Research Briefing
Viral emails protesting about government spending on international aid
This note analyses statistics contained in a viral email on aid spending, which is often headed 'Something to think about'.
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Research Briefing
Resettling Syrian refugees in the UK
The United Nations estimates that more than 191,000 people have been killed in Syria. More than 12 million Syrians need help in the country, 7.6 million of whom are internally displaced. Well over 3 million Syrians have fled abroad. Millions of children cannot go to school. In June the UNHCR estimated that there would be
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Research Briefing
In Brief: Progress against ISIS December 2014
A brief summary of the progress of the military campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
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Research Briefing
Bahrain and the UK: 2014 controversies
The UK’s political and security relationship with Bahrain is disputed even though the protests that began in 2011 are subsiding. This briefing summarises the controversies
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Research Briefing
The UK in the European Union: in brief
What has happended in the European Economic Community since the UK joined in 1973?
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Research Briefing
Main Treaty amendments since the UK joined the EEC
Many argue that the EU is a far cry from what the UK signed up to in 1973. This note looks at the major Treaty changes since the UK joined the EEC in 1973.
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Research Briefing
Protocol No.15 to the European Convention on Human Rights: subsidiarity and the margin of appreciation
This note looks briefly at the Brighton reform conference in 2012 and reforms implemented before and since. It considers two of the reforms in Protocol 15 that the UK Government particularly wanted, in the light of the European Court of Human Rights judgments in Hirst and Abu Qatada, concerning subsidiarity and the margin of appreciation.
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Research Briefing
Iran, the nuclear negotiations and relations with the UK
How is the thaw in relations between Iran and the UK going?
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Research Briefing
Hong Kong: pro-democracy protests and proposed FAC visit
A summary of recent events related to Hong Kong, including the pro-democracy protests and the Chinese Government's refusal to allow the Foreign Affairs Committee to visit.
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Research Briefing
Benefit Entitlement (Restriction) Bill 2014-15
The Benefit Entitlement (Restriction) Bill is a Private Members’ Bill presented by Christopher Chope. The Bill makes provision “to restrict the entitlement of non-UK Citizens from the European Union and the European Economic Area to taxpayer-funded benefits.” The Bill provides that the restrictions on entitlement are “notwithstanding the provisions of the European Communities Act 1972.”
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Research Briefing
The Arms Trade Treaty
A legally binding Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 2 April 2013. It provides, for the first time, an international legal and regulatory framework for the arms trade based on respect for international law and human rights. The UK ratified the treaty on 2 April 2014. Primary legislation was not required for ratification but secondary legislation was amended and the UK’s Consolidated Criteria, which are the basis upon which official decisions are made about whether to approve licence applications for arms exports, were updated. The treaty enters into force on 24 December 2014
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Research Briefing
Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons
On 8-9 December interested parties will convene in Vienna for the Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons. This will be the third conference on this issue in two years and is the result of an increasing focus by the non-nuclear weapon states on a previously little-debated aspect of the nuclear weapons debate: the humanitarian consequences of their use. On 2 December the British government announced that it would attend the Vienna conference, in contrast to the two previous conferences on this subject.
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Research Briefing
Libya: deepening conflict
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against all travel to Libya, as the country splits among warring factions. The country now has two parliaments and its internationally-accepted government is based in a hotel in Tobruk.
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Research Briefing
The UK’s EU surcharge
Debate over the UK’s EU budget surcharge of £1.63bn1 has raged since the end of October, culminating in an urgent question in the House on Monday (11th November). The Chancellor of the Exchequer claims to have, amongst other things, halved the surcharge – his opponents say that this is based on a rebate which was
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Research Briefing
Armed Forces Pension Scheme legacy issues – survivors’ benefits
Looks at changes in survivors benefits from the armed forces pension schemes
Total results (page 135 of 184)