In Focus
UK aid spending reduced by £3bn, or 21%, from 2020 to 2021. This article looks at statistics on aid spending and how it is being spent. It also includes a summary of the government’s current international development strategy and commentary on some of the issues affecting UK aid spending. The House of Lords will hold a debate on the subject on 15 December 2022.
In Focus
The BBC is principally funded through a licence fee paid by UK households; the amount is set by the government in a periodic ‘licence fee settlement’. In January 2022, the government announced a licence fee settlement that would apply from April 2022 until March 2028. It also stated that it was considering how the BBC should be funded after this period. In July 2022, the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee published a report examining the future of BBC funding.
In Focus
In November 2022, an independent cultural review of the London Fire Brigade raised several concerns about the service. This included the finding that it was “institutionally misogynist and racist”. Responding, London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe apologised for the harm caused and set out several measures aimed at addressing the core problems. This article gives an overview of the findings and sets out the reaction to the review from various groups and individuals.
In Focus
In its 2019 manifesto the Conservative Party committed to undertaking an independent review of children’s social care. The review published its final report in May 2022. The report argued that a “radical reset” in children’s social care was needed and made recommendations on how to achieve this.
In Focus
In 2021, the government said that “as a force for good in the world” the UK would remain “sensitive to the plight of refugees and asylum-seekers”. It stated it had a “proud track record” of protecting those who need it, in accordance with its international obligations. However, the government has also spoken of the need to reform the “broken” asylum system. In 2022 it introduced new measures to implement changes.
In Focus
The creative industries have been identified as a driver of economic growth and employment by the government and industry stakeholders. The government has said it will publish a ‘sector vision’, setting out its strategy for increasing growth in the creative industries sector. Initially set for publication in 2021, the sector vision has been delayed until 2023. This briefing considers recent developments in the formation of the government’s strategy for the arts and creative industries.
In Focus
In 2021, the government announced plans to reform the railways in Great Britain, with many of the proposed changes set out in the ‘Williams-Shapps plan for rail’. In the 2022 Queen’s Speech, the government said that it would legislate for them. However, in October 2022 the government announced that it would delay this primary legislation until the next parliamentary session due to a lack of time but said that non-legislative reforms would go ahead.
In Focus
In recent years, there has been a series of highly publicised controversies involving officers in the Metropolitan Police Service. Following criticism of her handling of the force, the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service Dame Cressida Dick resigned in February 2022. Her successor, Sir Mark Rowley, has vowed to improve recruitment, conduct and discipline in the force. The government and other policing bodies have also committed to making improvements.
In Focus
The Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt presented the autumn statement 2022 to the House of Commons on 17 November 2022. It was the first fiscal event to be accompanied by an Office for Budget Responsibility forecast since the spring statement on 23 March 2022. The chancellor said that the government’s key priorities were stability, growth and public services, and that difficult decisions were required to reduce inflation and mortgage rate rises.
In Focus
The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) was a landmark convention setting out rules relating to the world’s oceans and seas. The convention covers issues including territorial limits, resources and protection of the marine environment. In March 2022 the House of Lords International Affairs and Defence Committee published a report examining whether the convention was still fit for purpose.
In Focus
This article summarises recent developments in the war between Russia and Ukraine and assessments of whether Russia could use tactical nuclear weapons in the conflict. Tactical nuclear weapons are designed for use on the battlefield, and they have lower explosive yields than ‘strategic’ nuclear weapons. Commentators have argued that the risk of Russia using tactical nuclear weapons is low, but it could rise if Russia faced defeat in Ukraine.
In Focus
The BBC World Service delivers news in over 40 languages through TV, radio and digital services. It has a weekly reach of 365 million people and is principally funded by the BBC licence fee, with some grants from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. In September 2022, the BBC announced plans to “accelerate its digital offering” which, it said, would lead to around 382 job losses and more language services being digital only. It said “tough choices” were necessary to make savings.
In Focus
The House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee has considered the use of artificial intelligence technologies in the criminal justice system. It found benefits to using such technology to help apply the law, but also raised concerns about a potential risk to the public’s fundamental human rights and civil liberties. This article summarises the committee’s findings and recommendations, as well as the government’s response.
In Focus
In recent years there have been three occasions in which leadership of the government has changed without a general election having been called. This has given rise to questions about the relationship between a government’s legislative agenda and its most recent election manifesto. This article looks at how the Salisbury convention has shaped the House of Lords’ treatment of government manifesto bills.
In Focus
COP27 is an international climate change conference held under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It stands for ‘conference of the parties’ and is the 27th meeting of the parties to the UNFCCC. COP27 was scheduled to run from 6 to 18 November 2022, but it ran into the weekend. It was held in Sharm El-Sheikh under Egypt’s presidency of the COP.
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