Current Awareness » ombudsmen

Newspaper royal charter plans are ‘bizarre’, says Liberty director – The Guardian

sally — Wed, 22 May 2013 08:23:18 +0000

“A key adviser to the Leveson report, the civil rights campaigner Shami Chakrabarti, has hit out against politicians and newspaper barons, accusing them of letting down the public over promises to set up a new press watchdog.”

Full story

The Guardian, 21st May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Disabled woman died after NHS blunders, ombudsman finds – The Guardian

sally — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:39:43 +0000

“A catalogue of mistakes by an out-of-hours GP service and a hospital contributed to the death of a young woman with physical and learning disabilities, the NHS ombudsman says on Tuesday in a highly critical report that has led to fresh claims of prejudicial attitudes leading to poor care for such vulnerable patients.”

Full story

The Guardian, 21st May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

OFT issues warning over personalised pricing transparency – OUT-LAW.com

sally — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:58:06 +0000

“Businesses must be more transparent about the way they collect information about consumers in order to offer personalised prices for goods and services online, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has said.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 20th May 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Divorcee keeps £100,000 pension overpayment in ‘David v Goliath’ victory – Daily Telegraph

sally — Wed, 15 May 2013 08:52:46 +0000

“A woman who received almost £100,000 too much from a pension company will keep the money, an ombudsman has decided.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 14th May 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Papers drop veto on watchdog appointments – BBC News

tracey — Mon, 13 May 2013 09:29:49 +0000

“Newspaper owners have backed down on demands to have a veto over the board members of any new press regulator.”

Full story

BBC News, 10th May 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Junk foods avoid ad ban by targeting children online – The Guardian

tracey — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:07:12 +0000

“Advertising regulators have been accused of failing to protect children from aggressive online marketing by food companies using internet games and advertising. The Children’s Food Campaign has called on ministers to introduce statutory regulation to close loopholes allowing ads that are banned from children’s television to be shown on manufacturers’ own child-friendly websites.”

Full story

The Guardian, 29th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Police watchdog to investigate Taser use in burns death of man doused in flammable liquid – The Independent

tracey — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:44:23 +0000

“A watchdog is to investigate whether the firing of a Taser by a police officer
at a man doused in flammable liquid caused fatal burns.”

Full story

The Independent, 27th April 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Dame Julie Mellor – Constitutional Role of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman – UCL Constitution Unit

sally — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:32:38 +0000

“Dame Julie Thérèse Mellor, DBE was appointed as Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and the Health Service Commissioner for England (Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman) in January 2012.

The Ombudsman is mandated to consider complaints that public bodies have not acted fairly. As a watchdog body independent of government and accountable to Parliament, its constitutional role is delicate and complex. Dame Julie will discuss that role, and how best the Ombdusman can maximize its independence and impact as a check on executive power.”

Video

UCL Constitution Unit, 23rd April 2013

Source: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Tenants to be given right to challenge rogue letting agents – The Guardian

sally — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:05:56 +0000

“Tenants are to be given the right to challenge rogue letting agents for the first time after the government agreed at the 11th hour to a legislative amendment requiring all agents to sign up to a mandatory redress scheme.”

Full story

The Guardian, 16th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Bankers’ ‘honesty test’: nearly all pass City regulator’s check – The Guardian

sally — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:07:31 +0000

“Just 30 out of 227,000 people have failed the City regulator’s ‘fit and proper’ test to take on some of the most risky jobs in British banks since the onset of the financial crisis.”

Full story

The Guardian, 12th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Prisoners may lose legal aid for jail complaints – The Guardian

sally — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 08:39:15 +0000

“Convicted criminals could be barred from claiming legal aid to fund complaints about the prison system regarding matters such as categorisation, moves, correspondence and visits.”

Full story

The Guardian, 4th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Victims’ Code criticised by watchdog – BBC News

sally — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:49:49 +0000

“Victims of crime are being put under extreme duress, leading to injustices, due to a lack of awareness of the Victims’ Code by those working in the justice system, a watchdog has warned.”

Full story

BBC News, 29th March 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

BSB’s monitoring programme improves compliance, shows new report – Bar Standards Board

sally — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:23:59 +0000

“A new report published recently by the Bar Standards Board shows the benefits of its recent monitoring programme.”

