Research briefing: Regulation of fireworks – House of Commons Library

Posted October 25th, 2021 in explosives, news, parliament by tracey

‘There are strict rules in place in the UK regulating the sale, possession and use of fireworks. This Commons briefing paper provides an overview of the current legislative provisions regulating the supply and use of fireworks in England & Wales and (in the main) Scotland.’

Full Story

House of Commons Library, 19th October 2021

Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk

Research briefing: Police powers: an introduction – House of Commons Library

Posted October 25th, 2021 in crime prevention, criminal justice, investigatory powers, news, parliament, police by tracey

‘This commons library briefing paper introduces a series on police powers.’

Full Story

House of Commons Library, 21st October 2021

Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk

Should the right to justice override the principle of transparency? – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 25th, 2021 in anonymity, employment, employment tribunals, internet, news, reporting restrictions by tracey

‘Occasionally, a claimant at the employment tribunal will contact the Gazette in distress, after seeing reports of their case apparently plastered all over the internet. Many seem unaware of – and certainly unprepared for – the implications of open justice in the digital age.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 25th October 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Neuberger ‘unconvinced’ by JR reform arguments – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The former president of the Supreme Court has revealed that he is ‘unconvinced’ by a major argument used to justify the government’s controversial judicial review reforms.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 22nd October 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Guarding Special Guardianship: the need for legal aid reform – Family Law week

Posted October 25th, 2021 in children, families, family courts, guardianship, legal aid, news by tracey

‘Jessica Johnston, Legal Adviser with Family Rights Group, explains a major challenge to prospective special guardians and how it might be overcome.’

Full Story

Family Law Week, 21st October 2021

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Jailing of most mothers for non-violent crimes should stop, says report – The Guardian

‘The imprisonment of many mothers serving sentences for non-violent and relatively minor crimes should be ended and community women’s centres used instead, according to research that has found separation can increase the risk of children being exploited and cost hundreds of thousands of pounds for just a single case.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 25th October 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Ofcom orders phone networks to block foreign scam calls – BBC News

Posted October 25th, 2021 in fraud, internet, news, telecommunications by tracey

‘Major phone networks have agreed to automatically block almost all internet calls coming from abroad if they pretend to be from UK numbers, Ofcom has confirmed.’

Full Story

BBC News, 25th October 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Young Hong Kongers who fled police brutality ‘languishing’ in UK asylum system due to arbitrary age cut-off – The Independent

‘Young Hong Kong nationals who fled police brutality are “languishing” in the UK asylum system because they are arbitrarily excluded from a Home Office settlement route due to their age.’

Full Story

The Independent, 24th October 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Frances Haugen to testify to MPs about Facebook and online harm – The Guardian

Posted October 25th, 2021 in bills, bullying, duty of care, fines, harassment, internet, news, whistleblowers by tracey

‘The Facebook whistleblower is to give evidence to MPs and peers scrutinising the online safety bill, amid calls for a toughening up of the landmark legislation.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 25th October 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

HMP Leeds death could have been prevented by information sharing – BBC News

Posted October 25th, 2021 in coroners, death in custody, inquests, law firms, mental health, news, prisons, solicitors, suicide by tracey

‘A prisoner may not have died if information was passed on about his suicidal thoughts, a coroner has said.’

Full Story

BBC News, 24th October 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Huge increase in political litigation’: Braverman defends JR reforms – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 22nd, 2021 in attorney general, bills, judicial review, judiciary, news, parliament, Supreme Court by sally

‘The attorney general has defended the government’s decision to reform judicial review, telling public law specialists that cases such as the Article 50 and prorogation challenges have introduced ‘uncertainty’ into the constitutional balance between parliament, government and the courts.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 19th October 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Peers urged to reject bill to legalise assisted dying – BBC News

Posted October 22nd, 2021 in assisted suicide, bills, doctors, news by sally

‘Medical professionals and religious leaders have warned peers against backing a fresh attempt to relax the law on assisted dying.’

Full Story

BBC News, 21st October 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

New Judgment: FS Cairo (Nile Plaza) LLC (Appellant) v Brownlie (Respondent) [2021] UKSC 45 – UKSC Blog

‘In January 2010 the respondent and their husband were on holiday in Egypt. They stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza. On 3 January 2010, they went on a guided driving tour booked through the hotel. The vehicle they were travelling in during the tour crashed, killing the respondent’s husband and seriously injuring the respondent.’

Full Story

UKSC Blog, 20th October 2021

Source: ukscblog.com

Care bill for family soared without warning because of poor council information, Ombudsman finds – Local Government Lawyer

Posted October 22nd, 2021 in care homes, families, housing, local government, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘North Yorkshire County Council has been criticised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman after a family’s care bill leapt from hundreds to thousands of pounds a month without notice.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 21st October 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Proposed Voter ID reforms in the UK: The dangers of ‘fraud’ based regulation – Oxford Human Rights Hub

Posted October 22nd, 2021 in bills, elections, equality, fraud, human rights, identification, identity fraud, news by sally

‘The UK government’s Election Bill containing controversial Voter ID provisions is progressing with haste through parliament this month, despite significant alarm over its potential impact. Whilst the government claims the bill will increase ballot security, all evidence points to these proposals being harmful to voter access and electoral integrity as the US experience demonstrates.’

Full Story

Oxford Human Rights Hub, 18th October 2021

Source: ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk

England and Wales court backlog crisis ‘to go on for several years’ – The Guardian

‘The backlog of cases in criminal courts in England and Wales is likely to be a pervasive issue for several years, severely affecting victims, witnesses and defendants, the National Audit Office has said.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 22nd October 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Judge criticises Mackenzie Friend over timing of application to revoke adoption order – Local Government Lawyer

‘A disputed adoption case has highlighted the problems of reliance on a Mackenzie Friend rather than a solicitor in proceedings, a Family Division judge has suggested.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 22nd October 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Building safety regulations give industry clarity ahead of new legislation – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 22nd, 2021 in bills, building law, construction industry, health & safety, housing, news, regulations by sally

‘The UK government has published several draft regulations designed to give parliamentarians a better idea of how the Building Safety Bill will be implemented.’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 21st October 2021

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Fostering agencies and religious beliefs – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Court of Appeal has recently ruled on the legality of a fostering agency’s requirement that potential carers must be Christians. Natasha Isaac examines the case.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 22nd October 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘A massive injustice’: 10 years on from Dale Farm evictions, pain and trauma remain – The Guardian

Posted October 22nd, 2021 in homelessness, housing, local government, news, repossession, travellers by sally

‘On the day residents of Dale Farm, then one of the largest unauthorised Traveller sites in Europe, were due to be evicted a decade ago, pupils at the nearby primary school were handed special stones they could squeeze as they walked into their morning assembly. The teachers wanted to remind everyone that the school remained a safe and welcoming place.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 21st October 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com