Westminster & the UK Government

Regulating online harms– “This Library Briefing looks at the Government’s plans to regulate harmful online content.

有害的在线内容和活动包括网络bullying, racism, misogynistic abuse, pornography, and material promoting violence and self-harm. The Covid-19 pandemic has seen groups using social media platforms to spread anti-vaccine disinformation.

Critics, including parliamentary committees, academics, and children’s charities, have argued that self-regulation by internet companies is not enough to keep users safe and that statutory regulation should be introduced.”

Ukraine: Russia’s “red line”– “Russian military forces are building on the borders of Ukraine once again. What are Russia’s intentions and how is the West responding?

In early November 2021 Russia began building up its military forces along the borders of Ukraine, for the second time in a year. Over 100,000 Russian military personnel and assets have been deployed in Crimea and in the Voronezh, Kursk and Bryansk regions of Western Russia. Russian naval assets from the Baltic and Northern fleets have deployed to the Black Sea and 30,000 Russian troops are currently on exercise in Belarus, close to the Ukrainian border.

Tensions have escalated following a US intelligence assessment in December 2021, which suggested that Russia could be planning an invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.”

Gender Recognition Act reform: consultation and outcome– “This briefing paper deals with the UK Government’s consultation on the Gender Recognition Act 2004 and, more briefly, with the consultations conducted by the Scottish Government. These consultations asked whether the process for transgender people to gain legal recognition in their acquired gender should be reformed.”

Scottish Parliament & Government

Life at age 14: initial findings from the Growing Up in Scotland study– “Growing Up in Scotland is a longitudinal study following the lives of young people. The report is based on data collected in 2019/20, when participants were 14 years, from 2,943 families. The report presents high level findings relating to young people’s experiences across a range of life domains.”

Get into Summer 2021 evaluation: parents omnibus survey – report– “This report presents findings on children’s participation in free or low-cost organised summer activities during 2021 in Scotland. The Scottish Parents Omnibus survey asked parents a range of questions about motivations and barriers to taking part in summer activities and the benefits experienced by both parents and children.

The survey took place over the phone with a nationally representative sample of 1,004 parents across Scotland between 1 November and 28 November 2022.”

Gender Architecture in Scotland: A Discussion Paper– “The Scottish Government has made a commitment to developing an Islands Bond – offering 100 bonds of up to £50,000 to young people and families to stay in or to move to islands currently threatened by depopulation. This consultation is inviting comments to inform the development of this policy.”

European Union

European defence and security [What Think Tanks are thinking]– “Russia’s military build-up around Ukraine, as well as fears of an armed conflict between the two countries, have highlighted the importance of the on-going debate about how to strengthen the European Union’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). On 17 February, the European Parliament adopted resolutions calling for a more ambitious CSDP, to counter threats such as terrorism, cyber-attacks, exploitation of migration for political purposes, and foreign interference. The Parliament has also welcomed the work of governments on the Strategic Compass, a long-term plan for the EU to become a better provider of security, to act faster and more decisively to protect EU values and interests, and to contribute to international peace. The adoption of the Compass would also help the EU to achieve a stronger degree of strategic autonomy. This note gathers links to the recent publications and commentaries from many international think tanks on European defence and security. Recent reports on the Ukrainian crisis can be found in a previous item from the ‘What think tanks are thinking’ series.”

Impact of drugs on communities [Flash Eurobarometer 459]– “54% of respondents think that drug use or dealing is a serious problem in their community, 35% perceive an increase of the drug related problems in their local area over the past few years. 67% are concerned about the availability and consumption of drugs among children and teenagers in those areas. Drug use is also considered a cause of youth crime by 72%, stealing, theft or burglary (66%) and violent crime or murder (58%) as well as of corruption (39%).”

Defending Democracy | Empowering Citizens [Eurobarometer 96.2]——“捍卫民主的价值应该是European Parliament’s top priority, says the EP Autumn 2021 Eurobarometer (96.2). A third of respondents (32%) sees democracy as most important value to defend, followed by freedom of speech and thought (27%) and the protection of human rights (25%). In terms of policy priorities, citizens put public health first with 42%, followed by poverty and social exclusion (40%) as well as climate change (39%). The survey also shows the continued strong public support for the European Parliament, with 58% backing a more important role for Parliament in the future. The survey 96.2 was carried out by Kantar Public between 1 November and 2 December 2021 in all 27 EU Member States.”

Official Statistics

Outcomes for disabled people in the UK: 2021– “Outcomes for disabled people across areas of life including education, employment, social participation, housing, well-being, loneliness and crime. Analysis by disability status and by age, sex, impairment type and severity, and country and region, based on survey data.”

Low carbon and renewable energy economy, UK: 2020– “Estimates of the size of the UK’s green economy from the Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy Survey, including turnover and employment.”

Attitudes towards COVID-19 among passengers travelling into and out of the UK: July 2021 to December 2021– “Monthly figures on the attitudes of UK and overseas residents arriving and departing the UK towards COVID-19 restrictions and guidance, and the proportion who had been vaccinated, using unweighted results from the International Passenger Survey for the period covering July to December 2021 and the Civil Aviation Authority’s Departing Passengers Survey for the period covering July to December 2021 (experimental statistics).”

If you’d like to know more about official publications just get in touch with us at theMaps, Official Publications and Statistics UnitMonday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. Our enquiry desk is currently closed, however we can be contacted by email atlibrary-mapsandop@glasgow.ac.uk

Categories:Library,Official Publications

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