16 December 2016
This briefing summarises the tax and spending plans contained within the Scottish Government’s Draft Budget 2017-18.
14 December 2016
This briefing summarises the ways that EU membership affects Scottish forestry. It also looks at the implications of alternatives to EU membership.
14 December 2016
This is a briefing on the Office for National Statistics' December 2016 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland
9 December 2016
This briefing provides an introduction to the NHS in Scotland. It also examines some key issues that may be topical during session 5 of the Scottish Parliament.
07 December 2016
The civil justice system exists to give people and organisations a way to protect and enforce their legal rights. It deals with issues such as accident claims, divorce and contractual disputes.
07 December 2016
This briefing describes the structure of civil courts and tribunals in Scotland.
5 December 2016
This briefing highlights the EU framework that relates to environment policy and explores the implications that leaving the EU may have on Scotland’s approaches to the environment.
05 December 2016
This briefing provides an overview of housing policy in Scotland.
24 November 2016
This briefing presents the latest Scottish spending allocations and summarises the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Scottish tax forecasts.
23 November 2016
This briefing provides statistics on the number of people earning less than the Living Wage in Scotland and looks at the number of Living Wage accredited employers.
21 November 2016
This briefing provides an overview of the forestry sector in Scotland. A Forestry Bill is expected to be introduced in the Scottish Parliament in 2017.
18 November 2016
The Office for National Statistics released the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2016 provisional results on 26 October 2016.
16 November 2016
This briefing sets out the EU energy policy framework and explores the implications that Brexit may have on Scotland and the UK’s approaches to energy policy.
16 November 2016
This is a briefing on the Office for National Statistics' October 2016 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland.
7 November 2016
This briefing, requested by the European and External Relations Committee provides details of the European funding for Scotland during the 2014-2020 programming period.
07 November 2016
This briefing explains the agreement between the Scottish Government and the United Kingdom Government on the Scottish government's fiscal framework
04 November 2016
Recent legislation has made adjustments to the legal framework for kinship care, and new regulations set out new forms of assistance and allowances.
03 November 2016
This briefing analyses the characteristics of EU nationals living in Scotland, based on the 2015 Annual Population Survey. The briefing also reviews evidence relating to the economic contribution of migrants.
1 November 2016
This briefing highlights the EU framework that relates to climate change policy and explores the implications that leaving the EU may have on Scotland’s approaches to tackling climate change.
31 October 2016
This briefing assesses the “social impact” of the 2016-17 local government budget by analysing how council savings plans are distributed between “Pro-Poor”, “Neutral” and “Pro-Rich” services.
27 October 2016
This briefing outlines developments in the EU’s civil and criminal justice policies.
26 October 2016
This briefing considers the impact Brexit will have on equalities and human rights. The focus is on legislation which has a basis in EU law, the protections currently offered, and what this could mean in the future.
19 October 2016
This is a briefing on the Office for National Statistics' October 2016 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland.
13 October 2016
This note gives an overview of the change in Scottish GDP by chained volume measures for the 2nd quarter of 2016.
13 October 2016
This briefing offers information and reflection on the implications for higher education institutions in Scotland of the recent EU referendum and the resulting vote to leave the European Union.
12 October 2016
This briefing for the European and External Relations Committee outlines the options for the UK’s trading relationship with the EU after Brexit.
6 October 2016
The Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI) were commissioned to undertake economic modelling work to explore the long-term implications of Brexit for Scotland.
28 September 2016
This briefing provides an overview of mental health services for children and young people in Scotland and examines current challenges for service delivery.
28 September 2016
This briefing provides an overview of the legislative framework underpinning the provision of Child and Adolescent mental health services.
23 September 2016
This subject profile provides information about current provision of business support services in Scotland.
14 September 2016
This is a briefing on the Office for National Statistics' September 2016 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland.
13 September 2016
This briefing looks at the Office for National Statistics' publication Regional Gross Disposable Household Income from 1997 to 2014.
05 September 2016
This briefing provides an overview of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Scotland. It includes discussion of student numbers, funding of HEIs and recent policy priorities.
24 August 2016
The Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 is the legislative framework for the integration of health and social care services in Scotland.
23 August 2016
This subject profile provides an introduction to local government in Scotland, including information on the organisation and functions of local authorities.
