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Research Briefing
Candidates’ addresses on the ballot paper
A new clause was added to the Political Parties and Elections Bill at report stage on 2 March 2009 which would allow candidates to withhold their home address from publication. There has been a provision to require a candidate to give his home address on the nomination form, from where it is transferred to the ballot paper, since the Ballot Act 1872. This Note looks at the background to this requirement and at earlier calls for the practice to be discontinued.
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Research Briefing
Small Business Rate Relief (Automatic Payment) Bill (Bill 13 of 2008-09)
The purpose of this Bill is to make the payment of rate relief for small businesses in England automatic. Currently, businesses have to apply to their billing authority once within each revaluation period (five years) to receive the relief during this period.
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Research Briefing
Northern Ireland Bill (Bill 62 of 2008-09)
This Bill is designed to assist with the devolution of policing and justice to Northern Ireland by making amendments to the Northern Ireland Act 1998. These amendments add to the options for appointing the Policing and Justice Minister already set out in the 1998 Act. It also provides for changes to the Judicature (Northern Ireland) Act 1978 and the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 in respect of judicial appointments and removals.
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Research Briefing
The UK Parliament and European Business: recent reforms and scrutiny issues
This Note looks at changes to EU scrutiny procedures in 2008 and 2009, as well as other scrutiny issues, such as the Government's use of the scrutiny override and Parliament's role in considering agreement on a "general approach" in the Council of Ministers.
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Research Briefing
Business Rate Supplements Bill: Committee Stage Report
This is a report on the Committee Stage of the Business Rate Supplements Bill 2008-09, produced in response to a recommendation of the Modernisation Committee in its report on The Legislative Process (HC 1097, 2005-06).
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Research Briefing
Background to Proposals for a British Bill of Rights
The three major political parties have all recently proposed that the UK should adopt a 'British Bill of Rights' of some kind. This paper outlines these proposals and sets them in context.
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Research Briefing
2009 European Parliament Elections: parties, polls and recent developments
The European Parliament (EP) elections will be held in the UK on 4 June 2009, alongside local elections. This Note looks at the EC Treaty base for the elections, public views and voter turnout, and European political groups and parties.
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Research Briefing
Marginal seats
This note lists UK Parliament seats by marginality using results for the 2005 General Election. Majorities are measured by both numbers of votes and shares of the vote inpercentage points.
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Research Briefing
2009 European Parliament Elections
Voting in the 2009 European Parliament elections will take place across the EU from 4 to 7 June. In the United Kingdom voting will be on Thursday 4 June 2009. The number of UK MEPs is to be reduced at these elections from 78 currently to 72. On the basis of the 2004 results, the UK's six fewer MEPs would have meant reductions of three MEPs for the Conservatives, two for the Liberal Democrats and one for Labour. For Great Britain, seats in the European Parliament are allocated to Parties according to a "d'Hondt" quota system which operates for each region. For Northern Ireland a different system of Single Transferable Vote is used. This note sets out the changes to the number of seats by region and what this would have meant if the 2004 elections had been fought on this basis.
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Research Briefing
Statistical Literacy Guide
This guide is a compilation of notes on individual subjects produced by the Social & General Statistics Section of the Library. Its aim is to help MPs and their staff better understand statistics that are used in press stories, research, debates, news releases, reports, books etc.
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Research Briefing
Members’ allowances: decision of 16 July 2008 and the revised Green Book
On 3 July 2008, the House debated the Review of Allowances but on the 16th July the Opposition Day debate revisited the subject of Members' allowances. On 5 August 2008, the Leader and Deputy Leader of the House of Commons published a consultation document on the Audit and Assurance of MPs' Allowances.
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Research Briefing
Local authority finance in a recession
This note looks at the affect that the economic slowdown will have on the finances of local authorites.
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Research Briefing
Official Secrecy
This Note sets out the historical background to the current laws on official secrecy. It also provides a brief summary of notable cases which have involved official information legislation.
Total results (page 145 of 162)