Serious Crime Bill: Progress of the Bill

The Serious Crime Bill [HL] 2013-14 had its second reading in the Commons on 5 January 2015. Library Research Paper 14/67 Serious Crime Bill provides background on the proposals in the Bill.

Information on the Bill’s passage is available on the Serious Crime Bill pages of the Parliament website. The Home Office website has a series of Serious Crime Bill pages which include various impact assessments and fact sheets.

Committee stage in the Commons took place between 13 and 22 January 2015. New Government clauses were added to the Bill regarding:

• Exemption from civil liability for money-laundering disclosures;

• Sexual communication with a child;

• Domestic abuse: controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship; and

• Prevention or restriction of use of communication devices by prisoners.

There were divisions on new clauses tabled by the opposition concerned with internet service providers and indecent images of children, and the encouragement of female genital mutilation (FGM). These new clauses were defeated on division and not added to the Bill.

Report stage and third reading are due to take place on 23 February 2015.