Queen's speech 'an election ruse'
Updated on 18 November 2009
The final Queen's speech before the general electon sees Labour promising laws to halve the deficit and curb bank bonuses. But the Conservatives dismiss the pledges as a pre-election ploy.
For the good of the country, according to the government. An election ploy, say the Conservatives.
The Labour government's final legislative programme before the general election has been outlined by the Queen.
But with an election due by June, the Tories say it is nothing more than an election manifesto. And they believe the government should have proposed new laws on MPs' expenses.
There will be free personal care for 280,000 elderly and disabled people and more guarantees for healthcare and education.
There will also be new guarantees for parents on schooling, a crackdown on "risky" bank bonuses, and a law committing the government to halve its deficit over the next four years.
Much of the attention is on the the personal care at home bill, which will allow elderly and disabled people to remain in their own homes, rather than going into residential care.
It will lay the foundations for the new national care service promised by Mr Brown in his party conference speech in September.
Estimates suggest about 400,000 people will benefit from the measures in the bill, which will cost £670m a year.
The financial measures in the speech are designed to make sure future banking crises will "never again come at a cost to the living standards of Britain's families".
The financial services bill will strengthen the Financial Services Authority, giving it the power to tear up bankers' contracts which could promote excessive risk-taking.
Key banks and financial institutions will also be obliged to draw up "living wills" describing how they can be wound up without threatening the stability of the overall system.
The fiscal responsibility bill will provide a "firm and binding statutory basis" for reining in the government's spiralling debt in the wake of the credit crunch and recession.
The chancellor is expected to give full details of the recovery plan and legislation when he delivers his pre-budget report next month.
The health bill will establish the right of NHS patients to treatment within 18 weeks of referral by a GP, with suspected cancer sufferers being seen within a fortnight.
There is also a children, schools and families bill to introduce so-called "MOT" licensing for teachers, extend the information on schools available for parents, and guarantee one-to-one tuition for pupils who fall behind.
