Green light given to judicial review of accountable care organisations in NHS – Local Government Lawyer

‘Campaigners including scientist Professor Stephen Hawking have won permission from the High Court to challenge the government’s planned creation of accountable care organisations (ACO) in the NHS.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 1st February 2108

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Offender tagging scheme is ‘catastrophic waste of public money’ – The Guardian

‘The Ministry of Justice’s programme to introduce the next generation of satellite tracking tags for offenders has been “fundamentally flawed” and proved “a catastrophic waste of public money”, MPs have concluded.’

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The Guardian, 24th January 2018

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

UK courts service spending sees tenfold rise since 2010 – The Guardian

Posted January 22nd, 2018 in contracting out, costs, courts, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘The courts service spent £50m last year on agency and contract staff, a more than tenfold rise since 2010 when it spent less than £4m, while courts have been closing at an unprecedented rate.’

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The Guardian, 21st January 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Private probation firms face huge losses despite £342m ‘bailout’ – The Guardian

Posted January 18th, 2018 in contracting out, criminal justice, news, probation, select committees, sentencing by tracey

‘Private probation companies responsible for supervising more than 200,000 offenders in England and Wales face total losses of more than £100m, even after a £342m “bailout” by the Ministry of Justice, MPs have been told.’

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The Guardian, 17th January 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

MoJ spending huge sums on consultants to help deliver digital courts – The Guardian

Posted January 4th, 2018 in contracting out, courts, internet, judiciary, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘The Ministry of Justice is spending tens of millions of pounds on management consultants to help deliver online and digital court programmes that are designed to save money and improve access to justice.’

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The Guardian, 2nd January 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Final account payments: welcome guidance from the TCC – Practical Law: Construction Blog

Posted December 21st, 2017 in construction industry, contracting out, contracts, news, remuneration by tracey

‘Nearly 20 years after the Construction Act 1996 was introduced to stamp out bad payment practices, you would be forgiven for thinking there must be a voluminous pile of case law in relation to the all-important final account. But you would be disappointed. While there is plenty of guidance from the TCC on interim payments, the courts have not had much to say about final accounts, particularly post 2011. This is why Systems Pipework Ltd v Rotary Building Services Ltd is so welcome. Coulson J draws together the authorities on interim and final account payments and concludes (in a characteristically clear and to the point judgment) that the same rules apply to both.’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 20th December 2017

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

Private probation firms criticised for supervising offenders by phone – The Guardian

Posted December 14th, 2017 in contracting out, news, probation, telecommunications by sally

‘The part-privatisation of the probation service has led to tens of thousands of offenders – up to 40% of the total – being supervised by telephone calls every six weeks instead of face-to-face meetings, the chief inspector of probation has revealed.’

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The Guardian, 14th December 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Court security chaos: Judge slams ‘chronic failure’ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 11th, 2017 in contracting out, HM Courts Service, judges, news, security companies by sally

‘A judge has publicly condemned HM Courts & Tribunals Service and an outsourced security company by lifting the lid on the ‘chronic’ and ‘lamentable’ situation at his court, as the spotlight continues to shine on security across the court estate.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 8th December 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Randox forensics inquiry: Police suspend drug-test contracts – BBC News

Posted November 28th, 2017 in contracting out, evidence, forensic science, news, police by sally

‘Police have suspended all contracts with a drug-testing company amid allegations of data manipulation.’

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BBC News, 27th November 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Dubious forensic evidence? That’s what happens when we sell off public services – The Guardian

Posted November 27th, 2017 in contracting out, criminal justice, evidence, forensic science, news by sally

‘The recent mass review of 10,000 criminal case samples shows what can happen when commercial demands get in the way of vital public services.’

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The Guardian, 27th November 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Significantly More Vulnerable’: The Court of Appeal Explains – Garden Court Chambers

‘At [53] of Hotak v Southwark LBC [2015] UKSC 30, [2016] AC 811, Lord Neuberger explained that whether or not a homeless applicant was ‘vulnerable’ within the meaning of s189(1)(c) Housing Act 1996 required consideration of whether he or she would be ‘significantly more vulnerable than ordinarily vulnerable’ as a result of being rendered homeless. In the conjoined appeals of Panayiotou and Smith, the Court of Appeal considered the meaning of the word ‘significantly’ in this context as well as a number of issues relating to the contracting out of homelessness decision making in instances where the public sector equality duty under s149 Equality Act 2010 is engaged.’

