• In Focus

    Trends in violent crime

    This article presents recent data on violent crime in England and Wales published by the Office for National Statistics.

  • In Focus

    Parliamentary scrutiny of treaties

    When the UK withdrew from the EU it regained its ability to independently negotiate free trade agreements. The trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand were the first that the UK negotiated from scratch. The legislation implementing their procurement provisions in domestic UK law received royal assent on 23 March 2023 (the Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Act 2023). This, and the negotiation of the agreements that underpinned the UK’s withdrawal, has highlighted the role of Parliament in scrutinising international treaties.

  • In Focus

    Size of the army: Numbers, tech and the latest on the integrated review

    In 2021, the government announced it would reduce the size of the army from 82,000 to 73,000 trained regulars. It also said the army would be modernised to take advantage of new technologies. This article looks at the current size of the army, the government’s 2021 integrated review and the findings of a recent inquiry on UK defence policy by the House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee.

  • In Focus

    Personality disorders in prison and probation: Are specialist units working?

    Several thousand prisoners in England required support from custodial mental health services between July and September 2021, according to new research. One such service included psychologically informed planned environments (PIPEs), which are designed to support offenders with personality-related difficulties. An evaluation of PIPEs commissioned by the government analysed whether the PIPE model had been effective. This article looks at how PIPEs work and what the evaluation found.

  • In Focus

    Licensing Act 2003: Liaison committee post-legislative scrutiny

    In July 2022, the House of Lords Liaison Committee published a follow-up report on the work of the Select Committee on the Licensing Act 2003. The original committee examined the operation of the 2003 act, which made significant changes to the legal regime governing the sale of alcohol. In its follow-up, the Liaison committee said that many flaws in the licensing regime found by the select committee remained and that more needed to be done to ensure it operated effectively.

  • In Focus

    Police standards and culture: Restoring public trust

    In recent years, there has been a series of high-profile cases of gross misconduct and illegal behaviour by police officers. The government and policing bodies have recognised this has led to a loss of public trust and confidence in the police. This article examines some of the key inquiries into police standards and culture and discusses some of the commitments made by politicians and the police to restore public trust.

  • In Focus

    UK’s role in the world: Implications for foreign policy

    In March 2023, the government published a ‘refresh’ of the 2021 integrated review of defence, security and foreign policy. This reaffirmed the broad direction of the earlier review but set out an updated strategic framework to inform future policy and resource decisions. This article summarises the refresh and selected reaction to it, ahead of a House of Lords debate on the UK’s role in the world and foreign policy.

  • In Focus

    Parliamentary democracy in the UK

    A range of groups have expressed concern in recent years about the overall strength of the UK’s democracy or about particular elements of the UK’s constitutional arrangements. Concerns range from observations that the relationship between Parliament and the executive has become increasingly unbalanced, to views on changes to certain rights, freedoms and norms seen as essential features in a democratic society.

  • In Focus

    Liaison Committee: Citizenship and civic engagement

    During the 2017–19 session, the House of Lords appointed a committee to examine citizenship and civic engagement in the UK. In 2022, the House of Lords Liaison Committee held a follow-up to this inquiry, considering issues including citizenship education in schools, the ‘life in the UK’ test, and whether the government’s policies in this area are coordinated effectively. The House of Lords is scheduled to debate its report on 17 April 2023.

  • In Focus

    Built Environment Committee: Public transport in towns and cities

    In 2022, the House of Lords Built Environment Committee conducted an inquiry on public transport in English towns and cities outside London, including local bus services. It considered levels of demand for local public transport, how demand may have been changed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the extent to which existing public transport services met local needs. This briefing provides a summary of the committee’s findings and the government’s response.

  • In Focus

    Supporting the performing arts

    In 2022 music, performance and visual arts contributed an estimated £11.5bn to the UK economy. The government supports the performing arts primarily through Arts Council England (ACE), which received £943mn from the government and National Lottery in 2021/22. To support its levelling up agenda, the government has asked ACE to distribute more of its funding outside London.

  • In Focus

    Windsor Framework (Democratic Scrutiny) Regulations 2023 and the Stormont brake

    On 29 March 2023, the House of Lords is due to debate regulations that would implement the Stormont brake in domestic law. These regulations were approved by the House of Commons on 22 March 2023. The Stormont brake is a key part of the Windsor Framework agreed between the UK and the EU. This briefing explains the background to the brake and how it would work, and includes reaction from political parties.

  • In Focus

    Transport investment: Bus and rail

    The government has committed to significant reform of the rail and bus sectors. As part of that reform, it has provided funding to help these services recover from the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and for capital expenditure. However, a recent government statement announced that some of these commitments, particularly around HS2, would be delayed in the light of current inflationary and cost pressures.

  • In Focus

    Supported housing

    Supported housing is accommodation where residents receive support, supervision or care. Housebuilding targets include targets for supported accommodation; however, housing associations and local authorities have argued that government funding is not sufficient to enable enough to be built. Concerns have been raised about the quality of supported housing, which is largely paid for by housing benefit.

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