• Research Briefing

    Scotland Bill: amendments in the House of Lords

    This Note lists the amendments made to the Scotland Bill in the House of Lords. Significant amendments were made in committee and, in particular, on report following an agreement between the UK and Scottish Governments. The Note does not cover amendments that were proposed but not agreed. It therefore summarises the Government amendments and gives a guide to the Bill in its final form. Lords amendments were considered in the Commons on 26 April 2012, and all were agreed.

  • Research Briefing

    Devolution in Wales: the Silk Commission

    This note reproduces the terms of reference for the Commission, and puts them in the context of the Holtham Commission on funding reform in Wales, the fiscal changes proposed for Scotland in the Scotland Bill, and the changes made to the powers of the National Assembly for Wales in May 2011. The Commission will aim to report on fiscal powers in autumn 2012, and on constitutional matters by spring 2014. It is led by Paul Silk, former Clerk to the National Assembly for Wales.

  • Research Briefing

    Scotland Bill: latest developments

    The Scottish Parliament’s Scotland Bill Committee has recommended that consent for this legislation should be withheld unless significant changes are made to the Bill. This note traces developments since the Bill’s committee stage in the Commons, including amendments made on report, second reading in the Lords, the Scottish Government’s position, and the report of the Committee.

  • Research Briefing

    Lobbying

    This note sets out issues relating to lobbying in the UK, including the announcement of the Government’s consultation paper on a statutory register. It includes background to the Public Administration Select Committee's inquiry and the main findings of their report as well as the Government response. It also includes details of the 1991 Select Committee on Members' Interests report and the relevant work of the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

  • Research Briefing

    Sovereign Grant Bill

    The Sovereign Grant Bill concerns the way in which the monarchy is funded. It seeks to replace the Civil List and other grants that support the Queen’s official duties with a new Sovereign Grant, based on a percentage of the profits of the Crown Estate. The new grant is designed to deliver at first a broadly similar level of finance in cash terms to what is available at present. There are mechanisms for adjusting the level in future, and for using any significant surplus as a means to reduce the grant. The Sovereign Grant is intended to be a typical government grant that will lead to the royal finances being audited by the National Audit Office, and subjected to full parliamentary scrutiny.

  • Research Briefing

    Scotland Bill: Committee Stage Report

    This is a report on the Commons committee stage of the Scotland Bill 2010-12. Introduced to the House of Commons on 30 November 2010, its second reading was on 27 January 2011, and its committee stage took place on the floor of the House on 7, 14 and 15 March 2011. Report and third reading are scheduled for 21 June 2011. On 13 June 2011 the Secretary of State for Scotland, Michael Moore, announced a package of changes to the Bill in response to issues that had been raised in the UK and Scottish Parliaments, and by the Scottish Government.

  • Research Briefing

    Referendum in Wales

    On 3 March 2011 a referendum was held in Wales to decide whether the National Assembly for Wales should gain the power to legislate on a wider range of matters in one go. This was in contrast to the previous situation, in which it had to gain approval from the UK Parliament each time it wanted to expand the range of matters. This note gives an account of the referendum campaign and vote, and the implications of this in constitutional terms

  • Research Briefing

    Legislation (Territorial Extent) Bill

    The Legislation (Territorial Extent) Bill is a Private Member’s Bill. The Bill applies to draft primary legislation and to secondary legislation published before the parent Act has gained Royal Assent. In these cases, it requires that the draft contain a statement setting out its legal effects on each nation of the United Kingdom, and that a memorandum accompany the draft showing its financial effects on each nation.

  • Research Briefing

    Scotland Bill [Bill No 115 of 2010-11]

    The Scotland Bill was published on 30 November 2010, and is scheduled for second reading on 27 January 2011. The Bill contains provisions to give the Scottish Parliament greater responsibility for raising its own revenue, in addition the borrowing powers of the Scottish Government are extended. The Bill also changes the boundary of devolved powers by amending some of the reserved matters in the Scotland Act 1998. Some new matters are devolved, some are reserved. The Bill also proposes small changes to provisions concerning the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government.

  • Research Briefing

    Referendum in Wales: draft Orders

    A referendum on the powers of the National Assembly for Wales is planned for 3 March 2011. This Note outlines the three Orders that will bring about the referedum and govern the procedures appyling to it, which were laid by the Secretary of State for Wales on 21 October 2010.

  • Research Briefing

    Welsh Grand Committee

    Some Members representing Welsh constituencies called for a meeting of the Welsh Grand Committee in order to discuss the impact on Wales of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill 2010. The Secretary of State, Cheryl Gillan, declined. This Note gives a very brief account of the business of the Committee and a list of its previous meetings.

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