Research Briefing
Official Secrecy
This Note sets out the historical background to the current laws on official secrecy. It also provides a brief summary of notable cases which have involved official information legislation.
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Research Briefing
EU trade preferences for developing countries: the GSP & ‘Everything But Arms’
The European Union offers developing countries unilateral preferential trading arrangements under its Generalised System of Preferences (GSP), which is split into three parts: standard GSP, GSP+ and 'Everything But Arms'. A new GSP Regulation is to enter into force on 1 January 2009, running to the end of 2011. This note outlines the changes that have been made, providing a background and history to the GSP.
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Research Briefing
Business Rate Supplements Bill (Bill 2 of 2008-09)
The Bill gives legislative effect to the scheme outlined in Business rate supplements: a white paper (Cm 7230). This allows upper-tier local authorities, and the Greater London Authority, to levy a supplement on the business rate in order to fund local economic development projects. Businesses must be consulted and, in certain circumstances, balloted before a rate supplement can be introduced.
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Research Briefing
Progress on Enlargement at a Glance: 2008
This Note looks at the European Commission's latest progress report on EU candidate and potential candidate states.
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Research Briefing
The Lisbon Treaty: the European Council and prospects for Irish ratification
This Note looks at the discussions in Ireland, the European Union Institutions and other Member States about the prospects for Irish ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon. It considers the declarations on concessions agreed by the European Council on 11-12 December 2008 which are intended to facilitate Irish ratification in 2009.
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Research Briefing
Unemployment by constituency, November 2008
Unemployment by constituency, November 2008. House of Commons Library Research Paper 08/92. This paper shows the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance recorded as resident in each constituency in the United Kingdom in November 2008, together with comparisons with the levels in November 2007 and November 1997. This paper also presents residence-based unemployment rates for all 646 constituencies in the United Kingdom.
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Research Briefing
Political Parties and Elections Bill: Committee Stage Report
This is a report on the Committee Stage of the Political Parties and Elections Bill 2007-08 produced in response to a recommendation of the Modernisation Committee in its report on The Legislative Process (HC 1097, 2005-06). The Bill has been reintroduced as Bill 4 of 2008-09 and is awaiting a date for report stage in the Commons.
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Research Briefing
Tax Law Rewrite: the Corporation Tax Bill 2008-09
The Corporation Tax Bill is the fifth to be produced by the Tax Law Rewrite Project - established in December 1996 with the aim of rewriting the UK's existing primary direct tax legislation to make it clearer and easier to use. This note gives an update of the project, and a short introduction to the Bill.
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Research Briefing
2009 Benefit Uprating
Sets out the basis for the uprating of benefits and tax credits in 2009
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Research Briefing
The Lloyds-TSB and HBOS Merger: Competition Issues
This note sets out how competition law was used to allow the merger of the Lloyds TSB and HBOS banks to be cleared by the competition authorities and the Secretary of State. It also sets out competition concerns raised by this merger.
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Research Briefing
Pension tax simplification
Covers development of "pension tax simplification" rules introduced by Finance Act 2004. Updated to include Pre-Budget 2008 announcement.
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Research Briefing
UK Tax Burden
The UK tax burden for 2008/09 is estimated at 35.3% of GDP and is projected to increase to 36.0% by 2013/14. In 2008/09, income tax accounted for 29% of tax receipts, with national insurance contributions accounting for 19%.
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Research Briefing
Economic indicators, December 2008
This Research Paper series summarises the main economic indicators currently available for the UK, along with comparisons with other major OECD countries for selected indicators. [Article: Pre-Budget Report 2008: public finances and tax measures]
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Research Briefing
Means-tested benefits: help with mortgage costs (archived)
This Commons Library briefing paper has been archived as it no longer offers up-to-date information. However, we have published other papers which may be of interest.
Total results (page 509 of 639)