• Research Briefing

    Press regulation: international comparisons

    This Note provides a brief overview of systems of press regulation in a number of foreign countries. Where possible, it details the sanctions available to the regulator in the event that a newspaper breaches a voluntary or statutory code of industry practice. If there is an established mechanism for the arbitration of press complaints, this is noted.

  • Research Briefing

    Press regulation – the debate

    Following the discovery of widespread “phone-hacking” by journalists at The News of the World and other British newspapers, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, established in July 2011 a multi-part inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press. Lord Justice Leveson was appointed as Chairman of the Inquiry. The first part (or “module”), which concluded its public hearings on 9 February 2012, concentrated on the relationship between the press and the public. Much of the material quoted in this Library Note comes from the evidence presented to this module (the first of four), but the Note will be updated periodically to take account of evidence presented at later modules.

  • Research Briefing

    Internet surveillance

    This note looks at the history of the two programmes, cites the justifications given by successive governments for what critics have dubbed a “snooper’s charter” and details some of the objections that have been raised against surveillance of this sort.

  • Research Briefing

    BBC local radio

    The BBC is looking to make cost savings of 20% in the years to 2017. For English local radio, their main proposal is to focus spending on peak-time programmes, with increased sharing of content between stations.

  • Research Briefing

    London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (Amendment) Bill: Committee stage report

    This is an account of the House of Commons Committee Stage of the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (Amendment) Bill and has been prepared for the Report and Third Reading of the Bill, scheduled for 8 September 2011. It supplements Research Paper 11/34, prepared for the Second Reading of the Bill in the Commons on 28 April 2011.

  • Research Briefing

    Live music in small venues

    This note describes the old "two-in-a-bar" exemption, summarises the proceedings in Parliament which led to its removal and refers to a recent announcement by Lord Clement-Jones of his intention to introduce a Private Members' Bill to restore this particular exemption. It also considers evidence for the impact of new licensing laws on the provision of live music and two initiatives which might improve provision: a "de minimis" exemption and the simplification of the process for making "minor" variations to a premises licence.

  • Research Briefing

    London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (Amendment) Bill

    This Bill makes a small number of technical amendments to the advertising and trading, ticket touting and traffic management provisions of the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006. These amendments cover the seizure of articles which contravene advertising and trading regulations; the parliamentary procedure and notice periods required when new advertising and trading regulations are introduced; the penalty for unauthorised sales of Olympic tickets; and traffic regulation and enforcement during the Games.

  • Research Briefing

    Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill Committee Stage Report [Bill 151 of 2010-11]

    During the Committee stage, several Government amendments were made to the provisions on police reform. Some (for example, on police complaints, police and crime plans and disqualifying people convicted of imprisonable offences from becoming or being police and crime commissioners) were on matters of substance. By contrast, there were only minor amendments to the provisions of the misuse of drugs and no substantive amendments to the parts of the Bill covering licensing, protests in Parliament Square or universal jurisdiction.

  • Research Briefing

    Air guns in Scotland

    Firearms law is currently a reserved matter. However, arguing that Scotland has a significantly bigger problem with airgun-inflicted injury and death than the rest of Great Britain, the Scottish Parliament has called for the right to make its own laws on air weapons.

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