A Family and Employer Focus for Government

The Queen has delivered her annual speech outlining the government's legislative plans for the coming year.

From increased support for families, to changes to red tape and employment law, and reforms to pensions and care, the speech set out a diverse range of aims.

With most households and businesses likely to be affected in some way, here is a handy guide to some of the main issues covered.

All changes will apply to England, with some also then applying to Scotland and Wales.

Children & Families

• Plans for flexible parental leave that would give working parents greater choice when it comes to sharing care responsibilities

• A six month deadline to complete care cases and a strengthening of the law to allow children to enjoy a relationship with both parents if a family is to break up, and as long as it is in the child's best interests.

• Plans to speed up the adoption process

• Changes to care proceedings to provide families with more choice and control over support for children with special educational needs (SEN)

Adult care

• An England-only Bill to modernise adult care. This will will aim to make access to support clearer and more equal and give people greater choice. Will also make councils adapt the services they offer to people's needs.

Education

• The system used for SEN statements, for children with disabilities and learning difficulties, will be replaced in England from 2014. A simpler assessment process will be introduced and a further change will see statutory protection provides for individuals up to the age of 25 for those who go into further education, rather than to the current age of 16.

Pensions

• The current pension system is to be modernised and the state pension reformed. The state pension age will rise to 67 between 2026 and 2028 and the state pension system itself will be made simpler.

• Public sector pensions will be changed to a career average scheme and the age at which members can draw their pensions will be extended, in moves by the Government to make them more sustainable and the cost shared 'more fairly'.

Employment

• Economic growth was cited as the aim behind new legislation which should help reducing regulatory burdens.

• Changes to employment law that weaken workers' rights are to be introduced to help grow confidence among employers to take on more staff.

Defamation

• Changes will be made to the defamation law in an attempt to rebalance freedom of expression with a person's right to protect their reputation and discourage trivial claims being made. Defamation will be deemed to have occurred only if "serious harm" has been caused. Rules will also be tightened to avoid 'libel tourism'. Changes will be made in England and Wales only.

For more information or advice on any of the issues raised here, please call us on 023 8071 8000.