Coronavirus research

The Prime Minister has announced modifications to the Government’s approach to the lockdown. Workers in England are now “encouraged” to go to work. This Insight will outline what the existing rules are on attending a workplace are and what rights workers have as it relates to health and safety.

This paper tracks the evolving impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the labour market.

This Commons Library briefing paper provides answers to a number of frequently asked questions on the Government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. It covers the second Treasury Direction and the new rules for the flexible furlough scheme.

This Commons Library briefing paper provides an overview of testing for Covid-19 in England. It covers the different types of test that are in use and in development, as well as testing capacity, the criteria for being tested, and the presentation of testing data.

This Commons Library briefing paper provides an overview of key issues facing the NHS and social care services during the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, and links to official UK and international guidance and data. It also lists other reliable sources of information in the health and social care sector, including comment from organisations representing patients, staff and service providers. This briefing paper was last updated on 13 July 2020.

This briefing paper provides an account of ventilator availability and procurement in the UK, a summary of government action, and a discussion of other issues associated with ventilator use.

This Commons Library briefing paper outlines the changes made by the Department for Work and Pensions in response to the coronavirus crisis, expectations for their withdrawal and the wider plans for recovery.

To support the self-employed through the coronavirus outbreak the Government has introduced the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS).

This briefing paper explains measures taken by the Government during the coronavirus outbreak to assist households to retain their homes and enable local authorities to tackle the specific challenges faced by rough sleepers. The paper covers the decision to further extend the stay on eviction hearings in England and Wales to 20 September and new notice provisions introduced on 29 August. The paper is being updated regularly to take account of new developments.

This paper collates data on the number of applications and total support provided under the UK Government coronavirus business support schemes. The attached excel spreadsheet allows users to view data by Parliamentary constituency.

This Commons Library Briefing Paper discusses business closure and re-opening across the UK. It considered which businesses were required to close under the four lockdown regulations and how each of the four nations are lifting these regulations. As well as looking at which businesses can re-open it outlines the steps that they must take to do so safely.

In a worst-case scenario, up to one-fifth of UK employees may be absent from work during the coronavirus outbreak. This would have significant economic impacts in the UK. This briefing provides information on the various sources of support for businesses affected.

This Commons Library briefing paper describes the law enforcing the UK's coronavirus lockdown. It discusses police enforcement of the lockdown and legal commentary of the lockdown rules.

On 27 April 2020 the Justice Secretary said that the numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths in prisons were lower than had been originally predicted and that prisons were coping and dealing well with the threat of covid-19.

In an address to the nation on 23 March 2020 the Prime Minister gave the British people what he described as “a very simple instruction”: to stay at home. This instruction has now been backed up by legal regulations. But what if home is not a safe place?  This Insight looks at what the new regulations say about staying at home, and how they, alongside coronavirus more generally, could

This briefing has been updated following the release of examination results in summer 2020.

This House of Commons briefing paper discusses the impact of easing lockdown restriction on the FE and HE sectors in England. The paper outlines issues such as: re-opening campuses, prospective students numbers in 2020/21, temporary students numbers controls, delivery of courses in 2020/21 and the Higher Education Restructuring Regime. It also highlights issues such as the impact on graduate employability and catch up funding for FE colleges.

This paper provides brief information in response to some key questions regarding the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak on separated families, maintenance arrangements and access to children.

This insight explains why MPs are now considering a motion to approve the legislation that underpins the current lockdown in England.

The Coronavirus Bill (Bill 122 of 2019-21) was introduced to the House of Commons on 19 March 2020. The Bill is part of the Government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic and is intended to enable the Government to respond to an emergency situation and manage the effects of a pandemic.

Parliaments across the world are adapting to the new realities resulting from the Covid-19 outbreak.

The economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic are already severe. This Insight looks at the mounting debt crisis being experienced by the world’s poorest countries.

This Insight maps the main trends in coronavirus policy to date among developing countries.

This Insight looks at the weakness of statistics on Covid-19 cases, responses from President Hadi’s UN-backed Government and that of Houthi rebels and the impact of falling aid funding on the country’s healthcare system.