Research Briefing
Unemployment by Constituency August 2013
This paper contains labour market figures for parliamentary constituencies, as well as a summary of the latest national and regional statistics.
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Research Briefing
Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT)
The Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT) placed a five year obligation on gas and electricity suppliers to reduce carbon emissions in the household sector through energy efficiency improvements. It ran from April 2008 - December 2012.
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Research Briefing
The Kurds: new perspectives?
Upheaval in the Middle East is bringing about a re-alignment in relation to the Kurds.
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Research Briefing
Motorcycles: licences and tests
This note explains the law related to motorcycle rider licensing, including the changes introduced in the UK by virtue of European Directives.
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Research Briefing
Economic Indicators, August 2013
This Research Paper series summarises the main economic indicators currently available for the UK, along with comparisons with other major OECD countries.
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Research Briefing
In brief: Zimbabwe – 2013 elections
Zimbabwe held presidential and parliamentary elections on 31 July 2013. They resulted in overwhelming victory for President Robert Mugabe and his Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and shattering defeat for Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai (MDC-T). The 2013 elections were certainly extremely flawed – it had been obvious for some time that they would be – but there is no escaping the fact that President Mugabe and ZANU-PF have comprehensively outmanoeuvred their rivals.
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Research Briefing
Traditions and customs of the House: House of Commons Background Paper
This note outlines a number of the lesser-known and more unusual customs, procedures and behaviours of the House of Commons. It covers aspects of debate in the Chamber of the House; aspects of protocol; and specific traditions.
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Research Briefing
House of Commons Trends
This paper sets out key statistics about the House of Commons. The aim is to provide comparisons over time, though periods may vary according to relevance and the availability of consistent data. Some are for Parliamentary sessions, some by calendar year and some by financial year. This should be borne in mind when comparing different sets of information.
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Research Briefing
Universal Credit: proposals for a seven day “waiting period” for claims
In Spending Round 2013 on 26 June, the Chancellor announced that new Universal Credit claimants subject to work-related conditionality who have not had a UC claim in the previous six months will have to wait seven days before becoming eligible for support. The measure is expected to be introduced from April 2015, and ultimately yield savings of around £260 million a year.
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Research Briefing
State and ceremonial funerals
This Note explains the arrangements for state and ceremonial funerals, including examples from the past. It shows the distinction between the two types of funeral, looks at what is known about the process to decide whether a state funeral will be held for a commoner, and provides some information on costs.
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Research Briefing
The Quebec referendums
This paper gives a brief outline of separatism in Quebec, showing that many of the arguments in Canada are already being echoed in the debate about Scotland’s future relationship with the rest of the UK.
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Research Briefing
In brief: the controversy over the November 2013 Commonwealth Summit in Sri Lanka
In November 2009, the Commonwealth Heads of State and Government Meeting (CHOGM) agreed that its 2013 meeting should be held in Sri Lanka. This decision has faced persistent criticism since then, with organisations including Human Rights Watch arguing that the Sri Lankan Government’s human rights record is so poor that the Commonwealth should relocate the Summit elsewhere. The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Kamalesh Sharma, has rejected such calls. So far, Canada is the only Commonwealth member state to say that it will definitely not be attending the Summit. The Prime Minister, David Cameron, and the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, have confirmed that they will both be attending the Summit on behalf of the British Government (Prince Charles will represent the Queen). The official British position is that they will use their presence to raise concerns about the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.
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Research Briefing
Royal Mail Pension Plan
This note looks at the development of the Royal Mail Pension Plan and the Government's decision to take responsibility for its historic deficit.
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Research Briefing
Unemployment by Constituency, July 2013
This paper contains labour market figures for parliamentary constituencies, as well as a summary of the latest national and regional statistics.
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