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241

 

House of Commons

 
 

Notices of Amendments

 

given on

 

Tuesday 17 May 2011

 

For other Amendment(s) see the following page(s):

 

Welfare Reform Bill Committee 220-239

 

Public Bill Committee


 

Welfare Reform Bill

 

Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission

 

Chris Grayling

 

Maria Miller

 

NC17

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘Schedule (Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission) amends the Child

 

Poverty Act 2010 for the purpose of establishing the Social Mobility and Child

 

Poverty Commission.’.

 

Chris Grayling

 

Maria Miller

 

NS1

 

To move the following Schedule:—

 

‘Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission

 

Part 1

 

Establishment of Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission

 

1          

The Child Poverty Act 2010 is amended as follows.

 

2          

For section 8 (and the preceding italic heading) there is substituted—

 

“Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission

 

8      

Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission

 

(1)    

There is to be a body called the Social Mobility and Child Poverty

 

Commission (in this Act referred to as “the Commission”).


 
 

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Welfare Reform Bill, continued

 
 

(2)    

The Commission’s functions are those conferred on it by or under this

 

Act.

 

(3)    

Schedule 1 contains further provision about the Commission.

 

(4)    

A Minister of the Crown may by order provide for the Commission to

 

cease to exist on a day—

 

(a)    

specified in or determined in accordance with the order, and

 

(b)    

falling after the target year.

 

(5)    

An order under subsection (4) may contain such transitional or

 

consequential provision as the Minister of the Crown considers

 

necessary or expedient in connection with the abolition of the

 

Commission.

 

(6)    

That provision may include provision amending, repealing or

 

revoking—

 

(a)    

the provisions of this Act so far as relating to the Commission;

 

(b)    

any provision of any other Act (whenever passed);

 

(c)    

any provision of any instrument made under an Act (whenever

 

made).

 

8A      

Advice

 

(1)    

The Commission must on request give advice to a Minister of the

 

Crown about how to measure socio-economic disadvantage, social

 

mobility and child poverty.

 

(2)    

Advice given under this section must be published.

 

8B      

Annual reports

 

(1)    

Before each anniversary of the coming into force of this section the

 

Commission must publish a report setting out its views on the progress

 

made towards the goals in subsection (2).

 

(2)    

Those goals are—

 

(a)    

improving social mobility in the United Kingdom, and

 

(b)    

reducing child poverty in the United Kingdom, and in

 

particular—

 

(i)    

meeting the targets in sections 3 to 6 in relation to the

 

target year, and

 

(ii)    

implementing the most recent UK strategy, Scottish

 

strategy, Northern Ireland strategy and Welsh

 

strategy.

 

(3)    

A report under subsection (1) may by published as one or more

 

documents as a Minister of the Crown may direct.

 

(4)    

If the Commission so requests, a Minister of the Crown may by order

 

extend the publication deadline for any particular report by not more

 

than nine months.

 

(5)    

A Minister of the Crown must lay a report under this section before

 

Parliament.


 
 

Notices of Amendments: 17 May 2011                     

243

 

Welfare Reform Bill, continued

 
 

8C      

Other functions

 

 A Minister of the Crown may direct the Commission to carry out any

 

other activity relating to the goals in section 8B(2).”

 

3          

For Schedule 1 (Child Poverty Commission) there is substituted—

 

“Schedule 1

 

Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission

 

Membership, chair and deputy chair

 

1    (1)  

The members of the Commission are to be—

 

(a)    

a chair appointed by a Minister of the Crown,

 

(b)    

a member appointed by the Scottish Ministers,

 

(c)    

a member appointed by the Welsh Ministers,

 

(d)    

a member appointed by the relevant Northern Ireland

 

department, and

 

(e)    

any other members appointed by a Minister of the Crown.

 

      (2)  

A Minister of the Crown may appoint one of the members as the

 

deputy chair.

 

Term of office

 

2          

Members are to hold and vacate office in accordance with the terms

 

of their appointment, subject to the following provisions.

 

3          

Members must be appointed for a term of not more than five years.

 

4          

A member may resign by giving notice in writing to a Minister of

 

the Crown.

 

5          

A Minister of the Crown may remove a member if—

 

(a)    

the person has been absent from three or more consecutive

 

meetings of the Commission without its permission,

 

(b)    

the person has become bankrupt or has made an

 

arrangement with creditors,

 

(c)    

the person’s estate has been sequestrated in Scotland or the

 

person, under Scots law, has made a composition or

 

arrangement with, or granted a trust deed for, creditors, or

 

(d)    

the Minister is satisfied that the person is otherwise unable

 

or unfit to perform the duties of the office.

 

6          

A person ceases to be the chair or the deputy chair if the person—

 

(a)    

resigns that office by giving notice in writing to a Minister

 

of the Crown, or

 

(b)    

ceases to be a member.

 

7          

A person who holds or has held office as the chair, or as the deputy

 

chair or other member, may be reappointed, whether or not to the

 

same office.

 

Staff and facilities

 

8          

A Minister of the Crown may provide the Commission with—


 
 

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Welfare Reform Bill, continued

 
 

(a)    

such staff,

 

(b)    

such accommodation, equipment and other facilities, and

 

(c)    

such sums,

 

            

as the Minister may determine are required by the Commission in

 

the exercise of its functions.

 

Payments

 

9          

A Minister of the Crown may pay to or in respect of the members

 

of the Commission such remuneration, allowances and expenses as

 

the Minister may determine.

 

Supplementary powers

 

10         

The Commission may do anything that appears to it necessary or

 

appropriate for the purpose of, or in connection with, the carrying

 

out of its functions.

