Research Briefing
The Military Justice System: an introduction
The Service Justice System provides a legal framework that ensures Service personnel are subject to a single disciplinary code that applies wherever they are serving.
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Research Briefing
2014 Benefit Uprating
State pension, benefits and tax credits increase in April 2014 - how are the new rates are calculated and which benefits are restricted to a 1% increase?
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Research Briefing
Burma: recent political and security developments
Burma’s international rehabilitation continues. However, critics argue that the pace of this rehabilitation is too fast because 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 been criticism of the UK Government for providing some training for the Burmese military.
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Research Briefing
How big are the cuts to local government funding?
Today the House will debate the latest Local Government Finance Settlement. This settlement continues the recent trend of reducing funding for authorities. Funding in the central announcement (Settlement Funding Assessment), is set to decrease by 21%, across 2014/15 and 2015/16. However, the Government prefers to discuss a 5% decrease. How do these different figures arise,
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Research Briefing
Regulation of herbal medicines
This note deals with regulatory changes due to the EU Directive on Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products
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Research Briefing
Housing association tenants: right to buy
Most housing association tenants do not have the right to buy their home. This note explains the current position and outlines some alternative options.
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Research Briefing
Low turnout in strike ballots
There have been a number of calls for more restrictive regulation of industrial action in response to the current London Underground strike; most prominently, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson’s call for minimum thresholds in strike ballots. Strike ballots currently require a simple majority of union members voting on the question of a strike to
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Research Briefing
Paying the housing element of Universal Credit direct to tenants in social rented housing
This note explains the Government’s intention that social housing tenants in receipt of assistance with their housing costs should take responsibility for passing this assistance to their landlords when Universal Credit is phased in from April 2013.
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Research Briefing
Extradition and the European Arrest Warrant – Recent Developments
This note is designed to complement two earlier Standard Notes on extradition namely: ‘The UK/US Extradition Treaty’ (SN/HA/2204) and ‘The introduction of the European Arrest Warrant’ (SN/HA/1703) which each set out background information to the introduction of the current extradition regime (governed by the Extradition Act 2003).
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Research Briefing
Local Government Finance Settlement 2014/15
The 2014/15 Local Government Finance Settlement was confirmed on 5 February 2014. In England, Settlement Funding Assessments will fall by 9.4% and Spending Power will decrease by 3.1%.
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Research Briefing
New Garden Cities for the 21st century?
It is generally accepted that not enough new homes are being built to meet growing need. The idea of creating new garden cities remains an attractive option to meet this shortfall and both the Government and Labour Party have supported the concept. The issue of where settlements should go remains a sensitive issue and the
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Research Briefing
Children and Families Bill: Lords’ Amendments to Part 3 (Children and Young People in England with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities)
This note covers the main amendments made to Part 3 of the Children and Families Bill during the House of Lords consideration of the Bill. Part 3 of the Bill relates to children and young people in England with special educational needs (SEN) or, as a result of amendments made at Lords’ Report Stage, with disabilities. The House of Commons is due to consider the Lords’ amendments on Monday 10 February 2014.
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Research Briefing
The Green Deal
This paper describes the Government's Green Deal energy efficiency policy. The Government has since decided to stop funding the Green Deal Finance Company (GDFC) which was set up to lend money to Green Deal providers.
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Research Briefing
The Council of Europe: an introduction
What is it? The Council of Europe (CoE) is primarily a human rights organisation. Its most important achievement is arguably the European Convention on Human Rights, a treaty designed to protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The CoE is sometimes confused with the European Union (EU), which is a different organisation although
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