On 25 October 1968 the Race Relations Act received royal assent. The Act sought to build on the Race Relations Act 1965, which at the time was widely regarded as providing insufficient protection from discrimination, by extending prohibition of racial discrimination in relation to housing, employment and public services, as well as strengthening the Race Relations Board. This briefing sets out the chronology of how the Race Relations Act 1968 came to be passed, referring for context to the passage through Parliament earlier that year of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act.
Race Relations Act 1968: 50th Anniversary (166 KB , PDF)
Race Relations Act 1968: 50th Anniversary (166 KB , PDF)
Advances in science and medicine led to rising life expectancy in the UK throughout the 20th century, but increases have slowed. Are we nearing the ceiling of life expectancy or will a new wave of research change everything? This briefing explores the science and policy implications of life extension.
The rural economy in the UK is made up of a variety of different industries, including agriculture and tourism. Rural areas contribute a significant proportion of the UK’s economic output. However, figures for England indicate productivity in rural areas is lower when compared with urban areas. This briefing provides a summary of statistics on the rural economy and outlines some of the challenges for achieving economic growth.
Imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences were indeterminate sentences given to serious offenders who posed a significant risk of serious harm to the public. Although it is over a decade since they were abolished, more than 2,000 people are still in prison serving an IPP sentence. The Labour government has said it would not conduct a resentencing exercise but has said it would continue its efforts in supporting those in custody to reduce their risk and move towards a safe and sustainable release.
