Countryside
This page highlights some of the current parliamentary material available on the countryside. This includes select committee reports, briefing papers on current legislation and other subjects produced by the parliamentary research services, and the latest Early Day Motions put down by MPs.
Standard Notes
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 17.05.2012 | Badger Culling |
| This note summarises the proposals for allowing farmers in England to cull badgers and the Governments decison to go ahead with cull, starting with two pilot areas in West Gloucestershire and West Somerset, in 2012. It also covers proposals for culling badgers in Wales, which have now been dropped. | |
| 26.04.2012 | Farm Diversification, Countryside and Planning |
| This note covers planning issues related to the countryside, including farm diversification | |
| 02.02.2012 | Railways: rural and community lines |
| This note looks at the development of community rail under successive governments. It explains the purposes of rural rail, how it is structured, and proposals for its development. | |
| 31.01.2012 | Flood defence |
| Average flood damage costs are currently £1.1 billion per year, but these costs could rise to £27 billion by 2080. Maintaining existing levels of flood defence would require spending on asset maintenance and construction to increase to over £1 billion per year by 2035. Given current budget constraints, national flood defence spending will reduce slightly from current levels over the next four years. | |
| 06.01.2012 | British Summer Time and the Daylight Saving Bill 2010-11 |
| This Standard Note provides an overview of the pros and cons of British Summer Time and the altering of clocks, as well as details of attempts to change clock times in the UK. It discusses the current Daylight Savings Bill 2010-11. |
Research Papers
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 11.01.2012 | Daylight Saving Bill: Committee Stage Report |
| This is a report on the House of Commons Committee Stage of the Daylight Saving Bill. | |
| 19.07.2009 | Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]: Committee Stage Report. Bill 137 2008-09. |
| The Bill would set up a new Marine Management Organisation (MMO); streamline marine licensing; introduce marine planning; reform fisheries management; provide for Marine Conservation Zones; and enable the creation of a route around the English coast. | |
| 16.06.2009 | Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL] |
| The Bill covers a broad range of marine issues and would: (1) set up a new Marine Management Organisation (MMO) under which many of the existing, diverse areas of marine regulation would be centralised; (2) streamline the existing marine licensing system and provide powers to create a joined up marine planning policy; (3) introduce new measures to reform fisheries management; (4) provide a framework for establishing marine conservation zones; and, (5) enable the creation of a route around the English coast. | |
| 10.04.2006 | Commons Bill [HL] Bill 115 of 2005-6 |
| 02.06.2005 | Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill (Bill 3 2005-06) |
| Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill (Bill 3 2005-06). House of Commons Library Research Paper 05/39 |
Select Committee Reports
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 21.07.2010 | The National Forest. |
| Government response. Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee report [Commons] | |
| 14.01.2009 | The potential of England's rural economy. |
| Government response. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee report [Commons] |
Early Day Motions
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 20.12.2011 | DELIVERY CHARGES FOR CONSUMERS IN RURAL AREAS |
| That this House welcomes the campaign by Citizens Advice Scotland and Citizens Advice Bureaux across Scotland to tackle unfair delivery practices for consumers in remote and rural areas; ... | |
| 10.10.2011 | RURAL BROADBAND |
| That this House believes that mobile broadband has an important role to play in delivering internet access to rural communities; welcomes the action taken by the Rural Broadband Working ... | |
| 14.09.2011 | BIG LOTTERY FUND VILLAGE SOS INITIATIVE |
| That this House welcomes the Big Lottery Fund's Village SOS initiative, launched in conjunction with a BBC1 series broadcast from 10 August to 14 September 2011; recognises that community ... | |
| 12.07.2011 | JOHN CLARE TRUST AND OUT OF SCHOOL LEARNING |
| That this House notes that 13 July is John Clare's birthday; congratulates the John Clare Trust on the launch of Every Child's Right to the English Countryside campaign; further notes ... | |
| 12.07.2011 | STOP THE DROP CAMPAIGN |
| That this House supports the Stop the Drop campaign, run by the Campaign to Protect Rural England and its President Bill Bryson, to clean up litter and fly-tipping in the countryside; ... |
Lords Library Notes
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 05.10.2010 | Debate on 7 October 2010: the Prince's Countryside Fund and support for rural communities. LLN 2010/021 |
| Debate on 7 October 2010: the Prince's Countryside Fund and support for rural communities. House of Lords Library Note 2010/021 |
POST Papers
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 15.03.2012 | Livestock Super Farms |
| This POSTnote examines the current issues surrounding intensification of livestock production in the UK. | |
| 01.01.2010 | Insect pollination, January 2010 |
| This POSTnote examines the risks of insect pollination decline for the UK and explores strategies to provide stable pollination services into the future. | |
| 01.02.2008 | Ecological networks, February 2008 |
| Ecological networks, February 2008. POSTnote 08/300. |
