Sir Christopher Chope puts forward 41 new private members bills

The veteran Conservative politician has put forward a raft of proposals for new legislation.

Areas covered by Sir Christopher’s latest batch of PMBs include decriminalising the BBC licence fee and privatisation of the BBC and Channel 4.

On the licence fee, he said: “In my election manifesto I said I was against charging pensioners for the TV licence but I was also against the licence entirely. I got a lot of support for that proposition.

“It seems to me now that one way of forcing the BBC to adjust before the next charter renewal is to decriminalise the licence fee.

“This is a hot topic of debate because of new technology and platforms. Relatively few young people go near the BBC and they are having to pay the cost of the licence fee and many are being caught out, while people are using mobile devices and accessing overseas without paying.”

On privatising the two public service broadcasters, Sir Christopher said: “Why do we need to have public ownership of Channel 4? I find it hard to justify. It is a public service broadcaster but it gets advertising revenue. It could be sold off and I think it should be.

“If the BBC needed more capital then the way this could be done is if it functioned as an independent private company.”

Sir Christopher’s PMBs also covered caravan and park sites, co-funding NHS services, a repeat effort to cap public sector exit payments and the subject of eco-anxiety.

“Eco-anxiety is something which is recognised in the United States and in this country as being a mental health condition for which you can get treatment,” he said.

“It can lead to people deciding not to have children due to damage to the planet.

“Some of the propaganda that is coming out from government and agencies is promoting this irrational fear because we as individuals cannot take action to address the overall consequences of climate change.”

As reported, the 72-year-old is one of group of politicians who regularly put forward PMBs, which has attracted criticism in some quarters.

However, Sir Christopher said there were only three MPs, including himself, in the House of Commons that were tabling potential law changes earlier this week.

“What is interesting is that on the day there was only Peter Bone and Chris Stephens with me. No one else put forward private members bills," he said. “I think that some people do not want to go near Fridays [when PMBs are normally debated]. Other people think it is so difficult to get private members bills through that it is not worth bothering.”

The full list of new private members bills Sir Christopher submitted, which could be debated over the coming months if they are brought forward on the order paper, are as follows:

