Research Briefing
Growth and Infrastructure Bill: Committee Stage Report
This is a report on the House of Commons Committee Stage of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill. It complements Research Paper 12/61 prepared for Commons Second Reading
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Research Briefing
Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative
This note summarises the main features of the extractive industries transparency initiative and outlines the sphere of operations of the UK’s main mining companies.
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Research Briefing
Scrap Metal Dealers Bill: Committee Stage Report
It is thought that scrap metal dealers are the main outlet for stolen metal and that the existing regulatory regime for dealers fails to discourage the trade in stolen metal. Richard Ottaway’s Private Member’s Bill, The Scrap Metal Dealers Bill 2012, will introduce a more robust licensing regime to disrupt the trade in stolen metal. The Bill has cross party support. Its Report Stage is due on 9 November 2012.
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Research Briefing
Growth and Infrastructure Bill
The Growth and Infrastructure Bill seeks to reduce delays in the planning system and to facilitate new development, through various means. It would allow planning obligations (section 106 agreements) relating to affordable housing to be renegotiated. To promote economic growth, it makes provision for a planned revaluation of business rates in England to be postponed and to create a new employment status of employee owner. Its second reading date has been moved from 30 October to 5 November 2012.
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Research Briefing
Antarctic Bill
This Private Member's Bill makes provision for expeditions in Antarctica to have contingency plans to deal with environmental emergencies.
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Research Briefing
Food Prices and Affordability
Food prices have hit historic peaks in the last few years. This note sets out recent trends internationally, UK policy responses and the follow through to UK prices and spending habits.
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Research Briefing
Deepwater and Arctic oil drilling
This note outlines several examples of how previously inaccessible sources of hydrocarbons are now starting to be exploited, the regulatory regimes that surround this and the increasing controversy over drilling in the Arctic.
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Research Briefing
Cormorants and fisheries
This short note sets out the background to a current review of predation at fisheries by fish-eating birds, which is being undertaken by Defra. The Angling Trust's Action on Cormorants campaign has resulted in many Members receiving representations on this subject.
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Research Briefing
Supermarkets : competition inquiries into the groceries market
This note looks at long-running concerns about the dominance of the four major supermarkets in the UK groceries market - and the two inquiries undertaken by the competition authorities in the last decade.
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Research Briefing
Olympic Britain
Olympic Britain tells the story of the profound economic and social change in the UK since the two previous London Olympics, in 1908 and 1948, using statistics and expert analysis. The book can also be browsed using the Parliament website at www.parliament.uk/business/publications/research/olympic-britain/
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Research Briefing
The Antarctic Bill
This Private Member's Bill makes provision for expeditions in Antartica to have contingency plans to deal with environmental emergencies.
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Research Briefing
Antarctica: the treaty system and territorial claims
The unique treaty system that protects the Antarctic is constantly updated and sometimes challenged. A current Private Member’s Bill would implement recent changes in the UK.
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Research Briefing
Horticulture and Orchards
This note deals with several issues related to horticulture, including the problem of invasive species and the supply of foreign workers
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Research Briefing
Metal theft
This note looks at the increasingly high-profile problem of metal theft, which the Association of Chief Police Officers has estimated costs the UK economy approximately £770 million per year. There have been calls to reform the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964 to tighten up controls on scrap metal dealers. In January 2012 the Government announced that it would be amending the 1964 Act to introduce a ban on cash payments for scrap metal and unlimited fines for relevant offences under the Act. These changes are set out in sections 145 to 147 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. In June 2012 Richard Ottaway introduced a Private Member's Bill that proposes to repeal the 1964 Act altogether and replace it with a new regulatory regime. The Bill has Government support.
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Research Briefing
Scrap Metal Dealers Bill
The Scrap Metal Dealers Bill seeks to introduce a more robust regulatory regime for scrap metal dealers to reduce the opportunities for metal thieves to sell stolen material.
Total results (page 47 of 57)