Research Briefing
From 1993 to 2000 Conservative and Labour Governments set taxes on road fuels by means of a 'escalator' - a commitment to raise duty rates by a specified percentage each year. This note is a short history of this policy.
Research Briefing
This note discusses the 'fuel crisis' of summer 2000, and the Labour Government's approach to taxing road fuels in the following years.
Research Briefing
This note covers the climate negotiations which have taken place since the Copenhagen Conference (COP 15) in December 2009, in the lead up to the next meeting in Cancun in November 2010.
Research Briefing
Cold Weather Payments are made to certain claimants of means-tested benefits during periods of very cold weather. To trigger the £25 payments, the average temperature in an area must be recorded as, or forecast to be, 0°C or below for seven consecutive days.
Research Briefing
This note provides some background for the Westminster Hall debate on fisheries on 2 December 2010.
Research Briefing
This Note outlines the various initiatives of successive government and the European Union to properly monitor and reduce road traffic noise and its associated impacts.
Research Briefing
The Sustainable Livestock Bill aims to reduce the environmental impacts of livestock production in the UK. It also aims to amend the way agricultural subsidies are used to make them more environmentally friendly. It includes a duty to give consideration to supporting sustainable practices and consumption through public procurement of livestock produce. The Public Bodies (Sustainable Food) Bill would create a duty on the Secretary of State to prepare a Code for Sustainable Food to promote the procurement of healthy and sustainable food by public bodies. This could be made compulsory if uptake was not extensive enough.
Research Briefing
This note describes how fisheries policy is enforced and considers whether UK fishermen face a stricter enforcement regime than elsewhere in the EU.
Research Briefing
This note deals with concerns that the four large supermarkets are so large that farmers and other suppliers are not paid a fair price for their produce
Research Briefing
This note sets out the measures in the Bill alongside what was said about these areas in the Conservative and Liberal Democrat election manifestos, the formal coalition Government agreement and the March 2010 Conservative green paper Rebuilding Security: Conservative energy policy for an uncertain world. It also highlights comment on the proposals.
Research Briefing
A large amount of plastic is accumulating in large areas of the sea. These areas have been dubbed 'great garbage patches' or 'plastic continents'. The long term environmental impacts of marine plastic pollution are unknown. There are concerns that it may lead to chemical contaminants entering the food chain, although more research is required.
Research Briefing
This note sets out in more detail the phasing out of traditional incandescent light bulbs and the claims that low energy light bulbs are damaging to human health and to the environment.
Research Briefing
This note sets out the law relating to the provision of public conveniences and the powers of local authorities.
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