Bar for street sexual harassment offences in England and Wales set too high, charities say – The Guardian

‘Proposals to tackle sexual harassment in the street in England and Wales do not go far enough because the bar for offences has been set too high, charities have warned.’

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The Guardian, 16th June 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Home Office admits asylum plans in doubt – BBC News

Posted June 16th, 2023 in asylum, bills, delay, government departments, immigration, news, statistics by tracey

‘Plans to improve the asylum system are “in doubt” unless the Home Office takes urgent action, the department has told the government’s spending watchdog.’

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BBC News, 16th June 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

The four-day week: handling requests – Kingsley Napley

Posted June 14th, 2023 in bills, chambers articles, employment, news, pilot schemes, working time by sally

‘The jury is still out on whether the four-day week will remain the exception rather than the rule in future. In February, we learned that the majority of UK companies that took part in a six-month pilot in 2022 (offering employees a shorter working week on full pay for the same level of productivity) voted to continue with the trial, with 18 companies deciding to introduce the model permanently.’

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Kingsley Napley, 13th June 2023

Source: www.kingsleynapley.co.uk

Illegal migration bill: the concern for children’s rights keeping the House of Lords up all night – EIN Blog

‘The illegal migration bill passed through the House of Commons earlier this year, but is being fiercely contested in the House of Lords. The bill is currently at the committee stage which allows the members to scrutinise the text and make amendments.’

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EIN Blog, 12th June 2023

Source: www.ein.org.uk

UK judges to be given powers to dismiss oppressive Slapps lawsuits at early stage – The Guardian

Posted June 13th, 2023 in amendments, bills, freedom of expression, news, public interest by sally

‘Oppressive lawsuits brought by wealthy individuals to evade scrutiny and intimidate critics are to be defined in English and Welsh law for the first time, as judges are handed powers to dismiss “Slapps” at an early stage.’

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The Guardian, 13th June 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

The Renters’ Reform Bill: changes to grounds for possession – Local Government Lawyer

Posted June 9th, 2023 in bills, housing, landlord & tenant, local government, news, repossession by tracey

‘Helen Tucker examines the changes to the grounds for possession as set out in the Renters Reform Bill published on 17 May 2023.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 9th June 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Humanist wins High Court battle over appointments to Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education – Local Government Lawyer

‘The High Court has quashed the decision of Kent County Council to refuse to consider a humanist for membership of Group A of its Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE).’

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Local Government Lawyer, 5th June 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill: UK tech sector competition rules – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 1st, 2023 in bills, competition, consumer protection, electronic commerce, markets, news by sally

‘Large technology companies will face added regulatory and compliance issues in the UK once new legislation aimed at promoting competition in digital markets is enacted and implemented.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 30th May 2023

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Enhancing consumer rights – the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill – Mills & Reeve

Posted May 31st, 2023 in bills, competition, consumer protection, dispute resolution, news by sally

‘This briefing is part of a series that is taking a closer look at the government’s draft Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill (“the Bill”) which was introduced into Parliament on 25 April 2023. This is an important and far-reaching Bill which will see wide ranging reforms to competition and consumer protection laws.’

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Mills & Reeve, 30th May 2023

Source: www.mills-reeve.com

UK carves own path on data-related innovation under the GDPR – OUT-LAW.com

Posted May 26th, 2023 in bills, brexit, data protection, EC law, government departments, news by tracey

‘In the five years since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) took effect, the data protection legislative landscape in the UK has changed significantly, with further reform on the horizon.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 25th May 2023

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Renters Reform Bill: Warning changes could ‘decimate’ student market – BBC News

Posted May 25th, 2023 in bills, housing, landlord & tenant, news, universities by tracey

‘Plans to abolish fixed-term tenancies in England would “decimate” the student housing market, landlords have warned.’

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BBC News, 25th May 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Law firms and preventing sexual harassment in the workplace – Kingsley Napley Employment Law Blog

‘Sexual harassment in the workplace has attracted growing concern globally over the past five years. The House of Commons Women and Equalities Select Committee (WESC) inquiry in July 2018 triggered a parliamentary debate around the need for stricter duties for employers to prevent unwanted sexual behaviour at work. In parallel, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has prioritised tackling sexual misconduct in law firms and recent changes to its Codes of Conduct emphasise the expectation on firms to foster a culture of zero tolerance to counter-inclusive behaviours, including sexual misconduct.’

