Reforming Electoral Law in the UK – Law Commission

Posted December 11th, 2012 in consultations, elections, Law Commission, news, referendums by sally

“The Law Commission has identified the areas of UK electoral law that will come under scrutiny in a forthcoming review. The review, which will be conducted jointly with the Scottish Law Commission and the Northern Ireland Law Commission, aims to reform the law relating to elections and referendums across the UK.”

Full story

Law Commission, 11th December 2012

Source: www.lawcommission.justice.gov.uk

Lord Chief Justice Issues Warning over Jurors – Judiciary of England and Wales

Posted December 11th, 2012 in delay, judges, juries, news, reports, statistics by sally

“The Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) heard appeals against conviction and sentence more quickly last year than in previous years according to the Court’s annual report published today (Tuesday 11 December).”

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Judiciary of England and Wales, 11th December 2012

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Recent Statutory Instruments – legislation.gov.uk

Posted December 11th, 2012 in legislation by sally

The Charities Act 2011 (Commencement No. 1) Order 2012

The Income Tax (Indexation) Order 2012

The Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2012

The Charitable Incorporated Organisations (General) Regulations 2012

The Climate Change Levy (General) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2012

The Disabled People’s Right to Control (Pilot Scheme) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012

The Taxation (International and Other Provisions) Act 2010 (Part 7) (Amendment) Regulations 2012

The Controlled Foreign Companies (Excluded Banking Business Profits) Regulations 2012

The Seed Marketing (Amendment) Regulations 2012

The Plant Health (England) (Amendment) (No.2) Order 2012

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

Hillsborough inquests: attorney general moves to quash original verdicts – The Guardian

Posted December 11th, 2012 in health & safety, inquests, news, sport by sally

“The families of 96 Liverpool fans who died at Hillsborough in 1989 hailed the announcement yesterday that an application has been lodged by the attorney general to have the original inquests into the disaster quashed in the high court.”

Full story

The Guardian, 10th December 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

GCSE grading row reaches high court – The Guardian

Posted December 11th, 2012 in education, examinations, judicial review, news by sally

“Thousands of students could see their GCSE English grades increased retrospectively through a high court case beginning on Tuesday in which an alliance of schools, councils and pupils will argue that exam boards and the government’s qualifications watchdog acted illegally in changing grade boundaries midway through the 2012 exams season.”

Full story

The Guardian, 11th December 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Whiplash proposals target fraudulent claims with increase in RTA small claims limit to £5,000 – Litigation Futures

Posted December 11th, 2012 in compensation, consultations, news, personal injuries, road traffic, small claims by sally

“The government will today finally unveil its long-awaited consultation on increasing the small claims limit for road traffic personal injury cases from £1,000 to £5,000, a move that would decimate the workload of many law firms.”

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Litigation Futures, 11th December 2012

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Anthony Lester: my vision of a Leveson law – The Guardian

Posted December 11th, 2012 in bills, complaints, freedom of expression, legislation, media, news by sally

“Use of the UK supreme court and judicial review can renew confidence in a system of self-regulation.”

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The Guardian, 10th December 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Graffiti gang who caused £150,000 of damage ‘should be proud of their work’, says judge – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 11th, 2012 in artistic works, conspiracy, criminal damage, gangs, news, railways, sentencing by sally

“A judge has imposed the ‘least possible sentence’ on gang of graffiti vandals who attacked the capital’s tube network, saying one had a ‘portfolio you would be proud of’.”

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Daily Telegraph, 10th December 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

‘Snooper’s charter’ faces rough ride through parliament – The Guardian

“Civil liberties are said to have been the political glue that brought the two coalition parties together before the general election, and nothing joined them more strongly than their joint opposition to Labour’s ‘Big Brother’ database.”

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The Guardian, 11th December 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Film classification of ‘sexual or sadistic violence’ to be tightened amid ‘torture porn’ controversy – The Independent

Posted December 11th, 2012 in film industry, news, pornography by sally

“Classification chiefs will tighten their policy on ‘sexual or sadistic violence’ after new research found public concern over its effect on ‘vulnerable viewers’.”

