This article summarises the conclusions of three House of Lords committee reports on the powers of Parliament to scrutinise treaties. In the context of Brexit, there have been calls for Parliament’s powers of scrutiny of treaties and trade agreements to be strengthened. The committee reports are due to be debated in the House of Lords on 7 September 2020.
Documents to download
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Referendum on Same-Sex Marriage in Ireland (99 KB, PDF)
On 22 May 2015, Ireland held a referendum on same-sex marriage. The referendum questioned whether the electorate would agree to adding the clause, “marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex”, to Article 41 of the Irish Constitution. Results revealed that 62.07 percent of those who participated in the referendum voted in favour of same-sex marriage, making Ireland the first country to legalise same-sex marriage by popular vote.
Following the results, the Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald TD, announced legislative plans to be introduced into the Houses of the Oirechtas by June 2015.
Documents to download
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Referendum on Same-Sex Marriage in Ireland (99 KB, PDF)
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The Terezin Declaration on Holocaust Era Assets and Related Issues is a legally non-binding document outlining several measures towards property restitution belonging to the victims of Nazi persecution. This article provides a background to the Declaration and discusses recent UK legislation on property restitution. The Declaration and the restitution of property is due to be the subject of an oral question in the House of Lords on 20 July 2020.
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In 1945, Parliament passed the Family Allowances Act. This article summarises the campaign to provide financial support to families with children and the passing of the Act. It also provides statistics on child benefits today.
