Research Briefing
How is the First Minister of Scotland appointed?
A briefing on the process for nominating and appointing the First Minister of Scotland.
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Research Briefing
Arbitration Act 2025
The Arbitration Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 24 February 2025. The act amends the Arbitration Act 1996 in accordance with recommendations made by the Law Commission.
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Research Briefing
The United Kingdom and independence
A briefing on how the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is currently constituted and the mechanisms by which a part of the UK could secede from it.
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Research Briefing
Mental Health Awareness Week 2026
The theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week (11 to 17 May) is action to support good mental health. This briefing looks at action to support good mental health of individuals, evidence around actions to support population mental health, and government activity.
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Research Briefing
Successful private members’ bills since 1983
Commons and Lords private members’ bills (PMBs), and their sponsoring members, which have received Royal Assent since the start of the 1983 Parliament.
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Research Briefing
What is the King’s Speech
A briefing on the King’s Speech, which sets out the government’s legislative agenda for the forthcoming parliamentary session.
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Research Briefing
State Opening of Parliament – history and ceremonial
A briefing paper on the State Opening of Parliament, its history and ceremonial
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Constituency casework,Research Briefing
Out-of-area homelessness accommodation (England)
An overview of local housing authorities’ legal duties when arranging homelessness accommodation outside their area.
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Research Briefing
What impact do digital imprints have on voters?
Election campaign material produced by political parties, candidates and non-party campaigners must carry an ‘imprint’ on both digital and printed material. The Representation of the People Bill includes some reforms to the current digital imprints regime.
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Research Briefing
Prisoners released in error
Following Dame Lynne Owens’ Independent Review, the Justice Secretary has pledged £82 million to address the growing problem of prisoners released in error.
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Research Briefing
Income tax allowances for married couples
This briefing discusses the two income tax allowances that married couples and civil partners may be entitled to claim.
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Research Briefing
How to evaluate sources
Methods for evaluating whether a source is likely to be reliable usually look at authority, motivation, accuracy and relevance.
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Research Briefing
How to check facts
Fact-checking usually involves following a claim back to its original source to verify it, or comparing it with other sources.
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Research Briefing
How to verify images and videos
Stopping and asking a few questions about images and videos shared online can help assess whether they are likely to be real, fake, or misleading.
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Research Briefing
What is misinformation?
There is widespread concern that misinformation is spreading rapidly online and offline and that this might have a damaging effect on democracy and social wellbeing.
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