Publications 2008

320 - River Basin Management Plans (pdf 120KB)
Four page POSTnote, December 2008
The EU Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) seeks to protect, improve and maintain the environmental condition of surface and ground waters. Under the directive, all inland, estuarial and coastal waters must aim to achieve "good ecological status" by 2015. More than 80% of water bodies in England and Wales currently fail to reach this status. This POSTnote outlines some of the challenges in implementing River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) in the UK to meet Water Framework Directive (WFD) objectives.

319 - ICT and Carbon Dioxide Emissions (pdf 116KB)
Four page POSTnote, December 2008
The global greenhouse gas emissions from information and communication technology (ICT) are comparable with those of the aviation industry. This POSTnote focuses on the energy consumption of ICT equipment, and looks at action being taken to reduce it. It also mentions the wider environmental impact of ICT, and looks briefly at the significant contribution that ICT can make to reducing emissions in other sectors. These approaches are collectively referred to as 'green ICT'.

318 - The Transition to a Low Carbon Economy (pdf 135KB)
Four page POSTnote, December 2008
Fundamental changes to the UK economy will be required to meet the greenhouse gas emission targets of the Climate Change Act (2008). This POSTnote examines UK emission trends since 1990 and considers how the UK might achieve a technological and behavioural transition to meet the targets.

317 - Future nuclear technologies (pdf 195KB)
Four page POSTnote, November 2008
The 2008 Energy White Paper announced the government's intention to allow private companies to propose the building of new nuclear power plants1. This POSTnote provides an assessment of nuclear power generation technologies. It looks at the designs of any new UK reactors and outlines details of the regulatory design assessment process, with an emphasis on safety, security and waste. It also looks at longer term research into reactor design and waste management.

316 - Cervical cancer (pdf 96KB)
Two page POSTnote, October 2008
Cervical cancer is the twelfth most common cancer in women in the UK and the second most common worldwide. It causes around 1,000 deaths each year in the UK. Cervical screening programmes have reduced mortality rates by 62% between 1987-2006. From autumn 2008, a UK-wide programme will immunise adolescent girls using a new vaccine against a sexually transmitted virus that can cause cervical cancer. This note gives an overview of cervical cancer prevention strategies, including vaccination, and the issues arising.

315 - Renewable energy in a changing climate (pdf 117KB)
Four page POSTnote, October 2008
Concerns over climate change (see POSTnote 295) have led to an increasing focus on the renewable energy sector. The EU has agreed a binding target of 20% of renewable energy by 2020, with a proposed UK target of 15% of energy from renewable sources. This POSTnote looks at UK options for meeting this target, and discusses how climate change could affect both the UK capacity to produce renewable energy and demand for energy in general.

314 - UK vaccine capacity (pdf 111KB)
Four page POSTnote, August 2008
Annual seasonal influenza outbreaks and pandemic disease planning have generated parliamentary interest about the UK's position in sourcing adequate quantities of vaccines. A key policy issue concerns the extent to which the government should stimulate vaccine research and manufacturing capacity rather than it being led by the commercial interests of the pharmaceutical sector. This POSTnote gives an overview of the position in the UK and how public health interests are reconciled with those of industry.

313 - Large scientific facilities (pdf 111KB)
Four page POSTnote, July 2008
Since 2000, the government has allocated over £800m to constructing ten new large scientific facilities, with £270m earmarked for five future projects. These facilities are planned and operated over long timescales, often involving international collaboration, and have a significant economic impact. This POSTnote describes the system used by the UK to plan new large scientific facilities. It gives examples of facilities both current and planned, highlighting relevant policy issues.

312 - Biodiversity indicators (pdf 121KB)
Four page POSTnote, July 2008
The UK is committed to a demanding European target to halt biodiversity loss and a less stringent global target to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. Biodiversity indicators measure progress towards these targets. This POSTnote explains the different suites of indicators that will be used and looks at issues surrounding them.

311 - New anti-infectives (pdf 116KB)
Four page POSTnote, July 2008
Infections account for about 10% of all deaths in the UK. The efficacy of all current anti-infectives is threatened by the spread of drug resistance factors, with some already made ineffective. Treatments are also required to tackle emerging diseases such as SARS. As a result, there is a pressing need for new antiinfective drugs. This briefing reviews the UK burden of infectious disease, current anti-infectives research and policy options to stimulate further drug development.

310 - Marine conservation zones (pdf 127KB)
Four page POSTnote, June 2008
The proposed Draft UK Marine Bill1 aims to combine legislation on activities and conservation in the marine environment into a single framework. This includes the designation of a network of Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) in UK waters, a form of marine protected area (MPA). MPAs are described as any area of intertidal or subtidal terrain, together with its overlying water and associated flora or fauna, historical or cultural features, which are protected by legal or other effective means. This POSTnote examines the possibility of using a MCZ network to manage the impacts of human activities on the marine environment.

