Historically MPs’ pay was linked to the salary scales of certain civil service grades. Although this is no longer the case, there is a continued interest in how these rates of pay have moved relative to each other.
This Note provides information on developments in parliamentary privilege since the last major review by the Joint Committee on Parliamentary Privilege report in 1999.
The purpose of this note is to draw attention to the principal amendments that were made in the Lords. It does not cover all minor or technical amendments. All the agreed amendments were Government amendments, many of which were moved in response to amendments proposed but not agreed at earlier stages, and commitments made by the Government to consider matters further. Peers debated many other amendments, on some of which they voted, but this note does not cover amendments that were not agreed.
At present public postal services are exempt from VAT, though the European Commission has argued that this hinders competition in postal services across the EU. This note looks at the prospects for reform.
This note, prepared for the parliamentary debate on 15 July 2013, looks briefly at the current situation regarding the UK's 2014 decision on justice and home affairs measures and lists the 35 measures the Government would like to opt back into.
From 1 April 2013, a new advance of benefit facility administered by DWP replaced Social Fund Budgeting Loans, interim payments of benefits and "alignment payments". This note gives details of the new system of Short Term Benefit Advances and Budgeting Advances.
This note provides data on electorates of parliamentary constituencies at December 2011. There were 46.3 million people registered to vote in UK parliamentary elections at 1 December 2012, an increase of 247,000 on December 2011.
The Coalition Agreement outlined a policy commitment to review employment law. . A number of significant changes to employment law have been or are due to be implemented by the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 and Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013. This note provides an outline of the changes.