Research Briefing
Broiler chickens and poultrymeat
This note covers welfare issues relating to chickens kept for meat - unlike battery hens, which are kept for eggs.
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Research Briefing
The Croatia Accession Bill: an introduction
Croatia is expected to join the EU in July 2013. A Croatia Accession Bill, announced in the Queen’s Speech, would allow the UK to ratify Croatia’s accession treaty. But issues around the judiciary, corruption and shipyards are not yet fully resolved.
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Research Briefing
Use of non-geographic telephone numbers (e.g. 0845) by the NHS and GPs’ practices
Under current rules, NHS bodies and GPs’ practices are not prohibited from using non-geographic phone numbers, such as 0845 numbers, although the Department of Health has issued guidance about their use.
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Research Briefing
Azerbaijan and the Eurovision
After winning the 2011 competition in Düsseldorf, Azerbaijan will be hosting the Eurovision Song Contest from 22 to 26 May 2012 in the capital, Baku, despite calls for a boycott.
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Research Briefing
Credit Reference Agencies
This note outlines the operation and regulation of credit reference agencies. From April 2014 there will be a new activity of providing credit references that will replace the current activity of operating a credit reference agency. It also looks at the law surrounding the data which the agencies have access to.
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Research Briefing
NATO: The Chicago Summit
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) holds its Heads of State and Government summit in Chicago on 20-21 May 2012. The main themes of the summit are Afghanistan, capabilities and partnerships.
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Research Briefing
How the UK Government deals with EU Business
This Note looks at UK Government and Civil Service structures and culture; what happens at the UK-EU interface, and methods for transposing EU law into UK law.
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Research Briefing
Responsibility for reserved powers in Scotland
A briefing paper setting out UK government responsibility for reserved powers in Scotland.
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Research Briefing
Armenia 2012
Armenia has recently held a parliamentary election that appeared to show that the country’s political culture is making some progress. There remain two big problems in Armenia’s relations with other countries: its occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh, which observers fear may spark another war, and the argument over whether the 1915 massacres amounted to genocide.
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Research Briefing
The Syrian Crisis: Update May 2012
On 21 March, the UN Security Council supported a peace plan devised by Kofi Annan that called for a ceasefire, humanitarian access to Syria and the withdrawal of forces from urban areas. All sides declared their willingness to adhere to the plan. The Annan plan is at present the only hope of ending the accelerating violence in Syria, which has now caused more than 9,000 deaths, according to UN estimates.
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Research Briefing
Community Interest Companies
this document outlines the rules surrounding Community Interest compnaies and charts their growth.
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Research Briefing
Disclosure of tax returns for public officials and holders of public office
During the campaign for the London mayor in 2012, the two main candidates, Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone, agreed to release details of their tax returns. The Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have also suggested that the policy could be extended more widely. This Note looks at the arguments for and against so far, and looks at selected international comparisons.
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Research Briefing
Bangladesh: the International Crimes Tribunal
The Government of Bangladesh has re-established a long dormant International Crimes Tribunal to try people for alleged 'international crimes' committed during the 1971 war of independence. Eight men, all senior figures in opposition parties, currently face trial. While steps have been taken to strengthen the rules of procedure of the Tribunal, there are criticisms that the process still falls short of interntional standards.
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Research Briefing
Viral “Breadwinner” hoax email alleging abuse of fostering allowances
A number of MPs have contacted the Library concerning an e-mail that constituents have forwarded alleging abuse of the fostering system in order to benefit from the allowances available. The e-mail in question is not based in fact, and is a hoax. This short note explains the many errors in the “Breadwinner” email, and notes that an almost identical US version is also in circulation, which seems to be the source of the version discussed in this note.
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