Research Briefing
This Commons Library Briefing Paper gives background to Dr Eilidh Whiteford's Private Members' Bill requiring the UK Government to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women (the "Istanbul Convention").
Research Briefing
The Awards for Valour (Protection) Bill, which was presented on 29 June 2016, is sponsored by Gareth Johnson MP. The Bill passed Second Reading in the Commons on 25 November 2016. Several amendments which narrow the scope of the Bill were adopted in Committee on 1 February 2017. Report Stage and Third Reading is now scheduled for 24 February 2017. The Bill has the full support of the Government and is therefore considered likely to progress.
Research Briefing
England's A&E attendances in 2016 were 5.2% higher than in 2015. In 2016 16.2% of patients spent over 4 hours in major A&E departments, compared with 4.8% five years ago. This briefing gives stats on A&E demand, performance and pressure for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Research Briefing
Parliament now has a statutory role in ratifying treaties. As this Commons Library briefing paper explains, the Government must lay most treaties before Parliament for 21 sitting days before it can ratify them, and the Commons can block ratification indefinitely. However, there is no statutory requirement for a debate or vote, and parliament cannot amend treaties.
Research Briefing
This Paper provides a guide to the Second Reading and Committee stage of the Criminal Finance Bill currently before the Commons. The Bill has broad cross party support and very few changes were made to it during Committee.
Research Briefing
This paper was formerly called "Unemployment by Constituency". It contains claimant count figures for parliamentary constituencies, as well as a summary of the latest labour market statistics for the UK as a whole.
Research Briefing
This paper briefly looks at the impacts of aviation noise on those who live underneath flight paths and close to airports and explains the various measures put forward to tackle noise pollution, including flight restrictions and charges; better airspace design, and quieter aircraft.
Research Briefing
The Government's housing white paper, published on 7 February 2017, contains proposals for a number of planning reforms. This page summarises some of the key planning proposals from it and contains links to initial reactions to it. It also brings together some of the other documents published at the same time as the white paper.
Research Briefing
Politically dominant at home despite the continuing sluggishness of the Japanese economy, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faces serious challenges in charting a positive way forward on relations with the US under the new Trump Administration and with China, where their territorial dispute over the East China Sea continues to cast a deep shadow. This briefing surveys the outlook for Japan during 2017 both at home and abroad.
Research Briefing
The Summer Budget 2015 announced that grants would be replace with increased maintenance loans from 2016/17. This change could have an impact on efforts to widen participation in higher education and on long-term public finances.
Research Briefing
Analysis of the latest UK and international economic indicators
Research Briefing
This paper analyses the Children and Social Work [HL] ahead of Commons Report Stage. The Bill concerns children in care and care leavers, safeguarding children arrangements, powers for local authorities to test different ways of working, and the regulation of social workers among other matters.
Research Briefing
This paper explains how the night flight regimes at the UK’s three designated airports, Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, are set and what the current proposals are for the period 2017-22.
Research Briefing
This note explains the changes to funding for students on NHS funded courses in England, that lead to professional registration as nurses, midwives, or other allied health professionals as announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015. From August 2017 NHS bursaries which provide tuition fee funding, grants and living cost support, will largely be replaced by funding through the standard student support package of loans. The paper provides background to the changes.
Research Briefing
This Commons Library Paper looks at the Intellectual Property (Unjustified Threats) Bill [HL] 2016-17.
Total results (page 248 of 560)