Research Briefing Archives

Research Briefing

Growth and Infrastructure Bill

Thursday, 01 November, 2012

The Growth and Infrastructure Bill seeks to reduce delays in the planning system and to facilitate new development, through various means. It would allow planning obligations (section 106 agreements) relating to affordable housing to be renegotiated. To promote economic growth, it makes provision for a planned revaluation of business rates in England to be postponed and to create a new employment status of employee owner. Its second reading date has been moved from 30 October to 5 November 2012.
Research Briefing

Holtham Commission

Thursday, 01 November, 2012

This note outlines the main recommendations from the Holtham Commission's final report, briefly summarises the Commission’s first report and includes reaction from the Welsh Assembly and UK Government to the Commission’s recommendations.
Research Briefing

Mali in crisis: a political and security overview

Wednesday, 31 October, 2012

Mali has been in crisis since March 2012, when the military overthrew the government of Amadou Toumani Touré. Within weeks of the coup, a coalition of Tuareg rebels and militant Islamist armed groups pushed the national army out of the north of the country. There is now growing momentum behind proposals to create a regional military intervention force. But many questions remain about the wisdom of this course of action.
Research Briefing

Antarctic Bill

Tuesday, 30 October, 2012

This Private Member's Bill makes provision for expeditions in Antarctica to have contingency plans to deal with environmental emergencies.
Research Briefing

Underground power lines and health

Monday, 29 October, 2012

Power lines give rise to electric and magnetic fields which fall off with distance. Burying power lines underground effectively shields the electric fields but less so the magnetic.
Research Briefing

HGV Road User Levy Bill

Monday, 29 October, 2012

This Bill would provide for the introduction of an HGV road user levy from April 2014.
Research Briefing

UK relations with Russia

Thursday, 25 October, 2012

A brief summary of UK political relations with Russia.
Research Briefing

Family Justice (Transparency, Accountability and Cost of Living) Bill

Thursday, 25 October, 2012

The Bill has three parts. Part 1 deals with transparency and accountability in connection with cases concerning children and proceedings in the Court of Protection. Part 2 contains other provisions relating to the administration of justice; and Part 3 deals with the cost of living and measures to achieve lower fuel bills.
Research Briefing

HIV and AIDS statistics: UK

Thursday, 25 October, 2012

HIV and AIDS statistics: UK. By Rachael Harker. SN/SG/2210. This note summarises recent statistics on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and also includes a POSTBOX on HIV Infection and Treatment. Section 1 describes how the numbers of those diagnosed with and those dying from HIV/AIDS in the UK have changed over time. The characteristics that put people most at risk of HIV are considered in Sections 2 and the manner and place in which individuals with HIV acquire their infection in examined in Section 3. The general prevalence of HIV, and levels of awareness of infection, are examined in Section 4. International statistics on HIV and AIDS are briefly considered in Section 5, while Section 6 looks at public knowledge and attitudes to the disease.
Research Briefing

Cold Weather Payments for winter 2012/2013

Thursday, 25 October, 2012

Cold Weather Payments of 25 pounds a week are made to certain recipients of Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Pension Credit during periods of very cold weather. To ‘trigger’ the payments, the average temperature at a specified weather station must be recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees or below for seven consecutive days.
Research Briefing

The eurozone crisis: action taken by the European Central Bank (ECB)

Wednesday, 24 October, 2012

This note discusses some of the 'unconventional' measures taken by the ECB in response to the euro crisis and the political controversy they have generated.
Research Briefing

UK/India trade statistics

Tuesday, 23 October, 2012

This short note looks at UK/India trade statistics and was prepared for the Westminster Hall Private Members’ Debate on UK-India trade on Wednesday 25 January 2012.
Research Briefing

UK – Russia trade statistics

Monday, 22 October, 2012

This note looks at UK/Russia trade statistics
Research Briefing

Revised proposals for new constituency boundaries

Monday, 22 October, 2012

The number of parliamentary constituencies in the UK will fall from 650 to 600 as part of the current boundary review. Revised proposals for new constituencies were published by the Boundary Commission for Scotland on 13 September 2012 and by the Boundary Commissions for England and Northern Ireland on 16 October 2012. This note looks at how the revised proposals differ from the initial proposals published last year and the extent to which proposed constituencies can be identified with existing seats.
- Research Briefing
- Elections
Research Briefing

EU Savings Directive : recent developments

Wednesday, 17 October, 2012

In July 2005 legislation to tackle tax evasion on savings income held in one State for individuals resident in another - the EU Savings Directive (Council Directive 2003/48/EC). There have been concerns that the Directive is not as effective as initially hoped. This note looks at recent debates on amending it.

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