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Kingsley Napley Employment Law Blog, 23rd May 2023

Source: www.kingsleynapley.co.uk

Stephen Tierney and Alison L. Young: The House of Lords Constitution Committee Reports on the Illegal Migration Bill – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘The Constitution Committee has released its report on the Illegal Migration Bill 2022-23. The Committee raises a number of concerns, including its potential impact on the rule of law, human rights, devolution, delegated powers, and parliamentary scrutiny. We await the report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights which will most likely comment in more detail on the implications of the Bill for the United Kingdom’s international obligations.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 23rd May 2023

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

The UK Bill of Rights: Changes to Human Rights Protection may Impact Climate Litigation – Oxford Human Rights Hub

‘Across the world, human rights-based arguments are increasingly deployed in climate litigation against public bodies. However, in the UK, potential reforms to the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) – an Act which allows claimants in domestic courts to rely on the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) – could seriously impact the ability of these cases to succeed in the future.’

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Oxford Human Rights Hub, 22nd May 2023

Source: ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk

Law Commission calls for tighter rules on use of personal records in rape trials – The Guardian

‘Greater restrictions should be introduced on the use of rape complainants’ personal records and evidence relating to their sexual behaviour to avoid rape myths contaminating trials in England and Wales, a government-commissioned review has said.’

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The Guardian, 23rd May 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Tom Hickman KC and Gabriel Tan: Reversing Parliamentary Defeat by Delegated Legislation: The Case of the Public Order Act 1986 (Serious Disruption to the Life of the Community) Regulations 2023 – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘In a report published on 11 May, the House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee (“SLSC”) drew attention to a constitutional issue of considerable interest and novelty. The SLSC drew the attention of the House of Lords to draft regulations that, if they come into effect, will allow police in England and Wales to impose restrictions on protests and processions that cause “more than minor” hindrance to day-to-day activities for other people, including going to and fro on the highway (The Public Order Act 1986 (Serious Disruption to the Life of the Community) Regulations 2023). The changes would also allow the police to take into account the cumulative effect of repeated protests. The changes amend sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 and effectively alter the meaning of the threshold criterion of causing “serious disruption to the life of the community” in respect of processions and assemblies by defining that term in a way that imposes a lower threshold than its ordinary words suggest.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association , 22nd May 2023

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Renters (Reform) Bill – overview Part 2 – Nearly Legal

Posted May 19th, 2023 in animals, bills, housing, landlord & tenant, leases, news, rent by tracey

‘Following on from yesterday (17 May) publication of the Renters (Reform) Bill and Part 1 of my overview of what the Bill does, onwards to the rest of it. Pets! There has been a lot of fuss about this, but as Tessa Shepperson has sagely observed, it doesn’t really make much of a change to existing law. The Bill adds an implied term that the tenant has a right to request to keep a pet and that the landlord cannot unreasonably refuse such a request. Where the landlord’s own lease forbids pets, or requires the superior landlord’s consent, the landlord is to request this. It is not unreasonable for a landlord to refuse permission if their superior landlord had refused consent, or if the landlord’s own lease forbids pets.’

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Nearly Legal , 18th May 2023

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Trolls who encourage serious self-harm to face jail – Ministry of Justice

‘Vile trolls who hide behind the anonymity of the internet to encourage others to cause themselves serious harm will face prosecution as part of an overhaul of online safety laws announced today (18 May 2023).’

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Ministry of Justice, 18th May 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

Tighter damp and mould regulations set to impact registered providers – Local Government Lawyer

‘Six months after the conclusion of the inquest into the tragic death of Awaab Ishak, Matthew Bown and Amy Cowap outline the various measures set to be implemented to ensure tighter regulation of registered providers of social housing, with a specific focus on damp and mould issues.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 17th May 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Research Briefing: Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill 2022-23: Consumer provisions – House of Commons Library

Posted May 19th, 2023 in bills, competition, consumer protection, news, parliament by tracey

‘This briefing considers the consumer provisions of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill [Bill 294, 2022-23]. Second reading of the Bill in the House of Commons is scheduled for 17 May 2023.’

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House of Commons Library , 17th May 2023

Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk