Research Briefing
Croatia is expected to join the EU in July 2013. This Bill would allow the UK to ratify Croatia’s accession treaty and would also cover the Protocol to the Lisbon Treaty put forward by the Irish Government.
Research Briefing
HIV and AIDS statistics: UK. By Rachael Harker. SN/SG/2210. This note summarises recent statistics on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and also includes a POSTBOX on HIV Infection and Treatment. Section 1 describes how the numbers of those diagnosed with and those dying from HIV/AIDS in the UK have changed over time. The characteristics that put people most at risk of HIV are considered in Sections 2 and the manner and place in which individuals with HIV acquire their infection in examined in Section 3. The general prevalence of HIV, and levels of awareness of infection, are examined in Section 4. International statistics on HIV and AIDS are briefly considered in Section 5, while Section 6 looks at public knowledge and attitudes to the disease.
Research Briefing
To access most social security benefits and tax credits, a EEA national has to have a 'right to reside' in the UK. Broadly speaking, this means they must be economically active. The European Commission has stared infingement proceedings agains the UK on the basis that the test discriminates against non-UK nationals from other Member States, but the UK Government has pedged to fight any challenge.
Research Briefing
The Coalition Agreement pledged not to remove asylum seekers from the UK if they are at proven risk of persecution due to their sexual orientation or gender identification. The UKBA has since enhanced its guidance and training for asylum caseworkers on how to handle these types of asylum claim, but has been criticised for failing to monitor how the new approach is being implemented.
Research Briefing
This is an account of the House of Commons Committee Stage of the Welfare Reform Bill. It complements Research Papers 11/23 and 11/24, prepared for the Commons Second Reading debate.
Research Briefing
The Habitual Residence Test is applied to people (unless they are exempt categories) who have recently arrived in the country and who make a claim for certain means-tested social security benefits, or seek housing assistance from a local authority.
Research Briefing
This paper has been prepared for the Second Reading debate in the House of Commons. For information on the provision in the Bill relating to the introduction of Universal Credit, please see the complementary Library Research Paper, 11/24. Besides Universal Credit, the Bill proposes a number of other significant welfare reforms, including replacement of the current Disability Living Allowance, restriction of Housing Benefit entitlement to social housing tenants whose accommodation is larger than they need, time-limiting the payment of contributory Employment and Support Allowance to twelve months, and capping the total amount of benefit that can be claimed.
Research Briefing
This note provides an overview of the Anti-Slavery Day Bill, which would require the Secretary of State to designate a date for an annual "Anti-Slavery Day" to raise awareness of the dangers and consequences of modern-day slavery and human trafficking. The Bill is a Private Member's Bill introduced by Anthony Steen, founder of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Human Trafficking, who drew sixth place in the 2009-10 ballot for Private Members' Bills.
Research Briefing
This note examines international responses to human trafficking, including an overview of relevant treaties from organisations such as the UN, the International Labour Organization and the Council of Europe.
Research Briefing
This Bill would deal firstly with the transfer of border customs functions to the new UK Border Agency. It would also introduce new naturalisation requirements, deal with various other citizenship issues and place a new duty on the UK Border Agency to safeguard the welfare of children, also making provisions in relation to trafficking babies and children for exploitation. Some elements of the Bill underwent significant change in the Lords. The Bill as first published would have provided for immigration control to be introduced on air and sea routes within the Common Travel Area (the UK, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands), but these controversial provisions were defeated in the Lords. Originally the Bill would also have restricted the involvement of the higher courts in immigration and nationality cases, but a Lords amendment limited the scope of this restriction. At the Commons Committee stage, the clause relating to the Common Travel Area was changed again and the original provisions reinstated. The introduction in the Lords of a grace period for those close to qualifying for naturalisation was reversed and the original provisions relating to judicial review were also reinstated.
Research Briefing
This paper is on the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill [HL] (Bill 86 of 2008-09). This Bill would deal firstly with the transfer of border customs functions to the new UK Border Agency. It would also introduce new naturalisation requirements and deal with various other citizenship issues. The Bill as it was introduced in the Lords would have provided for immigration control to be introduced on air and sea routes within the Common Travel Area but these provisions were defeated in the Lords. Originally the Bill would also have restricted the involvement of the higher courts in immigration and nationality cases, but a Lords amendment limited the scope of this restriction. The Bill would introduce a new duty on the UK Border Agency to safeguard the welfare of children and make provisions in relation to trafficking babies and children for exploitation.
Research Briefing
This paper examines reports and evidence on the effects which immigration is having on communities and public services throughout the UK.
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