In Focus
In 2022, the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee conducted an inquiry into the government’s stated ambition to make the UK a “science and technology superpower” by 2030. 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 7 June 2023.
Research Briefing
The Non-Domestic Rating Bill is a government bill that would make changes to business rates. It would reduce the time between property revaluations, impose a duty on businesses to notify the Valuation Office Agency of changes that could affect a property’s rateable value, and introduce rates reliefs for improvements to property and heat networks. It was introduced in the House of Commons on 29 March 2023 and its second reading in the House of Lords is scheduled to take place on 19 June 2023.
Research Briefing
The Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees Bill is intended to widen the statutory functions of the committees to better represent how they have operated in recent years. The bill passed all of its Commons stages unamended with cross-party support.
In Focus
When the UK withdrew from the EU it regained its ability to independently negotiate free trade agreements. The trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand were the first that the UK negotiated from scratch. The legislation implementing their procurement provisions in domestic UK law received royal assent on 23 March 2023 (the Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Act 2023). This, and the negotiation of the agreements that underpinned the UK’s withdrawal, has highlighted the role of Parliament in scrutinising international treaties.
Research Briefing
The Northern Ireland (Interim Arrangements) Bill is a government bill that was introduced in the House of Commons. The bill is being fast-tracked and completed all of its stages in the House of Commons on 10 May 2023 without amendment. It is scheduled to have its second reading on the 18 May 2023 with its remaining stages taking place on 23 May 2023.
Research Briefing
The Illegal Migration Bill seeks to fulfil the commitments made by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on 4 January 2023 to “stop the boats and tackle the unfairness of illegal migration”. Provisions in the Illegal Migration Bill would introduce a duty on the home secretary to remove all adults entering the UK illegally (as defined in clause 2) after 7 March 2023. It would also introduce powers to detain those individuals prior to removal. The bill provides the secretary of state with greater powers to decide the place and duration of an individual’s detention. In addition to the duty to remove adults, the bill contains a power to remove those under 18 years of age; this would become a duty upon the child reaching 18. It would disapply aspects of modern slavery protections and provide that asylum and human rights claims by those subject to clause 2 were inadmissible. Immigration is a reserved matter, most of the bill’s provisions would apply in all four parts of the UK.
In Focus
In July 2022, the House of Lords Liaison Committee published a follow-up report on the work of the Select Committee on the Licensing Act 2003. The original committee examined the operation of the 2003 act, which made significant changes to the legal regime governing the sale of alcohol. In its follow-up, the Liaison committee said that many flaws in the licensing regime found by the select committee remained and that more needed to be done to ensure it operated effectively.
In Focus
A range of groups have expressed concern in recent years about the overall strength of the UK’s democracy or about particular elements of the UK’s constitutional arrangements. Concerns range from observations that the relationship between Parliament and the executive has become increasingly unbalanced, to views on changes to certain rights, freedoms and norms seen as essential features in a democratic society.
In Focus
During the 2017–19 session, the House of Lords appointed a committee to examine citizenship and civic engagement in the UK. In 2022, the House of Lords Liaison Committee held a follow-up to this inquiry, considering issues including citizenship education in schools, the ‘life in the UK’ test, and whether the government’s policies in this area are coordinated effectively. The House of Lords is scheduled to debate its report on 17 April 2023.
In Focus
In 2022, the House of Lords Built Environment Committee conducted an inquiry on public transport in English towns and cities outside London, including local bus services. It considered levels of demand for local public transport, how demand may have been changed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the extent to which existing public transport services met local needs. This briefing provides a summary of the committee’s findings and the government’s response.
In Focus
On 29 March 2023, the House of Lords is due to debate regulations that would implement the Stormont brake in domestic law. These regulations were approved by the House of Commons on 22 March 2023. The Stormont brake is a key part of the Windsor Framework agreed between the UK and the EU. This briefing explains the background to the brake and how it would work, and includes reaction from political parties.
In Focus
On 30 March 2023, the House of Lords is due to debate adult social care. The debate is expected to focus on government plans for adult social care, new duties for the Care Quality Commission to assess local authorities, and several non-government reports on how adult social care in England should be reformed. This article considers these issues and outlines social care policy announcements made by successive Conservative administrations in recent years.
Current Affairs Digest
In December 2022, the Labour Party published the final report of the Commission on the UK’s Future, also known as the Brown Commission, chaired by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The report proposed several constitutional changes, including the replacement of the House of Lords with an elected second chamber called the Assembly of the Nations and Regions. This article considers the proposals for the second chamber and sets out reaction to them from both inside and outside Westminster.
In Focus
The Barnett formula calculates the yearly change to the block grant; this is the largest of the grants provided to the devolved administrations by the UK government. The formula aims to give each nation the same pounds-per-person change in funding each year. However, criticisms about equity have been made regarding how the formula is calculated. Calls for reform have mainly focused on proposals to introduce a universal needs-based factor to the formula.
Research Briefing
The Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Organ and Tissue Donation) Bill would extend the deadline for forming a Northern Ireland executive to 18 January 2024. It would also allow the secretary of state to set an Assembly election date earlier than this if no executive had been formed. It would also allow regulations to be made about the rule for organ donation in Northern Ireland in the absence of a functioning Assembly.
Total results (page 11 of 43)