Research Briefing
Germany’s 2013 election: shaping the future?
Where is Germany – the most influential country in Europe – heading, under its new grand coalition government?
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Research Briefing
Offender Rehabilitation Bill Committee Stage Report
The Bill covers a range of issues but its most controversial aspect (at second reading and in Committee) is that it would pave the way for the contracting-out of offender rehabilitation services for low and medium-risk offenders to private and voluntary sector providers, leaving a national probation service to manage high-risk offenders. The Government had intended to make these changes through secondary legislation, but a non-Government amendment in the House of Lords brought the changes onto the face of the Bill. That new clause was removed in Committee.
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Research Briefing
The Deal with Iran
On the 24th of November, the world woke up to news that a deal had been reached between the Permanent Five plus One (the UK, US, France, China, Russia and Germany) and Iran. A Joint Plan of Action was the outcome of weeks of hard negotiations. The deal was indeed revealed to be the fruit of years of US-Iran secret negotiations alongside a decade of public Iranian diplomacy following the revelation of a wide scale Iranian enrichment programme. This note seeks to outline the terms of the deal and reactions to it, background information for context and give a sense of potential technical and geopolitical outcomes.
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Research Briefing
Split Capital Investment Trusts
This note provides an explanation of the historic split capital trust 'debacle' in the mid 2000's
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Research Briefing
Interpal
The UK charity collects money for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza and in Lebanon and Jordan. It has been the subject of controversy because of allegations that money distributed by it has gone to promote terrorism. After some delays it has been cleared by the Charity Commission, but it is still a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organisation, on the US Treasury’s list.
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Research Briefing
Biting the bullet on business rates?
The Autumn Statement contained an unusual number of changes to the business rates system. No fewer than five adjustments to business rates were announced in the text of the Statement. Although most businesses will not see any step-change to their business rate liability as a result of the package, the changes suggest that the Government
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Research Briefing
Care Bill [HL]
The Care Bill would consolidate existing legislation for adult social care in England into a single framework, and introduce reforms to the way care and support is accessed and funded. It also includes reforms to the regulation of health services and care standards.
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Research Briefing
Financial Services (Banking Reform) Bill: Lords stages
This note summarises the proceedings of the Lords committee stage of the bill.
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Research Briefing
Autumn Statement 2013: a summary
This note sets out the main measures announced in the 2013 Autumn Statement, presented by the Chancellor on 5 December 2013, and the Office for Budget Responsibility’s updated forecasts for the economy and public finances. There are also overviews of policy announcements on the State Pension age, business rates, the cap on welfare spending and jobs and young people.
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Research Briefing
Scotland’s referendum on independence: next steps to September 2014
Scotland is due to vote in a referendum on 18 September 2014. The question will be: Should Scotland be an independent country? What does the Scottish Government have in mind for an independent Scotland? On 26 November 2013 the Scottish Government launched Scotland’s Future: your guide to an independent Scotland. This 650-page White Paper sets
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Research Briefing
Tax exile on Main Street: Tax avoidance and the future of the tax system
The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement included a series of proposals to obstruct, reverse or frustrate various schemes for tax avoidance. As the Statement noted, despite earlier initiatives, “a minority of taxpayers continue to seek out unacceptable ways to reduce the amount of tax that they pay.” The persistence of avoidance activity highlights one aspect of the
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Research Briefing
Intellectual Property Bill [HL]
The Intellectual Property Bill [HL] (Bill 102 of session 2013-14) was introduced into the House of Lords on 9 May 2013, where it received Second Reading on 22 May. It completed its parliamentary stages in the upper house on 30 July and was passed to the Commons, where it received First Reading on 29 August. This Research Paper has been produced to inform the Second Reading debate in the Commons, which is scheduled for 9 December 2013.
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Research Briefing
Races, battles and beauty contests – UK-China economic relations
The Government has declared that success in emerging markets, particularly China, is central to the aim of reviving and rebalancing the UK economy. In a measure of the importance attached to relations with China, the Autumn Statement has been delayed by a day this week to accommodate the Prime Minister’s 120-strong trade delegation there.
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Research Briefing
Buses: grants and subsidies
This note summarises the different types of government financial support for bus services in England, including Bus Service Operators’ Grant, the Green Bus Fund and the Better Bus Areas Fund.
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