• Current Affairs Digest

    Current Affairs Digest: Law (February 2024)

    Sentences of imprisonment for public protection (IPPs) were abolished in 2012. However, this abolition did not apply retrospectively to prisoners already serving IPPs. Recent prison population data on IPPs has shown over 1,200 prisoners have never been released. This briefing examines concerns raised by campaign groups, professional bodies and international partners about the impact of IPPs on prisoners’ release prospects and mental health.

  • Research Briefing

    Conversion Therapy Prohibition (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 5 of 2023–24

    The Conversion Therapy Prohibition (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill sponsored by Baroness Burt of Solihull (Liberal Democrat). Conversion therapy is a range of practices which seek to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. If passed, this bill would criminalise offering or practicing conversion therapy, defined as practices where the practitioner demonstrates an assumption of a preferable outcome for a person’s orientation or identity.

  • Research Briefing

    Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill: HL Bill 38 of 2023–24

    The Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill would prevent public authorities from participating in or expressing support for boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns. The bill would allow the government to exempt states and territories from its provisions by regulations, with the exception of Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the Occupied Golan Heights.

  • In Focus

    Digital exclusion in the UK: Communications and Digital Committee report

    In 2023, the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee published a report on digital exclusion in which it called for the government to devise a new strategy and create a dedicated unit to address the issue. The committee argued the government’s approach lacked ambition. The government has said the issue is a priority and has established a dedicated ministerial group.

  • In Focus

    Holocaust Memorial Day 2024

    On 27 January 2024, the UK will commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day. This year’s theme, as chosen by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, is ‘Fragility of freedom’. This year’s event takes place at the same time as a significant reported rise in the number of both antisemitic and anti-Muslim incidents in the UK, seemingly in response to the ongoing crisis in Gaza and the wider Middle East.

  • In Focus

    Contribution of the arts to society and the economy

    The government estimates that creative industries generated £126bn in gross value added to the economy and employed 2.4 million people in 2022. A range of research is also examining the way in which creative industries and the arts can positively impact wellbeing, for example through public health interventions. In June 2023, the government published a ‘Creative industries sector vision’ which included a commitment to an additional £77mn in funding.

  • Research Briefing

    Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill: HL Bill 41 of 2023-24

    The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill would confirm Rwanda as a safe country in UK domestic law. This would advance the government’s ‘Rwanda policy’, following a Supreme Court judgment that the policy was unlawful based on a risk that those removed to Rwanda under a UK-Rwanda asylum partnership could be returned to countries where they may face persecution or other inhumane treatment. The bill passed the House of Commons unamended.

  • In Focus

    International Agreements Committee report on the UK-Rwanda treaty

    The UK government signed a treaty with Rwanda in December 2023 in response to a Supreme Court judgment that its proposed Rwanda asylum policy was unlawful. The House of Lords International Agreements Committee has recommended that the government does not ratify the treaty until Parliament is satisfied that the protections it provides have been fully implemented, in the context of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill asking Parliament to make a judgement that Rwanda is safe.

  • In Focus

    Integration of newly recognised refugees

    The UK grants successful asylum applicants refugee status, enabling them to stay in the UK, access the labour market and claim benefits. Some refugees also arrive in the UK through settlement schemes. However, not all of those who are offered protection in the UK are refugees. Concerns have been raised recently about difficulties faced by refugees in moving on from asylum accommodation once they receive their grant of refugee status.

  • In Focus

    Operation Conifer: Calls for an independent inquiry

    Operation Conifer was the codename used for an investigation led by Wiltshire Police into historic accusations of sexual offences by former prime minister Sir Edward Heath. The investigation closed in 2017, leaving the accusations unproven and unresolved. A number of people, including members of the House of Lords, have criticised the investigation and those involved in running it. There have also been repeated calls for an independent inquiry to review the unresolved allegations.

  • In Focus

    Dementia care

    Growing numbers of people in the UK suffer from dementia. Because dementia costs are often associated with social care needs, as opposed to medical treatment, those with dementia are often required to fund the cost of their own care. This has led to calls for more parity between health and social care where dementia is concerned. The government has committed to significant reform of the funding thresholds for social care in England, but these are now not expected until 2025.

  • In Focus

    UK biosecurity: Infectious disease threats

    This briefing considers the impact of factors such as globalisation and climate change on the prevalence of various infectious diseases in the UK affecting humans, animals and plants. The briefing also summarises the government’s ‘Biological security strategy’ (June 2023), which provides the overarching framework for mitigating biological risks among other area-focused strategies. The government has also said that import controls are an important element of the UK’s biosecurity regime.

  • Research Briefing

    Post Office (Horizon System) Compensation Bill: HL Bill 37 of 2023–24

    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.

  • Research Briefing

    Victims and Prisoners Bill: HL Bill 31 of 2023–24

    The Victims and Prisoners Bill would introduce various changes in the criminal justice system and beyond. This would include placing key victims’ code rights into law, requiring an infected blood scandal compensation body to be set up, and allowing the secretary of state to refer prisoner release decisions of the most serious offenders to the upper tribunal or high court. A proportion of the bill’s provisions have previously been the subject of Conservative Party manifesto commitments, government consultations, reviews and announcements. The bill was amended in various ways during its passage through the House of Commons.

  • Research Briefing

    Data Protection and Digital Information Bill: HL Bill 30 of 2023–24

    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.

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