• Research Briefing

    Local elections 2014

    Local and mayoral elections were held in England and Northern Ireland on 22 May 2014. In England, elections were held in all 32 London boroughs, 36 metropolitan boroughs, 19 unitary authorities, and 74 shire districts. Labour had a net gain of four councils, the Conservatives a net loss of 13 and the Liberal Democrats a net loss of two. The first local elections were also held to 11 new councils in Northern Ireland in accordance with timetabled reform to local government administration.

  • Research Briefing

    European Parliament Elections 2014

    Elections to the European Parliament took place in 28 countries of the EU between 22 and 25 May 2014. In the United Kingdom, UKIP won 24 seats, Labour 20, the Conservatives 19, and the Green Party three. The Liberal Democrats won only one seat, down from 11 at the 2009 European election. The BNP lost the two seats they had won for the first time at the previous election.

  • Research Briefing

    Peace and political reform in Burma: what progress?

    Burma’s international rehabilitation continues apace. However, critics argue that the pace of this rehabilitation has been too fast. They say the outcome of the current Constitutional review process is not yet clear; a durable peace deal with the country’s ethnic insurgencies has not been achieved; and inter-communal violence between Buddhists and Muslims persists. There has

  • Research Briefing

    Fracking in the Queen’s Speech

    This year’s Queen’s speech has now confirmed that Government plans to streamline underground access will, subject to consultation, be provided by a new Infrastructure Bill. The proposals would change access rights for petroleum exploration licence holders to make it easier from them to drill and frack for shale gas beneath other people’s land.

  • Research Briefing

    Weathering a storm of extremes

    Spring 2014 is expected to be the third warmest on record, beaten only by 2007 and 2011. After what has seemed like more than our fair share of extreme weather in the recent past – floods, storms, cold snaps etc. – the more temperate conditions this spring hardly seem to be record breaking or extreme.

  • Research Briefing

    Calls for reform of the criminal law on child neglect

    The current criminal offence of child neglect is set out in section 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933. The charity Action for Children has launched a campaign calling for reform of the law, arguing that the legislation needs to "catch up" with modern society's understanding of neglect. Initially the Government said it had no plans to change the law in this area as the courts and children's services already interpret the 1933 Act "in a contemporary way". However, it now plans to legislate (via the Serious Crime Bill announced in the 2014 Queen's Speech) to make clear that the offence covers serious emotional neglect and psychological harm.

  • Research Briefing

    How much legislation comes from Europe?

    In a television debate on Europe in March 2014 between the UK Independence Party leader, Nigel Farage, and the Liberal Democrat leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, the amount of UK legislation that originates in Europe was raised. Nick Clegg said that only 7% of UK legislation was based on EU law, citing as

  • Research Briefing

    Taxis: quantity restrictions

    This note looks at the issue of quantity restrictions on taxis and proposals for their removal. Taxi regulation is a devolved matter; this note deals only with England and Wales.

  • Research Briefing

    Accidentally reshaping the higher education sector?

    Many different groups expressed concern at the time that the 2012 HE reforms in England, £9,000 fees, liberalising student numbers and loan repayment changes, would deter potential students, particularly those from poorer and non-traditional backgrounds. The evidence so far suggests that after a dip in 2012 full-time first degree entrant numbers have recovered and application

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