The Tracker: a guide to the progress of Bills in the UK Parliament March 2010

The Tracker this month shows how the Parliamentary Timetablers are lining bills up in the UK Parliament for the finishing post.

The Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies and Credit Unions Act was granted Royal Assent on 18 March so bringing the law on Industrial and Provident Societies into line with the Companies Act 2006.

The Taxation (International and Other Provisions) Act received Royal Assent on 3 March 2010 and will come into force on 1 April 2010. It rewrites some corporation tax legislation in the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 and other legislation. If a draft document carries a reference to ICTA, it had better be updated to reflect the rewritten legislation. The Corporation Tax Act was granted Assent on 3 March.

There may well be some unexpected outsiders that race through to get Royal Assent unexpectedly, in the spirit of Cheltenham, but bills that have got to the second reading of the second House and so stand a chance of making it to Royal Assent, are the:

• Bribery Bill
• Child Poverty Bill
• Children Schools and Families Bill
• Cluster Munitions (Prohibitions) Bill
• Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill
• Crime and Security Bill
• Equality Bill
• Financial Services Bill
• Flood and Water Management Bill
• Live Music Bill
• Personal Care at Home Bill
• Third Parties (Rights against Insurers) Bill

I noted in last month's issue that the relationship between the bills of great interest to insurers, the Damages (Asbestos-related Conditions) Bill and its identical twin, "No.2" puzzled me. The MP, Mr Andrew Dismore, presenting the Bill has enlightened us by explaining that the same bill has been presented "from both ends at once", i.e., in the Commons and in the Lords. Another racing analogy: to see which one makes it first. The pressure of course is imposed by the imminent General Election, with a putative election date of 6 May. Even if the Government were to be re-elected, the bills would have to start their cycle again.

Please click here to access the tracker.