£300,000 on Supreme Court constitutional cases – BBC News
‘More than £300,000 has been spent by the Welsh and UK governments on three Supreme Court cases about assembly powers, the BBC has learned.’
BBC News, 10th August 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: bills
Whiplash assessment report fees cut to tackle fake claims – BBC News
‘Medical assessment fees for people who claim they have suffered whiplash are to be cut in England and Wales.’
BBC News, 3rd August 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
The death of privacy – The Guardian
‘Google knows what you’re looking for. Facebook knows what you like. Sharing is the norm, and secrecy is out. But what is the psychological and cultural fallout from the end of privacy?’
The Guardian, 3rd August 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
School’s out? Peers ask Government to use summer holidays to reflect on controversial judicial review reforms – UK Human Rights Blog
‘As the House of Lords closes its gilded doors for the long recess, the Westminster village enters its equivalent of the school holidays. Yet, as Ministers pack their red boxes and MPs head diligently back to their constituency business, the House of Lords – debating the Committee Stage of controversial judicial review proposals in Part 4 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill – may have suggested that officials and Ministers yet have some homework to do.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 1st August 2014
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Ann Sherlock: Supreme Court ruling on Welsh legislation – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘On 9 July 2014, the Supreme Court delivered its unanimous ruling that the Agricultural Sector (Wales) Bill was within the legislative competence of the National Assembly for Wales.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 30th July 2014
Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org
Legislation passed to ban PI inducements – Law Society’s Gazette
‘The government has introduced legislation to clamp down on personal injury inducements from lawyers offering clients money or gifts such as iPads in exchange for pursuing claims.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 25th July 2014
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Lords agree ‘fundamental dishonesty’ clause – Law Society’s Gazette
‘Peers have agreed to a clause in proposed legislation that gives courts the power to dismiss personal injury claims where the claimant has been “fundamentally dishonest”.’
Law Society’s Gazette. 24th July 2014
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Accelerated tax payment provisions to be extended to NIC avoidance schemes – OUT-LAW.com
‘New provisions requiring accelerated payment of tax in certain tax avoidance schemes, which became law last week, will be extended to National Insurance Contributions (NICs) two months after the National Insurance Contributions Bill 2014 becomes law, the government has announced.’
OUT-LAW.com, 22nd July 2014
Source: www.out-law.com
Data Retention & Investigatory Powers Bill receives Royal Assent – Home Office
‘Legislation to ensure UK law enforcement and intelligence agencies continue to have access to the vital evidence and information they need to investigate criminal activity, prevent terrorism and protect the public has today (Thursday 17 July) received Royal Assent.’
Home Office, 17th July 2014
Source: www.gov.uk/home-office
A bill to abolish chancel repair liability has been successfully introduced into the House of Lords – Law Society’s Gazette
‘The proposed legislation seeks to ‘end the liability of lay rectors for the repair of chancels’ – in other words abolishing the demands for landowners to fund repairs to their parish church.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 17th July 2014
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Tory Human Rights Plans, Child Abuse Inquiry and the Burqa Ban – the Human Rights Roundup – UK Human Rights Blog
‘This week, the role of Lady Butler-Sloss in the forthcoming inquiry into child abuse is challenged, while the government pushes for emergency legislation to monitor phone and internet records. Meanwhile, the European Court of Human Right upholds France’s niqab ban and the Tories get closer to announcing their plans for human rights reform.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 17th July 2014
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Tom Hickman: Further Concerns about the DRIP Bill – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘In a blog post on Monday I expressed concerns about the lack of time for proper scrutiny of the changes to be brought in by the DRIP Bill. Towards the end of that blog I expressed puzzlement at a change to be made to the definition of “telecommunications system” in RIPA. This definition is central to the scheme of RIPA and is the basis for many of the powers therein.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 16th July 2014
Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org/blog
Peers criticise government over emergency data laws – BBC News
‘The government has come under fire in the Lords over emergency legislation giving the security services access to people’s phone and internet records.’
BBC News, 16th July 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Assisted dying: leading doctors call on Lords to back legalisation – The Guardian
‘Twenty-seven leading figures write to every peer urging them to back Lord Falconer’s private members bill on assisted dying.’
The Guardian, 15th July 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Emergency surveillance bill clears Commons – The Guardian
‘Controversial emergency surveillance legislation has cleared the Commons after an extended sitting and angry exchanges alleging an abuse of parliament.’
The Guardian, 16th July 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Tom Hickman on the DRIP Bill: Plugging Gaps in Surveillance Laws or Authorising the Unlawful? – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘The unveiling last Thursday of a a draft bill on surveillance powers that is to be rushed through Parliament brought to mind the story of the Dutch boy who finds a hole in a dyke on his way to school and puts his finger in it to plug the leak until help arrives to shore it up. The legislation is said to be necessary to plug what the Government regards as holes in the regime of surveillance and investigatory powers pending a full review. The fact that the bill is titled the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Bill – the “DRIP” bill – may mean I am not the first person to draw the analogy. But the analogy may not be entirely apt. An examination of the DRIP Bill reveals that it is not addressing little holes in the regime but in fact profoundly important and substantial issues.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 14th July 2014
Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org/blog
Emergency data retention law could fail same tests as the existing law – OUT-LAW.com
‘FOCUS: The new law proposed by the UK government to ensure that telecoms companies keep communications data for a year could be challenged in the same way as the court-revoked law it is replacing.’
OUT-LAW.com, 15th July 2014
Source: www.out-law.com
Finance and Divorce Update – Family Law Week
‘Jessica Craigs, senior solicitor at Mills & Reeve LLP, reviews the latest developments and judgments relating to marriage, divorce and financial remedies.’
Family Law Week, 11th July 2014
Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk
A life and death question: hopes and fears rise as right to die decision nears – The Guardian
‘The House of Lords is to debate Lord Falconer’s bill aimed at clarifying the law on the right to end one’s life.’
The Guardian, 12th July 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
NSA surveillance data: UK access to information faces legal challenge – The Guardian
‘The biggest domestic legal challenge to UK intelligence agencies accessing the mass data harvested by the US National Security Agency (NSA) begins on Monday, and may be one reason behind the government’s decision to introduce emergency surveillance laws into parliament next week, campaigners have suggested.’
The Guardian, 11th July 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
