Research Briefing
This note provides a brief outline of the procedures followed at the end of Parliament to ensure the enactment of some of the legislation that has not completed its passage through Parliament when a general election is called. The note also gives details of the time available for wash-up following the announcement of general elections since 1983.
Research Briefing
This note outlines the current petitions process in the House of Commons. It then sets out the findings of the Procedure Committee's reports on petitions and the recommendations of the Committee on Reform of the House of Commons. Lastly it considers the operation of petitions committees in the Scottish Parliament and the House of Representatives in Australia.
Research Briefing
The Bill would allow the Northern Ireland Assembly to delegate the authority for determining Assembly Members' salaries and allowances either to an independent body or to the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission. The Bill specifies that an independent body would have to be established by Act of the Assembly, whereas authority could be delegated to the Commission by resolution of the Assembly. The Bill includes provisions to prevent Assembly Members who also sit in the House of Commons or the European Parliament from drawing their Assembly salaries. They would still be entitled to full allowances in connection with each mandate they hold.
Research Briefing
On 22 February 2010 the House of Commons held a general debate on the report of the Select Committee on Reform of the House of Commons, Rebuilding the House. This Note outlines the motions, that were based on recommendations in the Committee's report, that the House agreed to on 22 February and also on 4 March 2010, when those motions objected to on 22 February were put to the House again with selected amendments.
Research Briefing
There were some significant amendments during the Committee Stage of this Bill. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority was given control over setting Members' pay and pensions by amendments to the Parliamentary Standard Act 2009. There is to be a new Compliance Officer to investigate alleged misuse of Members' allowances; amendments would ensure that all MPs and peers would be liable to UK taxes; there would be a referendum on whether to adopt the Alternative Vote by 31 October 2011; and a new requirement on Returning Officers to begin election counts four hours after a general election poll closes.
Research Briefing
This Note looks at the background of the Communications Allowance.
Research Briefing
This note explains the background to the introduction of Clause 83 into the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill 2009-10. The clause was introduced after it was suggested that Section 18 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 has introduced some difficulties of interpretation into the provisions of Section 3 of the Act of Settlement 1701.This affected the eligibility of Commonwealth and Republic of Ireland citizens to sit in the House of Lords.
Research Briefing
On 10 June 2009 the Prime Minister announced that the Government would support a proposal from Tony Wright, the Chairman of the Public Administration Select Committee, to establish a time-limited committee on reform of the House of Commons. The Committee published its report on 24 November. This Note examines the prposals made in the Committee's report and progress made in implementing them.
Research Briefing
This Note reviews the operation of parliamentary privilege with respect to individual Members. It refers to the Joint Committee on Parliamentary Privilege, which reported in 1999. Library Standard Note 2024 Parliamentary Privilege and Qualified Privilege covers the question of the treatment in law of Members' constituency correspondence.
Research Briefing
This note provides a brief overview of the establishment and role of the group charged with reassessing past claims made under the Additional Costs Allowance.
Research Briefing
On 27 January 2010 the Supreme Court announced that it had upheld the appeal in the case of HM Treasury v Ahmed and Others, which concerned the UK's implementation of United Nations obligations to freeze the assets of terrorists by way of two Orders in Council made under section 1 of the United Nations Act 1946. The Court quashed the Terrorism (United Nations Measures) Order 2006 and provisions in the Al-Qaida and Taliban (United Nations Measures) Order 2006. The Government announced its intention to introduce primary legislation to re-instate the asset-freezing regime.
Research Briefing
On 20 July 2009, the day before it rose for the summer recess, the House of Commons agreed to establish the 18-member Select Committee on Reform of the House of Commons. This note outlines the evolution of the Committee's terms of reference in addition to discussing the Committee's report, published on 24 November 2009.
Research Briefing
From 1 July 2009 Members no longer have to report certain donations to both the Electoral Commission and Registrar of Members' Interests. The Note examines the history behind this dual requirement enacted in the Political Parties, Election and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA). Section 59 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 provided for dual registration to end, but implementation of this provision was delayed until July 2009. The Note also sets out the new limits on donations which have to be declared by Members, enacted in the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009.
Research Briefing
This note briefly reviews the background to the CSPL inquiry and notes the people from whom it received oral evidence. The note also records the indications that the political parties have given about how they are likely to respond to the CSPL's report.
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