This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the second reading in the House of Lords of the Historical Institutional Abuse (Northern Ireland) Bill [HL].
Historical Institutional Abuse (Northern Ireland) Bill [HL]: Briefing for Lords Stages (170 KB , PDF)
The Historical Institutional Abuse (Northern Ireland) Bill [HL] provides the legal framework to enable the victims and survivors of historical institutional abuse in Northern Ireland to access support and receive compensation. In September 2011, the Northern Ireland Executive announced there would be an investigation and inquiry into historical institutional abuse in Northern Ireland between 1922 and 1995. This statutory inquiry was chaired by Sir Anthony Hart and its final report was published in January 2017. The report recommendations included the creation of:
The Northern Ireland Assembly debated the findings of the report in January 2017. However, a motion to approve the report has yet to be passed by the Assembly following the collapse of devolved institutions since elections in March 2017. As a result, the Northern Ireland Executive Office has requested a bill to be introduced in Parliament. The Northern Ireland Executive Office has also held a consultation on draft legislation to implement the inquiry’s recommendations.
Historical Institutional Abuse (Northern Ireland) Bill [HL]: Briefing for Lords Stages (170 KB , PDF)
The National Insurance Contributions (Reduction in Rates) Bill would give effect to reduced national insurance rates announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in the 2023 autumn statement.
In April 2023, the Archbishops’ Commission on Families and Households published a report entitled ‘Love matters’. The commission examined how families and households in England could best flourish and called on the government and other institutions to put families at the centre of their thinking. In addition to proposals for Church of England action, the report included 29 recommendations for the government. These included supporting family hubs and developing high-quality marriage preparation.
Staff and governing bodies in English schools have responsibilities to protect children from harm and help them to have the best outcomes. This is termed safeguarding. The government provides detailed safeguarding guidance for staff and governors that schools are required to follow. The government has updated this guidance in response to an increase in reports of child-on-child sexual violence and sexual harassment in recent years, which has occurred in the context of the widespread use of social media. The most recent guidance was issued in September 2023.
