Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he will put housing, health and education at the heart of his parliamentary programme for the next year.
Mr Brown broke with tradition by announcing 23 bills and draft bills to MPs months ahead of the Queen's Speech.

He announced plans for more "affordable housing", raising the school leaving age and changes to work pensions.

But Conservative leader David Cameron dismissed the statement, saying: "We've heard it all before."

Housing targets

The Queen's Speech is normally when prime ministers outline their programme, but Mr Brown said the statement would offer more time for consultation.

He told MPs: "For over one-and-a-half centuries the annual Gracious Address has been drafted inside government, agreed by the Cabinet but far from the public arena.

"But I believe it is now right in the interests of good and open government and public debate that each year the prime minister make a summer statement to this House so that initial thinking, previously private, can now be the subject of widespread and informed public debate."

Outlining housing and planning bills, he said: "Putting affordable housing within the reach not just of the few but the many is vital both to meeting individual aspirations and a better future for our country."

Mortgages

Up to 100,000 homes could be built on around 550 surplus sites owned by arms of central government such as the Ministry of Defence and the NHS, Mr Brown said.

In total, three million new homes would be built by 2020 - up 250,000 from the previous plan, he said.

The annual target would be raised from 200,000 to 240,000 new homes in England from 2016.

There would also be a regime on "covered bonds" to help mortgage lenders finance 20 to 25-year fixed-rate mortgages.

On Tuesday, Communities Minister Hazel Blears said house building took "priority" over environmental concerns and said she could not given "categoric assurances" about redrawing the green belt.

The Conservatives said this had "raised the prospect of the government systematically concreting over" it.

But Mr Brown told MPs disused "brownfield" sites would be used for the expanded building programme.

He said an Education and Skills Bill would mean all young people stay in education or training until the age of 18.

(Source:BBC News)