This House of Lords Library briefing provides information in support of the House of Lords consideration of the private member’s bill, Road Traffic Act 1988 (Alcohol Limits) (Amendment) Bill [HL].
Road Traffic Act 1988 (Alcohol Limits) (Amendment) Bill [HL] (132 KB , PDF)
The Road Traffic Act 1988 (Alcohol Limits) (Amendment) Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill introduced by Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe (Labour). The Bill received its first reading in the House of Lords on 3 June 2015, and is scheduled to be read a second time on 29 January 2016. The Bill proposes to lower the maximum alcohol limit when driving in the UK, and would move the rest of the UK in line with the new limits applied in Scotland since December 2014.
Road Traffic Act 1988 (Alcohol Limits) (Amendment) Bill [HL] (132 KB , PDF)
The Bus Services (No. 2) Bill is a government bill scheduled to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 8 January 2025. It is intended to make it easier for local transport authorities to franchise bus services in their area. It also includes measures on bus data, enforcement powers, accessibility of bus stops, safeguarding checks and training for bus drivers and zero-emissions buses.
![Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 54 of 2024–25](https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Energy-568x426.png)
Rural areas and communities face a number of challenges compared to urban areas. These include transport difficulties, less choice over services, education and employment, and poor broadband or mobile phone coverage. Some surveys have suggested that many people, particularly younger people, are considering leaving rural communities as a result. This briefing summarises some of these challenges and the government policies seeking to address them.
Bringing passenger railway services into public ownership was a commitment in the Labour Party’s manifesto ahead of the 2024 general election. The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill would implement this policy. It would remove the existing presumption that passenger railway service contracts are awarded to private companies. Instead, it would require the government to award contracts to publicly owned companies when existing ones expire.
