Research Briefing
The Recall of MPs Bill 2014-15 was introduced on 11 September 2014, and is scheduled to be debated on second reading on 14 October. There was a commitment to legislate to introduce a power of recall in the Coalition Agreement, and a draft bill was scrutinised by the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee in 2012.
Research Briefing
This note covers the contribution conditions for the basic State Pension
Research Briefing
This paper features analysis of the latest UK and international economic indicators
Research Briefing
This note deals only with the proposals put forward by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson for a new hub airport located on an artificial island in the Thames estuary. For information on the historical background to the idea of building a new airport at or in the Thames estuary, as well as the current proposals for the Isle of Grain site, see SN4920.
Research Briefing
Which countries have extended diplomatic recognition to Palestine? What is the status of Palestine at the United Nations?
Research Briefing
The Human Rights Act was introduced by the Labour Government in 1998 in order to “bring rights home” and enjoyed cross-party support at the time. Essentially, it allows anyone in the UK to rely on rights contained in the European Convention on Human Rights before the domestic courts. The 1998 Act has proved controversial; and
Research Briefing
In May 2013 elections, the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, led by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, won a majority of seats in parliament despite gaining only 47% of the vote. With his leadership under significant threat within UMNO, the dominant Malay party within the BN, since the 2013 elections Najib has launched a campaign of harassment of the political opposition and a focused anew on affirmative action for Malays. Longstanding sodomy charges have been revived against opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. Najib's reforming credentials currently look threadbare.
Research Briefing
Today, 1 October, is the International Day of Older People. Here we look at some key labour market statistics for people aged 65 and over in the UK. The UN General Assembly voted to establish 1 October as the International Day of Older Persons in 1990, and the occasion was first observed in October 1991.
Research Briefing
In August 2014 the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress decided that the next Chief Executive of Hong Kong should be directly elected in 2017 by universal suffrage. However, the candidates (expected to be two or three in total) will still have to be approved in advance by a nominating committee, whose composition and method of formation will remain unchanged from that of the 1200-person strong ‘Election Committee’ which elected the current Chief Executive in 2012. Critics argue that this nominating committee will have an in-built ‘pro-Beijing’ bias. The decision has triggered a wave of protest. This briefing summarises the legal context of recent events, including the UK's own obligations.
Research Briefing
In the Scottish Independence Referendum held on the 18th September 2014, the proposition ‘Should Scotland be an independent country?’ was rejected by a margin of 10.6 percentage points. The turnout at the referendum was 84.6% including rejected papers (84.5% based on valid votes). This is the highest turnout at a nationwide referendum or parliamentary election in Scotland since the franchise was extended to women in 1918.
Research Briefing
This note provides information on the current and future strength of the UK Armed Forces
Research Briefing
The US has been conducting airstrikes on Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq since early August, and at the time of writing has just launched similar airstrikes on IS militants in Syria. Here in the UK, MPs have been recalled to Westminster to discuss whether the UK should itself launch airstrikes on IS militants in
Research Briefing
The advance of ISIS in Iraq and Syria seems to have been slowed, but Western and regional states are struggling to formulate a convincing response to it
Research Briefing
Discusses proposals to improve outcomes for savers in defined contribution (DC) pension schemes
Research Briefing
Looks at the regulatory framework for DC pension schemes
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