Deepcut deaths: army ‘treating victims’ families with contempt’ – The Guardian

‘The sister of Pte Sean Benton, who committed suicide at Deepcut barracks, has accused the British army of treating victims’ families with contempt after it emerged that the military had failed to honour a pledge made at his inquest in 2018.’

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The Guardian, 28th November 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Firearms – importation sentencing guidelines published – Sentencing Council

‘The Council has published a new guideline for sentencing offenders convicted of firearms importation offences in England and Wales, following consultation.’

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Sentencing Council, 24th November 2021

Source: www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk

We need real decisions about artificial intelligence – Local Government Lawyer

‘The regulatory framework around the use of artificial intelligence by local authorities is inadequate but existing governance mechanisms can address concerns, writes Sue Chadwick.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 26th November 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘Pressing need’ for guidance on judicial visits in CoP – McFarlane – Law Society’s Gazette

‘There is a “pressing need” for the Court of Protection to develop guidance for practitioners and judges on judicial visits to the subject of proceedings, the president of the Family Division has said. A decision that it was in the best interests of a 56-year-old woman, described as “the most complex Covid patient in the world”, to have life-sustaining treatment withdrawn was overturned today because of possible procedural unfairness in relation to the judge’s visit to see her in hospital.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 25th November 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Mike Gordon: A Statutory Basis for the Ministerial Code – the Challenges – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘With the UK in the midst of its latest political corruption crisis, the question of the (in)adequacy of the current infrastructure concerning standards in public life is once more in the spotlight. Immediately prior to the parliamentary farce over the Owen Paterson lobbying affair, the Committee on Standards in Public Life published a significant report, Upholding Standards in Public Life: Final Report of the Standards Matter 2 Review (November 2021), outlining a number of potential changes to the system for holding politicians to account for their conduct. This blog post focuses on one of the Committee’s recommendations: that the Ministerial Code be provided with a statutory basis through a ‘requirement for the Prime Minister to issue the Ministerial Code’ being ‘enshrined in primary legislation’ (Recommendation 4).’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 16th November 2021

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Soldier suicide in Windsor prompts coroner to issue recommendations – BBC News

‘A soldier’s suicide has prompted a coroner to issue a series of recommendations to the Army to prevent similar deaths in the future.’

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BBC News, 11th November 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

No 10 faces legal challenge to PM’s support for Priti Patel on bullying claims – The Guardian

Posted November 12th, 2021 in bullying, codes of practice, government departments, judicial review, news by tracey

‘The government faces a legal challenge to Boris Johnson’s decision to back Priti Patel over bullying allegations, throwing a fresh spotlight on the prime minister’s approach to ethics in public life.’

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The Guardian, 12th November 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Too many witness statements prepared in breach of proper professional standards, says top family judge – Local Government Lawyer

Posted November 11th, 2021 in codes of practice, families, family courts, judges, news, practice directions, witnesses by sally

‘The President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, has issued a memorandum setting out how witness statements should be prepared for use in the Family Courts to ensure they meet proper professional standards.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 10th November 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Watchdog stopped ministers breaching neutrality code in top BBC and BFI hires – The Guardian

‘A watchdog had to prevent ministers breaching a strict code on political neutrality and independence during the search for new chairs for the BBC and the British Film Institute (BFI), the Guardian can reveal.’

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The Guardian, 7th November 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Data protection for schools and higher education institutions – 3PB

Posted November 4th, 2021 in codes of practice, data protection, education, news, universities by sally

‘Slightly different from the topic envisaged at the end of part 2 of the cyber series, this article deals with two circumstances. Firstly, the right to access educational data via a subject access request (prompted by a recent issue in my caseload) and, secondly, the data protection obligations owed by further and higher education institutions (“HEIs”) in situations of crisis on campus.’

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3PB, 26th October 2021

Source: www.3pb.co.uk

Litigating with Litigants in Person: Useful Pointers on Balancing Duties – Parklane Plowden Chambers

Posted November 3rd, 2021 in barristers, chambers articles, codes of practice, litigants in person, news by sally

‘The growth in the number of litigants in person (LiPs) in the Employment Tribunal has been keenly apparent over the last 18 months, when dealing with cases remotely as a consequence of Covid19. Whilst as lawyers we have had to familiarise ourselves with navigating electronic bundles and technology for remote hearings we have navigated through otherwise familiar territory.’

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Parklane Plowden Chambers, 28th October 2021

Source: www.parklaneplowden.co.uk

Firearms Licensing Statutory Guidance 2021: the likely impact on firearms appeals – 5SAH

‘On 20 October 2021 the government published the latest statutory guidance for Chief Officers of Police. It comes into force on 1 November 2021. Given that the consultation was in 2019 it is almost certain that the timing of its publication and much of its content are a direct result of the tragic events in Plymouth on 12 August 2021, where five people were killed and two others injured by a man using a semi-automatic shotgun for which he held a shotgun certificate. This prompted steps to make the process of obtaining and, in particular, retaining a firearms or shotgun certificate more robust.’

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5SAH, 25th October 2021

Source: www.5sah.co.uk

Toughen up rules on ministers’ conduct, says standards watchdog – BBC News

‘The rules governing the conduct of ministers and senior civil servants need to be toughened up, according to a new report. The Committee on Standards in Public Life – which advises the PM on ethical standards – has been carrying out a review into processes in Westminster.’

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BBC News, 1st November 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Terrorism offences sentencing guidelines to be revised following legislation – Sentencing Council

Posted October 25th, 2021 in codes of practice, consultations, news, sentencing, terrorism by tracey

‘Plans to revise four sentencing guidelines for terrorism offences in England and Wales to reflect changes brought in by the Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021, were published for consultation today by the Sentencing Council.’

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Sentencing Council, 20th October 2021

Source: www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk

UK’s strict gun laws strengthened with new medical arrangements – Home Office

Posted October 25th, 2021 in codes of practice, firearms, government departments, news, offensive weapons by tracey

‘New statutory guidance will tighten up existing laws on gun ownership and mean that medical information must be provided in order to obtain a licence.’

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Home Office, 20th October 2021

Source: www.gov.uk

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.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 22nd October 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Regulations and guidance issued on support councils must give domestic abuse victims – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Government has published new regulations and guidance setting out the level of support councils are required to provide to domestic abuse victims who need to escape home.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 5th October 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

New Guidelines for Lawyers Practising within the Coroners’ Court – Inquests and Inquiries Law Blog

‘New guidelines for legal professionals practising within the Coroners’ Courts have been published by the Bar Standards Board, the Solicitors Regulation Authority and CILEx Regulation. The new guidelines were introduced in response to concerns, particularly about the adversarial approach adopted by some lawyers. The key takeaways are summarised below.’

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Inquests and Inquiries Law Blog, 20th September 2021

Source: inquestsandinquirieslawblog.com

NDAs “cannot be controlled by professional regulators” – Legal Futures

‘The use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) cannot be effectively controlled by professional regulators like the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and legislation is needed, a law professor and campaigner for tougher restrictions has said.’

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Legal Futures, 15th September 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Are children using the internet or is it using them? – the ICO’s age appropriate design code – Mills & Reeve

Posted September 9th, 2021 in children, codes of practice, data protection, internet, news, privacy by sally

‘UK data privacy regulator, the ICO, has published the final version of its age appropriate design code (the Children’s code). This will already be familiar to those providing content intended for children, with refinement of the drafting following consultation with industry and users in 2019. But it reaches further than you might imagine, and it will be important for many organisations to assess and implement compliance in the 12 month transition period allowed for compliance.’

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Mills & Reeve, 8th September 2021

Source: www.mills-reeve.com