Full story

Bar Standards Board, 15th March 2013

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

‘Not good’: Ofsted gives a mixed verdict on education reforms in major setback for Michael Gove – The Independent

sally — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:43:33 +0000

“Michael Gove’s flagship education project has been dealt an embarrassing blow after inspectors demanded that three of the new wave of ‘free schools’ must improve their teaching, leadership and pupil performance. In the first official verdict on the Education Secretary’s free schools programme, Ofsted inspectors have ruled that three of the first nine institutions to be examined are “not good” schools.”

Full story

The Independent, 17th March 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Finance and Divorce Update – Family Law Week

sally — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 10:33:36 +0000

“Anna Heenan, solicitor and David Salter, Joint Head of Family Law at Mills & Reeve LLP analyse February’s financial remedies and divorce news and cases.”

Full story

Family Law Week, 5th March 2013

Source: www.familylawweek.com

ICO to publish code of practice for the press on personal data processing – OUT-LAW.com

sally — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:04:01 +0000

“The UK’s data protection watchdog has outlined its intention to set new guidelines for journalists on the processing of personal data for the purposes of journalism.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 21st February 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Probation service gets ‘generally good’ report as it faces wholesale outsourcing – The Guardian

sally — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 11:51:18 +0000

“The probation service, which faces wholesale outsourcing under government plans, is ‘doing much good work’ with adult offenders but some aspects continue to require improvement, according to the chief inspector of probation.”

Full story

The Guardian, 21st February 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

ASA begins oversight of new online behavioural advertising rules – OUT-LAW.com

sally — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 09:53:15 +0000

“New UK rules governing the use of online behavioural advertising (OBA) have come into effect.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 5th February 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Lorraine breaks rules on promotion – BBC News

tracey — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 10:42:52 +0000

“ITV show Lorraine broke rules by allowing Dannii Minogue to promote a milk product she had a commercial deal to endorse, Ofcom has ruled.”

Full story

BBC News, 4th February 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

ICO to change cookie policy to recognise implied consent – OUT-LAW.com

sally — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 10:59:41 +0000

“The UK’s privacy watchdog will no longer require individuals’ explicit consent in order to serve them with ‘cookies’ when they visit its website.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 28th January 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Wrong priorities – NearlyLegal

sally — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 09:49:45 +0000

“Every now and again, there is a Local Government Ombudsman report that seems to go beyond individual instances of maladministration and instead capture something of the zeitgeist. The LGO decision summarised here may well be one of the latter (certainly the Guardian thinks so), as arguably what it shows is a Local Authority prioritising its own administrative concerns over its legal duties in both its policy and the operation of policy. There is also a routine failure to ask the kind of questions that might have meant it had to do more. This on top of a series of administrative failures.”

Full story

NearlyLegal, 20th January 2013

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

OFT to act on unfair gym membership contracts – The Guardian

tracey — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 09:50:30 +0000

“At the end of what is always the busiest month of the year for gyms, the OFT is expected to announce that it will outlaw contracts that last longer than 12 months or do not contain a get-out clause for members who, for example, lose their job or sustain an injury. The move follows a year-long investigation into a number of gym chains, believed to include LA Fitness, Fitness First and Bannatyne’s. The OFT is also understood to be looking at debt collectors that some reports say use aggressive practices in chasing money owed to gym groups.”

Full story

The Guardian, 12th January 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

ASA bans adverts over use of Jimmy Savile references – The Guardian

sally — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 09:06:55 +0000

“The advertising watchdog has criticised a magazine and a clothing firm for attempting to drum up business by using images of the late Jimmy Savile in email campaigns, including one which features the disgraced ex-presenter wearing what appears to be underwear while smoking a cigar.”

Full story

The Guardian, 9th January 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Pensions Ombudsman v EMC Europe Ltd and others – WLR Daily

tracey — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:49:09 +0000

Pensions Ombudsman v EMC Europe Ltd and others: [2012] EWHC 3508 (Ch); [2012] WLR (D) 382

“The Pensions Ombudsman had no jurisdiction to entertain a complaint by a scheme member to set aside a compromise agreement where successful determination of the complaint would adversely affect the rights of the parent company in circumstances where it was a necessary party to any claim to set aside the agreement but was not subject to the ombudsman’s jurisdiction.”

