The Offender Rehabilitation Bill would provide increased support and supervision upon release for those serving prison sentences of up to two years, and would make changes to the arrangements for community orders and suspended sentence orders. This Library Note provides background reading in advance of the Bill’s second reading in the House of Lords.
Offender Rehabilitation Bill [HL] (HL Bill 2 of 2013–14) (333 KB , PDF)
The Offender Rehabilitation Bill was announced in the 2013 Queen’s Speech, received its first reading on 9 May 2013 and is due to receive its second reading on 20 May 2013. The Bill makes provision to increase support and supervision upon release for those serving a sentence of less than two years and would make a number of changes to the arrangements for community orders and suspended sentence orders. The Bill also expands the potential use of post-release conditions to combat drug misuse. With the Bill forming part of the Government’s Transforming Rehabilitation strategy, this Note contains reaction to the Government’s proposals as a whole, and then provides background to the provisions contained in the Bill.
Offender Rehabilitation Bill [HL] (HL Bill 2 of 2013–14) (333 KB , PDF)
The Hares (Closed Season) Bill [HL] would create a closed season during which it would be an offence to intentionally or recklessly kill, injure or take any hare between 1 February to 30 September each year. It would also repeal the Hares Preservation Act 1892.
![Hares (Close Season) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 52 of 2024–25](https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Agriculture-and-farming-568x426.png)
The UK co-founded and is a member of the Media Freedom Coalition, which advocates for media freedom, the safety of journalists, and holding those who harm journalists to account. More than 50 journalists have been killed every year since 2019, often with impunity. They can also be subject to detention and legal intimidation. The previous government worked with the UN and other multilateral organisations to promote media freedom, and the current government has said it will protect independent journalism.
In October 2024, a House of Lords committee published a post-legislative review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. The committee argued that the legislation was no longer world-leading. It suggested developments worldwide had led to the UK falling behind internationally and that recent immigration legislation had limited the act’s support infrastructure for victims. It called on government policy to recognise the difference between migrants coming to the UK willingly and victims of trafficking.
