Research Briefing
Local elections were held for 2,782 council seats across 124 district, unitary and metropolitan borough councils in England on 5 May 2016. In the elections the Conservatives had a net loss of 38 seats, Labour a net loss of 15 seats and the Liberal Democrats a net gain of 48 seats. Changes in council control across England were minimal.
Research Briefing
Elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 5 May 2016 resulted in little change in the party composition. Following the elections the two largest parties in the Assembly remain the DUP (38 MLAs) and Sinn Féin (28 MLAs).
Research Briefing
On Thursday 5 May 2016 the second cycle of elections (2012 being the first) for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) took place in England and Wales (excluding the Metropolitan Police, City of London and Greater Manchester). The 40 police areas each elected one PCC. The supplementary vote system was used for the elections.
Research Briefing
This Commons Library briefing paper looks at the competing arguments about the possible effects of leaving the EU on the UK's permanent membership of the UN Security Council. The UK is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Would leaving the EU strengthen the UK’s position in the UN, have no direct effect, or result in a loss of legitimacy for the UN? What if it resulted in Scotland leaving the UK? Views differ; but the difficulty of amending the UN Charter makes any change to the permanent membership of the Security Council unlikely.
Research Briefing
The Conservative Party went into the 2015 General Election with a manifesto commitment to “scrap the Human Rights Act and curtail the role of the European Court of Human Rights.” This note provides a brief introduction to the Human Rights Act 1998; the European Convention on Human Rights and the work of the European Court of Human Rights.
Research Briefing
This paper 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 Commons Library guide summarises a selection of our EU referendum related briefings. It describes the referendum process and considers the potential implications of either result following June’s vote.
Research Briefing
This Commons Library Briefing Paper identifies issues and bills that may appear in the Queen’s Speech, which will outline the Government's legislative programme for the 2016-17 Session of Parliament.
Research Briefing
An independent review of the conditions attached to domestic worker visas recommended reinstating the right to change employer and apply for further leave to remain (but not permanent settlement) for all migrant domestic workers in the UK. The Government disagrees with the recommendation. It has introduced more limited rights for domestic workers to change employer and extend their stay in the UK, which are more focused towards victims of trafficking or slavery.
Research Briefing
This Commons Library briefing paper summarises how the result will be declared following the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU on Thursday 23 June 2016.
Research Briefing
On 28 January 2016 the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Michael Gove, told the House of Commons that his department would no longer pursue the introduction of the ‘dual contracting’ scheme for the provision of criminal litigation services in England and Wales. He also announced the suspension of a second reduction in solicitors’ fees. The change in policy ended the long-running dispute between the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the legal profession over changes to criminal legal aid.
Research Briefing
This House of Commons Library briefing paper provides information on amendments made to the Housing and Planning Bill 2015-16 during its Committee, Report and Third Reading stages in the House of Lords. The paper has been updated to include further consideration of the Bill by the Commons and Lords (Ping Pong).
Research Briefing
Proposals for zero carbon homes and the Government's decision not to proceed with the scheme announced in July 2015
Research Briefing
The Armed Forces Bill 2015-16 returns to the House of Commons on 11 May 2016 for consideration of Lords amendments. This briefing paper provides information on these amendments.
Research Briefing
This note is no longer being updated. For the latest information on the Apprenticeship Levy see the Commons Briefing Paper, Apprenticeships Policy in England.
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