WLR Daily, 14th December 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Leveson’s media arbitration scheme – The Guardian

sally — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 11:06:18 +0000

“Lord Justice Leveson’s report recommends that claims against the press be resolved fairly, quickly and cheaply by means of an arbitration scheme established by a new (statutory) regulator.”

Full story

The Guardian, 19th December 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

BBC police dramas breach Ofcom rules – BBC News

sally — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:22:13 +0000

“Ofcom has found two BBC police dramas, Good Cop and Line Of Duty, in breach of rules regarding protecting children.”

Full story

BBC News, 17th December 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ombudsman report reveals the cost of complaint – The Guardian

sally — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 11:08:31 +0000

“Public organisations are wasting resources and causing financial hardship by taking too long to put right basic mistakes, says a new report by parliamentary ombudsman Dame Julie Mellor.”

Full story

The Guardian, 12th December 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Application to quash the original Hillsborough inquest verdicts could be made today – The Independent

sally — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 15:47:06 +0000

“An application to quash the original Hillsborough inquest verdicts could be made today, the Attorney General’s office said.”

Full story

The Independent, 10th December 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Online holiday site Kayak’s ‘distressing’ ad banned by ASA – The Guardian

sally — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 10:47:48 +0000

“The advertising watchdog has banned a TV ad from online holiday site Kayak, after more than 400 complaints said it was distressing to those who have had brain tumours and surgery.”

Full story

The Guardian, 28th November 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Spam text message pair are fined £440,000 – BBC News

sally — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:17:23 +0000

“Two men who sent millions of spam text messages have been fined £440,000 as the authorities step up the fight against the trade.”

Full story

BBC News, 28th November 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Press Complaints Commission chair urges against statutory press regulation – The Guardian

sally — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 10:20:17 +0000

“The chairman of the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) has appealed to the government and Lord Justice Leveson not to introduce statutory regulation of the press, even though he admits having sympathy with the campaign for new press laws led by Hugh Grant.”

Full story

The Guardian, 11th November 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Watchdog warns over secret hearings – The Independent

sally — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 16:15:00 +0000

“Government plans to extend the use of secret hearings in courts are not compatible with the Human Rights Act, the equalities watchdog has said.”

Full story

The Independent, 31st October 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Ad watchdog to launch crackdown on misleading internet ads – Daily Telegraph

sally — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 10:58:33 +0000

“The advertising watchdog will launch a crackdown next year on businesses that run misleading internet ads that rip off consumers.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 27th October 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Use stronger snooping powers against fly tipping, watchdog urges – Daily Telegraph

sally — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 10:11:52 +0000

“New powers to snoop on all emails, web visits and phone calls could still be used to combat minor crimes despite Government assurances, the watchdog who oversees them has said.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 29th October 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Data protection laws breached by Government over public consultation security flaw, says ICO – OUT-LAW.com

sally — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 09:37:45 +0000

“The Department for Education (DfE) was guilty of a breach of UK data protection laws when a ‘temporary security flaw’ meant that personal information belonging to respondents to one of its consultations were ‘compromised’, the UK’s data protection watchdog has said.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 19th October 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Housing Ombudsman consultation – NearlyLegal

sally — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 08:39:24 +0000

“One of the less well-remarked upon changes in the Localism Act 2010 was a set of radical changes to the role of the Housing Ombudsman (the current incumbent being the lovely Mike Biles). In short, the HO takes over jurisdiction for local authority housing complaints; there is a filter mechanism before the HO can accept a complaint (it has to be referred by a Designated person: MP, Councillor, Tenants Panel). The former is to be welcomed – on one view, the HO now offers a far better, more modern, proactive service than the Local Government Ombudsman in our entrepreneurialised housing system; the latter is to be absolutely deprecated as being not just against the spirit of administrative justice but also as a mechanism for cost-saving in the face of proper redress of grievance/s. Whatever you think about ombudspersons – and a range of views are expressed – there is no doubt that they have consistently exposed various maladministrations across the housing sphere, and they don’t hold back; in addition, their purpose (unlike courts) is to make things better for future ‘customers’ so that there may well be an impact on service delivery from a single instance of maladministration (and not just in that organisation).”

Full story

NearlyLegal, 17th October 2012

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Boots baby shampoo ad banned as less than 5% is organic – The Guardian

tracey — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 08:57:07 +0000

“A Boots ad for an ‘organic’ baby shampoo has been banned after a watchdog found that fewer than 5% of the ingredients in the product were natural.”