 

Status

 

11         

The Commission is not to be regarded—

 

(a)    

as the servant or agent of the Crown, or

 

(b)    

as enjoying any status, privilege or immunity of the Crown.

 

Sub-committees

 

12         

The Commission may establish sub-committees.

 

Validity of proceedings

 

13         

The Commission may regulate—

 

(a)    

its own procedure (including quorum),

 

(b)    

the procedure of any sub-committee (including quorum).

 

14         

The validity of anything done by the Commission or any sub-

 

committee is not affected by—

 

(a)    

any vacancy in the membership of the Commission or sub-

 

committee, or

 

(b)    

any defect in the appointment of any member of the

 

Commission or a sub-committee.

 

Discharge of functions

 

15         

The Commission may authorise a sub-committee or member to

 

exercise any of the Commission’s functions.”

 

Part 2

 

Supplementary amendments to Child Poverty Act 2010

 

4          

The Child Poverty Act 2010 is amended as follows.

 

5          

In section 6 (persistent poverty target), subsection (6)(b) and the preceding

 

“and” are repealed.

 

6          

In section 10 (provision of advice and consultation)—


 
 

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245

 

Welfare Reform Bill, continued

 
 

(a)    

for the heading, there is substituted “Consultation”;

 

(b)    

subsections (1) to (3) are repealed.

 

7          

In section 13 (advice and consultation: Scotland and Northern Ireland)—

 

(a)    

for the heading, there is substituted “Consultation: Scotland and

 

Northern Ireland”;

 

(b)    

subsections (1) and (2) are repealed.

 

8    (1)  

In the italic heading preceding section 14, for “Reports” there is substituted

 

“Statement”.

 

      (2)  

Section 14 is repealed.

 

9    (1)  

Section 15 (statement in relation to target year) is amended as follows.

 

      (2)  

In subsection (1), for “The report under section 14(3) must include” there is

 

substituted “The Secretary of State must, as soon as reasonably practicable

 

after the end of the target year, lay before Parliament”.

 

      (3)  

In subsection (4), for “the report under section 14(3)” there is substituted “the

 

statement”.

 

      (4)  

At the end there is inserted—

 

“(5)    

The Secretary of State must consult the Scottish Ministers, the Welsh

 

Ministers and the relevant Northern Ireland department before

 

preparing the statement.”

 

10         

In section 16 (economic and fiscal circumstances), in subsection (1)(b), for the

 

words from “to the Secretary of State” to the end there is substituted “under

 

section 8A”.

 

11  (1)  

Section 18 (interpretation) is amended as follows.

 

      (2)  

In the definition of “the Commission” in subsection (1), for “Child Poverty

 

Commission” there is substituted “Social Mobility and Child Poverty

 

Commission”.

 

      (3)  

After the definition of “financial year” in that subsection there is inserted—

 

““Minister of the Crown” has the same meaning as in the Ministers of the

 

Crown Act 1975;”.

 

12         

In section 28 (regulations and orders), in subsection (5)(b), after “section”

 

there is inserted “8B(4) or”.

 

13  (1)  

Schedule 2 (continuing effect of targets) is amended as follows.

 

      (2)  

In paragraph 1, in paragraph (a) of the definition of “target statement”, for “the

 

report required by section 14(3)” there is substituted “the statement required

 

by section 15”.

 

      (3)  

In paragraph 3(d), for “the Secretary of State”, in the first place, there is

 

substituted “the Commission”.

 

      (4)  

Paragraphs 6(c) and (d) and 7(1)(b) are repealed.

 

Part 3

 

Supplementary amendments to other Acts

 

14         

In Schedule 1 to the Public Records Act 1958 (definition of public records), in

 

Part 2 of the Table at the end of paragraph 3—

 

(a)    

the entry relating to the Child Poverty Commission is repealed;

 

(b)    

at the appropriate place there is inserted—

 

“Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission”.

 

15         

In Schedule 2 to the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 (departments etc

 

subject to investigation)—

 

(a)    

the entry relating to the Child Poverty Commission is repealed;


 
 

Notices of Amendments: 17 May 2011                     

246

 

Welfare Reform Bill, continued

 
 

(b)    

at the appropriate place there is inserted—

 

“Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission”.

 

16  (1)  

In Part 2 of Schedule 1 to the House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975

 

(bodies of which all members are disqualified)—

 

(a)    

the entry relating to the Child Poverty Commission is repealed;

 

(b)    

at the appropriate place there is inserted—

 

“The Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission”.

 

      (2)  

In Part 2 of Schedule 1 to the Northern Ireland Assembly Disqualification Act

 

1975 (bodies of which all members are disqualified)—

 

(a)    

the entry relating to the Child Poverty Commission is repealed;

 

(b)    

at the appropriate place there is inserted—

 

“The Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission”.

 

17         

In Part 6 of Schedule 1 to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (other public

 

bodies and offices: general)—

 

(a)    

the entry relating to the Child Poverty Commission is repealed;

 

(b)    

at the appropriate place there is inserted—

 

“The Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission”.’.

 

Chris Grayling

 

Maria Miller

 

290

 

Clause  136,  page  100,  line  21,  at end insert—

 

‘( )    

section [Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission] and Schedule

 

[Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission] (Social Mobility and

 

Child Poverty Commission);’.

 

Chris Grayling

 

Maria Miller

 

291

 

Title,  line  4,  after ‘jobcentres;’ insert ‘to establish the Social Mobility and Child Poverty

 

Commission;’.

 


 
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