Prime Minister Gordon Brown today unveiled a wide-ranging legislative programme for the coming year with a pledge to build a more prosperous and fairer Britain.
Announcing his draft Queen's Speech proposals in the Commons, Mr Brown said the Government's immediate priority was to help family finances.
Among the flagship measures would be a Banking Bill to boost protection for depositors in the event of futur
e bank collapses.
Others would raise school standards, create an NHS constitution and enhance patients' rights and encourage those on benefits back into work.
Tests for immigrants to receive British citizenship would be tougher with newcomers obliged to learn English and prove they were making an economic contribution.
In a move cheered from the Labour benches, there will be new rights for agency workers and parents with older children will have extended rights to flexible working.
Mr Brown told MPs: "Building a more prosperous Britain and a fairer Britain is the purpose of the draft legislative programme published today for debate in this House and the country."
Tory leader David Cameron said he welcomed many of the measures – having proposed them in the first place.
"I hope when you get up we will get a bit of gratitude from you for all this," he taunted.
"You can't really say we haven't got any substance when you have taken it all and put it in your Queen's Speech."
The full article contains 239 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.