A Bill to provide for controls on the powers of certain regulatory authorities to impose charges for their services; and for connected purposes.
The Bill would place restrictions on regulatory authorities in England (defined as "any authority or body which regulates the carrying on of any business or activity, or the practice of any profession") so that they could not increase fees by more than the rate of inflation (measured by the Consumer Prices Index) over a specified period of time. In addition, if such authorities wished to introduce a charge for a service that had previously not been charged for, they would have to seek parliamentary approval for this.
The Bill would stop regulatory authorities in England from raising their charges faster than inflation (as measured by the Consumer Prices Index) over a defined period. It would also require parliamentary approval before a regulator could start charging for a service that had not been charged before.
The bill is at its second reading in the Commons. If it progresses, it would move on to later stages (Committee, Report, etc.) for further scrutiny and potential amendments.
Generated 21 February 2026
This Bill has been negatived on division and will not progress any further.
The Bill had its first reading on 5 July 2010 through the Presentation Bill procedure. The second reading was on 13 May 2011 but was negatived.
If you require any further information about the Bill then please contact the sponsoring Member Mr Christopher Chope.
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
