• Research Briefing

    Sizes of Constituency Electorates

    The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act contains measures to set the number of UK parliamentary constituencies at 600 and to limit the permitted variation in the number of registered electors for a constituency. This note considers the possible impact by region of the proposals in the Bill and compares the sizes of constituency electorates at 1 December 2010. It looks at the variation in electorate sizes about national and regional means and about the UK Electoral Quota as defined in the Act.

  • Research Briefing

    Reforming financial markets III: commodity trading

    This is one of a series of notes which looks at actual or proposed reforms of either certain parts of the financial services sector or reforms of certain activities. The entire sector has received worldwide attention from regulators, governments, consumer and intra-industry and professional groups following the financial crisis which began in 2007. Whilst the 'rescue and recovery' phase of the crisis is (mainly) past, and the consultation and consideration phase nearing its climax, the legislative phase is still to come. This note looks at the arguments surrounding commodity speculation and its impact on the real world of commodity prices. A growing number of economic commentators and charity groups have highlighted what they see as a link between growing and ever more sophisticated forms of financial speculation (distinct from the traditional, real, commodity trading and hedging activities) and the volatility of food and other commodity prices. The statistical evidence from various surveys presents a more mixed picture on the links between speculation and price increases. Financial speculation does appear to make commodity prices more volatile but does not provide much of an explanation for the specific movement of individual prices in the short term. Regulators have their own concerns over the methods used by traders and dealers. Most trades are carried out using derivative swap instruments outside of the more open, transparent regulated exchanges. The note outlines what measures are being promoted to improve the regulation of the financial markets involved with these matters.

  • Research Briefing

    The Counter Terrorism Review

    This note provides background information about the Government's review of key counter-terrorism and security powers, which was announced by the Government on 13 July 2010.

  • Research Briefing

    UK relations with Libya

    This note details the sometimes controversial dealings between the UK government and the regime of Muammer Qaddafi and looks at the reasons for Libya's partial rehabilitation by the west, in which the UK was closely involved.

  • Research Briefing

    Estates of Deceased Persons (Forfeiture Rule and Law of Succession) Bill : Committee Stage Report

    This is a report on the House of Commons Committee Stage of the Estates of Deceased Persons (Forfeiture Rule and Law of Succession) Bill (the Bill). It complements Research Paper 11/07 prepared for the Commons Second Reading. The Bill is a Private Member's Bill. It was presented to Parliament by Greg Knight, through the ballot procedure, on 30 June 2010 as Bill 8 of 2010-11 and had its second reading on 21 January 2011. The Bill had a single sitting in a Public Bill Committee on 16 February 2011. No amendments had been tabled and there was no disagreement to any of the clauses. The Bill was reported without amendment. The Bill would, in certain circumstances, protect the inheritance rights of the descendants of people who have forfeited their inheritance by killing the deceased; or who have decided not to accept their own inheritance. Broadly, it would implement, with modifications, a number of the recommendations of the Law Commission in its 2005 report, The Forfeiture Rule and the Law of Succession. The Bill would extend to England and Wales.

  • Research Briefing

    Economic Indicators, March 2011

    This Research Paper series summarises the main economic indicators currently available for the UK, along with comparisons with other major OECD countries. Revisions to Q4 2010 GDP showed the economy had contracted more sharply than first thought, -0.6% compared with an initial figure of -0.5%. In addition, unemployment remains stuck around 2.5 million and average earnings are growing at around half the rate of inflation. Other indicators are more positive. The manufacturing sector is growing strongly, business sentiment is improving and retail sales recovered in January. [Article: 'Lending to small businesses' and 'The UK's aid programmes - where is the money going?']

  • Research Briefing

    Protection of Freedoms Bill [Bill 146 of 2010-11]

    This briefing on the Protection of Freedoms Bill was prepared for the House of Commons Second Reading debate. The Bill forms part of the Coalition Government's programme to “implement a full programme of measures to reverse the substantial erosion of civil liberties and roll back state intrusion”, and follows the passing of the Identity Documents Act 2010, which abolished identity cards. The Bill introduces a wide range of measures including the a new framework for police retention of fingerprints and DNA data, a requirement for schools to get parents’ consent before processing children’s biometric information, a new regime for police stops and searches under the Terrorism Act 2000 and the reduction of the maximum pre-charge detention period under that Act from 28 to 14 days. It also restricts the scope of the 'vetting and barring' scheme for protecting vulnerable groups and makes changes to the system of criminal records checks.

  • Research Briefing

    Animal cloning

    A number of commentators have raised concerns about the implications of animal cloning for food safety, food supply and animal welfare. Others stress that animal cloning has the potential to improve animal welfare and farming productivity. It may even be used in the conservation of endangered species. This note sets out background information on the different arguments and the regulatory controls on the use of this technology in food production.

  • Research Briefing

    Welfare Reform and the Universal Credit

    On 11 November 2010 the Government set out plans for a 'Universal Credit' to replace most in work and out of work benefits for people of working age. This note gives an overview of the main features of the Universal Credit and looks at some of the issues raised by the proposals.

  • Research Briefing

    Unemployment by Constituency, February 2011

    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. The latest data show: JSA claimant count unemployment increased by 2,400 in January 2011 to 1.46 million The wider ILO measure of unemployment was 2.49 million in the period October-December 2010, a rise of 44,000 from the last quarter. The unemployment rate was 7.9%, 0.1 percentage points higher than the last quarter. The number of people who have been unemployed (ILO measure) for longer than twelve months increased by 17,000 over the last quarter to 833,000.

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