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Enterprise Bill [HL] 2015-16: Committee Stage Report

The Enterprise Bill was introduced to Parliament in the House of Lords on 16 September 2015 and reached the House of Commons on 16 December 2015.  It received its Second Reading in the Commons on 2 February 2016.

The Bill’s Committee stage ran from 9 – 25 February.  The record of the Committee debates together with that of the Bill’s previous stages is available on the Parliament website.

The Bill as amended in Committee contains 41 substantive clauses and 6 Schedules which in the main seek to:

• support small business;
• reduce regulatory burdens;
• strengthen apprenticeships;
• speed up payment of insurance claims;
• extend Sunday trading and Sunday working hours;
• dispose of Crown shares in the Green Investment Bank;
• clarify provisions underpinning the Pubs Code; and
• cap public sector exit payments at £95,000.

The Bill’s Report stage is scheduled for 8 – 9 March 2016. 

The following provisions of the Bill were certified by the Speaker as being subject to the 'English votes for English laws’ procedure:

• public sector apprenticeship targets (England only);
• only statutory apprenticeships to be described as apprenticeships (England only);
• additional time limit for actions for damages for late payment of insurance claims (England and Wales);
• alteration of non-domestic rating lists (England only);
• market rent only: conditions and triggers (England and Wales); and
• report on pub company avoidance (England and Wales).

This paper provides an overview of the Bill debates in the House of Commons during Second Reading and Committee stage.  The structure of the paper follows that of the Bill.