The Consumer Rights Bill makes provision for the reform of consumer law in the UK and connected areas of law. This Note summarises the Bill’s report stage and third reading in the House of Commons.
On 18 September 2014, Scotland will hold a referendum on whether it should be an independent country. This Library Note updates a previous Library Note, published on 27 January 2014, on the subject of the possible consequences of a ‘Yes’ vote. The Note aims to provide broad discussion of some of the main issues raised in connection with the subject, and lists possible sources for further reading.
The Financial Services (Banking Reform) Bill seeks to make a number of changes to the banking and financial services sector. The Bill builds on the recommendations of the Independent Commission on Banking (the Vickers Commission) and the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards and follows a series of Acts passed since the financial crisis of 2008, such as the Financial Services Act 2012.
This Note outlines recent data on the performance of the UK economy, announcements by the Government for capital spending, spending on research and development and action to help businesses gain access to funding. It also looks at proposals for the Government to take more of a role in managing growth, in particular whether the UK needs a more coherent and long-term industrial strategy.
This Library Note focuses on the challenges faced by women in the developing world, and the action which is being taken by the UK Government, international governments and multilateral aid organisations to address these challenges. It briefly considers the significance of gender within the field of international development, and goes on to summarise some of the key research and statistics on the position of women in the developing world, focusing on four areas: education, employment, health, and violence against women.
This Library Note provides background information about the Prime Minister’s stated priorities for the G8 meeting to be held in Northern Ireland on 17–18 June: advancing trade, improving tax compliance and promoting greater transparency.
Afghanistan lies at the heart of Central Asia. Since the invasion by Western-led forces in 2001, its relationships with its regional neighbours have been mixed: at times characterised by co-operation, at others by competing national interests. This Note explores those relationships in the context of Afghanistan’s current security, political and economic situation, focusing particularly on key actors such as Pakistan and efforts to encourage dialogue and co-operation, and examines the potential impact of these regional dynamics on Afghanistan’s future stability and prosperity.
The Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill implements an announcement by the Chancellor in the 2012 Autumn Statement that increases in certain working-age welfare benefits and tax credits would be limited to 1 percent, rather than increasing them in line with inflation. This Library Note is intended to provide background information in advance of the Bill’s second reading in the House of Lords on 11 February 2013.
The purpose of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill is to promote investment in infrastructure projects, reduce delays in the planning system and introduce a new employment status of employee shareholder. This Library Note provides background information for the second reading of the Bill in the House of Lords on 8 January 2013.
This Library Note provides a brief summary of the key measures announced yesterday in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, before outlining the immediate reaction to the Statement as expressed by the Shadow Chancellor in the House of Commons and by a range of organisations and commentators.
The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill includes measures for changes to competition policy, to employment law, and for reducing regulation, as well as provisions on the Green Investment Bank, directors’ remuneration, copyright and planning. This Library Note provides background reading in advance of the Bill’s second reading in the House of Lords.