Research Briefing
In November 2013, the Committee on Standards recommended changes to the rules on the registration of all-party groups. The Committee's report is scheduled to be debated on 13 May 2014.
Research Briefing
Why isn’t there a by-election when an MP defects from one political party to another? There are no rules requiring the resignation of an MP who leaves one political party for another. A convention that the Member changing parties does not resign to fight a by-election accords with the arguments of Edmund Burke in the
Research Briefing
This note reviews the proposals for introducing a public reading stage for bills; outlines the pilots that have been conducted; and reports on the evaluations of those pilots.
Research Briefing
This note outlines the background to proposals for introducing salaries for the chairmen of standing committees (now public bill and general committees), which were agreed by the House on 13 July 2005.
Research Briefing
This note briefly reviews the background to proposals for paying select committee chairs.
Research Briefing
In January 2010, the Speaker’s Conference on Parliamentary Representation recommended that section 141 of the Mental Health Act 1983 should be repealed. The provision was repealed by the Mental Health Discrimination Act 2013.
Research Briefing
This House of Commons Background Paper sets out how private bills are passed through the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Research Briefing
This Note charts the progress of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill through Parliament. It complements Research Paper 13/51 prepared for the Commons Second Reading.
Research Briefing
This note briefly draws together Library material on party funding issues; provides a chronology of Sir Hayden Phillips’ review of party funding; notes the information that the CSPL has published as its inquiry proceeded; notes press coverage the CSPL inquiry generated; and notes developments since the publication of the CSPL report.
Research Briefing
This Private Member’s Bill was introduced to the Commons on 19 June 2013 and is designed to require the holding of a referendum on the UK’s continued membership of the European Union (EU) before the end of 2017. This Paper has been prepared as a guide in advance of the second reading on Friday 5 July.
Research Briefing
This Bill was introduced to the Commons on 9 May 2013. This Paper provides background for the second reading debate on this Bill expected on 24 June 2013. The Bill creates a new method for appointing the Justice Minister in the Northern Ireland Executive, and allows for transparency in donations and loans to political parties, as well as ending dual mandates between the Assembly and the UK House of Commons. There are also some electoral administration reforms and miscellaneous changes to Northern Ireland law. Most of the provisions were subject to pre-legislative scrutiny by the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee which published a report in March 2013.
Research Briefing
This Research Paper reviews recent developments in Members’ pay and expenses, and in ministerial salaries. It sets out current rates and provides a summary of expense limits, from 2010/11, under the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority’s MPs’ Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses.
Research Briefing
This note outlines the background to and the Government’s approach to post-legislative scrutiny. By January 2013, 58 memorandums on post-legislative assessments had been published. The note also gives some details of individual inquiries held by Select Committees in response to the publication of several Memorandums, as well as some detail on post-legislative scrutiny in the House of Lords.
Research Briefing
This Standard Note gathers together announcements from ministers and speculation from commentators on the issues that might be included in the forthcoming Queen’s Speech.
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