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