Full story

The Guardian, 17th October 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Pair who sent millions of spam text messages face massive fine – The Independent

sally — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 10:25:17 +0000

“Two people who sent millions of spam text messages face being fined more than £250,000, the information watchdog said today.”

Full story

The Independent, 1st October 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Violence against women not glamorised in age-restricted computer game online ads, watchdog says – OUT-LAW.com

sally — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 15:39:20 +0000

“An advert for a computer game that contained ‘scenes of graphic violence’ involving fighting between a man and several women wearing ‘sexually provocative clothing’ was not likely to cause widespread offence or distress to viewers, was not socially irresponsible and did not glamorise violence against women, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 27th September 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Met’s mental illness custody cases reviewed – BBC News

sally — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 08:53:48 +0000

“The Metropolitan Police has commissioned an independent review into how it responds to people with mental health conditions.”

Full story

BBC News, 24th September 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

IPCC highlights police sex cases – The Independent

sally — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 09:42:55 +0000

“Too many police officers and staff have taken sexual advantage of members of the public they were supposed to be helping, a watchdog said today.”

Full story

The Independent, 20th September 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Sky is a fit and proper broadcaster, rules Ofcom – The Guardian

sally — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 09:36:33 +0000

“The media regulator Ofcom has found that BSkyB remains a ‘fit and proper’ owner of a broadcast licence despite the phone-hacking affair which embroiled its parent company and during which, it said, James Murdoch’s conduct repeatedly fell short of the standard to be expected.”

Full story

The Guardian, 20th September 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Privacy watchdog “not ready” to deal with cookie complaints, according to FOI request – OUT-LAW.com

sally — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 10:22:24 +0000

“The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has yet to begin investigating websites accused of breaking the new cookie laws, which came into force last year, because it does not yet have an investigative team in place.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 20th August 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Prisoner gets apology from ombudsman over attack inquiry – The Independent

sally — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 09:30:06 +0000

“A triple murderer who attacked three prison officers with a broken bottle while serving a life sentence has secured an apology after authorities failed to properly investigate claims that he had been attacked by warders in his cell.”

Full story

The Independent, 11th August 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Disclosure of copyright-protected information under FOI not a breach of copyright law, says ICO – OUT-LAW.com

sally — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 10:34:29 +0000

“Public bodies that disclose copyright-protected information in order to comply with a request under freedom of information (FOI) laws are not guilty of copyright infringement, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has said.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 3rd August 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Disabled man’s brother wins £100,000 support battle – The Guardian

sally — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 09:42:47 +0000

“A postal worker from Bradford has won an 11-year battle for justice for his disabled brother and reimbursement of more than £100,000 in support payments he had been wrongly denied.”

Full story

The Guardian, 6th August 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Leveson rebuffs newspaper industry’s plan for PCC’s successor – The Guardian

tracey — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 09:22:32 +0000

“The newspaper industry’s bid to get proposals for a successor to the Press Complaints Commission officially rubber-stamped have been rebuffed by Lord Justice Leveson.The judge told the chairman of the PCC, Lord Hunt of Wirral, that he would not be giving him a ‘green light’ for the proposed new authority as this was not within the remit of the inquiry.”

Full story

The Guardian, 10th July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Matthew Wright show cleared over disability ‘slur’ – The Guardian

sally — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 15:12:57 +0000

“Matthew Wright’s Channel 5 daytime show has been told it did not break any broadcasting regulations, despite running a survey that used the words ‘mong’, ‘spaz’ and ‘retard’.”

Full story

The Guardian, 9th July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Prisoner wins right to enjoy a cup of tea at night – Daily Telegraph

tracey — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 08:33:38 +0000

“The unnamed prisoner had complained it was unfair he was not allowed to make a hot drink or keep a Thermos flask in his cell after being locked up for the night. After being refused permission by the prison governor, he then took his case to the newly appointed Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Nigel Newcomen CBE, who agreed that banning such a luxury was in breach of the rules governing how prisoners should be held.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 5th July 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Surge in number of warnings over press behaviour – The Guardian

sally — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 09:18:57 +0000

“The number of warnings issued about the behaviour of newspaper journalists harassing and intruding into the privacy of celebrities and members of the public is creeping back to the levels before the Milly Dowler phone hacking scandal erupted.”

Full story

The Guardian, 1st July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk