A draft Bill is a preliminary form of a Bill. It may contain all or only parts of the Bill the Government wishes to introduce.
Draft Bills are normally considered by a joint committee of MPs and peers set up for this purpose, which reports after taking evidence from interested groups. The Government does not have to act on the joint committee’s report, although any failure to do so will not go without note.
Most draft Bills are introduced to Parliament as Bills in the session following any pre-legislative scrutiny, although some are dropped or extensively redrafted following such detailed consultation.
