This Library Note provides information on the Modern Slavery Bill, which is due for second reading in the House of Lords on 17 November 2014.
Modern Slavery Bill (HL Bill 51 of 2014–15) (348 KB , PDF)
This Library Note provides information on the Modern Slavery Bill, which is due for second reading in the House of Lords on 17 November 2014. It provides background information on modern slavery in England and Wales, including the current legal framework, statistics on modern slavery, the current enforcement regime and the support which is available for victims. The Note outlines the key provisions of the Bill, and gives an account of the background to its introduction, including its pre-legislative scrutiny. Finally, the Note provides a summary of proceedings on the Bill in the House of Commons.
Modern Slavery Bill (HL Bill 51 of 2014–15) (348 KB , PDF)
The crown court backlog reached a record high of 73,105 cases in September 2024. The impact on victims, witnesses and defendants has been significant as they wait longer for their cases to be resolved. The government commissioned an independent review of criminal courts that will produce reform recommendations to address crown court pressures. Whilst stakeholders have welcomed the review, some have called for more immediate action to reduce the backlog.
Integration and community cohesion have both been identified as important factors to enable people from different communities to live and work together. Like the previous Conservative government, the current Labour government has committed to policies intended to support integration in order to improve community cohesion. This briefing summarises how integration and community cohesion are conceptualised and measured and discusses the debate on effective integration strategies.
The UK has schemes to allow young people from specific countries to come to the UK to live and work for a limited period of time. In April 2024, the European Commission made a proposal to the European Council to open negotiations with the UK on agreeing a youth mobility scheme between the UK and the EU. The Labour government has stated that it has no plans for a scheme with the EU. Several organisations have expressed support for it, but others have expressed concern that it would be a return to a form of freedom of movement.
