Government Bills of the 2015-16 Session


27 Bills received Royal Assent

These Bills are enacted into law as Acts of Parliament following completion of the Bill Process.
Acts of Parliament come into effect at midnight following Royal Assent, unless a date is specified within the Act.
Introduced: 16th September 2015

A Bill to continue the Armed Forces Act 2006; to make provision about service discipline; to make provision about war pensions committees established under section 25 of the Social Security Act 1989; to make provision about Ministry of Defence fire-fighters; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 12th May 2016 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 14th October 2015

A Bill to make provision about the Bank of England; to make provision about the regulation of financial services; to make provision about the issue of banknotes; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 4th May 2016 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 28th May 2015

This Bill received Royal Assent on 16th March 2016 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 1st June 2015

This Bill received Royal Assent on 16th March 2016 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 28th May 2015

A Bill to make provision for the election of mayors for the areas of, and for conferring additional functions on, combined authorities established under Part 6 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009; to make other provision in relation to bodies established under that Part; to make provision about local authority governance and functions; to confer power to establish, and to make provision about, sub-national transport bodies; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 28th January 2016 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 3rd June 2015

A Bill to make provision about schools in England that are causing concern, including provision about their conversion into Academies and about intervention powers; and to make provision about joint arrangements for carrying out local authority adoption functions in England.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 16th March 2016 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 9th July 2015

A Bill to make provision about the Oil and Gas Authority and its functions; to make provision about rights to use upstream petroleum infrastructure; to make provision about the abandonment of offshore installations, submarine pipelines and upstream petroleum infrastructure; to extend Part 1A of the Petroleum Act 1998 to Northern Ireland; to make provision about the disclosure of information for the purposes of international agreements; to make provision about fees in respect of activities relating to oil, gas, carbon dioxide and pipelines; to make provision about wind power; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 12th May 2016 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 16th September 2015

A bill to make provision relating to the promotion of enterprise and economic growth; provision about Sunday opening hours and Sunday working; and provision restricting exit payments in relation to public sector employment.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 4th May 2016 and was enacted into law.


A Bill to make provision approving for the purposes of section 8 of the European Union Act 2011 certain draft decisions under Article 352 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union

This Bill received Royal Assent on 17th December 2015 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 3rd June 2015

A Bill to approve for the purposes of section 7(1) of the European Union Act 2011 the decision of the Council of 26 May 2014 on the system of own resources of the European Union; and to amend the definition of "the Treaties" and "the EU Treaties" in section 1(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 so as to include that decision.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 21st July 2015 and was enacted into law.


A Bill To make provision for the holding of a referendum in the United Kingdom and Gibraltar on whether the United Kingdom should remain a member of the European Union.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 17th December 2015 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 14th July 2015

A Bill to grant certain duties, to alter other duties, and to amend the law relating to the National Debt and the Public Revenue, and to make further provision in connection with finance.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 18th November 2015 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 11th April 2016

A Bill to grant certain duties, to alter other duties, and to amend the law relating to the National Debt and the Public Revenue, and to make further provision in connection with finance.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 15th September 2016 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 17th December 2013

This Bill received Royal Assent on 23rd February 2017 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 13th October 2015

A Bill to make provision about housing, estate agents, rentcharges, planning and compulsory purchase.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 12th May 2016 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 17th September 2015

A Bill To make provision about the law on immigration and asylum; to make provisionabout access to services, facilities, licences and work by reference to immigrationstatus; to make provision about the Director of Labour Market Enforcement; to makeprovision about language requirements for public sector workers; to make provisionabout fees for passports and civil registration; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 12th May 2016 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 15th March 2016

A Bill to make provision about the interception of communications, equipment interference and the acquisition and retention of communications data, bulk personal datasets and other information; to make provision about the treatment of material held as a result of such interception, equipment interference or acquisition or retention; to establish the Investigatory Powers Commissioner and other Judicial Commissioners and make provision about them and other oversight arrangements; to make further provision about investigatory powers and national security; to amend sections 3 and 5 of the Intelligence Services Act 1994; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 29th November 2016 and was enacted into law.


A Bill to set a ceiling on the main and additional primary percentages, the secondary percentage and the upper earnings limit in relation to Class 1 national insurance contributions.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 17th December 2015 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 10th February 2016

A Bill to make provision about the Independent Reporting Commission, extend the period for the appointment of Northern Ireland Ministers, modify the pledge made by Northern Ireland Ministers on taking office, provide for persons becoming Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly to give an undertaking, and make provision about the draft budget of the Northern Ireland Executive, in pursuance of the agreement made on 17 November 2015 called A Fresh Start: The Stormont Agreement and Implementation Plan.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 4th May 2016 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 19th November 2015

To make provision in connection with social security and child support maintenance in Northern Ireland; to make provision in connection with arrangements under section 1 of the Employment and Training Act (Northern Ireland) 1950; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 25th November 2015 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 7th March 2016

A Bill to make provision for collaboration between the emergency services; to make provision about the handling of police complaints and other matters relating to police conduct and to make further provision about the Independent Police Complaints Commission; to make provision for super-complaints about policing; to make provision for the investigation of concerns about policing raised by whistle-blowers; to make provision about police discipline; to make provision about police inspection; to make provision about the powers of police civilian staff and police volunteers; to remove the powers of the police to appoint traffic wardens; to enable provision to be made to alter police ranks; to make provision about the Police Federation; to make provision in connection with the replacement of the Association of Chief Police Officers with the National Police Chiefs’ Council; to make provision about the system for bail after arrest but before charge; to make provision to enable greater use of modern technology at police stations; to make other amendments to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984; to amend the powers of the police under the Mental Health Act 1983; to extend the powers of the police in relation to maritime enforcement; to make provision about deputy police and crime commissioners; to make provision to enable changes to the names of police areas; to make provision about the regulation of firearms; to make provision about the licensing of alcohol; to make provision about the implementation and enforcement of financial sanctions; to amend the Police Act 1996 to make further provision about police collaboration; to make provision about the powers of the National Crime Agency; to make provision for requiring arrested persons to provide details of nationality; to make provision for requiring defendants in criminal proceedings to provide details of nationality and other information; to make provision to combat the sexual exploitation of children; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 31st January 2017 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 28th May 2015

This Bill received Royal Assent on 28th January 2016 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 28th May 2015

This Bill received Royal Assent on 23rd March 2016 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 2nd March 2016

This Bill received Royal Assent on 16th March 2016 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 14th July 2015

This Bill received Royal Assent on 21st July 2015 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 15th July 2015

A Bill to make provision about industrial action, trade unions, employers’ associations and the functions of the Certification Officer.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 4th May 2016 and was enacted into law.


A Bill to make provision about reports on progress towards full employment and the apprenticeships target; to make provision about reports on the effect of certain support for troubled families; to make provision about life chances; to make provision about the benefit cap; to make provision about social security and tax credits; to make provision for loans for mortgage interest and other liabilities; and to make provision about social housing rents.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 16th March 2016 and was enacted into law.