Parliament is set to have a busy schedule this week with several important bills being debated and voted on. Parliament will be discussing the Seizure of Russian State Assets and Support for Ukraine Bill, which requires the government to lay out a proposal for the seizure of Russian state assets to provide support for Ukraine. The bill is a ten minute rule motion presented by Chris Bryant and aims to support Ukraine in its efforts to stand up against Russian aggression.
Another important bill on the agenda is the Seafarers' Wages Bill, which is at the report stage and third reading. This bill applies to England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland and closes a loophole that allowed people working on boats that regularly serve UK ports to be paid below minimum wage. The bill is being introduced in response to the decision of P&O Ferries to cut 800 jobs and replace them with agency workers.
In addition to these bills, Parliament will also be discussing the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, which is under consideration of Lords amendments. This bill applies to England, Scotland (part), and Wales and places new obligations on universities and colleges to defend free speech, which for the first time includes student unions. The bill creates the position of Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom, who will sit on the board of the Office for Students (England's independent higher education regulator) and investigate breaches of these new free speech duties, with the power to issue fines.
On Wednesday, Parliament will be voting on the Disposable Electronic Cigarettes (Prohibition of Sale) Bill, which aims to ban the sale of disposable e-cigarettes. The bill is a ten minute rule motion presented by Caroline Johnson. Thursday and Friday have no votes scheduled.
Last week, several bills were passed in Parliament, including the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, Clean Air Bill, Scotland (Self-Determination) Bill, UK Infrastructure Bank Bill, Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Bill, Carer's Leave Bill, Worker Protection (Amendment of the Equality Act 2010) Bill, Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill, and Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill. All of these bills have gone to the Lords for further consideration.
These bills cover a range of important issues, from workers' rights to environmental protection, and the debates and votes in Parliament this week will be crucial in determining the future of these important policy areas. Parliament will have a busy schedule ahead, but the discussions and votes on these bills are a testament to the commitment of the UK government to address the pressing issues facing the country.
To see the full voting schedule go to: https://whatson.parliament.uk/
Photo by Andrea De Santis on Unsplash
