An access point to a wireless local area network (WLAN). Hotspots are areas where wireless data can be sent and received, and Internet access is provided to wireless devices. For example, a laptop computer can be used to access the Internet in a hotspot provided in an airport or hotel.

Archived: This Practice Note is based on provisions revoked on 1 April 2013. It is therefore for historical purposes only. Who determines the guideline hourly rates The Master of the Rolls sets the Guideline Hourly Rates (GHR). From January 2013, they will be set by the Civil Justice Council. It is envisaged that a sub committee of the CJC will be established to take responsibility for this. For information on the change see the WMS from the MOJ here. Guideline hourly rates Solicitors can charge any rate they wish for their services. However, they will not necessarily recover those rates at a costs assessment. When looking at the hourly rates you have charged, the court will consider them in conjunction with GHR. The Senior Courts Costs Office produces the Guide to the Summary Assessment of Costs (the Guide) which includes guideline hourly rates for different levels of fee earners throughout the country. It is important to note that the Guide: • does not prescribe hourly rates; it simply collates them

Since the introduction of costs management orders (CMOs) on 1 April 2013, various cases have considered their impact on detailed assessments. This Practice Note is concerned with the court’s approach to assessment where a CMO is in place and covers, specifically, the assessment of hourly rates in terms of incurred or budgeted costs at detailed assessment. This Practice Note should be read in conjunction with Practice Note: Detailed assessment and costs budgeting, which considers the relationship between costs budgeting and detailed assessment and in particular the provisions in CPR 3.18. The following Practice Notes may also be relevant when considering issues of costs management and detailed assessment: • Costs management and costs budgeting—general principles • Costs budgeting—courts' approach • Costs budgets—revision and variation • Detailed assessment—what is it, who does it and where? Hourly rates—general Hourly rate is the term given to the amount individual solicitors (or counsel) will charge on a bill for each hour of work to be done. Different hourly rates apply depending on the experience of the person doing

This Practice Note considers the restrictions and limits on working hours and shift patterns imposed by the Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR 1998), SI 1998/1833. For information: • on who is protected under WTR 1998, see Practice Note: Eligibility for working time rights • on workers’ rights under WTR 1998 and their enforcement, see Practice Note: Working time rights and obligations • on remedies, see Practice Note: Remedies for breach of working time rights Workers and employers are free to agree any hours of work they choose up to the maximum working hours set out in WTR 1998. WTR 1998 implement Directive 2003/88/EC, the Working Time Directive (WTD). Domestic laws that implement UK obligations under EU law are assimilated law. For further information, see Practice Note: Assimilated law. For guidance on whether judgments of the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) are binding on UK courts, see Practice Note: Assimilated law—Assimilated case law. Where there is any chance that a worker may have to work hours or shift patterns that are

The House of Commons Library published a report which outlines the nationality requirements for non-British citizens wishing to join the UK's armed forces. The report further examines the immigration requirements for non-British personnel and the family members of British armed forces personnel as these rules apply during service and upon discharge.

The House of Commons Commission has endorsed the findings of a six-month review of the risk-based exclusion policy for Members of Parliament (MPs), introduced on 13 May 2024. The policy, now enshrined in Standing Order No. 164, allows for the potential exclusion of MPs arrested on suspicion of violent or sexual offences from the Parliamentary estate and certain travel. The review, conducted by Rt Hon Caroline Nokes MP and Graham Stringer MP, recommends no changes to the policy itself but suggests measures to raise awareness and support the panel's operations. Key recommendations include maintaining strict confidentiality, improving communication about the policy's existence, and conducting a further review after 18 months or three cases, whichever occurs later. The Commission has instructed the House Administration to implement the relevant recommendations.

The House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts has published its eighteenth report of session 2024–25, examining artificial intelligence (AI) adoption across government. The report identifies significant barriers including outdated legacy systems, with 21 of 72 high-risk systems lacking remediation funding and digital skills shortages with 50% of roles unfilled. The Committee calls for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to strengthen oversight of AI implementation, improve transparency in algorithmic decision-making and reform procurement practices.

The House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts has published its report on local government financial sustainability, revealing that while core spending power increased by 4% in real terms between 2015–16 and 2023–24, per person funding has declined amid escalating service demand in sectors such as social care, special educational needs, and temporary accommodation—with local authorities spending £72.8bn in 2023–24, 58% of which was allocated to social care. The report underscores a critical shortfall in audit transparency and highlights the unsustainable reliance on short-term financial measures, notably the Exceptional Financial Support framework and a statutory override for  special educational needs and disabilities overspends, the latter due to expire in March 2026. Moreover, the report points to the excessive complexity of the current funding system, marked by numerous small, ring-fenced grants, and warns that recent increases in National Insurance Contributions have not been fully assessed for their broader impact on local services. To address these challenges, the Committee recommends the development of a detailed outcomes framework, the consolidation of funding streams, and the transition to multi-year finance settlements from 2026–27, alongside urgent collaborative reforms from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, HM Treasury, and other departments, with a clear plan for transitional arrangements in view of the impending local government reorganisation.

The House of Commons Justice Committee has confirmed that it will question the President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, Dame Nicole Jacobs, during an evidence session in Parliament on 28 October 2025 at 2:30pm, examining reform of the Family Court. The discussion is expected to focus on recent reforms aimed at tackling delays and backlogs, early interventions and mediation, reforms relating to domestic abuse, problem solving courts, as well as data and digitalisation in the Family Court. The Chief Executives of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) (Jacky Tiotto) and the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory (Lisa Harker) will also appear before the committee.

The House of Commons Liaison Sub-Committee on Core Tasks of Select Committees has launched a call for evidence as part of its inquiry into whether the core tasks guiding select committee work remain fit for purpose. The inquiry will consider: (1) whether the core tasks adequately reflect committees’ roles in promoting better outcomes, greater state effectiveness and public confidence; (2) scrutiny of government policy, strategic thinking and public finances; (3) the role of select committees in scrutinising public appointments, including the criteria for determining which appointments should be subject to pre-commencement scrutiny and how much influence committees should have over those appointments; (4) whether changes to standard working practices are needed and (5) whether the application of parliamentary privilege to committee work should be amended to provide sufficient assurance to members of the public giving evidence that they can provide free and truthful testimony. Written evidence must be submitted by 6 pm on 30 October 2026.

The House of Commons Library has published a research briefing on the impact of the 2016 EU membership referendum, prepared for a Westminster Hall debate on 2 September 2026 led by Pete Wishart MP of the Scottish National Party. The briefing notes that EU free movement rules ceased to apply to the UK at the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. Since the referendum, net migration from EU+ countries has declined steadily and has been negative since the year ending June 2022. Higher non-EU+ migration has more than offset that decline. Non-EU+ net migration peaked at 1.05 million in the year ending March 2023 before subsequently declining. The Migration Advisory Committee identifies increased work visas, particularly in health and social care, increased student visas and new humanitarian routes, including the British National (Overseas) and Ukraine schemes, as the main factors behind the post-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The House of Commons Library has issued a report on the UK's partner visa financial requirements, which mandate that sponsors demonstrate available maintenance funds of at least £29,000 per year when bringing a foreign spouse or partner to the country. This requirement applies to both British citizens and settled persons sponsoring their partners.