This House of Lords Library briefing provides information in support of the House of Lords second reading of the Merchant Shipping (Homosexual Conduct) Bill scheduled to take place on 6 April 2017.
Merchant Shipping (Homosexual Conduct) Bill: Briefing for Lords Stages (130KB PDF)
The Merchant Shipping (Homosexual Conduct) Bill is a House of Commons private member’s bill introduced by John Glen (Conservative MP for Salisbury) and is sponsored in the House of Lords by Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Conservative). The Bill has completed all stages in the House of Commons and is scheduled to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 6 April 2017.
Provisions
The Bill would repeal sections 146(4) and 147(3) of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 which no longer have legal effect but remain in statute. These provisions originally allowed for the dismissal of a member of the crew of a merchant ship on the grounds of homosexual acts. Such a dismissal would now be illegal under subsequent legislation, including the Equality Act 2010.
Reasons for Introducing the Bill
In the Explanatory Notes that it produced for the Merchant Shipping (Homosexual Conduct) Bill on behalf of the Bill’s sponsor, the Government outlined the following reasons why it believed repealing sections 146(4) and 147(3) of the 1994 Act was necessary: while these sections had no legal effect, they might be still be misinterpreted; they were no longer compatible with current values; and their removal would tidy up the statute book.
Merchant Shipping (Homosexual Conduct) Bill: Briefing for Lords Stages (130KB PDF)
The Railways Bill would implement parts of the government’s plan to nationalise the railways, which was a manifesto commitment. It would create Great British Railways, a new publicly owned body that would be a “directing mind” for the railways, bringing “track and train together”. It would also give new powers to the Passengers’ Council and require the government to publish a long-term strategy for rail, among other things.
The House of Lords Committee on the Autism Act 2009 called for the government to urgently develop a new autism strategy, tackling “persistent inequalities” experienced by autistic people in education, health, work, criminal justice and the community. The government has since commissioned an independent review into mental health conditions, autism and ADHD, launched a call for evidence to inform a mental health strategy, and announced a special educational needs reform bill.
The UK is required to contribute towards the prevention of atrocity crimes globally. Successive UK governments have used various mechanisms aimed at preventing mass atrocities. Nevertheless, concerns have been raised in recent years regarding the continued occurrence of large-scale violence worldwide. This has prompted some parliamentarians and external stakeholders to call on the government to do more to prevent such atrocities.
