Research Briefing
Underground power lines and health
Power lines give rise to electric and magnetic fields which fall off with distance. Burying power lines underground effectively shields the electric fields but less so the magnetic.
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Research Briefing
Cold Weather Payments for winter 2012/2013
Cold Weather Payments of 25 pounds a week are made to certain recipients of Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Pension Credit during periods of very cold weather. To ‘trigger’ the payments, the average temperature at a specified weather station must be recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees or below for seven consecutive days.
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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
Energy complaints and the Energy Ombudsman
This short note outlines complaints routes against energy companies.
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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
EU bibliographies: Animal Experiments Directive
This Note brings together documents relevant to the draft EU Directive replacing Directive Dir86/609/EEC on animal testing. It is not an attempt to define policy in this area. For information on policy developments contact Elena Ares on extn 6348.
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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
Winter Fuel Payments for “off-gas grid” households
Four million (15% of) households in the UK are not connected to the mains gas grid and their average fuel costs are signifiantly higher than those with a mains gas supply. A Private Members Bill presented by Mike Weir MP aims to help older off-grid households by bringing forward the timing of Winter Fuel Payments to enable them to purchase fuel at a time of year when prices are likely to be lower.
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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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