Chris Smith

The Bank of England operates monetary policy in the UK. This article describes how, for much of its history, this involving maintaining the convertibility of the currency into bullion—the gold standard. More recently, the aims of policy have shifted, with the current target being to control inflation. However, debates continue about the appropriate targets of monetary policy, its links with fiscal policy and other aspects of the Bank’s operations.

This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the debate due to take place on 30 January 2020 on the motion moved by Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale (Labour) that “this House takes note of the role played by defence, diplomacy and development policy in building a safer, fairer and cleaner world”.

This House of Lords Library Briefing provides information on the Bank of England. It covers the Bank’s history, its role today and current policy debates around its activities.

This House of Lords Library Briefing provides information on the Northern Ireland Budget Bill in advance of its second reading and remaining stages, due to take place in the House of Lords on 31 October 2019. It also identifies relevant reports and useful documents, including parliamentary materials and press articles, which may be of assistance to Members in preparing for that debate.

This House of Lords Library Briefing provides information to mark the upcoming World Cities Day on 31 October 2019.

This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the debate due to take place on 3 October 2019. Lord Harries of Pentregarth (Crossbench) is to move that “this House takes note of the case for ensuring that human rights are respected in any future trade deals with other countries”.

This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the second reading in the House of Lords of the High Speed Rail (West Midlands–Crewe) Bill on 4 September 2019.

This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the second reading in the House of Lords of the Census (Return Particulars and Removal of Penalties) Bill [HL] on 13 May 2019.

This House of Lords briefing pack contains a selection of material relevant to the forthcoming debate on the Government’s assessment of the transport infrastructure needs of the United Kingdom’s Innovation Corridor (London, Stansted, Cambridge); and to what extent the current infrastructure limits that region’s potential to contribute to the nation’s wealth.

This House of Lords briefing pack contains a selection of material relevant to the forthcoming debate on the Government’s assessment of the medium term economic and fiscal position for the purposes of submitting a convergence programme to the European Union.

This House of Lords Library briefing has been prepared to mark the United Nations’ International Day of UN Peacekeepers on 29 May 2019.

This House of Lords Library Briefing Pack contains a selection of material relevant for the forthcoming House of Lords debate on the reports from the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee: 'Making Tax Digital for VAT: Treating Small Businesses Fairly' and 'The Powers of HMRC: Treating Taxpayers Fairly'.

This House of Lords Library Briefing provides information on the use of tariffs in international trade.

This House of Lords Library Briefing provides information to mark the upcoming International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March 2019.

This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the debate due to take place in the House of Lords on the motion moved by Lord Young of Cookham (Conservative) that “the Grand Committee takes note of the economy in the light of the Spring Statement”. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, presented the spring statement to the House of Commons on 13 March 2019. No changes to the tax system were announced in the statement, and only a small number of spending measures. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published revised forecasts for the economy and the public finances on the same day.