What is a Bill
1.1 What is a Bill in the UK Parliament?
In the UK, there is a clear process for developing laws. The first stage is to make a proposal, which is known as a ‘Bill’.
Bills can be used as both a proposal for a new law, or as a proposal to change an existing law. All Bills will be introduced to the House of Commons and the House of Lords for examination, discussion and amendment.
Once both Houses (Commons and Lords) have debated and agreed on the content of the Bill, then it will be presented to the Monarch for approval. This stage is known as ‘Royal Assent’. When this has occurred, then the Bill changes to become an ‘Act of Parliament’ and becomes law.
1.2 Are there different types of Bills in Parliament?
Bills can be introduced by a range of sources:
- The government
- Individual MPs or Lords
- Private individuals or organisations
There are three different types of Bill: Public (including Private Members Bills), Private and Hybrid Bills.
Public Bills are the most common type of Bill introduced in Parliament; they generally seek to change the law as it applies to the general population. For example, the 2022 Energy (Oil and Gas) Profits Levy Act 2022, which was introduced by the Government at the time, and was subsequently granted Royal Assent, requires that charge on ring fence profits of companies are imposed.
Private Members’ Bills are form of public bills that any MPs or Lord can introduce despite not being a government ministers. Whilst they will still seek to change the law, they also have the benefit of raising publicity around a certain topic so can be used to indirectly influence other legislation. An example of this is the 2022 Carbon Emissions (Buildings) Bill, introduced by a Conservative MP, which would require the whole-life carbon emissions of buildings to be reported and limits to be set on embodied carbon emissions in the construction of buildings.
Private Bills are usually promoted by organisations, like local authorities or private companies, to give themselves powers beyond, or in conflict with, the general law. Private bills only change the law as it applies to specific individuals or organisations, rather than the general public. For example in 2021, the Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust proposed a Bill to operate, maintain and improve Highgate Cemetery for the purpose of increasing the space for interments. This was very explicit to the needs of Highgate Cemetery so would not affect the public in the normal course of events.
Hybrid Bills are a form of combined Private and Public Bill; they would affect the general public but would also have a significant impact for specific individuals or groups. Examples of Hybrid Bills are those related to the High Speed Rail link from London to Manchester (HS2).
1.3 Do I need to include Bills in my ISO Compliance Register?
In ICR, we do not include Bills until they are granted Royal Assent. This is because there is no guarantee that a Bill will become law. However, where there is a high-profile Bill that will almost certainly become Law, we will publish it and highlight that it is not yet law.
It is your choice as to whether you include the requirements in your ISO Compliance Register; however, you may want to prepare for it if it is likely to become law as it could have an impact on your:
- Context of the Organisation
- Needs and Expectations of Interested Parties
- Compliance Obligations
- Risks and Opportunities