Government bodies

Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority

The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority was set up to regulate the mass supply of workers to the agriculture, horticulture and food processing and packaging industry. The website provides details regarding the compulsory licensing of gangmasters who supply labour to these sectors, with links to legislation and relevant licence application procedures. The site also provides sections for labour providers, labour users and individual workers, outlining rights and responsibilities and giving additional sources of information.

United Nations Environment Programme

UNEP was established as a programme of the United Nations General Assembly as a result of the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Its headquarters are in Nairobi and there are regional offices and specialised units around the world. This website at the Geneva Executive Centre describes the various conventions and treaties currently in force including the Basel Convention on Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure (hazardous chemicals), providing technical guidelines and downloadable documents.

Convention on Biological Diversity

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) website gives access to documents and databases on biodiversity along with background information on the Convention and a copy of the text. The Convention is a major international agreement on the protection of wildlife. It is the first global, comprehensive agreement to address all aspects of biological diversity including genetic resources, species, and ecosystems. There is information on parties to the Convention, related bodies and programmes.

Health and Safety Executive

This site provides information on the activities and organisation of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). There is detailed guidance on health and safety which can be searched for by topic (asbestos, chemicals, corporate responsibility, electrical safety, noise, radiation etc.) and by industry (agriculture, engineering, local government, offshore oil and gas, education etc.). Resources include legislation, videos, leaflets and FAQs.

Indian Parliament

The website of the Parliament of India provides information about the lower and upper chambers, the Lok Sabha (LS) and the Rajya Sabha (RS), and about the President of India. There are profiles of MPs and a copy of the Constitution. Full text bills, committee reports, speeches and debates are also given along with schedules of parliamentary business and rules of procedure. The Knowledge Centre section of the site provides access to research reports and other publications.  The site is available in English or Hindi.

ACAS

ACAS is an independent body created by the British government to prevent and resolve industrial disputes. Its website provides information on the role of the organisation and a selection of ACAS publications covering a wide range of employment matters. Many of these are provided in full text and are designed to provide employers and employees with information on areas such as employment rights, sex discrimination, contracts of employment, unfair dismissal and industrial grievances.

Ofqual

Website of Ofqual, the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator which is the regulator of qualifications, exams and tests in England. The website includes information on the qualifications and exam system, regulation process, the accreditation of assessments, news, reports and details of their complaints system. The reports include research papers on topics such as e-assessment, GCSE and A-level exams and subject specific research. There is guidance aimed at students and parents, employers, teaching and training centres and awarding organisations.

Electoral Commission

The UK Electoral Commission is an independent statutory body which was established by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. It is responsible for matters relating to the administration and regulation of parliamentary and local government elections in the UK. This includes the registration of political parties, maintenance of a register of their accounts, review of electoral laws and procedures and the maintenance of official information on political donations. Its website provides information on the purpose of the body and its work.

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