Martin Partington: Spotlight on the Justice System

This Act completed its Parliamentary process in the final days before the General Election 2010 campaign started. The final Act was rather different in content from the Bill (see Box 3.2). While the Bill was before Parliament, a number of additions to it were made.

These included:

1. provisions on the nationality requirements  for civil servants
2. provision for a referendum on the voting  system
3. amendments to the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009
4. provisions  on the tax status of MPs and Members of the House of Lords
5. a  repeal of part of the Act of Settlement to allow non-British National  peers to take their seats in the House of Lords
6. a requirement  for returning officers to take reasonable steps to begin counting votes  given on ballot papers within four hours of the close of a poll

However,  during the final stages, the following were removed from the Bill:

• provisions  on the nationality requirements of civil servants
• the provision  for a referendum on the voting system
• provisions for the end of  the by-elections for hereditary peers
• the provisions allowing  for suspension, resignation and expulsion of Members of the Lords
• the  provisions on demonstrations in the vicinity of Parliament
• the  provisions on human rights claims against devolved administrations
• provisions  about courts and tribunals
• provisions on National Audit

In short the most controversial issues were left for discussion another time. The extent to which the matters dropped will be brought back will clearly depend on the Government’s priorities after the General Election