Research Briefing
This Note reviews the operation of parliamentary privilege with respect to individual Members. It refers to the Joint Committee on Parliamentary Privilege, which reported in 1999. Library Standard Note 2024 Parliamentary Privilege and Qualified Privilege covers the question of the treatment in law of Members' constituency correspondence.
Research Briefing
This note provides a brief overview of the establishment and role of the group charged with reassessing past claims made under the Additional Costs Allowance.
Research Briefing
On 27 January 2010 the Supreme Court announced that it had upheld the appeal in the case of HM Treasury v Ahmed and Others, which concerned the UK's implementation of United Nations obligations to freeze the assets of terrorists by way of two Orders in Council made under section 1 of the United Nations Act 1946. The Court quashed the Terrorism (United Nations Measures) Order 2006 and provisions in the Al-Qaida and Taliban (United Nations Measures) Order 2006. The Government announced its intention to introduce primary legislation to re-instate the asset-freezing regime.
Research Briefing
On 20 July 2009, the day before it rose for the summer recess, the House of Commons agreed to establish the 18-member Select Committee on Reform of the House of Commons. This note outlines the evolution of the Committee's terms of reference in addition to discussing the Committee's report, published on 24 November 2009.
Research Briefing
From 1 July 2009 Members no longer have to report certain donations to both the Electoral Commission and Registrar of Members' Interests. The Note examines the history behind this dual requirement enacted in the Political Parties, Election and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA). Section 59 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 provided for dual registration to end, but implementation of this provision was delayed until July 2009. The Note also sets out the new limits on donations which have to be declared by Members, enacted in the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009.
Research Briefing
This note briefly reviews the background to the CSPL inquiry and notes the people from whom it received oral evidence. The note also records the indications that the political parties have given about how they are likely to respond to the CSPL's report.
Research Briefing
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Research Briefing
This note examines measures of hospital standards and patient safety published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Dr. Foster Research Limited and critically appraises the methodology underpinning their assessments. Concerns have been raised about the lack of consistency between the CQC and Dr. Foster ratings; in the final section, a comparison is made between the two, and some explanations for the discrepancies are offered.
Research Briefing
This paper sets out the proposals for citizen engagement in constitutional reform made by the Government in the Governance of Britain Green Paper and subsequent announcements.
Research Briefing
Within the context of House of Lords' reform proposals, there has also been discussion of the future of the Lords Spiritual, and questions of whether other faiths groups should have representation in the second chamber. This note discusses these proposals including the Government's most recent White Paper on Lords reform published in July 2008.
Research Briefing
This Note briefly sets out the history of the Common Law offence of 'misconduct in public office'. It looks at recent use of the offence in prosecutions and considers proposals to place the offence on a statutory footing.
Research Briefing
This note provides an update on the proposals made by the Government in their July 2007 Green Paper on constitutional reform, The Governance of Britain. The note sets out each proposal and progress made since the publication of the Green Paper, including the contents of the Constitutional Renewal White Paper and draft Bill published in March 2008, and the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill introduced in July 2009.
Research Briefing
This Bill was introduced to the House of Commons on 20 July 2009. It followed the publication in July 2007 of the Governance of Britain Green Paper which set out a broad programme of constitutional reform. In March 2008 the Government published the Draft Constitutional Renewal Bill and Constitutional Renewal White Paper. The draft Bill was scrutinised by a Joint Committee, with other committees reporting on aspects of the proposals. The content of the Bill is different from that of the draft Bill in some significant ways. As well as clauses on the civil service, the ratification of treaties, judicial appointments and protest around Parliament which were contained in the draft Bill, the Bill includes new provisions on the House of Lords, the Comptroller and Auditor General and the National Audit Office, Human Rights claims against the devolved administrations and the transparency of financial reporting to Parliament. Clauses on the Attorney General, which had been in the draft Bill, are not in the Bill as introduced.
Research Briefing
This Note sets out the historical background to the Bill of Rights 1688-89 and examines how its provisions have altered in the intervening centuries. Its role as part of the uncodified constitution of the United Kingdom is also discussed.
Research Briefing
This note provides an overview of the Power inquiry in addition to the Power2010 campaign launched by Baroness Kennedy QC on 15 September 2009.
Total results (page 66 of 76)