• In Focus

    Ukraine update: September 2023

    Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has now lasted for more than 560 days. The promised Ukrainian counteroffensive is underway and, despite recent gains, has made slower progress than Ukraine and its Western allies may have hoped. Some commentators have suggested that the operation may be crucial to the direction of the war and its eventual outcome. This briefing examines a range of issues including the status of the counteroffensive and Russia’s strategic moves as it seeks to combat the impact of Western sanctions.

  • In Focus

    Teaching citizenship and life skills in schools

    Citizenship education is included in the national curriculum for secondary schools in England (and therefore compulsory in maintained schools) and forms part of a non-statutory framework in primary schools. Skills such as financial capability are also delivered through non-statutory personal, social, health and economic education. However, there have been several calls to strengthen citizenship and life skills education in schools, including from two recent parliamentary inquiries. This article examines those issues ahead of a forthcoming debate in the House of Lords.

  • In Focus

    Artificial intelligence: Development, risks and regulation

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is developing at a rapid pace. From generative language models like ChatGPT to advances in medical screening technology, policymakers and the developers of the technology alike believe that it could deliver fundamental change across almost every area of our lives. But such change is not without risk. Debate is ongoing on how best to regulate these innovative technologies and differences of approach have already emerged internationally as countries across the world examine how best to adapt.

  • In Focus

    Licensing Act 2003: Liaison committee post-legislative scrutiny

    In July 2022, the House of Lords Liaison Committee published a follow-up report on the work of the Select Committee on the Licensing Act 2003. The original committee examined the operation of the 2003 act, which made significant changes to the legal regime governing the sale of alcohol. In its follow-up, the Liaison committee said that many flaws in the licensing regime found by the select committee remained and that more needed to be done to ensure it operated effectively.

  • In Focus

    Transport investment: Bus and rail

    The government has committed to significant reform of the rail and bus sectors. As part of that reform, it has provided funding to help these services recover from the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and for capital expenditure. However, a recent government statement announced that some of these commitments, particularly around HS2, would be delayed in the light of current inflationary and cost pressures.

  • In Focus

    Prison officers’ retirement age

    Newly recruited prison officers can draw their full occupational pension between the ages of 65 and 68, depending on their date of birth. The prison officers’ union argues such officers do a demanding physical job and regularly face violence, so requiring them to work until their late 60s is inappropriate and harmful. Ministers say they are open to discussions with the union but there are no plans to adjust prison officers’ retirement age.  

  • In Focus

    UK-EU relationship in financial services

    In 2022, the House of Lords European Affairs Committee examined the relationship between the UK and EU in financial services. In its report, the committee said the UK’s financial services sector remained strong and that some challenges presented by Brexit had proven to be less significant than predicted. However, it warned the government against complacency, saying that ministers must ensure their future approach delivered for the sector and the wider UK economy.

  • In Focus

    International Holocaust Memorial Day 2023

    Friday 27 January 2023 is International Holocaust Memorial Day, marking the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland on the same day in 1945. On this annual day of commemoration, the United Nations urges every member state to honour the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism, and to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides.

  • In Focus

    Impact of Ukrainian port blockade on food supply to developing countries

    Russian forces continue to blockade Ukrainian ports, preventing the export of grain and other foodstuffs. Food supplies from Ukraine and Russia are vital to many developing countries including many in the Horn and East of Africa, which are at significant risk of famine because of the blockade and other global pressures. The UK has joined other international actors in calling for the blockade to end and safe exports routes established.

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