We publish briefings on every major item of business in the House of Lords, providing Members with an essential overview of the topic, its progress in Parliament, and recent developments, to help them engage with business in the Chamber. We also produce topical and current affairs briefings, providing authoritative, up-to-date information on key topics and events.
The House of Lords Library produces briefings to support Members and the work of the House. This page provides details of all House of Lords Library research publications which are relevant to the business of the House this week.
Browse our work by topic, from Brexit and the EU to science and the environment. Explore our most recent publications, including longer, in-depth, briefings and shorter, web-based, articles.
The House of Lords Library provides impartial, authoritative, timely research and information to Members of the House of Lords in support of their parliamentary work.
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Read the most recent articles analysing topical issues and current affairs.
Attendees at a United Nations (UN) summit more than 25 years ago defined an inclusive society as a “society for all”. Policy responses have been introduced in the years since, though questions remain about how progress can be measured. The Covid-19 pandemic has represented a setback towards realising the goal in many areas, but some have identified an opportunity to redouble efforts towards achieving ambitions in the pandemic’s wake.
The Prisons (Substance Testing) Bill is a government supported private member’s bill. It would amend existing legislation to allow prisons to test for a wider range of drugs, including psychoactive substances and prescription and pharmacy medicines, without the need to regularly change legislation in the future.
The Kyoto Protocol sets limits for greenhouse gas emissions and includes requirements for countries signed up to it to maintain a record of their emissions, and trading of such emissions, in a registry. The House of Lords is considering regulations to allow the UK to operate a domestic Kyoto Protocol registry that is independent of the European Union registry system.
Read the latest coronavirus (Covid-19) analysis from Parliament.
Analysis on legislation before the House of Lords, debates and topical affairs.
What have been the largest ever votes in the House of Lords? This briefing provides a list of divisions since 1999 where 500 or more Members have voted.
The budget set out the Government’s plans for taxation and spending over the next five years. It also included the Office for Budget Responsibility’s assessment of the economy and forecasts for growth, the public sector finances, unemployment and inflation. It illustrated the effect of coronavirus on the economy and described how the Government aims to deal with the recovery from the pandemic.
Hereditary peer by-elections are held within the House of Lords to replace excepted hereditary peers who have retired or died. This Lords Library Briefing provides a list of hereditary peers’ by-election results since the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999, including information on turn out and the number of candidates.
In-depth analysis on legislation before the House of Lords, debates and topical affairs. Longer, more in-depth briefings in PDF format.
Shorter, web-based articles analysing topical issues and current affairs.
A monthly round-up of specialised press, blog and journal articles on a variety of subjects.
