This Lords Library briefing has been prepared in advance of the forthcoming Queen’s Speech, which is due to take place on 21 June 2017. The House of Lords is due to debate the Queen’s Speech over five days between 22 and 29 June 2017. This briefing is one of five prepared by the House of Lords Library to cover the themes of each day of debate.
Queen's Speech 2017 Day 2 (7 MB , PDF)
The Conservative Party won the largest number of seats at the 2017 general election, but did not secure an overall majority in the House of Commons. At the time of writing, the Conservative Party and the Democratic Unionist Party were in negotiations regarding a potential coalition or confidence and supply arrangement. Any agreement between the parties will have implications for which proposals the Government will bring forward. However, in lieu of any agreement, the Conservatives may seek to govern without a majority, which again will affect the contents of the Queen’s Speech. The Labour Party has said it will table an amendment, setting out its own programme for government.
In this context, this briefing sets out commitments in the Conservative Party manifesto for each policy area to be debated, together with relevant policy and legislative proposals made by the previous Conservative Government. It does not constitute official information about the Government’s intentions or provide a complete list of bills to be announced. This briefing also highlights sections of the Democratic Unionist Party manifesto, and comments or material from opposition parties, which may be helpful in establishing which Conservative proposals will be put forward in the Queen’s Speech. Again, this does not constitute official information about the forthcoming legislative programme, rather it is provided with the aim of indicating the policy intentions of parties prior to the general election.
The Government announced on 17 June 2017 that the forthcoming parliamentary session would last two years to “give MPs enough time to fully consider the laws required to make Britain ready for Brexit”.
Queen's Speech 2017 Day 2 (7 MB , PDF)
Farmers can help flood prevention. In England, farmers can receive payments for carrying out farming activities that support flood preparedness. The government also provides financial support to farmers impacted by severe flooding. A new Flood Resilience Taskforce has been launched to coordinate flooding preparation, as well as a Rural Flood Resilience Partnership to help farmers and rural communities build resilience to future flooding.
The Water (Special Measures) Bill [HL] is a government bill that would give regulators new powers to regulate the way private water companies operate in England and Wales. This includes the introduction of new penalties for water companies and the power to block executive bonuses. The bill would also make changes to the special administration regime for water companies to ensure the government and regulators were notified ahead of any winding up petitions.
![Water (Special Measures) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 17 of 2024–25](https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/Business-VIGs-568x426.jpg)
Bringing passenger railway services into public ownership was a commitment in the Labour Party’s manifesto ahead of the 2024 general election. The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill would implement this policy. It would remove the existing presumption that passenger railway service contracts are awarded to private companies. Instead, it would require the government to award contracts to publicly owned companies when existing ones expire.
