Research Briefing
This Note should be read in conjunction with Library Standard Note 5350 The Hillsborough Agreement, published March 2010, which explains in detail the agreement reached on the devolution of policing and justice. This duly took place on 12 April 2010 and David Ford, the leader of the Alliance Party, became Policing and Justice Minister. New arrangements need to be agreed by May 2012.
Research Briefing
The first part of this paper focuses on the Pashtuns, beginning with a survey of the geographic, historical and cultural factors which have shaped Pashtun identities in Afghanistan and Pakistan before going on to describe the political and security arrangements under which they currently live. The paper then reviews the Pashtun armed militant groups currently operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The second part of the paper then looks at the US AfPak policy, setting out its origins and evolution before assessing the prospects for success over the coming year and beyond.
Research Briefing
This paper summarises the results of the local and mayoral elections held on 6 May 2010. Elections were held in all 32 London boroughs, 36 metropolitan boroughs, 20 unitary authorities, and 76 shire districts. Labour had a net gain of 17 councils, the Conservatives a net loss of seven and the Liberal Democrats a net loss of one. Four incumbent mayors were re-elected: in the London Boroughs of Hackney, Lewisham and Newham (all Labour), and in Watford (Liberal Democrat). The UK General Election was held on the same day.
Research Briefing
The Government has decided to cancel three pilot schemes in favour of developing broadband infrastructure and promoting local TV stations. This comes at a time when local newspapers face competition from the internet and local authority newspapers and have difficulty in maintaining levels of funding from advertising.
Research Briefing
This note discusses how the European Convention on Human Rights affects UK planning law
Research Briefing
This note sets out the background to the creation of the Church Commissioners in 1948, their main functions, their composition, and their relationship with the House of Commons.
Research Briefing
This note briefly summarises the bus policy of the Conservative Government in the 1980s, during which time bus services were deregulated (except in London) and bus companies were privatised.
Research Briefing
This note gives the economic, public finance and taxation background to the June 2010 Budget
Research Briefing
The Identity Cards Bill, Bill 1 of 2010-11, had its second reading in the House of Commons on Wednesday 9 June. During the debate, there was some argument as to whether any refund should be given to the 15,000 individuals who have already paid £30 for a national identity card.
Research Briefing
The evidence, as far as it goes, suggests that over the latter half of the 20th century there was little change in the proportion of university students from lower social classes. Their participation in higher education increased, but so did participation from all social classes and the gap that was apparent in the middle of the last century was broadly maintained to the end. Even the rapid expansion of higher education in the early 1990s had little impact on this. There now exists a wide range of indicators of disadvantage and looking across these over the past five years or so there is some evidence that this gap has started to close. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds have increased their participation in higher education at a faster absolute rate than those from more advantaged backgrounds. However, the gaps in participation remain very large and the rate of change is slow.
Research Briefing
This note briefly sets out the way in which the business of the House of Commons is currently decided. It summarises the proposals on the scheduling of business from the Select Committee on Reform of the House of Commons and the decisions made by the House on 4 March 2010. It considers the March 2010 report of Reform Committee and their proposed changes to Standing Orders, along with the Government's own proposals.
Research Briefing
This paper presents labour market data for Parliamentary Constituencies. A summary of the latest national and regional labour market data is given, along with a selection of relevant constituency-level indicators including the latest Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimant count data (for May 2010).
Research Briefing
This note describes the duty of the local highway authority to maintain the highway (including, in the definition of that term, pavements) and those defences that an authority can use if a pedestrian is injured on the pavement.
Research Briefing
In April 2009 President Obama set out his vision for a world without nuclear weapons, and in doing so laid the groundwork for renewed international efforts to strengthen and advance the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime. Over the past year that momentum has translated into the agreement of a successor to the US-Russia START treaty, global commitments to secure highly vulnerable nuclear materials within four years and the establishment, at the May 2010 Review Conference, of an action plan in support of the three main pillars of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. This paper examines the prospects for achieving that vision of 'global zero'.
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