Weekly Information Bulletin: 26th March 2011

Draft Bills under consideration or published during 2010–11 Session

As part of the reforms to the legislative process initiated by the Modernisation Committee, the government now publishes a number of bills each session in draft form, before they are introduced into parliament as formal bills. This enables consultation and pre-legislative scrutiny before a bill is issued formally.

The House can refer these to a joint committee of the Commons and Lords appointed for the specific purpose of examining and reporting on a named draft bill. A draft bill may also be referred to one of the departmental select committees or a select committee appointed for that specific purpose.

Listed below are draft bills that are currently under consideration or that have been published during the 2010/11 Session of Parliament. Further information on draft bills, including those from previous sessions can be viewed on the Parliament website at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/bills-and-legislation/draft-bills/ This page links to electronic copies of the draft bills and related publications including select committee reports on the draft bills.