• In Focus

    House of Lords appointments: should the process be reviewed?

    Since Boris Johnson became Prime Minister in 2019, the Government has made 83 appointments to the House of Lords. The Government has argued these appointments have been necessary to refresh the House. However, concerns have been expressed about the number of new appointments and the increase in the number of Conservative members. On 18 November 2021, the House of Lords will debate whether the process by which appointments are made should be reviewed.

  • In Focus

    Quantitative easing

    Quantitative easing (QE) is a form of monetary policy first used in the UK during the financial crisis. In July 2021, the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee published a report on the policy. It concluded that QE had succeeded in stabilising the economy in crisis conditions, but that it remains poorly understood and has led to perceptions that the Bank of England has become politicised.

  • In Focus

    Land use frameworks: integrating policies in England

    Planning and land use policies cover a wide range of considerations. These range from controlling the built environment to achieving environmental aims such as reducing emissions, as well as agricultural and economic objectives. Some groups have argued for the need for an overarching ‘land use framework’ to draw these together to ensure all policy aims can be met. The House of Lords is scheduled to debate this issue on 28 October 2021.

  • In Focus

    ‘Defence in a Competitive Age’ and threats facing the UK

    The Ministry of Defence (MoD) published the command paper ‘Defence in a Competitive Age’ on 22 March 2021, setting out how the UK’s defence capabilities will support the Government’s integrated review of security, defence, development, and foreign policy. The command paper contained a range of measures, including how the UK will respond to current and future threats. This article summarises those provisions ahead of a forthcoming debate in the House of Lords on these issues.

  • In Focus

    Integrity of the UK’s electoral processes

    The Electoral Commission recently reported the highest level of public confidence in the way elections are run in the UK. Since the Pickles report in 2016, the Government has committed to increasing the security of the UK’s elections. The Elections Bill, currently in committee stage in the House of Commons, contains a range of measures intended to fulfil this ambition. One proposal, to introduce voter ID, has been widely criticised.

  • Research Briefing

    Rating (Coronavirus) and Directors Disqualification (Dissolved Companies) Bill

    The bill aims to: clarify circumstances in which the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic can and cannot be considered when deciding on the rateable value of a property on the 2017 rating list; and make it easier to investigate the conduct of directors of companies that have been dissolved. The Government states that the bill will allow it to “plug the legal loophole that exists in the insolvency enforcement landscape”.

  • In Focus

    Common frameworks and the devolved nations

    Following the UK’s departure from the EU, the UK now has power to make decisions which used to be made at EU level. Several of these powers relate to policy areas that the devolved nations are individually responsible for. The UK and devolved governments have been developing common frameworks to ensure regulatory consistency in these policy areas.

  • In Focus

    Universal credit: an end to the uplift

    In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, in March 2020 the Government announced an uplift to universal credit and working tax credits worth £20 a week. Initially planned to last for a year, the policy was extended by six months in the March 2021 budget. In July 2021, the Government confirmed that it would not be extended further. This announcement has been met with widespread criticism.

  • Research Briefing

    Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Bill [HL]

    This proposed law seeks to reform pensions across the public sector. It would also make other changes to the rules related to judicial offices. The pension reforms partly respond to a finding of unlawful discrimination in existing schemes and are partly aimed at improving the operation of public sector pensions. The changes relating to judicial offices are intended to improve recruitment and retention in the judiciary.

  • Research Briefing

    Northern Ireland Protocol: House of Lords committee reports and recent developments

    The House of Lords is due to debate two committee reports on the Northern Ireland Protocol on 13 September 2021. This briefing summarises the reports and recent developments relating to the protocol, including the Government’s July 2021 command paper that argued for discussions with the EU to find a “new balance” in the protocol.

  • Research Briefing

    Standards in Public Life

    This House of Lords Library briefing has been prepared ahead of the following debate in the House on 9 September 2021: Lord Blunkett to move that this House takes note of standards in public life.

Total results (page 17 of 42)