The Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill was amended at third reading in the Lords. This Note discusses the changes, which covered the size of the Assembly, the Civil Service Commissioners for Northern Ireland, and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.
The Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill was not amended in Committee. It returns for Report on 18 November 2013. The Government has tabled two amendments.
This Note charts the progress of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill through Parliament. It complements Research Paper 13/51 prepared for the Commons Second Reading.
The Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill was introduced to the House of Commons on 17 July 2013. This briefing has been prepared to inform the Second Reading debate on the Bill which is scheduled to take place on 3 September 2013.
This Note explains the arrangements for state and ceremonial funerals, including examples from the past. It shows the distinction between the two types of funeral, looks at what is known about the process to decide whether a state funeral will be held for a commoner, and provides some information on costs.
This note gives information on the Government’s review of the Prevent strategy, a collection of initiatives aimed at tackling religious extremism, which was inherited from the previous Government. It outlines the new strategy and includes information on the integration work led by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
The Commercial Lobbyists (Registration and Code of Conduct) Bill 2012-13 is a Private Member’s Bill promoted by Thomas Docherty. It seeks to create a statutory register for commercial lobbyists and a legally enforceable code of conduct. It was presented on 25 June 2012, and is scheduled for second reading on 1 February 2013.
The UK and Scottish Governments reached agreement in October 2012 on the legislation needed to hold a referendum on Scottish independence. This Note discusses the agreement, and the draft “Section 30 Order” by which the UK Parliament will give the Scottish Parliament the power to hold the vote. It also covers the question of the franchise and some reaction to the agreement.
The Succession to the Crown Bill would make changes so that gender would no longer play a part in determining the order of succession to the Crown, and so that a person marrying a Roman Catholic would no longer be barred from becoming or remaining monarch. It would also remove a requirement for descendants of George II to seek permission from the monarch to marry, replacing it with a requirement for the first six people in the line of succession to seek consent if they wish to remain in line to the throne. This Paper discusses the existing rules, the changes proposed by the Bill, and the process among the 16 states of which the Queen is Head of State to make the changes together.
The House of Lords Reform Bill 2012-13 had its second reading in the Commons on 9 and 10 July 2012. While the vote on second reading was won, 91 Conservative Members voted against, and the Government did not move its programme motion, meaning that the Bill was not sent to committee. On 6 August 2012 Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced that the Bill would not proceed further. On 3 September 2012 he confirmed that it had been withdrawn. This Note summarises the events leading to the abandonment of the Bill, and considers Lord Steel’s House of Lords (Cessation of Membership) Bill, which some see as a more modest alternative.
This Research Paper discusses the House of Lords Reform Bill 2012-13, placing it in the context of the previous draft bill and wider debates on the subject.
This Note gives a guide to the official documents, parliamentary reports and research briefings on reform of the House of Lords since the publication of the Government’s House of Lords Reform Draft Bill in May 2011.