This Library Note provides background information for the debate on 28 April 2011 on co-ordination between Government departments on the use of soft power.
Debate on 28 April: Co-ordination between Government Departments on the use of Soft Power (504 KB , PDF)
This Library Note provides background reading for Baroness Taylor of Bolton’s debate on the level of co-ordination between government departments on the use of soft power. The Note defines soft power, and examines what the current Government has said about the role of soft power in its foreign policy. It also considers how the UK compares to other countries in terms of soft power. The second half of the Note deals with the co-ordination of soft power across Government and examines the effects of specific policies on soft power, including the impact of the Spending Review on overseas aid, the British Council and the World Service.
Debate on 28 April: Co-ordination between Government Departments on the use of Soft Power (504 KB , PDF)
While international attention has largely been focused on the Middle East and Ukraine, the civil war in Sudan continues. The UN has characterised the conflict as the “world’s largest hunger crisis”. As peace negotiations stall, concerns are rising not only for the people of Sudan but also about the conflict spreading to neighbouring states.
In light of the UK government’s recent proposals to reform the House of Lords, this briefing presents facts and figures comparing the House of Lords with other second chambers around the world.
Between 1970 and the early 1990s, over 30,000 NHS patients were given blood transfusions, or treatments made using blood products, which were contaminated with hepatitis C or HIV. Over 3,000 people have since died, and thousands more live with health conditions. The infected blood inquiry called for immediate compensation, public memorials, and for lessons to be learned in medicine, government and the civil service. In August 2024 the government set out plans for compensation.
