Have your say on the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill

Do you have relevant expertise and experience or a special interest in the Government’s Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill?

If so, you can submit your views in writing to the House of Commons Public Bill Committee which is going to consider this Bill.

Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill 2014-15

Aims of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill

The Bill was announced during the Queen’s Speech on 4 June 2014. It was described as a bill

"…to help make the United Kingdom the most attractive place to start, finance and grow a business. The bill will support small businesses by cutting bureaucracy and enabling them to access finance."

In their introduction to the background briefing notes to the Queen’s Speech, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister summarised the Bill as follows:

"A small business Bill will back entrepreneurs who run our small businesses – the backbone of our economy – and those who are looking for work. It will crack down on costly tribunal delays, set a deregulation target for each Parliament and help businesses get credit from banks, ensuring they can expand and create jobs. Low earners will be protected as employers face tougher penalties for not paying the National Minimum Wage and we will crack down on abuse in zero hours contracts. The Bill will also ensure that pub landlords receive a fair deal through the introduction of a statutory code and an Adjudicator. Measures will be taken to stop the revolving door of big redundancy pay-outs for highly paid public servants."

The Bill is large and wide-ranging. It contains 142 substantive clauses and 10 Schedules, which in the main seek to reduce regulatory burdens and facilitate the inception, financing and growth of business. The Bill’s scope covers a range of areas and includes access to finance; exports; regulatory reform; competition; public sector procurement; the Pubs Code; childcare and education; transparency of company ownership; company law; directors’ disqualification; insolvency; and employment law.

Follow the progress of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill

The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill was introduced into the House of Commons on 25 June 2014. The second reading of the Bill took place on Wednesday 16 July, giving MPs their first opportunity to debate the main principles of the Bill.

The Bill has now been sent to the Public Bill Committee, where detailed examination of the Bill will take place.

House of Commons Library analysis

The House of Commons Library produces briefing papers to inform MPs and their staff of key issues. The papers contain factual information and a range of opinions on each subject, and aim to be politically impartial.

Read Library briefing paper: Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill

Guidance on submitting written evidence

Deadline for written evidence submissions

The Public Bill Committee is now able to receive written evidence. The sooner you send in your submission, the more time the Committee will have to take it into consideration.

The Committee is expected to meet for the first time on Tuesday 14 October; it will stop receiving written evidence at the end of the Committee stage on Thursday 6 November 2014.

Please note: When the Public Bill Committee reports, it is no longer able to receive written evidence and it could report earlier than Thursday 6 November 2014.

What should written evidence cover?

Your submission should address matters contained within the Bill and concentrate on issues where you have a special interest or expertise, and factual information of which you would like the Committee to be aware.

It is helpful if the submission includes a brief introduction about you or your organisation. The submission should not have been previously published or circulated elsewhere.

If you have any concerns about your submission, please contact the Scrutiny Unit (details below).

How should written evidence be submitted?

Your submission should be emailed to scrutiny@parliament.uk. Please note that submissions sent to the Government department in charge of the Bill will not be treated as evidence to the Public Bill Committee.

Submissions should be in the form of a Word document. A summary should be provided. Paragraphs should be numbered, but there should be no page numbering.

Essential statistics or further details can be added as annexes, which should also be numbered. To make publication easier, please avoid the use of coloured graphs, complex diagrams or pictures.

As a guideline, submissions should not exceed 3,000 words.

Please include in the covering email the name, address, telephone number and email address of the person responsible for the submission. The submission should be dated.

What will happen to my evidence?

The written evidence will be circulated to all Committee Members to inform their consideration of the Bill.

Most submissions will also be published on the internet as soon as possible after the Committee has started sitting.

The Scrutiny Unit can help with any queries about written evidence.

Scrutiny Unit contact details

Email: scrutiny@parliament.uk
Telephone: 020 7219 8387
Fax: 020 7219 8381
Address: Ian Hook
Senior Executive Officer
Scrutiny Unit, 7 Millbank
London SW1P 3JA