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Garden Court Chambers, 10th November 2017

Source: www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk

Computer Imaging and Inspection for Misuse of Confidential Information: Cox V Spencer [2017] EWHC 2552 (QB) – Blackstone Chambers

Posted November 23rd, 2017 in computer programs, contracting out, costs, investigatory powers, news by sally

‘The High Court granted a computer imaging order permitting an independent IT expert to investigate the Defendant’s computer and external hard drive to see if they contained the Claimant’s confidential information.’

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Blackstone Chambers, 13th November 2017

Source: www.employeecompetition.com

G4S youth jail beset by violence, vandalism and weapons, report finds – The Guardian

Posted November 22nd, 2017 in contracting out, news, reports, secure training centres, violence, young offenders by sally

‘Surging levels of violence at an “unsafe” G4S-run youth jail have put staff in hospital and caused inmates to carry improvised weapons for their safety, inspectors have revealed.’

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The Guardian, 21st November 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Not with a Whisper but a Bang: the new insurance laws in a Professional Indemnity Context – Hailsham Chambers

‘The changes of last August and the impending Enterprise Act 2016 changes for May of next year will transform the way we have to look at insurance contracts generally and, if our insurer clients’ underwriting departments have not substantially rewritten their proposal forms and policy documents, we can anticipate a few years of ongoing law making.’

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Hailsham Chambers, 3rd November 2017

Source: www.hailshamchambers.com

University support staff launch landmark case over pay and conditions – The Guardian

Posted November 21st, 2017 in contracting out, employment, news, trade unions, universities by sally

‘A union is launching a legal challenge over the rights of 75 university support staff to negotiate their pay and conditions in a landmark case that could improve rights for outsourced workers.’

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The Guardian, 21st November 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Outsourced’ workers seek better deal in landmark case – BBC News

Posted November 21st, 2017 in contracting out, employment, news, universities by sally

‘A group of 75 workers, including porters and receptionists, are going to tribunal to gain more rights at work.’

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BBC News, 21st November 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Who knows where the time goes? – Practical Law: Construction Blog

Posted October 5th, 2017 in construction industry, contracting out, contracts, damages, delay, news, time limits by tracey

‘Einstein famously said that the distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion. The nature of time is not an easy concept to grapple with and I had a similar (albeit not quite so ethereal) experience preparing a recent seminar on the practical effect of the decision in Carillion Construction v Emcor Engineering Services relating to contiguous (or rather non-contiguous) extensions of time.’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 2nd October 2017

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

The felling of protest? – UK Police Law Blog

‘In Sheffield City Council v Fairhall [2017] EWHC 2121 (QB), the Court has been asked to consider the extent to which the decision in DPP v Jones [1999] UKHL 5; [1999] 2 AC 240 can be relied upon as a right to conduct peaceful but disruptive protest on the highway.’

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UK Police Law Blog, 30th September 2017

Source: ukpolicelawblog.com

Using Part 8 to “appeal” adjudicator’s decision – Practical Law: Construction Blog

Posted September 12th, 2017 in appeals, arbitration, construction industry, contracting out, contracts, news by tracey

‘It isn’t every day that we get to refer to Will Smith’s “wicky wicky wild wild wild west“, on this blog, but Jonathan managed it last year when he discussed Fraser J’s judgment in Beumer Group UK Ltd v Vinci Construction UK Ltd. The parties have been before the court again, this time before O’Farrell J, on a Part 8 declaratory relief application. There is no mention of the wild west this time around. It was all about whether the adjudicator had correctly interpreted the parties’ sub-contract. Not a subject for cowboys!.’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 12th September 2017

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

Ombudsman slams lack of oversight of outsourced waste collection services – Local Government Lawyer

Posted August 23rd, 2017 in complaints, contracting out, local government, news, ombudsmen, reports, waste by sally

‘Insufficient oversight of external contractors is one of the main issues behind a rising number of complaints about waste collection, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO) has said.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 23rd August 2017

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk