This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the second reading of the Kew Gardens (Leases) (No. 3) Bill [HL] in the House of Lords on 7 May 2019.
Kew Gardens (Leases) (No. 3) Bill [HL]: Briefing for Lords Stages (220KB PDF)
The Kew Gardens (Leases) (No. 3) Bill [HL] is a government bill that would extend the maximum allowable lease on Kew Gardens’ land from the current 31 to 150 years. On 25 April 2019, Lord Gardiner of Kimble, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and Biosecurity, introduced the bill in the House of Lords. It is due to have its second reading on 7 May 2019. The bill is almost identical to two private member’s bills currently before Parliament. The first was introduced in the House of Lords by Lord True (Conservative) in July 2017, with the second being introduced in the House of Commons by Zac Goldsmith (Conservative MP for Richmond Park) in January 2018. Neither bill has yet received a second reading.
The Government has stated that the purpose of extending the lease is to enable the Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG), Kew to open new streams of revenue, enabling it to become more self-sufficient in funding. Currently, the freeholds for the land and buildings used by RBG Kew have different ownership, with the land and building at Kew owned by the Crown. It is funded through a combination of grant-in-aid from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), self-generated income and charitable donations.
The purpose of RBG Kew has changed over time, from a philanthropic enterprise in the 18th and 19th centuries to botanical gardens and Kew Science today. In this time, the management has also changed, with the National Heritage Act 1983 creating a board of trustees. RBG Kew achieved UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2003.
Kew Gardens (Leases) (No. 3) Bill [HL]: Briefing for Lords Stages (220KB PDF)
The Nature’s Rights Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill sponsored by Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party). The bill would recognise nature as a legal subject, granting it specific rights for protection and restoration. The bill would set out a legal framework for how this would operate, including an integrated rights framework and mechanisms for how nature’s rights would be implemented and enforced.
![Nature’s Rights Bill [HL]: HL Bill 7 of 2026–27](https://lordslibrary-parliament.studio24.dev/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Environment-568x426.png)
The Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill is a government bill intended to strengthen the cyber security of organisations in the UK that provide essential services, such as healthcare, drinking water and energy. It would amend the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations 2018 to include additional sectors and update incident reporting duties. It would also confer powers on the secretary of state to amend the legislation and issue directions to organisations when necessary for national security. The bill is scheduled for its second reading in the House of Lords on 14 July 2026.
In January 2026, the government announced a new scheme to support urgent repairs and essential improvements to listed places of worship. Called the ‘Places of worship renewal fund for England’, it replaced the ‘Listed places of worship grant scheme’ which had run since 2001. This briefing provides an overview of both schemes, the government’s reasoning for the change and the reaction of stakeholders.
