• Research Briefing

    Establishing a right of way

    A common issue raised by constituents concerns the options available for formalising a right of way. This note highlights a variety of relevant legal provisions and procedures and provides a summary timeline of the key legislative acts which have shaped the classifications of rights of way since 1949. The options available depend on how the path came to be of use in the first place and if it has any official classification on the Definitive Map for the area. The Definitive Map records all recognised rights of way.

  • Research Briefing

    UK Broadband – Policy and Coverage

    This note sets out the current situation with regard to broadband access and coverage in the UK and provides an overview of the Government’s broadband policy. It also highlights some examples of regional and local initiatives underway to improve broadband coverage.

  • Research Briefing

    Air transport statistics

    Air Transport Statistics by Tom Rutherford (SN/SG/3760). This note looks in detail at trends in air travel in the UK and the latest official projections, passenger fatality rates; fares, air freight, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. It includes some key facts on aviation's contribution to the economy and employment. Some international comparisons of air transport are also given.

  • Research Briefing

    Offshore oil and gas industry

    The UK offshore oil and gas industry is important to the economy. The industry directly supports around 350,000 jobs and also provides around £8 billion annually to the Treasury in taxation. This note provides a summary of the state of the offshore oil and gas industries and sets out some of the key challenges for the industry.

  • Research Briefing

    Energy Bill [HL]

    This briefing on the Energy Bill has been prepared for the Second Reading Debate in the House of Commons. The flagship policy in the Bill is the “Green Deal”, a scheme whereby homes would be given finance upfront to make energy efficiency improvements, which would then be paid for by energy bill savings. The Bill would also set up a new obligation on energy companies to help certain groups of consumers with saving energy, who need extra support. The Bill also introduces a range of other measures designed to improve energy efficiency; such as facilitating the roll-out of smart meters, widening access to energy performance certificates and making information on energy bills clearer. The Bill also provides measures designed to help improve energy security, to encourage low carbon generation and to grant additional powers to the Coal Authority to charge for certain services.

  • Research Briefing

    British Waterways

    This note gives the present and previous governments' policies towards British Waterways; information on Defra's 2004-05 policy review of BW in which concluded that it was largely doing a good job; and summarises the pressing issues of recent years - the funding of BW, the effect of cuts to its budget, and its future institutional status.

  • Research Briefing

    Japanese quake: nuclear power

    This note sets out official information from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about the nuclear power plants in Japan following the earthquake and tsunami, 11 March 2011, with comments about what is happening and why.

  • Research Briefing

    Wreck Removal Convention Bill 2010-11

    This note briefly describes the Wreck Removal Convention Bill 2010-11; a Private Members' Bill sponsored by Dr Thérèse Coffey MP. The Bill provides measures to enable the United Kingdom to ratify and implement the International Convention for the Removal of Wrecks. It would insert new sections and a Schedule into the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.

  • Research Briefing

    Animal cloning

    A number of commentators have raised concerns about the implications of animal cloning for food safety, food supply and animal welfare. Others stress that animal cloning has the potential to improve animal welfare and farming productivity. It may even be used in the conservation of endangered species. This note sets out background information on the different arguments and the regulatory controls on the use of this technology in food production.

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