23/11/2004 00:00
TW
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by RAY FLEMING
ALL the betting says that Britain's next general election will be on May 5 next year, yet the Queen's Speech at the State Opening of Parliament today will include no fewer than 28 new Bills and 8 draft Bills. There is simply not time to push this body of legislation and consultation through the Commons and Lords in just over five months, so several items of proposed legislation have been included in the list to give the appearance that commitments made in the past have not been forgotten.

Home Secretary David Blunkett has the lion's share of the Bills likely to be given priority for a place on the statute books. The biggest single proposal is the introduction of a national compulsory identity card. Not long ago such a scheme was talked of as being years away but the imperatives of the war on terror have probably persuaded the government that it cannot wait. Although there will be objections to ID cards on civil liberties grounds, the greater worry is whether any government computer system can be devised to cope with the huge task of instant card recognition by a National Identity Register.

THERE will eager anticipation to hear whether once more legislation for reform of the House of Lords is in the Speech. The Gambling Bill, severely criticised in its draft form, has been considerably revised to satisfy the objectors and in particular the number of “super casinos” has been cut to ten from the 40 initially proposed. However, trade unions will be asking why the legislation to make possible prosecution of companies responsible for deaths on construction sites is put forwards only in draft form; it was mentioned in Labour's 2001 manifesto and only four months ago Mr Blair appeared to give an undertaking to the unions that it would have priority.