Protection of Freedoms Bill: Public Reading Stage

Tuesday 15th February 2011 Written Statements

[The Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Nick Clegg)]

The Government have pledged in the coalition agreement to introduce:

“a new “public reading stage” for Bills to give the public an opportunity to comment on proposed legislation online, and a dedicated “public reading day” within a Bills Committee stage where those comments will be debated by the Committee scrutinising the Bill”.

In their first report to the House, the Select Committee on Reform of the House of Commons (the “Wright Committee”) noted there have been “very few individual submissions” made to Public Bill Committees. While individuals are not discouraged from participating, the Committee warned that:

“nowhere are the public positively invited to comment in any detail on the provisions of Bills or to propose amendments which might at least be worthy of debate”.

The Government have an interest in ensuring that the process of making law is more transparent and open to the public, so that their legislative policies have been publicly tested at every stage from the initial proposal through to implementation.

The Government have already involved the public in generating some of the ideas contained in the Protection of Freedoms Bill through the Your Freedom website. So that this involvement can be maintained, the Government are today launching a website (www.publicreadingstage. cabinetoffice.gov.uk) that will allow the public to comment on the Protection of Freedoms Bill online, before the House of Commons commences its considerations at Second Reading.

The public’s comments will be published in an appropriate form and made available to the House to assist and inform its debate and scrutiny of the Bill. The pilot will not involve changes to Standing Orders or the procedures of the House; nor will it affect the scheduling of the Bill. This pilot will allow the technology to be tested that could, subject to the views of the House, facilitate the introduction of a “public reading stage”, as outlined in the coalition’s programme for Government.