Lords debates Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill
16 March 2020
Members of the Lords discuss the key principles and purpose of the Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill during second reading on Friday 13 March. Speakers include a former chief executive of the NHS and president of the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance.
This is a private member's bill. A private member's bill is a type of public bill (bills that affect all of us) which must go through the same set of procedures as other public bills.
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Lord Bird (Crossbench), the bill's sponsor in the Lords, opens the debate.
Members discuss issues raised by the bill, including:
- the appointment of the UK commissioner for future generations
- the provisions of the Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015
- the government's target for net zero carbon usage by 2050.
Minister of State in the Cabinet Office, Lord True (Conservative), responds on behalf of the government.
Committee stage, the first chance for line by line examination, is yet to be scheduled.
Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill [HL] summary
This bill aims to:
- define the concepts of sustainable development and wellbeing goals
- assess impact on future generations due to changes in public expenditure, taxation or policy
- establish a future generations commissioner and set up a parliamentary joint committee
- ensure public bodies consider wellbeing goals in their procurement exercises.
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Image: Photo by Anna Dziubinska on Unsplash