In Focus
The Higher Education Cheating Services Prohibition Bill is a private member’s bill sponsored by Lord Storey. It would make it an offence to provide or advertise cheating services to students enrolled at higher education providers in England. The House of Lords is scheduled to debate the bill at second reading on 25 June 2021.
In Focus
Concerns have been raised about the impact on young people of many of the measures taken to control the spread of coronavirus. This article explores the potential impact on education, health and poverty levels, and what the Government are doing to mitigate these concerns. It has been prepared in advance of a House of Lords debate scheduled for 17 June 2021.
In Focus
In July 2020, the House of Lords Food, Poverty, Health and the Environment Committee published its report: ‘Hungry for Change: Fixing the Failures in Food’. The committee found that the UK’s food system—the production, manufacture, retail and consumption of food—“is failing”. It made a series of recommendations built around the central aim of ensuring that everyone, regardless of income, has access to a healthy and sustainable diet.
In Focus
The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development etc.) (England) (Amendment) Order 2021 introduces several changes to the local planning framework. It makes it easier to convert a wider range of commercial buildings to residential use; allows further development of schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, prisons and ports; and implements a ‘retain and explain’ policy for certain statues, memorials and monuments. The House of Lords is set to debate motions to reject or ‘regret’ the changes.
In Focus
Recent Department of Education statistics show reductions in the number of hours spent teaching some arts subjects in secondary schools. The situation has worsened with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, with much arts teaching reduced or stopped during lockdown. The 2019 Conservative manifesto included commitments to an “arts premium” for the funding of the arts, music and sports. The Government recently reiterated its commitment to arts subjects, saying they are “vital parts of children and young people’s education”.
Research Briefing
The Skills and Post-16 Education Bill [HL] makes provision to implement policies set out in the Government’s 'Skills for Jobs' white paper, published in January 2021. Key aims include improving employers’ involvement in planning for local training provision and enabling flexible access to further education and training for adults irrespective of age. The House of Lords is due to debate the bill at second reading on 15 June 2021.
In Focus
Health and care services for those with neurological conditions have been significantly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, with many of these patients also facing an increased risk from the virus. This briefing examines the diverse nature of these conditions and how the NHS has sought to adjust to the challenges caused by Covid-19.
In Focus
Recent research by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has suggested that poverty can have a serious impact on a child’s life chances, and that this burden is felt disproportionately by those from certain ethnic groups. This article examines those findings, as well as recent campaigns to tackle the related issue of child food poverty.
Research Briefing
The Professional Qualifications Bill [HL] would make provisions relating to professional qualifications and their recognition in the UK. It is scheduled to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 25 May 2021.
Research Briefing
This bill seeks to restrict ground rents on newly established long residential leases of houses and flats to the value of one peppercorn per year (a token of no financial value).
In Focus
The Asian Youth Movements formed in the United Kingdom in the 1970s, as second generation South Asian people mobilised against racism. Following on from our articles on Black Lives Matter and the early UK Black Panther movement, we take a closer look at their membership, their aims and campaigns, and their legacy within the UK today.
In Focus
The UK has significant unmet demand for nurses. This country has a history of recruiting nurses from overseas, and the Government aims to encourage more nurses trained abroad to come to work in the UK. However, the Government also takes into account ethical considerations relating to the recruitment of nurses from countries which themselves have a shortage of healthcare staff.
In Focus
Around one billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered around the world. In the UK, more than 35 million people have received at least one dose. The vaccine developed at the University of Oxford, in partnership with AstraZeneca, is one of the major vaccines currently in circulation. This article covers the debate over supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Europe, as well as the rare blood clotting side-effect reported after a small number of first doses.
Current Affairs Digest
Catch up on social affairs with a selection of articles you may have missed. Articles this month ask whether it is time for a new Beveridge report, and how best to make healthy food widely available.
In Focus
The 2021 Queen’s Speech is expected to include several health and social care-related measures previously trailed at the start of the 2019–21 session. This article considers recent government announcements on how it plans to progress these in the new session. The Government is also making changes to the public health system in England.
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