Research Briefing
The Welfare Reform Act 2009 includes provisions to enable piloting of mandatory 'work-related activity' for lone parents on Income Support and partners of benefit claimants with a youngest child aged 3-6. The Labour Government announced proposals to run 'pathfinders' in four Jobcentre Plus districts in England from October 2010.
Research Briefing
This note summarises the legislation concerning health warnings on tobacco packaging.
Research Briefing
This Note explains why the TWA was introduced and how it works.
Research Briefing
This Commons Library briefing paper provides information on the commencement of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002.
Research Briefing
This note summaries the proceedings of the Bill in the Commons following Second Reading and provides information on amendments to the Bill during its Lords Stages. It complements the Library Research Paper 09/90 prepared for the Commons Second Reading debate.
Research Briefing
All firms undertaking sale and rent back agreements now have to be authorised by the FSA, so giving consumers greater protection. A key feature of the full regime will be that all consumers who undertake a sale and rent back agreement will have a guaranteed minimum tenancy of five years.
Research Briefing
From April 2010 rates of many benefits and Tax Credits will change, mostly they will increase by one of three factors: +2.5% Basic State Pension +1.8% Standard minimum guarantee Pension Credit, Income Support, Council Tax Benefit, Housing Benefit +1.5% Attendance Allowance, Carer's Allowance, Child Benefit, Disability Living Allowance, Working & Child Tax Credits The 1.5% increase is being paid by "bringing forward" a proportion of the increase expected in April 2011. Next year, any increase over 1.5% will be paid in the usual way. For some benefits there is to be no increase in April 2010. For example, pensions on top of the basic state pension (additional pension, increments to the pension, Graduated Retirement Benefit) and dependency increases will remain at the same rates. This note sets out the basis for the April 2010 uprating of the main social security benefits. It focuses on the Retirement Pension and Pension Credit but also contains a summary of the main benefit and tax credit rates before and after the uprating.
Research Briefing
The Bill seeks to amend the 2007 Act by setting a deadline for the Secretary of State to initiate the next round of proposals for enhancing the sustainability of local communities from local authorities under the Act. It provides for regulations to be made specifying the rules for this process. These are also to cover parish council involvement and the role of local petitioning. There is also provision for greater flexibility in decision-making on proposals.
Research Briefing
This note summarises the House of Commons Second Reading and Committee Stage proceedings of the Sunbeds (Regulation) Bill (Bill 19 2009-10).
Research Briefing
This paper summarises the House of Commons Committee Stage of the Bill. In July 2009 the Government announced that it would legislate to ensure that tenants are given adequate notice to vacate their property if their landlord defaults on their mortgage. Over the summer of 2009, the Government consulted on legislative options to achieve this. On 3 December 2009, Dr Brian Iddon announced that he would introduce a Private Members' Bill to protect private tenants whose landlords default on their mortgage. The Bill has Government support.
Research Briefing
This is an account of the House of Commons Committee Stage of the Children, Schools and Families Bill. The Bill contained a clause on the charitable status of academies, but the Government decided it could achieve its objectives by non-legislative means, and at the end of the Committee Stage the clause was removed. No other changes were made to the Bill in Committee. There were many amendments proposed by the opposition parties but none was successful.
Research Briefing
This note covers green belt sales of small plots without planning consent to those who hope that the planning designation will one day be changed
Research Briefing
The Bill seeks to create a duty on sunbed businesses to prevent use of sunbeds by under-18s, to provide for local authority enforcement of this duty, and to give Ministers powers to make regulations imposing further conditions on commercial sunbed use.
Total results (page 196 of 219)