Tribunal rejects request for correspondence between solicitor and planning officers – Local Government Lawyer

‘The First-Tier Tribunal has ruled that a district council was entitled to refuse to disclose correspondence passing between one of its solicitors and various members of its planning department.’
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Local Government Lawyer, 30th June 2015

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Judge’s Instagram ruling a ‘practical solution’ to problems of online anonymity, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

‘A judge’s decision to allow a man experiencing alleged harassment over the internet to serve legal claims to the person accused of the activity via Instagram “appears to be a practical solution” to the issue of online anonymity, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 26th June 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Greville Janner case: Alison Saunders faces calls to publish secret papers – Daily Telegraph

‘Alleged child abuse victims and MPs say independent review of bungled case must be made public.’

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Daily Telegraph, 29th June 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

‘Broader interest of justice’ can trump parties’ duty of candour in judicial review cases, says Privy Council – OUT-LAW.com

‘Courts should not dismiss an application for judicial review solely on the grounds that one party has not complied with its duty to disclose all necessary facts and issues if doing so would not be in the interests of justice, one of the UK’s highest courts has ruled.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 19th June 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Regulator opens investigations into transparency of paid online endorsements – OUT-LAW.com

‘The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating whether a number of businesses have broken consumer protection laws by failing to disclose that they have paid others to endorse their company online.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 19th June 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Coroner in SAS inquest blocks release of witness statements – The Guardian

‘A coroner hearing the inquest of three men who suffered fatal heat illness during an SAS training march in south Wales has refused to allow the release of witness statements, concluding that their publication could threaten any future criminal prosecutions. The Guardian and other media organisations argued that in the interest of open justice, statements taken by detectives investigating the tragedy on the Brecon Beacons and provided to the inquest should be released to allow the proceedings to be reported fully.’

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The Guardian, 19th June 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Chagos islanders go to supreme court in battle to be allowed home – The Guardian

‘Former residents of the Chagos Islands who were forcibly removed from their homeland more than 40 years ago will take their long legal battle to the UK’s highest court on Monday.’

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The Guardian, 22nd June 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Release ‘critical’ reports into privately run immigration centres, ICO orders – The Guardian

Posted June 16th, 2015 in disclosure, freedom of information, immigration, news, publishing, reports by sally

‘Potentially damaging reports into the running of two immigration detention centres by private contractors must be released by the Home Office within weeks, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has said.’

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The Guardian, 15th June 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Chilcot report into Iraq war ‘unlikely to be published for another year’ – The Independent

Posted June 15th, 2015 in delay, disclosure, documents, inquiries, Iraq, news by sally

‘The Chilcot report has taken six years and cost £10m but is “unlikely to be published for another year at least”, according to sources close to the inquiry.’

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The Independent, 14th June 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Surrogacy agreement breakdowns–what are the issues? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

‘Are new laws needed to cover surrogacy arrangements and modern family set-ups? Mai-Ling Savage, a barrister and specialist in surrogacy, same-sex parenting and fertility law at Fourteen, a specialist family chambers, analyses a recent case which highlights the lack of a clear legal framework to enforce agreements made before the birth of a child.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 4th June 2015

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

We all had a right to see Prince Charles’s letters. But not any more, it seems – The Guardian

‘Downing Street’s decision to publish the second batch of letters that Prince Charles had sent to ministers was unexpected. The government had been preparing to resist the publication of the latest batch, covering the years 2006 to 2009, even though a previous batch, covering 2004 and 2005, was released after a ten-year legal battle with the Guardian.’

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The Guardian, 4th June 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Leon Brittan and Geoffrey Dickens’ notes from 1980s released – BBC News

‘Letters from the 1980s have been released, in which MP Geoffrey Dickens called for then-Home Secretary Leon Brittan to ban a pro-paedophilia group.’

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BBC News, 4th June 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Regina (AB) v Chief Constable of Hampshire Constabulary – WLR Daily

Regina (AB) v Chief Constable of Hampshire Constabulary [2015] EWHC 1238 (Admin); [2015] WLR (D) 225

‘While the disclosure by police of non-conviction material to a third party involved an interference with a person’s right to respect for his private and family life, within the meaning of article 8 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the common law empowered the police to disclose relevant information to relevant parties, where it was necessary for police purposes such as the public protection. Moreover, the Data Protection Act 1998 and the relevant statutory and administrative codes, provided a sufficiently clear, accessible and consistent set of rules, so as to prevent arbitrary or abusive interference with an individual’s article 8 rights; such that the disclosure would be in accordance with law.’

WLR Daily, 20th May 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Disclosing child protection information: make sure you ask the right questions first – Panopticon

Posted June 2nd, 2015 in child abuse, data protection, disclosure, news, privacy by sally

‘High-profile revelations in recent years illustrate the importance of public authorities sharing information on individuals who are of concern in relation to child protection matters. When inaccurate information is shared, however, the consequences for the individual can be calamitous.’

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Panopticon, 1st June 2015

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

No duty of care to disclose to pregnant daughter father’s genetic disease – High Court – UK Human Rights Blog

‘In short, in 2007 the claimant’s father (‘F’) shot and killed the claimant’s mother. He was convicted of manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility and detained at a hospital run by the second defendant. In 2009 St George’s Hospital diagnosed him as suffering from Huntington’s disease.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 20th May 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Publication of the Black Spider Memos: a hollow victory? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

‘On 13th April, the Guardian were finally able to publish the ‘black spider memos,’ private correspondence between Prince Charles and several government departments between September 2004 and March 2005.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 18th May 2015

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Companies House and the £9m typo – OUP Blog

Posted May 19th, 2015 in appeals, company law, damages, disclosure, mistake, news by sally

‘Conducting business through a company provides tremendous benefits. The price to be paid for these benefits is disclosure – companies are required to disclose substantial amounts of information, with much of this information being disclosed to Companies House. Every day, suppliers, creditors, potential investors, credit agencies and other persons utilise information provided by Companies House to make informed commercial decisions. It is therefore vital that when Companies House records this information into the register of companies, that it is recorded accurately, with the recent case of Sebry v Companies House [2015] EWHC 115 (QB) providing a stark example of the disastrous consequences that can occur if information is incorrectly recorded.’

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OUP Blog, 19th May 2015

Source: http://blog.oup.com

Judges unveil streamlined trial procedures for commercial cases – Litigation Futures

‘A committee of High Court judges, joined by a leading QC and City solicitor, has revealed its recommendations for faster trials of commercial disputes.’

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Litigation Futures, 15th May 2015

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority v Information Commissioner and another – WLR Daily

Posted May 11th, 2015 in disclosure, expenses, freedom of information, law reports, parliament by sally

Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority v Information Commissioner and another [2015] EWCA Civ 388; [2015] WLR (D) 194

‘A journalist who, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, requested information in three invoices submitted by Members of Parliament as expenses claims was entitled to redacted copies of the documents themselves, not merely to a transcript of information contained in those documents, because the transcripts did not provide all the information which the statutory public authority was obliged to disclose to the requester.’

WLR Daily, 28th April 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Judge fires costs warning in face of “documentary carpet bombing” – Litigation Futures

Posted May 7th, 2015 in civil procedure rules, costs, disclosure, documents, news by sally

‘A High Court judge has hit out at the “documentary carpet bombing” he faced in a negligence claim before him and warned litigants of the costs consequences that such behaviour can trigger.’

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Litigation Futures, 7th May 2015

Source: www.litigationfutures.com