Home affairs by topic
Home affairs includes the following topic areas. Please click the links to access lists of publications by topic:
Communities
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Building an inclusive society in the post-pandemic world
Attendees at a United Nations (UN) summit more than 25 years ago defined an inclusive society as a “society for all”. Policy responses have been introduced in the years since, though questions remain about how progress can be measured. The Covid-19 pandemic has represented a setback towards realising the goal in many areas, but some have identified an opportunity to redouble efforts towards achieving ambitions in the pandemic’s wake.
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Black Lives Matter: New race inequalities commission and a London statue review
The Black Lives Matter protests, held during the summer of 2020, provoked responses from both national and local public authorities across the UK. This article summarises developments in two issues. First, the Government’s announcement of a fresh review into race and ethnic disparities; and second, the controversy about statues.
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Current Affairs Digest: Social Policy (February 2021)
Catch up on social policy with a selection of articles you may have missed. Articles this month look at the impact of Covid-19 on young people in Britain, and the inclusion of questions on gender and sexuality in the upcoming UK census.
Crime
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Prisons (Substance Testing) Bill
The Prisons (Substance Testing) Bill is a government supported private member’s bill. It would amend existing legislation to allow prisons to test for a wider range of drugs, including psychoactive substances and prescription and pharmacy medicines, without the need to regularly change legislation in the future.
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Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Bill
The Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Bill would prohibit specific cosmetic procedures being performed on young people under the age of 18 in England, except under the direction of a registered health professional (such as doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurses). It would also prohibit businesses from arranging or performing the procedures on under-18s. The bill has completed its stages in the House of Commons and is due to have its second reading in the Lords on 16 April 2021.
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Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill
This article considers the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill, which would increase the maximum sentence available in the worst cases of animal cruelty to five years in prison and/or an unlimited fine.
Culture, media and sport
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Audiovisual Media Services (Amendment) Regulations 2021
The Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2020 transposed a revised EU directive into UK law. The current amendment regulations would make some changes to the earlier set, most notably to amend the duties placed on Ofcom, the regulator. The House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee has raised some concerns about the UK’s ability to tackle online harm now that the UK has left the EU.
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British Library Board (Power to Borrow) Bill
The British Library Board (Power to Borrow) Bill would grant the British Library board new powers to borrow money. This private member’s bill, introduced in the House of Commons, has received cross-party support. Having completed its initial stages in the Commons on 12 March 2021, it is scheduled to be debated at second reading in the House of Lords on 19 March 2021. This article summarises the bill’s provisions and its passage through the Commons.
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Current Affairs Digest: Social and home affairs (March 2021)
Catch up on social and home affairs with a selection of articles you may have missed. Articles this month include a look at poverty in the UK, and how public services use digital technology.
Family and civil law
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Covid-19: Empowering women in the recovery from the impact of the pandemic
Women have been specifically affected by the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Reasons for this include that they are over-represented in some of the worst-hit sectors, and that they do a greater share of unpaid care. The Government has said it wants women’s economic empowerment to be a focus in the post-pandemic recovery period. But it has faced criticism for not taking enough account of gender equality in its approach.
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Representation of women in the House of Lords
It has been over 60 years since women gained the right to join the House of Lords. Today, just under a third of members are women. Why is the number of women not equal to that of men?
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Family Allowances Act 1945
In 1945, Parliament passed the Family Allowances Act. This article summarises the campaign to provide financial support to families with children and the passing of the Act. It also provides statistics on child benefits today.
Immigration
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Could the UK’s new immigration system increase human trafficking and human smuggling?
Since 1 January 2021, the UK has been operating a new points-based immigration system. Critics suggest that human trafficking and human smuggling could increase under this system. This article explores two of these concerns.
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Domestic Abuse Bill: Briefing for Lords Stages
This government bill seeks to increase awareness of domestic abuse, strengthen support for victims and improve the effectiveness of the justice system. The bill includes provisions on several areas. It includes a new definition of domestic abuse, extra protection for victims and witnesses in court, and codifies the principle that consent to offences involving violent or abusive behaviour is not a defence.
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Current Affairs Digest: Home Affairs (December 2020)
Catch up on home affairs articles you may have missed from November 2020. This month we take a look at the Government's proposed points-based immigration system, and the mental effects of long prison sentences.
Justice
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Prisons (Substance Testing) Bill
The Prisons (Substance Testing) Bill is a government supported private member’s bill. It would amend existing legislation to allow prisons to test for a wider range of drugs, including psychoactive substances and prescription and pharmacy medicines, without the need to regularly change legislation in the future.
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Facial recognition technology: police powers and the protection of privacy
Facial recognition technology is used to identify individuals or to verify someone’s identity. Live facial recognition has been used by several police forces in England and Wales in collaboration with the private sector. There have been calls for increased scrutiny and oversight of the powers of the police to use the technology, including in the House of Lords. This article summarises the debates about the use of this technology.
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Coronavirus: Further extension of protections against residential evictions
The Government has extended existing protections against the enforcement of residential evictions for a second time this year. The protections will now last until 31 March 2021, barring any further extensions.
Security
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Facial recognition technology: police powers and the protection of privacy
Facial recognition technology is used to identify individuals or to verify someone’s identity. Live facial recognition has been used by several police forces in England and Wales in collaboration with the private sector. There have been calls for increased scrutiny and oversight of the powers of the police to use the technology, including in the House of Lords. This article summarises the debates about the use of this technology.
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Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill: Briefing for Lords Stages
On 18 March 2020, the Government introduced the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill in the House of Commons. It completed report stage and third reading in the Commons on 3 November 2020. Second reading in the House of Lords is scheduled to take place on 20 January 2021.
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New legal definition of ‘antique firearm’
The use of antique firearms in criminal activity has risen in recent years. Antique firearms which are kept as ornaments or curiosities are currently exempt from several provisions within firearms legislation. At present, there is no statutory definition of ‘antique firearm’. This article discusses new regulations that seek to introduce a legal definition.
