CONFIDENTIAL
NOTES ON COMPLETING ANNEX G (DESCRIPTION OF EACH BILL PROPOSED FOR 1984/85 LEGISLATIVE PROGRAMME)
GENERAL
Entries should be in note form. If there is space successive items may be listed on the same page; conversely longer items may run over onto a further page.
CATEGORY OF BILL
1. Each Bill should be described as 'essential', 'contingent',
'contingent', 'programme' or 'uncontroversial'. There are notes on these descriptions below. Where different parts of a Bill would fall into different categories, please include brief notes on this at the foot of the Bill's entry in the PURPOSE column.
a. Essential. Bills may be included in this category only if they must be enacted during the Session in question, eg because existing powers or finance would otherwise expire or because of treaty obligations. Please give the reason in the PURPOSE column. A Bill should not be described as essential simply because it has high political priority; that can be made clear in the POLITICAL ASPECTS column. A Bill which is basically essential can sometimes include some non-essential items too. They should be clearly distinguished and before including them Departments should consider their effect on the length of the Bill and the need to avoid controversial provisions which might affect the Bill's prospects of enactment by the required date.
b. Contingent. These are Bills which might during the relevant Session become essential as defined above. Bills which may become desirable for some other reason should be included in the 'programme' or 'uncontroversial' category with a brief explanation at the bottom of the PURPOSE entry of what they depend on.
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C. Programme. These are Bills which can already be identified as being desirable for enactment in the relevant session, have a significant political priority and can be prepared in time.
d.
Uncontroversial. Bills which are desirable for enactment in the relevant session but are not expected to be controversial in Parliament. It will be assumed that a Bill in this category is suitable for Second Reading Committee Procedure (see paragraph 8b. below) unless the PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE entry specifically records that it is not, and briefly indicates why. In the case of a Bill which might also be suitable for a Private Member, reference to this should be made in the PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE column and a full entry for the Bill should also be made in the separate schedule proposing Bills suitable for offering to Private Members (Annex PM).
NUMBER AND TITLE
2. Within each category, please number your Bills in the order in which your Department would like to give them priority. As regards the title, a provisional wording is quite acceptable.
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CONFIDENTIAL