This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the debate scheduled to take place in the House of Lords on 22 March 2018 on the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018 and on the International Relations Committee report, 'Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018'.
CHOGM 2018 (392 KB , PDF)
From 16 to 20 April 2018, the United Kingdom will host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The summit will focus on delivering four outcomes under the theme of working ‘towards a common future’. The outcomes are: prosperity by boosting intra-Commonwealth trade and investment; security and increasing cooperation to tackle issues such as cybercrime and human trafficking; fairness by promoting democracy across the Commonwealth; and sustainability through building the resilience of smaller states to deal with the effects of climate change and global crises. In her speech at the meeting, the Prime Minister, Theresa May, will outline the need for the Commonwealth to have a clearer purpose, and to be better able to address the global challenges that the Commonwealth faces.
Preceding the Heads of Government Meeting will be four forums: the Commonwealth Youth Forum; the Commonwealth Women’s Forum; the Commonwealth Business Forum; and the Commonwealth People’s Forum.
This Briefing examines the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and the desired outcomes of the meeting. It also details recent parliamentary activity about the 2018 meeting, including the recommendations and conclusions made by the House of Lords International Relations Committee in its report, Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018, published on 7 February 2018. In addition, this Briefing provides a background to the Commonwealth and some of its bodies.
CHOGM 2018 (392 KB , PDF)
In the autumn budget the chancellor announced changes to inheritance tax reliefs. From April 2026, taxes would apply to agricultural assets over £1mn (or up to £3mn in certain circumstances). The government has said this will just affect the wealthiest landowners and disincentivise buying agricultural land to avoid tax. Farming groups have argued the policy is a threat to the future of family farming.
In February 2024 the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee published a report on large language models and generative AI. It highlighted the opportunities and risks this technology offers, and recommended actions the government should take to support the market while mitigating risks. The new government has said it will legislate to address safety risks arising from generative AI.
On 30 October 2024, Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her first budget which included the details of the settlement for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It also contained more general measures which relate to the cultural sector. This briefing gives an overview of how the cultural sector is currently funded, what was said in the budget in this area and what the sector has said in reaction to the announcements.
