Research Briefing
Norway’s relationship with the EU
Norway is not part of the EU, and although it has adopted large amounts of EU legislation, it has little influence.
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Research Briefing
State Second Pension
This note outlines the development of the State Second Pension
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Research Briefing
Draft Gambling (Licensing & Advertising) Bill
The Draft Gambling (Licensing & Advertising) Bill would amend the Gambling Act 2005 so that remote gambling would be regulated on a point of consumption basis, rather than point of supply (as at present).
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Research Briefing
Householders and the criminal law of self defence
This note considers the potential criminal liability of householders who use force against intruders. Such householders will have a complete defence if they can demonstrate they were using reasonable force in self defence. However, cases such as those of Tony Martin and Munir Hussain have led some to call for a change in the law so that the test is one of "not grossly disproportionate force" rather than "reasonable force". The Government is now proposing to legislate for such a change by way of the Crime and Courts Bill.
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Research Briefing
MPs Pension Scheme – background
This note provides background on the pension scheme for MPs - the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund - and its development to 2011. The current debate on reform of the scheme is covered in SN 6283 MPs pensions - 2012 onwards
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Research Briefing
Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill [HL] : Committee Stage Report
This Bill creates the office of the Groceries Code Adjudicator, whose role is to enforce and oversee the Groceries Code – a code of practice that regulates the relationship between large retailers and their suppliers
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Research Briefing
Crime and Courts Bill [HL]
The Bill would establish a new National Crime Agency and make a number of changes to the administration of justice. It also deals with the law of self defence as it applies to householders defending themselves from intruders; makes changes to community sentences and to immigration appeal rights; and introduces a new drug driving offence.
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Research Briefing
Economic Indicators, January 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
HGV Road User Levy Bill: Committee Stage Report
This Bill would provide for the introduction of an HGV road user levy from April 2014.
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Research Briefing
Welfare Benefits Uprating Bill
Social security legislation requires the Secretary of State to review benefit levels each year to determine whether they have retained their value relative to prices. For most benefits annual uprating is not mandatory, but historically governments have exercised their discretion by increasing the principal means-tested working-age benefits each April in line with prices. In his 2012 Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced that increases in most working-age benefits would be limited to 1% a year for three years from 2013-14, as part of a package to deliver additional welfare savings of £3.7 billion a year by 2015-16. The Bill amends primary legislation to enable the decisions on uprating in 2014-15 and 2015-16 to be implemented.
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Research Briefing
The Armed Forces Covenant
The Armed Forces Covenant is a statement of the moral obligation which exists between the nation, the Government and the Armed Forces. It was published in May 2011 and its core principles were enshrined in law, for the first time, in the Armed Forces Act 2011. It applies to all three services. The Government published the first annual report in December 2012.
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Research Briefing
Ports: privatisation of trust ports
This note sets out the legislative procedure put in place by the previous Conservative Government to allow for the privatisation of trust ports; how this was implemented in the mid-1990s; and the possibility of more trust ports being privatised in the future. It also gives information about the proposed privatisation of the Port of Dover, which has been the subject of much controversy and was finally rejected by the Government in December 2012.
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Research Briefing
Political Developments in Northern Ireland January 2012- December 2012
This Note details political developments in Northern Ireland in 2012. For developments prior to January 2012, see the Library’s previous notes available from the Parliamentary website.
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Research Briefing
The Turks and Caicos Islands
In 2009, the UK Government imposed direct rule in the Turks and Caicos following a corruption investigation. Local ministerial rule was restored in 2012.
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Research Briefing
Constitutional change: timeline from 1911: House of Commons Background Paper
This note contains a short and highly selective chronology of constitutional change over the past century. Prominent themes include parliamentary reform, devolution and changes to the franchise.
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