• Anxiety in Schools (Environmental Concerns): Bill to make provision for guidance to schools about reducing anxiety about environmental concerns among pupils and staff; and for connected purposes.
• Decarbonisation of Road Transport (Audit): Bill to make provision for independent audits of the costs and benefits of the decarbonisation of road transport, and of the regulation of the sale and production of petrol, diesel and hybrid cars; and for connected purposes.
• Net Zero Carbon Emissions (Audit): Bill to make provision for an independent audit of the costs and benefits of meeting the requirement under the Climate Change Act 2008 for net United Kingdom carbon emissions to be zero by 2050; and for connected purposes.
• Anxiety (Environmental Concerns): Bill to place a duty on the Secretary of State to reduce anxiety about environmental concerns among the general population; and for connected purposes.
• Housing Act 2004 (Amendment): Bill to amend Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004 to provide that any selective licensing scheme for residential accommodation extends to social housing.
• Caravan Sites: Bill to amend the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 to remove planning permission requirements for caravan site licence applicants; and for connected purposes.
• Mobile Homes Act 1983 (Amendment): Bill to amend the Mobile Homes Act 1983; and for connected purposes.
• Public Sector Exit Payments (Limitation): Bill to limit exit payments made by public sector organisations to employees; and for connected purposes.
• Student Loans (Debt Interest): Bill to limit the rate of interest chargeable on outstanding student loan debt; and for connected purposes.
• Local Authorities (Removal of Council Tax Restrictions): Bill to make provision for the removal of restrictions on principal local authorities in England to set levels of council tax; and for connected purposes.
• Healthcare (Local Accountability): Bill to make provision about the local accountability of clinical commissioning groups; and for connected purposes.
• Human Rights and Responsibilities: Bill to require persons bringing claims or proceedings under the Human Rights Act 1998 to satisfy a test of reasonableness and equity; and for connected purposes.
• Public Service Broadcasters (Privatisation): Bill to make provision for the privatisation of the British Broadcasting Corporation and Channel 4; and for connected purposes.
• BBC Licence Fee (Civil Penalty): Bill to make provision to decriminalise the non-payment of the BBC licence fee.
• Tax Rates and Duties (Review): Bill to require the Government to publish an annual review of the net yield to HM Treasury of tax rates and duties levied, including estimates of the impact on yield of changes to rates of those taxes and duties; and for connected purposes.
• National Health Service (Co-Funding and Co-Payment): Bill to make provision for co-funding and for the extension of co-payment for NHS services in England; and for connected purposes.
• Value Added Tax: Bill to enable the maximum turnover threshold for exemption from the requirement to register for VAT to be raised; to make provision for the exemption of certain goods and services from liability to VAT; and for connected purposes.
• Deregulation: Bill to make provision for the reduction of burdens resulting from legislation for businesses or other organisations or for individuals; to make provision for the repeal or amendment of regulations; to make provision about the exercise of regulatory powers and functions; and for connected purposes.
• Illegal Immigration (Offences): A Bill to create offences in respect of persons who have entered the UK illegally or who have remained in the UK without legal authority; and for connected purposes.
• Border Control: Bill to make provision about requirements for non-UK citizens seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom; to make provision about a process for the removal from the United Kingdom of non-UK citizens, in certain circumstances and on the basis of established criteria; and for connected purposes.
• Foreign Nationals (Criminal Offender and Prisoner Removal): Bill to make provision for the removal from the United Kingdom of foreign national criminal offenders and prisoners; and for connected purposes.
• Free Trade (Education and Reporting): Bill to impose duties relating to the provision of public education on free trade; to require regular reports from government on trade arrangements with other countries; and for connected purposes.
• International Development Assistance (Definition): Bill to make provision about the definition of international development assistance; and for connected purposes.
• Schools: Bill to enable schools to select pupils on the basis of published criteria; to allow schools to determine maximum class sizes; to remove restrictions on the expansion of the number of pupils in schools and on the creation of new schools; and for connected purposes.
• Bat Habitats Regulation: A Bill to make provision to limit the protection for bat habitats in the built environment where the presence of bats has a significant adverse impact upon the users of buildings; and for connected purposes.
• Green Belt Protection: Bill to establish a national register of green belt land in England; to restrict the ability of local authorities to de-designate green belt land; to make provision about future development of de-designated green belt land; and for connected purposes.
• International Payments (Audit): Bill to make provision to require cost-benefit analysis and independent audit before payments are made by the Government to a foreign country or international organisation; and for connected purposes.
• Local Authorities (Borrowing and Investment): Bill to make provision about the acquisition of land and property by local authorities in England outside their own local authority boundaries; to limit the power of local authorities to invest in commercial risk-taking enterprises; to limit public borrowing by local authorities for non-core activities; and for connected purposes.
• Benefits and Public Services (Restriction): Bill to make provision to restrict the entitlement of non-UK citizens to publicly-funded benefits and services; and for connected purposes.
• Public Services (Availability): Bill to make provision about the availability of public services during weekday evenings, at weekends and on bank holidays; and for connected purposes.
• Working Time and Holiday Pay: Bill to make provision for the expiration of the Working Time Regulations 1998; to provide for regulations governing working time; to make provision about holiday pay for employees; and for connected purposes.
• Local Roads (Investment): Bill to make provision about the maintenance and repair of roads by local authorities in England; and for connected purposes.
• Electronic Cigarettes (Regulation): Bill to make provision for the regulation of the sale and use of electronic cigarettes; to exempt electronic cigarettes from UK law derived from the Tobacco Products Directive; and for connected purposes.
• Mobile Homes and Park Homes: Bill to require the use of published criteria to determine whether mobile homes and park homes are liable for council tax or non-domestic rates; to make provision in relation to the residential status of such homes; to amend the Mobile Home Acts; and for connected purposes.
• Sublet Property (Offences): Bill to make the breach of certain rules relating to sub-letting rented accommodation a criminal offence; to make provision for criminal sanctions in respect of unauthorised subletting; and for connected purposes.
• Student Loans (Debt Discharge): Bill to make provision about the forgiveness or discharge of student loan debt in certain circumstances; to make provision about the treatment of student loan debt in bankruptcy proceedings; and for connected purposes.
• Stamp Duty: Bill to make provision for the reduction of stamp duty rates on residential property.
• Speed Limits (England): Bill to prohibit permanent derogations from a 30 mile per hour speed limit in built-up areas in England; to make provision for the circumstances in which speed limits below 30 miles per hour may be introduced; and for connected purposes.
• Judicial Appointments and Retirements (Age Limits): Bill to repeal provisions for the compulsory retirement of holders of judicial office on the grounds of age; to remove upper age limits for appointment to judicial office; and for connected purposes.
• Domestic Energy (Value Added Tax): Bill to reduce Value Added Tax on domestic energy bills; and for connected purposes.
• Criminal Fraud (Private Prosecutions): Bill to make provision about private prosecutions in cases of suspected criminal fraud in certain circumstances; and for connected purposes.