19 August 2016
This briefing highlights five guiding principles and six key strategies, gathered from evidence-based educational research, that have been proved effective in closing the attainment gap.
17 August 2016
This is a briefing on the Office for National Statistics' August 2016 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland.
08 August 2016
The Supreme Court has found that the information sharing provisions of the Named Person legislation are outwith the Scottish Parliament’s legislative competence.
20 July 2016
This note gives an overview of the change in Scottish GDP.
20 July 2016
This is a briefing on the Office for National Statistics' July 2016 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland.
11 July 2016
This briefing considers some of the issues surrounding the extraction of unconventional gas in Scotland, which is currently subject to a moratorium, and has attracted a significant amount of scrutiny in recent months.
8 July 2016
This briefing provides an introduction to this area of law in Scotland. It covers topics including who can bring an action for judicial review, and what the grounds of judicial review are.
04 July 2016
This briefing is one of six covering various aspects of the Scottish criminal justice system. It looks at the basis of Scots criminal law, including consideration of devolved and reserved issues.
30 June 2016
This paper provides answers to some of the key questions that have arisen following the outcome of the EU referendum on 23 June 2016.
27 June 2016
This briefing looks at some common employment problems experienced by constituents, including national minimum wage, contracts of employment, unfair dismissal and redundancy.
24 June 2016
On 23 June 2016, the UK electorate voted in the EU referendum.
20 June 2016
This SPICe subject profile provides an overview of the digital strategy in Scotland. It includes information on the current state of the broadband and mobile infrastructure in Scotland.
15 June 2016
This is a briefing on the Office for National Statistics' June 2016 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland.
14 June 2016
This subject profile provides an introduction to walking, cycling, road, rail, air, bus, maritime and freight transport in Scotland.
14 June 2016
This briefing is one of six covering various aspects of the Scottish criminal justice system. It outlines the way in which children (including all young people under the age of 18) who commit offences are dealt with.
13 June 2016
This briefing describes the current legislative and administrative framework, and identifies the main agencies involved. It also highlights forthcoming developments in the Scottish planning system.
09 June 2016
The Scotland Act 2016 devolves Carer’s Allowance to Scotland.
3 June 2016
This is part of a series of SPICe briefings on the social security powers that will be devolved by the Scotland Act 2016.
03 June 2016
The Scotland Act 2016 devolves a range of social security powers to the Scottish Parliament.
02 June 2016
This briefing provides an overview of the Scottish Government’s housing supply budget.
02 June 2016
This briefing discusses the student support funding that is available to those on courses of non-advanced study (“further education”) at Scotland’s publicly-funded colleges.
2 June 2016
This briefing is one of six covering various aspects of the Scottish criminal justice system. It provides a brief description of the system of public prosecution in Scotland.
01 June 2016
This briefing is one of six covering various aspects of the Scottish criminal justice system. It provides a brief description of the operation of the criminal courts in Scotland.
31 May 2016
This briefing provides an overview of the new social security powers that will be devolved to Scotland under the Scotland Act 2016
25 May 2016
This briefing provides an overview of the main issues related to marine and fisheries.
25 May 2016
This briefing is written for the benefit of both new MSPs and those returning to the Parliament. It provides an overview of the main issues within the rural affairs portfolio
25 May 2016
This briefing provides an overview of the main issues within the environment portfolio.
25 May 2016
This briefing provides an overview of the main climate change issues.
20 May 2016
This subject profile provides details of the way in which the European Union budget is agreed and then how it is collected.
20 May 2016
This subject profile provides a brief introduction to the European Union’s legislative process. It looks at the different forms of legislation available to the EU and the way in which that legislation is agreed.
20 May 2016
This subject profile provides information on the five institutions of the European Union. The institutions manage the way in which the EU functions and the way in which decisions are made.
20 May 2016
This subject profile provides a brief history of the European Union from its development after the Second World War through to the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon.
18 May 2016
This is a briefing on the Office for National Statistics' May 2016 Regional Labour Market release for Scotland.
10 May 2016
This briefing discusses the origins and impacts of air pollution in Scotland, with reference to the relevant legislation and the various strategies designed to improve air quality.
09 May 2016
This briefing provides the result and analysis of the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.
9 May 2016
This briefing was produced by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) which is the Parliament’s impartial research service. It identifies some of the key issues that MSPs may face in the Parliament’s fifth Sess