In Focus
In September 2022, the House of Lords Public Services Committee found that “emergency access to healthcare is in crisis”. The committee outlined an action plan which it said set out how the government could address some immediate challenges in the short term and begin developing a new model for emergency health services which are fit for purpose in the long term.
In Focus
Ahead of a House of Lords debate on government support to skilled professional graduate workers who belong to a trade union, this briefing looks at the demographics of trade union membership. It also covers recent relations between the government and trade unions, especially over strikes, pay and the government’s Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill.
In Focus
Economic growth is considered important due to the role it plays in providing jobs and improving living standards. But productivity growth, a key driver of higher living standards, has slowed in the UK since 2008. With high inflation now impacting living standards, increased attention is being paid to understanding and tackling the productivity slowdown. The House of Lords is due to debate the UK economy on 29 June 2023.
In Focus
Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source that harnesses heat from the Earth's subsurface to generate power and provide heating and cooling. It potentially offers several opportunities as a sustainable and reliable energy solution. However, its adoption faces challenges, including potential environmental impacts and high costs. This article examines geothermal energy in further detail and discusses the action that successive governments have taken on it.
In Focus
In 2017, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) published a report following the death of Averil Hart, a 19-year-old with anorexia. It concluded that Averil’s death had been avoidable, linking it to failings in NHS eating disorder services. During the coronavirus pandemic there was an increase in demand for eating disorder services, particularly among young people. The House of Lords is due to debate the progress made in implementing the PHSO report’s recommendations.
In Focus
The UK government has labelled violence against women and girls as a national threat. It has committed to a range of actions to protect women and girls against harm in strategies focused on tackling violence against women and girls and domestic abuse. The government has also introduced measures through legislation such as the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. The House of Lords is scheduled to debate this issue on 29 June 2023.
In Focus
In January 2023, the House of Lords Constitution Committee published a report on the roles of the lord chancellor and the law officers. It concluded the office holders must have the character, authority, intellect and independence to defend the rule of law. In response, the government said it had no plans to review the roles but would continue to reflect on the committee’s report. This article summarises the committee’s findings, as well as the government’s response.
In Focus
In 2022, the House of Lords Fraud Act 2006 and Digital Fraud Committee held an inquiry on a wide range of issues relating to fraud. It found that fraud was the most experienced crime in England and Wales and has brought significant financial and emotional costs to millions of victims. However, the committee also found that successive governments had failed to prioritise the issue, with the response from law enforcement and the private sector also lacking. To address these issues, the committee made 65 recommendations.
In Focus
Seven new life peerages were announced on 9 June 2023 as part of Boris Johnson’s resignation honours. It was reported that Mr Johnson’s original list had included a further eight names, but concerns were raised about these by the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC). This article includes information on how new life peerages are recommended and approved. It also contains statistics on recent appointments to the House of Lords and resignation honours.
In Focus
In January 2023, the House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee published a report examining UK defence policy. The committee found that both the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the changing domestic economic environment had presented serious challenges to the scope and extent of defence policy. This briefing has been prepared ahead of a debate on the report in the House of Lords on 30 June 2023.
In Focus
In response to protests by groups such as Just Stop Oil, the government has introduced secondary legislation which would lower the threshold for what kind of protests are classed as “serious disruption” in England and Wales. The regulations are controversial because the government previously tried to introduce the same changes during parliamentary consideration of the Public Order Act 2023. The House of Lords rejected the proposed measures at that time. The House is now set to debate the regulations and motions to ‘regret’ or reject them.
In Focus
The creative industries sector is a significant contributor to the UK economy and freelancers comprise a large proportion of its workforce. While many freelancers can benefit from the flexibility of self-employment, they can also lose entitlements to a range of workplace rights. Concerns have been raised about the impact on creative freelancers of the UK’s post-Covid recovery. Some organisations in the creative sector have called for the appointment of a freelancers’ commissioner to advocate for the rights of freelancers.
In Focus
The NHS in England has not been able to meet many of its pledges on maximum waiting times for patients in recent years. Challenges facing the health service include increasing demand, funding constraints, additional pressures arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, workforce shortages and industrial action among other issues. This article surveys recent summaries of NHS performance in England and selected commentary on innovation in the health service ahead of a debate on the subject in the House of Lords.
In Focus
The government has committed to continue the devolution of power from central government to local government in England. However, the process by which local devolution has been implemented has been criticised as complex and opaque. This briefing provides an overview of local government in England, the government’s policies on devolution and the criticisms made of the government’s approach ahead of a debate on local democracy in the House of Lords.
In Focus
In October 2021, the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee published a report which examined the government’s approach to encouraging behaviour change to achieve its climate and environmental goals. The report found that the government’s approach at the time was “inadequate to meet the scale of the challenge”. The House of Lords is scheduled to debate the report on 7 June 2023. This article examines the report and the government’s response.
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