John Baron MP welcomes Queen’s Speech

MP highlights key measures in legislative programme

During yesterday’s State Opening of Parliament the Government’s legislative priorities for the coming session were set out in the Queen’s Speech.

John said,

“I welcome this new session of Parliament and the many excellent ideas within the Queen’s Speech. The pandemic hit early in the previous session, and the last year has rightly centred on responding to the challenges of the coronavirus. As we emerge from the pandemic it is right that the Government takes further steps to implement our 2019 manifesto.”

“In particular, I look forward to the various items of legislation which will ensure we capitalise on our new status outside the European Union. This will include a Subsidy Control Bill, which will implement a domestic subsidy control regime reflecting our strategic and national interests, and a Procurement Bill, which will slash over 350 EU-derived regulations and make procurement quicker, simpler and easier. There will also be a Professional Qualifications Bill to establish a framework for Britain to recognise qualifications from across the world, enabling employers to access the necessary professionals when there are shortages in the UK.”

“Continuing successive Conservative governments’ theme of enabling people to reskill and seek new opportunities, I also welcome the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill. This will allow people to train and re-train at any stage in their lives, supporting them to move into better and higher-skilled jobs as well as helping to equip our national workforce with the necessary tools.”

“The UK life sciences sector has made an enormous contribution during the pandemic, and so I also welcome further steps to bolster it by increasing public expenditure on research and development to £22 billion. The Government will also create the Advanced Research and Invention Agency, which will focus on funding high-risk but high-reward research and development.”

“Finally, it is right that the Government will be introducing legislation to address the legacy of the Troubles. This will help lead to better outcomes for victims, survivors and veterans, focusing on information recovery and reconciliation and working to end the successive cycles of investigations. A separate Northern Ireland Bill will further serve to strengthen institutions in this part of the UK.”