The Parliamentary Ombudsman: role and proposals for reform
This House of Commons Briefing Paper looks at the role of the Parliamentary Ombudsman, and recent proposals for its reform.
European Union (Withdrawal) Bill 2017-19: Ping Pong
This Commons Library Briefing Paper provides details of areas where the two Houses are yet to agree on the text of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill ahead of the Commons debate on 20 June 2018.
European Union (Withdrawal) Bill 2017-19: Commons consideration of Lords amendments
The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill has completed its passage through the House of Lords and is now awaiting Commons consideration of Lords amendments. This paper summarises amendments to the Bill during its passage through Parliament and provides information about procedures for Commons consideration of Lords amendments.
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Research Briefing
Members of the House of Commons since 1979
Since the 1979 General Election, there have been 2,128 people elected to the House of Commons. Of these, 403 have been women and 1,725 have been men. This publication lists all Members of the House of Commons starting from the 1979 General Election which took place on the 3 May. It is a new edition of our 2010 publication.
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Research Briefing
Exiting the EU: sectoral assessments
On 1 November 2017 the House of Commons resolved that the so-called "Brexit Impact Assessments" should be provided to the Committee on Exiting the EU. This short briefing paper sets out the background to the debate and the Government's response to the resolution.
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Research Briefing
Special Advisers
This briefing sets out details of roles and responsibilities of special advisers and information about the number of special advisers.
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Research Briefing
Civil Service Recruitment: Heads of Departments
This briefing sets out the current rules for recruitment to the heads of department roles in the Civil Service.
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Research Briefing
The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill 2017-19: Summary of Commons Committee Stage
The Committee Stage of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill was held on the Floor of the House. The Programme Motion, agreed after the conclusion of the Second Reading Debate on 11 September 2017, provided for 8 days of debate. This paper summarises the main areas of debate, commitments made by the Government, and amendments agreed by the Committee of the Whole House.
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Research Briefing
Pre-appointment hearings
This Commons Library briefing paper outlines the role that select committees play in assessing the suitability of the Government’s favoured candidates for a number of public appointments. It sets out the guidance for their operation before summarising key hearings of interest, where a committee has raised doubts about the suitability of a candidate. It also includes information about the introduction of the present system of pre-appointment hearings and highlights research about their effectiveness.
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Research Briefing
Brexit: ‘sufficient progress’ to move to phase 2
This paper looks at the path towards 'sufficient progress' in the first phase of Brexit negotiations and the Joint Report agreed by the UK Government and the EU. It focuses on the three priority areas: citizens' rights, the financial settlement and the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. The paper also looks at other recent developments and parliamentary consideration of Brexit.
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Research Briefing
Hung parliaments
This paper sets out situations where there has been no overall control in the House of Commons since the beginning of the twentieth century.
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Research Briefing
What happens after an indecisive election result?
Most UK governments are based on the MPs of the government’s party filling a majority of the seats in the House of Commons, and forming a government is relatively straightforward. When no single party holds a majority of seats, this is known as a hung parliament.
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Research Briefing
Parliamentary Private Secretaries
This Commons Library Briefing Paper sets out the role of Parliamentary Private Secretaries, including their functions and the limitations placed on them.
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Research Briefing
The Official Secrets Acts and Official Secrecy
This House of Commons Library paper considers the main pieces of legislation in the UK related to official secrecy and the disclosure of information "in the public interest". It focuses in particular on the main pieces of legislation - the Official Secrets Acts 1911-1989.
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Research Briefing
Political party funding: controversies and reform since 1997
This House of Commons Library Briefing Paper gives background to the main controversies around, and attempts to reform, political party funding since 1997.
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