In recent months there has been a renewed focus on the future of hydrogen as a low carbon energy carrier for the UK. This had led to calls from a variety of individuals and organisations for the Government and the newly formed Hydrogen Advisory Council to publish a hydrogen strategy. This issue is due to be the subject of an oral question in the House of Lords on 17 September 2020.
Documents to download
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Family Relationships (Impact Assessment and Targets) Bill (231 KB, PDF)
The Family Relationships (Impact Assessment and Targets) Bill is a private member’s bill introduced by Lord Farmer (Conservative) in the House of Lords on 29 June 2017. It is scheduled to have its second reading on 23 February 2018.
The Bill would require government departments (and other public bodies designated by statutory instrument) to publish ‘Family Impact Assessments’ (FIAs) setting out an assessment of the impact of a policy proposal on families and family relationships. Secondly, it would require the Secretary of State to publish objectives and targets for promoting “strong and stable families” and for the government to report on its progress towards meeting these objectives.
In October 2014, the Coalition Government published guidance for government departments to consider the impact of policies on families and family relationships (the ‘Family Test’). The Explanatory Notes to the Bill states the principles of FIAs contained within the Bill are based on this guidance. Lord Farmer has expressed concern about the status of the Family Test and that results are not required to be published. In January 2018, Kit Malthouse, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said that the Department for Work and Pensions was “working hard” to embed the Family Test across Government. It was offering advice to other government departments that were instituting it and the Government would continue to “push [it] forward”.
Related Links
Documents to download
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Family Relationships (Impact Assessment and Targets) Bill (231 KB, PDF)
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Children whose parents or guardians get certain benefits, and all children up to year 2, are entitled to a free school meal during term time. During the Covid-19 pandemic the Government introduced supermarket vouchers to cover the cost of a meal while the schools were closed. This scheme was extended into the Easter, May half term and summer school holidays. On 14 September 2020, Baroness D’Souza is due to ask the Government what assessment they have made of extending a programme of free meals and activities into all future school holidays.
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The Jobseekers (Back to Work Schemes) Act 2013 (Remedial) Order 2019 makes changes to the Jobseekers (Back to Work Schemes) Act 2013. These changes are the result of decisions made in the courts on the act’s compatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights. This article looks at the court cases which led to the remedial order, ahead of its debate in the House of Lords on 3 September 2020.
