Modern methods of construction (MMC) refers to a range of building methods that are designed to be more efficient and effective than traditional construction techniques. The House of Lords Built Environment Committee was critical of the Conservative government’s approach to MMC and called for a coherent strategy to promote MMC use in housebuilding. The new Labour government has said it will publish a new long-term housing strategy in the coming months.
Arbitration is a form of dispute resolution that enables two or more parties to resolve a disagreement privately through a third party instead of going to court. The Arbitration Bill [HL] would amend the Arbitration Act 1996, the principal legislation governing arbitrations in England and Wales and in Northern Ireland. The changes provided for in the bill would implement recommendations from the Law Commission following consultation with the sector.
Too much sugar in diets can contribute to health issues. Reformulating products, or changing how much sugar is in what people normally eat and drink, means the public do not have to change their habits to eat more healthily. Recent governments have introduced measures to decrease the public’s consumption of sugar, as well as salt and fat. However, some organisations have encouraged the government to go further by creating more mandatory schemes and levies for industry.
The prime minister’s trade envoys are a network of parliamentarians appointed to engage with countries where the UK government has identified trade and investment opportunities. There were 35 trade envoys covering 58 markets as of 16 May 2024. The government has said trade envoys support the UK’s economic growth by promoting trade in key markets. However, some parliamentarians have sought clarity on aspects of the trade envoy programme.
The Commercial Organisations and Public Authorities Duty (Human Rights and Environment) Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill introduced by Baroness Young of Hornsey (Crossbench). It would place due diligence obligations concerning human rights and the environment on businesses and public sector bodies. The House of Lords is scheduled to debate the bill at second reading on 10 May 2024.
In August 2023, the UK government published its ‘border target operating model’ (BTOM), which set out how the UK would gradually introduce full border controls on imports into Great Britain from the EU. The BTOM is being introduced gradually during 2024. The second phase is scheduled to commence on 30 April 2024 and is set to include the introduction of full sanitary and phytosanitary checks on certain goods imported from the EU. This briefing looks at the controls being introduced on 30 April 2024, as well as concerns raised by industries about how the changes could impact EU imports.
The Building Societies Act 1986 (Amendment) Bill is a House of Commons private member’s bill allowing changes to be made to the Building Societies Act 1986 intended to support building societies and align some of their processes with banks. The bill has government and cross-party support.
The gambling industry has expanded over recent years and increased attention is being paid to the issue of gambling-related harms and the role that the marketing of gambling services plays in exacerbating them. The House of Lords is due to debate these issues on 25 April 2024.
In the March 2024 budget, the chancellor said that progress was being made towards the prime minister’s economic priorities and that he was therefore able to help households with permanent cuts to taxation. Some of these measures were welcomed. However, commentators noted that taxation was still projected to rise sharply as a share of the economy and that living standards were to be lower at the end of the current parliament than at the start.
Only 14% of rivers in England have a good ecological status and none have a good chemical status. Agriculture, wastewater and diffuse urban pollution are the main sources of pollution affecting water bodies in England. In recent years, the failure of water companies to prevent sewage discharges has attracted attention, and questions have been asked about whether the government and bodies such as Ofwat and the Environment Agency are doing enough to regulate water companies and enforce environmental law.
There were approximately 11 million people in the UK in relative poverty (before housing costs) in 2021/22. Many people on low incomes receive cash benefits, such as universal credit, and other benefits such as free school meals. In its levelling up strategy the government set out measures to address poverty; these include increasing the number of high-paying jobs and improving access to good quality education and skills training.
The UK last set out a formal industrial strategy in 2017. Since 2021, the government has instead pursued various plans for growth. This briefing provides details on the UK’s industrial policies, commentary on the benefits and use of industrial strategies, and brief statistics about UK industry.
There has been a decline in the number of bank branches in operation in the UK over the last three decades. This has reportedly impacted many people, including those with disabilities, older people and those living in rural areas. In recent years, the government has sought to mitigate the impact of branch closures by introducing legislation containing provisions to protect access to cash services and publishing a policy statement outlining its minimum expectations to banks regarding services being removed or changed.
The Post Office (Horizon System) Compensation Bill is a government bill which provides the secretary of state for business and trade with the financial authority to make compensation payments to those individuals who were the victims of the Horizon system scandal. It would mean that compensation could continue to be paid under one of the schemes, known as the Group litigation order (GLO) scheme. Currently, the power to pay compensation under this scheme ceases in August 2024. The bill would also allow the secretary of state to pay compensation to individuals in other compensation schemes and arrangements and in respect of other matters identified in High Court judgments given in proceedings relating to the Horizon system, such as the failure by the Post Office to pay suspension pay to postmasters. The second reading of the bill in the House of Lords is due on 16 January 2024. The bill would extend and apply to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It would commence at royal assent.
The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill would amend existing data protection legislation and introduce new provisions in areas such as digital verification services and smart data. The bill was carried over from the last session and is due to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 19 December 2023.