This In Focus briefing provides background information in advance of the second reading in the House of Lords of the Easter Trading Bill [HL] on 19 June 2015.
Easter Trading Bill [HL] (127 KB , PDF)
The Easter Trading Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill introduced by Baroness Turner of Camden (Labour), which seeks to “reform the law of England relating to Easter trading; and for connected purposes”. The Bill, if enacted, would amend schedule 1 to the Sunday Trading Act 1994 to remove the prohibition on Easter Day trading for large shops (defined as measuring over 280 square metres/3,000 square foot). The existing restrictions on Sunday trading would still apply to such shops. The Bill would, therefore, enable large shops to open on Easter Sunday as they do on any other Sunday of the year. The Bill would also allow for the repeal or amendment, by statutory instrument, of any provision in a local Act which appears to the Secretary of State to be inconsistent, unnecessary or to require amendment as a consequence of the Bill. The Bill, if enacted, would extend to England only and would come into force on the day on which it was passed.
Easter Trading Bill [HL] (127 KB , PDF)
The collapse of major UK companies such as BHS and Carillion has raised questions about the effectiveness of the country’s auditing practices. The government has committed to reforming the auditing industry. The 2024 King’s Speech included plans to publish a draft bill comprising measures to establish a new audit, reporting and governance regulatory body with enhanced enforcement powers. The draft bill has not yet been published.
This briefing is the fifth of a series on the post-war history of the UK economy. The series proceeds decade-by-decade from the 1950s onwards, providing an overview of the key macroeconomic developments of each decade. This fifth briefing looks at the 1990s. In this decade the UK economy settled into a period of low inflation and steady growth; however, living standards growth was lower and more regionally concentrated than in previous decades.
The Budget Responsibility Bill would require ministers to request an assessment from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) for every major fiscal announcement and give the OBR the power to decide to publish one if the minister failed to request it. This follows the September 2022 ‘mini-budget’. The statement included plans that would have resulted in a projected £45bn reduction in tax income. It did not have an accompanying OBR assessment.
