Government's Legislative Programme 2012-13 (Northern Ireland)

Thursday 10th May 2012 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr Owen Paterson)]

The second Session UK legislative programme unveiled in the Queen’s Speech on 9 May contains measures of relevance to the people of Northern Ireland.

The following is a summary of the legislation announced in the Queen’s Speech and its impact in Northern Ireland. It does not include draft Bills.

The list also identifies the lead Government Department.

1. The following Bills extend to Northern Ireland, in whole or in part, and deal mainly with excepted/reserved matters. Discussions will continue between the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that where provisions that are specifically for a transferred purpose are included in any of these Bills, the consent of the Northern Ireland Assembly will be sought for them:

Justice and Security (Home Office/Ministry of Justice)

EU (Approval of Treaty Amendment Decision) (Foreign and Commonwealth Office)

EU (Croation Accession) (Foreign and Commonwealth Office)

House of Lords Reform (Cabinet Office)

Small Donations (HM Treasury)

Groceries Code Adjudicator (Business, Innovation and Skills)

Banking Reform (HM Treasury)

2. The following Bills may extend to Northern Ireland to varying degrees. They require the consent of the Northern Ireland Assembly in relation to those provisions in the devolved field:

Crime and Courts (Home Office/Ministry of Justice)

Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Business, Innovation and Skills)

Public Service Pensions (Department for Work and Pensions)

Energy (Department of Energy and Climate Change)

Discussions will continue between the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive on Bills that might include provisions that require the consent of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

3. The following Bills will have limited or no application in Northern Ireland:

Electoral Registration and Administration Bill (Cabinet Office)

Defamation (Ministry of Justice)

Pensions (Department for Work and Pensions)

Families and Children (Department for Education)