309 - International migration of scientists and engineers (pdf 129KB)
Four page POSTnote, June 2008
Global competition for scientists and engineers (S&Es) is rising as their role in economic development is increasingly recognised. Many countries are looking to S&Es from overseas to address skills gaps: in February 2008 introduction of new immigration laws favouring some categories of skilled migrant began in the UK. This note looks at the causes and impacts of migration of S&Es, focusing on the developing world, where they play a key role in tackling poverty reduction.

308 - Alternatives to custodial sentencing (pdf 113KB)
Four page POSTnote, May 2008
There has been considerable recent debate about overcrowding in UK prisons. The system is struggling to accommodate the growing number of young offenders being given custodial sentences. This POSTnote sets out the scale of the problem and looks at recent trends in sentencing, with a particular focus on young offenders. It examines the factors linked with offending and asks whether better understanding of these can be used to target early actions aimed at deterring young people from offending. Finally, the note examines alternatives to custodial sentencing and assesses how successful these have been in practice.

307 - Wildlife diseases (pdf 119KB)
Four page POSTnote, April 2008
Wildlife diseases can have negative consequences for biodiversity, human and livestock health, animal welfare and the economy. At present UK wildlife disease surveillance is poorly coordinated. The lack of a cohesive approach stems from a division of responsibility and a dominant focus on livestock and human health. This POSTnote examines the impacts of wildlife diseases, the current status of surveillance in the UK and the options to strengthen policies.

306 - Electricity storage (pdf 120KB)
Four page POSTnote, April 2008
Storing electricity on a large scale enables power generated when demand is low to be stored for release at peak demand periods. Storage may become more important because renewable energy sources such as wind and solar do not produce constant levels of power. This POSTnote examines existing and proposed methods for large scale electricity storage, examines the technical challenges and discusses the economics of storage relative to other methods of providing electricity reserves.

305 - Next generation broadband access (pdf 119KB)
Four page POSTnote, April 2008
The UK has comparatively high coverage and take-up of broadband access, but several other countries have begun to deploy 'next generation' infrastructure to support faster access. This POSTnote examines next generation access (NGA) technologies, demand for them and deployments worldwide. It looks at the debate over who should invest in NGA and when, and considers policy issues such as international competitiveness and geographical variations.

304 - Research ethics in developing countries (pdf 112KB)
Four page POSTnote, April 2008
The UK funds an increasing amount of biomedical research in developing countries. Research proposals are reviewed by research ethics committees, usually in both the UK and the countries where research is to take place. Exact ethical requirements vary according to national policy, funding body and research institution. A key international document on research ethics, the Declaration of Helsinki, will be revised in 2008. This POSTnote describes the types of research conducted in developing countries, the ethical review process and the arising issues.

303 - Invasive non-native species (pdf 131KB)
Four page POSTnote, April 2008
Non-native invasive species are a significant threat to biodiversity and their ecological impacts are difficult to reverse. They also affect economic interests particularly within agriculture, horticulture and forestry. This POSTnote explores the impacts of invasive non-native species and discusses the forthcoming Great British strategy on invasive non-native species.

302 - Autism (pdf 113KB)
Four page POSTnote, February 2008
Autism affects how a person communicates, socialises and interprets the world. This can lead to wide ranging difficulties in every day life including forming relationships and living independently. Recent evidence that autism is more prevalent than previously recognised has put pressure on service providers and highlighted the need to train professionals to improve awareness of autism. This POSTnote describes autism and autism research, and considers policy approaches.

301 - Smart metering of electricity and gas (pdf 131KB)
Four page POSTnote, February 2008
Smart metering enables accurate measuring of energy usage and the provision of improved information to consumers, suppliers and the market. The 2007 White Paper on Energy identified smart metering as a possible energy saving measure. It also outlined the expectation that smart meters will be installed in all of the UK's 25 million homes over the next ten years. This POSTnote examines the potential benefits, costs and policy considerations involved.

300 - Ecological networks (pdf 141KB)
Four page POSTnote, February 2008
Ecological networks are intended to maintain environmental processes and to help to conserve biodiversity where remnants of semi-natural habitat have become fragmented and isolated. This POSTnote considers the possible conservation benefits of ecological network implementation in the UK.

299 - Smart materials and systems (pdf 126KB)
Four page POSTnote, January 2008
'Smart' materials and systems sense and respond to their environment and have applications in areas as diverse as health, defence and packaging. The UK has a long track record of research in this area and the government has launched a number of initiatives to encourage exploitation of this research. This POSTnote gives an overview of current research and potential applications. It also examines the factors driving smart materials research and those holding back their exploitation.

298 - Synthetic biology (pdf 121KB)
Four page POSTnote, January 2008
Synthetic biology aims to design and build new biological parts and systems or to modify existing ones to carry out novel tasks. It is an emerging research area, described by one researcher as "moving from reading the genetic code to writing it." Prospects include new therapeutics, environmental biosensors and novel methods to produce food, drugs, chemicals or energy. This POSTnote outlines recent developments, the possible applications and risks of synthetic biology and examines policy options for the development and governance of the research.