This Library Note provides background information in advance of the second reading in the House of Lords of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill.
Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill (HL Bill 109 of 2010–12) (433 KB , PDF)
This Library Note provides information on the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, which is due for second reading in the House of Lords on 21 November 2011. The Note is intended to be read in conjunction with two House of Commons Library Research Papers: Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill (4 July 2011, RP 11/53) and Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill: Committee Stage Report (20 October 2011, RP 11/70) which provide background information and summarise the second reading debate and committee stage in the House of Commons. This note summarises the report stage and third reading debate in the House of Commons.
Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill (HL Bill 109 of 2010–12) (433 KB , PDF)
The prison population in England and Wales is at risk of exceeding prison capacity. To address this in the short term, the Labour government has changed the law to allow certain prisoners to be automatically released on licence into the community after serving 40% of their sentence in prison. This briefing explores what the reaction to the law change has been and whether there are alternative options that could prevent prisons becoming full.
Currently, cyclists who drive dangerously or carelessly can be prosecuted for various offences, including those contained in the Road Traffic Act 1988 (as amended). In 2024, the Conservative government said it was introducing a new offence of causing death by dangerous cycling. However, this change in the law was not enacted before the 2024 general election. This briefing summarises the existing laws ahead of a debate in the House of Lords.
The Holocaust Memorial Bill is due to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 4 September 2024. This bill seeks to make provision for expenditure on the construction and operation of a Holocaust memorial and learning centre. It would also remove restrictions on building these in Victoria Tower Gardens, next to Parliament. It is a government bill, introduced under the previous Conservative government and continued by the newly elected Labour government. The bill is a hybrid bill, meaning it applies generally but also has a particular effect on specific groups, people or places. This entails additional stages for the bill. The bill is made up of two substantive clauses. It would extend to England and Wales, and apply to England. It would come into force two months after receiving royal assent.
