In Focus
Public services productivity in the UK fell sharply during the Covid-19 pandemic and is yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. The Conservative government pledged new investment in an attempt to boost the effectiveness of public services prior to the general election. The new Labour government has also placed emphasis on this issue and has indicated further measures will be set out in the forthcoming budget statement.
In Focus
A recent paper about UK foreign policy called for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to “modernise the working environment to set a future oriented culture”. It described the FCDO’s physical surroundings as “somewhat elitist and rooted in the past”. This briefing looks back at Lords Hansard to chart the House’s response to more radical plans in the 1960s that proposed a new foreign office building, which later formed part of a wider scheme for the redevelopment of Whitehall.
In Focus
In light of the UK government’s recent proposals to reform the House of Lords, this briefing presents facts and figures comparing the House of Lords with other second chambers around the world.
In Focus
Between 1970 and the early 1990s, over 30,000 NHS patients were given blood transfusions, or treatments made using blood products, which were contaminated with hepatitis C or HIV. Over 3,000 people have since died, and thousands more live with health conditions. The infected blood inquiry called for immediate compensation, public memorials, and for lessons to be learned in medicine, government and the civil service. In August 2024 the government set out plans for compensation.
In Focus
Individual members of either House can propose legislation through private members’ bills (PMBs). But with limited time available, they rarely become law without government, and usually cross-party, support. This briefing looks at the 14 PMBs that the then government supported that fell at the end of the 2023–24 session. Government backing was identified by whether a government department had provided explanatory notes.
Research Briefing
The Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill [HL] is a government bill comprising a single substantive clause. It would extend the period in which vacancies among the lords spiritual are filled by bishops who are women by five years. The lords spiritual are the maximum of 26 Church of England archbishops and bishops in the House of Lords. The Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 is currently due to expire in May 2025. The bill has been introduced at the request of the Church of England. This briefing provides a summary of the background to the bill, including the appointments procedure for the lords spiritual. It summarises the bill’s provisions and provides statistics on women bishops in the House of Lords.
Research Briefing
The Crown Estate Bill [HL] is a government bill to widen the borrowing and investment powers of the Crown Estate. The government intends this will help speed up the development of offshore wind projects in seabed areas managed by the Crown Estate and deliver long-term financial returns to the taxpayer. It announced a partnership between the Crown Estate and Great British Energy on the same day it introduced the bill.
In Focus
This briefing provides a summary of work over recent years towards a national library strategy, including Baroness Sanderson of Welton’s independent review of public libraries. It has been prepared ahead of Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay’s (Conservative) debate scheduled for 12 September 2024 on whether the Labour government plans to publish a new strategy for public libraries.
In Focus
Common law long provided that peers of parliament could not vote in general elections. In the last 25 years, this has been put on a statutory footing and peers who are members of the House of Lords remain barred from voting. This briefing explores how this came to be and looks at recent attempts to change this disenfranchisement.
Research Briefing
The High Streets (Designation, Review and Improvement Plan) Bill is a private member’s bill sponsored by Lord Whitby (Conservative). It would require local authorities in England to designate at least one street or network of streets in their area as a high street. Authorities would then need to prepare and publish an improvement plan for each designated high street area. The bill has passed the House of Commons and has government support.
In Focus
The departure of some senior officials from their roles in recent years has been seen as controversial, prompting questions about the level of ministerial involvement in appointing and dismissing the most senior civil servants. A recent Constitution Committee report concluded the current level of ministerial involvement struck the right balance, but it recommended some changes for increased transparency and clarity. The House of Lords is due to debate the report on 9 May 2024.
In Focus
In 2023 the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee conducted an inquiry into the Bank of England’s operational independence, 25 years after independence was formalised with the passage of the Bank of England Act 1998. This briefing provides a summary of the committee’s findings and the government’s response, ahead of a debate in the House of Lords on 2 May 2024.
In Focus
The Arbitration Bill [HL], currently before the House of Lords, is an example of a Law Commission bill. But what are Law Commission bills, what procedures apply to this category of proposed legislation and how else may proposals from the Law Commission reach the statute book? This briefing provides an overview.
In Focus
The Queen’s Speech at the start of the 2022–23 session included 20 bills. A further 13 bills were announced in the government’s background briefing to the speech, including five carry-over bills. Changes in government leadership then resulted in some changes to policy during the 2022–23 session. This briefing looks at how the government’s legislative agenda changed during the last session and how many of these bills have been carried over into the new session.
Research Briefing
The Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill would prevent public authorities from participating in or expressing support for boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns. The bill would allow the government to exempt states and territories from its provisions by regulations, with the exception of Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the Occupied Golan Heights.
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