Commons Library Podcast

How is the increasing size of the private rented sector affecting UK Government policy? How are private landlords and letting agents regulated? How secure are private tenants in their housing? What are the main aspects of the debate around affordability and rent control? And how are private rented sector policies affecting Government housing policies more broadly? Talking us through these issues is Wendy Wilson, the housing policy specialist in the House of Commons Library. She spoke to us on 15 April 2019, the same day the Government announced that it would consult on abolishing Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 which provides for 'no fault' evictions in assured shorthold tenancies in England. You can find all our podcast episodes, full show notes and transcripts at commonslibrary.parliament.uk/podcast

How is devolution supposed to operate in Northern Ireland? How is Northern Ireland being governed in the absence of a fully-functioning Assembly or Executive? And what impact is Brexit having on Northern Irish politics?   Answering these questions and more is David Torrance, the devolution and constitution specialist in the House of Commons Library.    You can find all episodes in this series, full show-notes and transcripts at commonslibrary.parliament.uk/podcast

How much does the Ministry of Defence budget for equipment for the armed forces? Why has the budget been deemed 'unaffordable'? How does the MoD plan what equipment is needed for future conflicts and interventions and why are MPs concerned over shipbuilding? Talking us through key issues around defence procurement this week is Commons Library defence researcher, Louisa Brooke-Holland, who spoke to us on 2 April 2019. You can find all our podcast episodes, full show notes and transcripts at commonslibrary.parliament.uk/podcast

What is the difference between Government borrowing and debt? What's the current state of public finances? Does it matter that debt is currently at 85% of GDP? And what effect might Brexit have? Talking us through key issues around public finances this week is Commons Library Economic Policy Specialist, Matt Keep, who spoke to us on 27 March 2019. You can find all our podcast episodes, full show notes and transcripts at commonslibrary.parliament.uk/podcast

How are water, energy and broadband prices calculated? How do these different utilities operate? How are they regulated? And what does this mean for everyday consumers? We tackle these questions and more in the second episode of the Commons Library Podcast. On 18 March we spoke to Ed Potton, Suzanna Hinson, and Georgina Hutton – all policy specialists from the House of Commons Library. You can find all our podcast episodes, full show notes and transcripts at commonslibrary.parliament.uk/podcast

How far has the roll out of Universal Credit come? What's the difference between 'managed' and 'natural' migration? Are there likely to be further delays? And what are the implications of recent High Court judgments? We tackle these questions and more in the first ever episode of the Commons Library Podcast. Talking us through key policy areas this week is Commons Library Social Security Policy Specialist, Steven Kennedy, who spoke to us on 12 March 2019. You can find all our podcast episodes, full show notes and transcripts at commonslibrary.parliament.uk/podcast