Research Briefing
The Independent Commission on Banking: The Vickers Report & the Parliamentary Commission on banking standards
This note summarises the main features proposed by the Vickers Commission to reform the UK banking market.
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Research Briefing
Domestic violence statistics
Summary of statistics on the extent and nature of domestic violence from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW).
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Research Briefing
Digital radio switchover
The Government has published an Action Plan setting out its intention to see radio broadcasting switch from analogue to digital audio broadcasting (“DAB”). The target date, which the industry considers is achievable and the Government says it would support, is 2015.
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Research Briefing
Leasehold Reform (Amendment) Bill 2013-14
The aim of this Private Member’s Bill is to assist long leaseholders of flats who are unable to sign the legal notices necessary to trigger an individual lease renewal or the collective enfranchisement process. This note provides background to the Bill and its purpose.
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Research Briefing
EU Enforcement of Free Movement of People Rules
What action has the EU taken to enforce freedom of movement throughout the EU?
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Research Briefing
The Prawer-Begin Plan
There has been a lot of controversy about the Prawer-Begin plan to relocate some of Israel’s semi-nomadic Bedouin population to approved towns, with the UN Human Rights Council saying that it violates Bedouin rights and is discriminatory. In December it was announced that the bill would be substantially amended after opposition from both left- and right-wing politicians in the Knesset.
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Research Briefing
Local Government Finance Settlement 2014/15 – initial analysis
On 18 December 2013, the 2014/15 Local Government Finance Settlement was announced for consultation. Settlement funding assessments and spending power of local authorities will fall in 2014/15 by 9.4% and 2.9% respectively.
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Research Briefing
National school systems: sources of information
This note provides sources of information including a selection of journal articles and websites on education systems in a selection of foreign countries.
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Research Briefing
Germany’s 2013 election: shaping the future?
Where is Germany – the most influential country in Europe – heading, under its new grand coalition government?
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Research Briefing
Offender Rehabilitation Bill Committee Stage Report
The Bill covers a range of issues but its most controversial aspect (at second reading and in Committee) is that it would pave the way for the contracting-out of offender rehabilitation services for low and medium-risk offenders to private and voluntary sector providers, leaving a national probation service to manage high-risk offenders. The Government had intended to make these changes through secondary legislation, but a non-Government amendment in the House of Lords brought the changes onto the face of the Bill. That new clause was removed in Committee.
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Research Briefing
The Deal with Iran
On the 24th of November, the world woke up to news that a deal had been reached between the Permanent Five plus One (the UK, US, France, China, Russia and Germany) and Iran. A Joint Plan of Action was the outcome of weeks of hard negotiations. The deal was indeed revealed to be the fruit of years of US-Iran secret negotiations alongside a decade of public Iranian diplomacy following the revelation of a wide scale Iranian enrichment programme. This note seeks to outline the terms of the deal and reactions to it, background information for context and give a sense of potential technical and geopolitical outcomes.
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Research Briefing
Split Capital Investment Trusts
This note provides an explanation of the historic split capital trust 'debacle' in the mid 2000's
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Research Briefing
Interpal
The UK charity collects money for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza and in Lebanon and Jordan. It has been the subject of controversy because of allegations that money distributed by it has gone to promote terrorism. After some delays it has been cleared by the Charity Commission, but it is still a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organisation, on the US Treasury’s list.
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Research Briefing
Care Bill [HL]
The Care Bill would consolidate existing legislation for adult social care in England into a single framework, and introduce reforms to the way care and support is accessed and funded. It also includes reforms to the regulation of health services and care standards.
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Total results (page 318 of 560)