Brown unveils programme of reforms

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Setting out his draft Queen's Speech proposals, the Prime Minister promised bills to raise school standards, entrench patients' rights and to help people on benefits back into work.

There will also be a Banking Bill to protect depositors in the event of future bank collapses, a legal requirement for new immigrants to learn English, and new rights for agency workers.

"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," he told MPs in a Commons statement.

On schools, Mr Brown said the Education and Skills Bill would establish the first independent qualifications system to guarantee the highest standards while strengthening the accountability of schools to parents.

The Bill would also include a statutory right for every suitably qualified young person to obtain an apprenticeship.

A new NHS Reform Bill would establish an NHS constitution setting out what patients can expect from the health service, including entitlements to minimum standards of access, quality and safety.

And a Welfare Reform Bill will require the unemployed to have their skills needs assessed and, if necessary, acquire new skills.

Mr Brown also announced immediate support for the housing market with the establishment of a £200 million fund to buy unsold new homes and rent them to social tenants or make them available on a shared ownership basis.

A further £100 million would be made available to shared equity schemes to enable more first-time buyers to purchase newly-built homes on the open market.