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The Independent, 10th December 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Royal hoax call could be an ‘offence under UK law’ – The Guardian

Posted December 11th, 2012 in data protection, disclosure, medical records, news, telecommunications by sally

“The Australian radio DJs who made the hoax call to the hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge was being treated for acute morning sickness could have committed an offence under UK law, a leading barrister has said.”

Full story

The Guardian, 10th December 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Christopher Haughton guilty of trying to kill PCs in Kingsbury – BBC News

“A man has been found guilty of the attempted murder of two police officers and attacking two other PCs in a butcher’s shop in north-west London.”

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BBC News, 10th December 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

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

Posted December 10th, 2012 in bills, complaints, inquests, judicial review, news, ombudsmen, police, public interest, sport by sally

“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

Votes for prisoners: UK told it must implement ECHR decisions – The Guardian

Posted December 10th, 2012 in bills, elections, enforcement, human rights, interpretation, news, prisons by sally

“The government has been handed a mild reprimand by the Council of Europe for its delaying tactics over giving prisoners the right to vote.”

Full story

The Guardian, 10th December 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Review in to the Waterhouse Inquiry underway – Ministry of Justice

Posted December 10th, 2012 in child abuse, inquiries, news, social services by sally

“The independent review chaired by Mrs Justice Macur DBE, which will consider the scope of the Waterhouse inquiry and whether any specific allegations of child abuse falling within the terms of the reference were not investigated by the Inquiry, has now commenced.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 28th November 2012

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Consultation on Repeal of sections 63 to 67 of the Control of Pollution Act 1974: Abolishing Noise Abatement Zones – Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Posted December 10th, 2012 in consultations, local government, news, noise by sally

“This consultation seeks views on the Repeal of sections 63 to 67 of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 in relation to England and Wales, which would abolish all existing Noise Abatement Zones and prevent new ones being established.”

Consultation (PDF)

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, December 2012

Source: www.defra.gov.uk

BAILII: Recent Decisions

Posted December 10th, 2012 in law reports by sally

Court of Appeal (Civil Division)

Parekh v London Borough of Brent [2012] EWCA Civ 1630 (07 December 2012)

Wuhan Guoyu Logistics Group Co Ltd & Anor v Emporiki Bank of Greece SA [2012] EWCA Civ 1629 (07 December 2012)

High Court (Administrative Court)

Taylor v Manchester City Council TCG Bars Ltd [2012] EWHC 3467 (Admin) (07 December 2012)

High Court (Commercial Court)

Occidental Chartering Inc v Progress Bulk Carriers Ltd [2012] EWHC 3515 (Comm) (06 December 2012)

Source: www.bailii.org

The duty of care of Public Authorities: Too Much, Too Little or About Right? – Speech by Master of the Rolls

Posted December 10th, 2012 in duty of care, local government, negligence, news, personal injuries by sally

The duty of care of Public Authorities: Too Much, Too Little or About Right? (PDF)

Speech by Master of the Rolls

PIBA Richard Davies Lecture, 27th November 2012

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

O and another v Maahanmuuttovirasto; Maahanmuuttovirasto v L – WLR Daily

Posted December 10th, 2012 in citizenship, EC law, families, human rights, immigration, law reports by sally

O and another v Maahanmuuttovirasto Maahanmuuttovirasto v L (Joined Cases C-356/11 and C-357/11); [2012] WLR (D) 371

“In circumstances where a third country national husband had married another third country national lawfully resident in the European Union and where the first child, an EU citizen, was a child of the wife’s former marriage to an EU citizen and the second child was a child of their own marriage, a member state could refuse to grant the third country national husband a residence permit on the basis of family reunification where he sought to derive the right of residence from his wife’s first child on the basis of the child’s enjoyment of EU citizenship pursuant to article 20FEU of the FEU Treaty. In those circumstances, however, Council Directive 2003/86/EC on the right to family reunification could apply.”

WLR Daily, 6th December 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Bundesrepublik Deutschland v Dittrich – WLR Daily

Bundesrepublik Deutschland v Dittrich (Joined Cases C-124/11, C-125/11 and C-143/11); [2012] WLR (D) 370

“On the proper interpretation of article 3(1)(c) and 3(3) of Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation, assistance granted to public servants in the event of illness fell within the scope of the Directive if it was the responsibility of the state, as a public employer, to finance it, that being a matter for the national court to determine.”

WLR Daily, 6th December 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk