Bassetlaw MP John Mann has welcomed the Queen’s Speech, delivered to Parliament this morning by HM the Queen.

John Mann MP has welcomed several of the proposed Bills, which offer specific benefits to people across Bassetlaw:

Legal Services Bill

This Bill will ensure that all legal services are properly regulated and that consumers have robust protection against poor service.

This Bill will create a new Legal Services Board to provide high-level oversight of legal regulatory bodies including the Law Society. This will simplify and bring consistency to current regulation and oversight arrangements. There will also be a new Office for Legal Complaints, an independent body to handle consumer complaints about persons regulated by regulatory bodies.

John Mann MP said:

“We need stronger protection for consumers using solicitors and other legal services. I have referred over thirty firms of solicitors to the Law Society in the fight for miners compensation justice. I have also referred cases to the Legal Services Ombudsman. My experience is that regulation of the legal profession needs to be tighter and more co-ordinated. I want to see a regulatory framework that offers consumers proper protection, transparency and a clear route of how to make complaints against solicitors.”

Child Support Bill

John Mann demanded over two years ago that the Child Support Agency (CSA) should be scrapped.

The Child Support Bill will replace the CSA with a new more focussed and effective child support system. The Bill will also deliver a simpler and more effective system for assessing, collecting and enforcing child maintenance. The Bill will also bring forward new enforcement powers to deal with parents who repeatedly fail to pay maintenance, including suspending passports and imposing curfews.

John Mann MP said:

“I demanded over two years ago that the CSA should be scrapped. The organisation is useless and creates frustration and anger amongst parents. My surgeries continue to be full with people getting poor service from the CSA: parents who cannot get money from an estranged parent, and parents who are being forced to over-pay. We need a new system that is strong and fair.”

Criminal Justice Bill and Organised Crime Bill

Security at every level, from yobs in the street right through to global terrorism, is the number one priority in the Queen’s Speech.

The Criminal Justice Bill will introduce measures to further protect the public, reduce crime even further and to bring more offenders to justice.

The Criminal Justice Bill will tip the balance in favour of crime victims, making sure that the needs of victims are at the centre of everything the criminal justice system does.

A new sentencing framework will be introduced to get minor crime dealt with quickly, meaning that more time and resources can be spent dealing with repeat offenders and violent and serious crime.

The new Organised Crime Bill will give further powers to fight serious and organised crime, building on the introduction of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).

The Bill will allow for new restrictions to be put on individuals and will strengthen measures to recover criminal assets and finance.

John Mann MP said:

“We need to see more rights given to victims. The Criminal Justice Bill will give more rights to the decent, law abiding majority and will give the Police more powers to deal with yobs and thugs in our communities. I also want to see tougher sentencing for those convicted of serious and organised crime. It’s right that fighting crime at the street level and at the global level are both priorities. I want to see safer streets and a safer world.”

Concessionary Bus Travel Bill

In the 2006 Budget Gordon Brown announced that everyone aged 60 and over, and disabled people, will get free off-peak bus travel on all buses anywhere in England. The existing entitlement prevents people from travelling for free outside their local authority area. This Bill will mean that from April 2008 everyone over 60 will get free bus travel anywhere.

John Mann MP said:

“This is a common sense bill, which will be of significant benefit to people in Bassetlaw. Many people want to travel by bus to towns outside the area but currently cannot do so for free. This Bill will offer a real benefit to pensioners across the area.”

Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Bill

This Bill will clamp down on rogue estate agents and dodgy doorstep sellers. This Bill will protect consumers and take action against rogue traders who seek to rip off people. The Bill will force all estate agents to join an Ombudsman scheme to protect homebuyers and sellers. This will give more power to trading standards officials to investigate malpractice and take action against unscrupulous traders.

 John Mann MP said:

“I have demanded action against dodgy traders and people who operate doorstep scams. These rogue traders often target vulnerable people; this Bill will bring forward powers to take action against rogue traders. It will also strengthen the rights of consumers who are conned by doorstep sellers.”

For further information about the Queen's Speech, or if you have any questions on a specific Bill please contact John Mann MP:

mannj@parliament.uk or write to John:

68a Carlton Road, Worksop, S80 1PH