Research Briefing
Can governments regulate the internet? Concerns over misuse of social media, online abuse and fake news have been raised loudly in the last year. The previous Government’s policy was to work internationally to ensure the continuation of a “free, open and secure internet that supports our economic prosperity and social well-being”. Self-governance rules online: social
Research Briefing
Once the UK leaves the EU, it will no longer get most, if not all, of the EU funding it currently receives. The funding is only small in the grand scheme of things – it was less than 1% of government spending in 2016 – but there is likely to be significant scrutiny of the
Research Briefing
The Brexit negotiations: what, when and how? This paper looks at the agenda and timetable for the first phase of talks, who is involved on the EU and UK sides, what they will be discussing and what positions - if any - they have taken so far.
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
A series of wide-ranging planning reforms were announced by the previous Government before the general election in its February 2017 Housing White Paper. The new Government will have the job of deciding if/how to take these forward. This paper sets out what is proposed alongside other reforms contained in legislation and previous consultations.
Research Briefing
Prison safety in England and Wales has declined sharply over the last few years. Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman and the Justice Committee have all voiced alarm. The May Government acknowledged the problem, citing factors such as new psychoactive drugs. Critics blame cutbacks. So what is going wrong, and
Research Briefing
The first-past-the-post electoral system is well known for its tendency to produce big mismatches between a party’s national vote share and share of seats. As the election effectively consists of 650 local contests, the overall outcome depends not just on the total number of votes cast for each party, but also crucially on where these
Research Briefing
This Commons Library briefing paper addresses the question of the status, post-Brexit, of EU citizens currently resident in the UK and those British citizens living elsewhere in the EU. It is updated to include a summary of the Government's proposals of 26 June 2017.
Research Briefing
The Grenfell Tower fire has raised questions about how agencies plan for and respond to civil contingencies. This briefing looks at emergency planning in the UK.
Research Briefing
New garden cities, towns and villages have been proposed as one way to meet the housing shortfall. A new garden city is under development at Ebbsfleet and the Government has offered support for a number of further garden town and village sites across the country. A number of studies propose different models for delivering garden cities. This note sets out further information about the differing views on garden settlements and government support and policies in relation to them.
Research Briefing
Taxation is very largely a Member State competence. The implications of the UK lying outside the EU are likely to be less significant for taxation compared with other policy areas. This short note discusses the balance of competences between the UK and the EU with regard to tax law, before looking at the brief comment that has been made, to date, on this aspect of Brexit.
Research Briefing
Following the General Election and last year’s EU referendum, interest in the way people engage with the political process has grown. This raises important questions about recent trends in political engagement in the UK and internationally. Defining political engagement Political engagement is an umbrella term for public behaviour and attitudes towards a political system. Intention
Research Briefing
In 2010 the Coalition Government set out plans for a Universal Credit (UC) to replace existing means-tested benefits and tax credits for people of working age. UC would, it claimed, cut through the complexity of the existing benefit system; ensure that work always paid; make it easier for people to get the help they need,
Research Briefing
A Commons Library Briefing Paper on the the regulation of mobile roaming charges in the EU, the abolition of mobile roaming charges in the EU, what it means for UK consumers, and the possible impact of Brexit.
Research Briefing
In 2016/17 the State Pension accounted for around £93 billion of Government spending – around 43% of total spending on social security and tax credits in Great Britain. Total social security expenditure directed at pensioners, of which the State Pension made up the vast majority (78%), was around £119 billion. This made up over half
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