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Key commitments

Some of the key measures announced in the Speech were:

• a Bill to ensure that young people stay in education or training until age 18, and to provide new rights to skills training for adults

• More on raising the school leaving age to 18

• legislation to create a new Homes and Communities Agency that will deliver more social and affordable housing, and promote regeneration

• Building better homes and empowering communities

• legislation to create a stronger health and social care regulator with a remit to ensure clean and safe services and high-quality care
• new powers to enable unclaimed money in dormant bank accounts to be used for youth facilities, financial inclusion and social investment
• a duty on every employer to contribute to good quality workplace pensions for their employees
• a Bill to make the United Kingdom the first country in the world to introduce a legally binding framework to reduce carbon dioxide emissions
• changes to the law on terrorism so that the police and other agencies have the powers they need to protect the public, whilst preserving essential rights and liberties
• legislation to protect depositors and ensure confidence in the banking system.

Downing Street has published briefing documents on all the Bills introduced in today's Queen's Speech.

• Background briefing from the Queen's Speech 2007 Opens new window