In Focus
The British Business Bank operates a series of loan schemes to support companies during the pandemic, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS). This article summarises the schemes and policy debates around them. It includes data on loan take-up up to 22 April. Coronavirus support through the British Business Bank is the subject of an oral question in the House of Lords on 30 April 2020.
In Focus
The Covid-19 pandemic has seen an increase in homeworking and other online activity, such as video streaming. This increase in demand has affected both telecoms providers and engineers. This article summarises the scale of this increased demand and the measures taken to meet it.
In Focus
The Covid-19 outbreak has had a significant impact on the delivery of other vaccination programmes around the world. In April 2020, the UN estimated that vaccination programmes in 24 countries had been delayed due to Covid-19. This article looks at why it is important that other vaccination programmes continue, focusing in particular on the measles vaccine.
In Focus
The Vagrancy Act 1824 criminalises rough sleeping and begging, subject to certain conditions. Some have campaigned for the Act to be repealed and the Government has committed to reviewing the legislation. This article provides details on some of the criticisms of the legislation. It also summarises the Government's stance on this.
In Focus
Most official data is produced with a lag, making timely assessments of the economic impact of coronavirus difficult. The disruption may also have made it harder to collect accurate statistics. This article looks at a new set of indicators that the Office for National Statistics has produced to address these issues. It also reports suggestions for other measures to shed light on the impact of the pandemic, including from countries.
In Focus
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on prisons and offenders. This article looks at why this population are more at risk from the outbreak, what the current situation is in England and Wales, and what the Government have announced to help support prisons and offenders during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In Focus
CRISPR (clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic repeats) is a genome editing tool. Scientists continue to research the potential uses of CRISPR technology. The coronavirus pandemic has seen an increase in the demand for diagnostic testing. This article discusses what CRISPR is and its potential role in diagnostics.
In Focus
This article looks at how the coronavirus outbreak is having an impact on the Brexit transition period. It explores what the continued application of EU law during the transition means for the UK’s response to coronavirus, for example on state aid and participation in EU initiatives to procure ventilators. It also looks at what role there would be for Parliament in any decision to extend the transition period beyond December 2020.
In Focus
This article looks at how the coronavirus outbreak is having an impact on the Brexit transition period. It explores how the pandemic has affected the timing and format of the UK-EU future relationship negotiations, and the ability of governments on both sides to focus on them. It also covers the effect on the UK’s implementation of the citizens’ rights and Northern Ireland provisions of the withdrawal agreement.
In Focus
In early 2020, parliaments across the world reacted to the coronavirus pandemic. In response to a statement on potential changes to the running of House of Lords business in March, this article looks at how other parliaments have adapted to meet the needs of social distancing. It considers proxy voting, remote voting and virtual sittings.
In Focus
In response to the coronavirus lockdown the Government temporarily amended the procedure for women to obtain drugs to have early medical abortions at home, rather than at a clinic or hospital. The article summarises the legislative changes and the debate surrounding early medical abortion.
In Focus
This article considers the role of the banking sector in the UK’s response to coronavirus. It describes key policy announcements in relation to the banks, many of which are intended to support the wider economy. It also reports some ways in which the banks themselves have responded, including on overdrafts and branch opening hours. Finally, it summarises some criticisms of the sector’s activities in relation to the pandemic.
Total results (page 81 of 83)