Government Bills introduced each session by department

A bill is a proposal for a new law, or a proposal to change an existing law, that is presented for debate before Parliament. Bills are introduced in either the House of Commons or the House of Lords for examination, discussion and amendment. If they pass every stage of scrutiny in the House of Commons and House of Lords, they receive Royal Assent and become Acts of Parliament. Any bill that hasn’t received Royal Assent by the end of a session falls.

There are three different types of bill: public, private and hybrid bills. Public bills change the law as it applies to the general population and are the most common type of bill introduced in Parliament. Public bills can be introduced by any MP or member of the House of Lords. Those introduced by ministers are known government bills, while those introduced by backbench MPs or members of the Lords are known as private members’ bills. This briefing focuses on government bills

A bill’s sponsoring department is the government department responsible for taking the bill through Parliament. The sponsoring department can change during a bills’ passage through Parliament. This is often due to a machinery of government change, or if a department changes names, or following a cabinet reshuffle.

The downloadable Excel file lists government bills introduced since the beginning of the 1997-98 session, by department. The list includes government bills that were later withdrawn or fell at the end of a session. Consolidation bills, Consolidated Fund bills and hybrid bills are not included. Source details are available in the Excel file. 

Parliament: facts and figures 

The Parliament: facts and figures series covers topics including elections, government, legislation, Members and parliamentary business. 

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