- Children's BillThe Bill aims to improve the protection of children, including creating an independent children's commissioner.

It follows September's Green Paper, 'Every Child Matters'.

- Civil Partnerships BillIt will create a civil partnerships register for same-sex couples, and a formal court-based process to dissolve them.

- Companies (Audit, Investigations & Community Enterprise) BillAmong the plans to tighten up audit processes, the Bill will require companies to publish full details of the non-audit services they have bought from their auditors, which will be relevant if multi-disciplinary partnerships become a reality.

It will also create community interest companies, - enterprises with social and community aims.

- Constitutional Reform BillThis will take forward the government's plans to abolish the post of Lord Chancellor, and to establish both a supreme court and a judicial appointments commission.

- Domestic Violence, Crime & Victims BillThis will create an independent commissioner for victims and witnesses, and extend civil domestic violence law to unmarried and same-sex couples.

Breaches of non-molestation orders will become a criminal offence, and common assault will become an arrestable offence, while restraining orders could be granted where the defendant has been acquitted but the court believes an order is necessary to protect the victim.

A new offence of familial homicide will prevent parents co-accused of their child's murder from escaping punishment by staying silent or blaming each other, and there will be reform of the defences to murder (see [2003] Gazette, 4 December, page 16).

- Employment Relations BillIt builds on a review of the Employment Relations Act 1999, and will focus on improving the trade union recognition procedures, strengthening protection against dismissal for workers on lawful strike action, and introducing protection from unfair dismissal for people seeking flexible working after six months of employment.

- Planning and Compulsory Purchase BillCarried on from the last session of Parliament, this Bill aims to make the planning system fairer and faster, and with increased community participation.

- Housing BillThis will be the latest attempt to introduce controversial seller's packs, now called home information packs, which sellers will have to put together before properties can go on the market.

- Pensions BillThis will create a new pensions regulator, give statutory footing to the requirement that employers that wind up their pensions schemes when not insolvent have to buy out members' benefits in full, and establish a fund to protect members in defined benefit schemes whose employers become insolvent.

- Draft Charities BillA Bill that aims to consolidate existing law, it will provide a clear definition of 'charity' and modernise the Charity Commission's powers.

- Draft Disabilities Discrimination BillThis will widen the definition of disability.

- Draft Gambling BillFollowing on the Budd report on the reform of gambling law, this Bill will consolidate all gambling legislation, create a gambling commission and make all gambling debts enforceable in law like any other consumer contract.

See [2003] Gazette, 4 December, page 12