In Focus
The Times Education Commission was composed of leaders from the fields of education, politics, public life and culture. It set out to examine the entire education system, arguing that the disruption of Covid-19 presented an opportunity to make fundamental changes to education provision. The commission published its final report in June 2022.
In Focus
Corruption can be defined as dishonest and illegal behaviour by people in positions of power. It threatens national security, reduces access to services, erodes public trust in institutions and impedes investment. Measures of corruption produced by organisations such as Transparency International indicate stability in the UK’s recent global corruption rank. However, anti-corruption experts have pointed to a number of recent scandals which are leading to the perception that corruption in the UK is worsening.
In Focus
In recent years, concerns have been raised about the horticultural sector’s workforce, including its dependence on foreign seasonal workers and the existence of a skills gap. The sector’s role in protecting the environment has also been discussed. This article considers both these issues and the government’s response.
In Focus
Fewer than 90 peerages can be inherited by a female heir thereby limiting the number of women eligible to stand and be elected to the House of Lords as hereditary peers. This article examines proposals put forward by campaign groups, and some parliamentarians, to change the rules that prevent women inheriting peerages.
In Focus
The National Heritage Act 1983 established select museums as non-departmental bodies, governed by a board of trustees. In addition to outlining the boards of trustees’ general functions, the act restricted them from disposing of objects from their collections. With growing calls for some of these museums to return cultural objects in their collections to their countries of origin, some museums and organisations have called for the act to be amended or replaced.
In Focus
In the UK, pharmaceutical research and development is funded primarily by businesses. The government is the next biggest funder. The UK comes 13th among OECD economies for overall research and development spending from all sources and in all sectors. However, it comes third for government spending on health research and development. The government has committed to increasing funding for research and development.
In Focus
The House of Lords has no fixed number of seats, and its make up can change week by week. This article provides a snapshot of its membership and composition in September 2022.
In Focus
This page provides links to useful sources of information on the situation in Ukraine, including government statements, press resources and background briefings.
In Focus
The government published its plan to reduce storm overflow spills and their harmful impacts in August 2022. Under the plan, water companies will have to meet several time-bound targets to limit storm overflow use and eliminate ecological harm from their discharges by 2050. The government was required to publish this plan by 1 September 2022 under the Environment Act 2021.
In Focus
Following the release of this year’s GCSE and A-level results, some commentators have raised concerns that the educational attainment gap between the north and south of England has widened. This issue is the focus of an upcoming question for short debate in the House of Lords. In preparation for the debate, this briefing looks at recent commentary on the issue and provides an overview of this year’s results.
In Focus
The world is currently experiencing a food crisis. UK consumers are also facing rapid food price inflation. Both the UK government and international bodies, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, have identified climate change and biodiversity loss as major contributing factors to food insecurity in the UK and around the world. This briefing considers the nature and extent of this impact and government policies to improve UK food security.
In Focus
The government has published an updated plan for music education. It emphasises aspects such as early years music; cooperation between schools and other organisations, for example music hubs; and providing a variety of ways to progress in music. Commentators have welcomed the plan but called for more funding. Some observers have also argued that the structure of testing in schools from age 14 skews the curriculum against music.
In Focus
On 4 August 1972, Ugandan President Idi Amin gave his country’s Asian population 90 days in which to leave the country. Almost 40,000 Ugandan Asians would come to the UK over the months that followed to start new lives, leaving behind homes and businesses in the country of their birth. A national commemorative event will take place in London on 18 September 2022, 50 years after the first evacuation flight landed at Stansted airport.
In Focus
The UK and India are currently negotiating a free trade agreement. In July 2022, the House of Lords International Agreements Committee published a report on the government’s negotiating objectives. The report welcomed the aspiration to secure a trade deal with India. However, the committee was critical of some aspects of the negotiating objectives as vague, high level and, in some cases, unachievable. The report also criticised the speed of the negotiations, which the government wants to complete by October 2022.
In Focus
This article details primary and community care services and examines their impact on patient outcomes. It also considers recent government policy which has sought to improve these outcomes and discusses several proposals for reforming such services.
Total results (page 42 of 82)