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Wednesday 18 May 2016 11:45 am

The Queen’s Speech 2016: Here’s everything announced today

By: Mark Sands

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Today's Queen's Speech was announced as a “one nation” effort by Prime Minister David Cameron, and was set around three principles – the economy, increasing chances for the disadvantaged and security.

The economy – digital, transport, planning and jobs

The Queen laid out plans to modernise Britain's climate for business through a Digital Economy Bill, which will give every household the right to a fast broadband connection, and new laws to help telcos build infrastructure for faster broadband and better mobile.

There will also be a new Modern Transport Bill, which will include legislation to enable the development of commercial spaceports in the UK, and elements to encourage potential investors in autonomous vehicles.

A Neighbourhood Planning and Infrastructure Bill will include measures to speed up planning, targeting pre-commencement planning conditions, while the National Infrastructure Commission, launched by Chancellor George Osborne during last year's Conservative Party Conference and chaired by Lord Adonis, will be given a statutory footing.

A new Local Growth and Jobs Bill will give local authorities control of 100 per cent of the money raised through business rates, and introduce to powers for combined authority mayors to introduce further business rate supplements to fund local infrastructure projects.

Read More: Space tourism, driverless cars and drones set for Queen's Speech lift off

Protecting the disadvantaged – pensions, savings and adoption

The Queen also revealed a new Pensions Bill, which comes after demands by the Work and Pensions Committee for tighter regulation of master trusts, in particular. The Bill will ask master trusts to meet strict new criteria before entering the market, and create new powers for The Pensions Regulator to take action. It will also put bring into force powers to cap exit charges for savers looking to transfer their pensions without hindrance.

In addition, a new Lifetime Savings Bill will introduce two new savings bill programmes first mentioned by Osborne in this year's Budget- the so-called help to save offering, which offers a government top up to savers on benefits who put aside £50 a month, and the Lifetime Isa, which offers a 25 per cent bonus on all savings up to £4,000 a year.

A new Children and Social Work Bill will introduce new regulation for social workers, and changes to the rules around adoption, as well as a new requirement on local authorities to set out entitlements for care leavers, including housing, jobs and healthcare.

An Education for All Bill will also introduce new laws to expand the government's academies programme in the poorest performing local authorities, and deliver a new funding regimes for schools.

New powers for prison governors will also be introduced through the Prison and Courts Reform Bill, giving them increased autonomy, while new performance measures will also be introduced to assess the performance and progress of prisons.

Finally, a new National Citizen Service Bill will expands the existing National Citizen Service, giving schools and local authorities a duty to promote the scheme, as well introducing a new statutory framework for the delivering the programme.

Read More: Calls increase for Pensions Bill

Security – policing, tax evasion and a Bill of Rights

The Queen's Speech also included a raft of new legislation designed to invest in the armed forces, and boost the powers of the security and intelligence agencies.

This will include a new Criminal Finances Bill, which will follow through on the Conservative manifesto promise of making it a criminal offence for corporations that fail to stop staff facilitating tax evasion.

A Policing and Crime Bill will include a new duty on the emergency services to improve efficiency and effectiveness, and introduce a boosted role for Police and Crime Commissioners, who will get a stronger oversight role over local complaints.

The Queen will also state the government's commitment to introducing a new British Bill of Rights in this parliament, based on the European Convention of Human Rights.

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