|
| |
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
establish a Citizens’ Convention to facilitate the involvement of people from |
| |
all sections of society in considering the way in which the United Kingdom is |
| |
governed; to make provision relating to the implementation of |
| |
recommendations made by the Convention; and for connected purposes. |
| |
Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and |
| |
consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present |
| |
Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:— |
| |
| |
(1) | The Secretary of State must, within 12 months of the passing of this Act, |
| |
establish a Citizens’ Convention for the purposes of— |
| |
(a) | involving people more directly in the process of democratic decision- |
| |
| 5 |
(b) | enabling people to participate in that process. |
| |
(2) | Before establishing the Citizens’ Convention the Secretary of State must |
| |
consult on the way in which the Convention shall be set up and discharge its |
| |
| |
(3) | The organisations to be consulted under subsection (2) shall include— |
| 10 |
(a) | organisations that have an interest in the governance of the United |
| |
| |
(b) | community organisations; |
| |
(c) | organisations with an interest in environmental protection; |
| |
(d) | organisations representing businesses; |
| 15 |
| |
(f) | organisations representing the voluntary sector. |
| |
(4) | The Secretary of State must take reasonable steps to ensure that persons from |
| |
the most under-represented and disadvantaged sections of society are |
| |
involved in the Convention. |
| 20 |
(5) | The Secretary of State must make regulations about the composition of the |
| |
Convention, the procedure to be followed by the Convention, the way in which |
| |
|
| |
| |
|
| |
|
persons specified in subsection (4) are involved in the Convention, and other |
| |
matters relevant to the administration of the Convention. |
| |
(6) | Regulations made under subsection (5) must include a requirement for the |
| |
Convention to hold meetings and adopt other mechanisms for promoting the |
| |
involvement of people from all regions of the United Kingdom. |
| 5 |
(7) | Regulations under this section— |
| |
(a) | must be made by statutory instrument; and |
| |
(b) | must be approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament. |
| |
(8) | In this section, “the most under-represented and disadvantaged sections of |
| |
society” includes, but is not restricted to, people from ethnic minorities, people |
| 10 |
living in poverty, people with disabilities, people over the age of 60 and people |
| |
| |
2 | Implementation of recommendations |
| |
(1) | It shall be the duty of the Citizens’ Convention to make recommendations, in |
| |
the form of written reports to the Secretary of State, to achieve the purposes |
| 15 |
| |
(2) | The reports made under subsection (1) shall be published. |
| |
(3) | The Secretary of State must must— |
| |
(a) | consider the recommendations made by the Convention; |
| |
(b) | co-operate with the Convention in taking decisions about their |
| 20 |
| |
(c) | take such steps as are necessary to implement those decisions. |
| |
| |
There shall be paid out of money provided by Parliament any expenses incurred under |
| |
this Act by a Minister of the Crown or by the Convention. |
| 25 |
| |
This Act may be cited as the Citizens’ Convention Act 2008. |
|