’s publication date.

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The Sponsor

Labour MP Geoffrey Robinson pursued a successful career in business before entering the House of Commons in 1976. Since his election in 1976 he has held his seat comfortably, despite several attempts by the local party to deselect him.

He has been a long-time active voice for business within the Labour party and is interested in policy areas that involve industry, economic policy and new technology. He has previously served as the Labour party’s Shadow Spokesperson for Science and then Trade and Industry and as Paymaster- General. He was, and is, a strong and vocal opponent of austerity having argued that there was “no evidence” to support the Government’s belief that cuts would lead to economic improvement.

What the Bill does

The Bill would introduce an opt-out system for organ donation and enable people in to withhold consent for organ donation and transplantation. The Bill was welcomed by those in the medical profession, the British Medical Association described the Bill as “the best option for the UK”.

The main aim of the Bill is to reduce the current shortage of organs and, therefore, save lives.

Parliamentary Support

The Bill has received a lot of cross-party support. Prime Minister described the Bill as a “brilliant idea” and both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have committed to changing the law to an opt-out system. The Government has dubbed the legislation proposed in the bill as “Max’s law” after a 10-year-old boy in need of a heart transplant.

Next Steps

• The Bill was given a Second Reading on 23 February 2018 and subsequently progressed to a Public Bill Committee, although the date for this has yet to be announced.

A copy of the Bill can be found here – accurate as of the briefing’s publication date.

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The Sponsor

Before beginning his career as an MP following the 1997 election, Conservative MP Tim Loughton worked as an asset manager and company director. He is particularly interested in policy issues surrounding finance, home affairs, education, health, disability and the environment.

In November 2014, Mr Loughton was appointed to the Home Affairs Committee and has been a member periodically ever since. He is perhaps best known for his time spent as Children’s Minister in the coalition government following the 2010 General Election.

What the Bill does

The main provision of the Bill will give opposite-sex couples the same opportunity to enter into a civil partnership as same-sex couples. With almost 3m co-habiting couples in the UK, civil partnerships will provide an option if they do not wish to marry. The Bill will also provide them with the same legal protection that married couples get.

It will also make provisions that the mother’s names will be registered during a marriage or civil partnership, that stillborn babies’ deaths are registered and give coroners the power to investigate stillborn deaths.

Parliamentary Support

As the Bill is sponsored by a member of the Conservative Party, the Government pledged their support but did table some amendments which were accepted by Mr Loughton. The Government pledged to further investigate all the provisions put forward in the Bill and fully supported the correction of the anomaly under which mothers’ names were not recorded following a marriage or civil partnership.

Next Steps

Mr Loughton’s Bill passed the Second Reading on 2 February 2018 and will progress to the Public Bill Committee, the date of which is yet to be announced.

A copy of the Bill can be found here – accurate as of the briefing’s publication date.

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