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.

This podcast series offers an impartial take on issues in Westminster and where you live. Each week we'll tackle a new topic in 20 minutes, helping you stay up to date. 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

To go straight to the answers that interest you the most skip to:

- How far has roll-out got to? (0:48)

- How does 'natural migration' work? What has the experience with natural migration been? (2:35)

- Could you give us an example of how 'natural migration' would work? (3.20)

- Do we know when the Work and Pensions Committee report on 'managed migration' is due to be published? (4.37)

- Press reports have suggested there may be further delays to the roll-out. Is that the case? (4.55)

- Is December 2023 still the final date for full roll-out to be completed? (6:40)

- How does Universal Credit affect disabled people and how has the Government responded to concerns? (7:10)

- If you claimed the Severe Disability Premium prior to being migrated onto Universal Credit you will receive transitional protection. However, if you claim Universal Credit and then find yourself in a position in which you would have been eligible for SDP, you will not receive anything on top of your UC payments – is that correct? (8:35)

- There was a High Court ruling in January regarding people whose Universal Credit payment is stopped because they receive two pay packets in one month. How has this problem arisen and what does the judgment mean? (9.20)

- Is this judgment final? And What are the implications of the High Court's judgment for the DWP? (11:54)

Universal Credit: Rolling out a new benefits system

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

To go straight to the answers that interest you the most, skip to:

Water:

- Why do consumers have no choice in their water supplier? (1:25)

- How does the structure of the water industry affect prices – do different regions have different prices? (2:20) 

- What does regulation of water suppliers involve? (3:10) - How has political pressure affected water companies? (4:41) 

- What can we expect to see in the long term in terms of regulation and pricing? (6:10) 

Energy:

- How does the energy sector differ from water? (7:09) 

- How did the energy sector operate in the past – and how has it changed over time? (7.42) 

- What has changed recently? (8:28) 

- What did the Competition and Markets Authority find in its review of the energy market? (9:04) 

- Where did the idea of an energy price cap come from? (9:48) 

- What has been the reaction to the introduction of the price cap? (10:46) 

Broadband:

- How does broadband compare to the other two utilities? (11:57) 

- Is there any regulation of broadband companies? (12:36) 

- How does regulation of access to BT's network affect the market? (13:02)

- In which parts of the UK do BT not run the telephone network? (13:57) 

- How does this industry structure affect consumers? (14:32) 

- How much consumer confusion is there about the broadband market? (15.02) 

- Is Ofcom taking any action on pricing? (16:02) 

- Concluding thoughts (16:40)

*Please note* – after this podcast was recorded, the National Audit Office published a report on the protection of consumers in these markets: www.nao.org.uk/report/regulating-to-protect-consumers-utilities-communications-and-financial-services-markets/

Utility prices: How are they calculated?

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

To go straight to the answers that interest you the most skip to: 

- What is the difference between Government borrowing and Government debt? (0:39) 

- What is the current state of Government borrowing? (1:04) 

- How does current Government borrowing levels compare to when the UK was in recession? (1:41) 

- What measures have been used to bring borrowing down? (2:13) 

- Have any Government departments been particularly affected by these measures? (3:14) 

- Have high levels of borrowing following the recession increased levels of debt? (3:40) 

- Does debt at 85% of GDP pose a problem? (4:52) 

- What did we learn about borrowing and debt from the March 2019 Spring Statement? (6:04) 

- Have changes to how student loans are accounted by the Office for National Statistics been included in borrowing figures yet? (9:11) 

- When are they likely to be included? (10:02) 

- Is the Government on track to spend no more than it receives in income by 2025 – as set out by the Chancellor in last year's Autumn Budget? (10:27) 

- What are the Opposition's proposed targets for public finances? (12:29) 

- What can we say about the potential impact of Brexit on public finances?
- Short-term impact (13:33) 
- Long-term impact (16:34) 

- Other than Brexit, what other future challenges might there be for the UK's public finances? (19:08)

UK public finances: Borrowing and debt

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

To go straight to the answers that interest you the most, skip to: 

- What does buying equipment for the armed forces mean in practice? (0.52) 

- What's the MoD's budget? (2.37) 

- Why has the National Audit Office described the MoD equipment budget as 'unaffordable'? (2.54) 

- What types of financial risks could result in costs exceeding the budget? (3.45) 

- Why have previous governments struggled with costs and the defence budget? (4.44) 

- Defence procurement is fundamentally different to other types of procurement – presumably the MoD can't buy everything it needs off the shelf? (5.53) 

- Do single source contracts used by the MoD throw up any issues? (7.25) 

- Is the Government already amending regulations on the use of single source contracts? (8.26) 

- How does the UK work with other countries to buy equipment and develop capabilities? (8.53) 

- There have been quite a few debates in Parliament about shipbuilding for the Royal Navy – why is this a tricky issue? (9.51) 

- What have MPs been saying about shipbuilding and procurement? (11.08) - How big a part of the MoD's budget goes on Trident? (11.57) 

- Will Brexit have an impact on defence spending? (12.40)

Defence equipment: Buying and budgeting

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. He spoke to us on 8 April 2019.

You can find all our podcast episodes, full show notes and transcripts at commonslibrary.parliament.uk/podcast

To go straight to the answers that interest you the most, skip to: 

- How did devolution in Northern Ireland begin, and how has it developed? (2:00) 

- What policy jurisdiction do the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland have? And how does this differ from Scotland and Wales? (3:35) 

- Why did the devolved settlement in Northern Ireland collapse in early 2017? (7:00) 

- What is hindering the restoration of devolution in Northern Ireland? (8:43) 

- How is Northern Ireland being governed in the meantime? (9:15) 

- For how long can this method of government continue? (11:11) 

- How is Brexit impacting upon Northern Irish politics and attempts to restore devolution? (12:20) 

- What happens next? (14:31) 

- Recommended Commons Library briefing papers for further reading (16:33)

Devolution in Northern Ireland: Union and autonomy

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

To go straight to the answers that interest you the most, skip to:

- What has been happening in the private rented sector (PRS) recently? (0:45)

- What effect, if any, have changes in the PRS had on Government policy in England? (2:10) 

- What does private rented sector regulation mean? Are private landlords regulated? (4:15)

- What is meant by the term “rogue landlords”? How helpful is it when considering landlords as a whole and, by extension, how they are regulated? (6:36)

- Is there any regulation of letting and managing agents? (8:52) 
To what extent are tenants in the private rented secure in their housing? (11:35) 

- In what circumstances do landlords choose to use Section 21 ‘no fault’ eviction notices? (12:59) 

- What are the main aspects of the debate around tackling affordability in the private rented sector? What have discussions over introducing rent control involved? (13:53) 

- What rent control policies did the Scottish Government introduce recently? (16:15) 

- What might the consequences of rent control be for landlords and the sector as a whole? (17:02) 

- How have changes to Government policy on the private rented sector affected policies on housing more broadly? (18:10) 

- What are the Labour Party’s policies on the private rented sector and housing more broadly? (19:40)

- Recommended Commons Library briefing papers for further reading (20:32)