MPs could face ban on hiring family and spouses under expenses review – The Independent

Posted April 5th, 2016 in expenses, families, housing, news, parliament by sally

‘MPs who employ relatives and claim money to rent accomodation could soon be blocked under a new review of politicians’ expenses.’

Full story

The Independent, 4th April 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Legal expenses insurance tax hike is yet another barrier to justice – The Bar Council

Posted March 21st, 2016 in barristers, budgets, costs, expenses, fees, insurance, press releases, taxation by tracey

‘The Bar Council has warned that the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Budget announcement that the Insurance Premium Tax will go up yet again is another barrier for hardworking individuals and families seeking justice.’

Full press release

The Bar Council, 18th March 2016

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

MP Simon Danczuk admits wrongly claiming £11,000 expenses – BBC News

Posted March 18th, 2016 in expenses, news, parking, parliament by tracey

‘MP Simon Danczuk has been ordered to repay thousands of pounds after admitting an expenses claims “error”.’

Full story

BBC News, 18th March 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Decision on proposal for new October bill of costs is postponed – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 12th, 2016 in bills, civil procedure rules, computer programs, costs, expenses, law firms, news by sally

‘The committee set up to decide the future of legal costs in civil litigation has recommended that a new of bill of costs based on electronic assessment should be in place from October.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 11th January 2016

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Management consultant charges mother £400 for each visit to nursing home – Court of Protection – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted October 29th, 2015 in expenses, families, news, powers of attorney, remuneration by sally

‘This Court of Protection case has, unusually, made the papers, and when you read the details you won’t be surprised. What the judge described as a “callous and calculating” son charged his widowed mother, who suffered from dementia, more than £117 000 for “out of pocket expenses” visiting her in her nursing home. He had been in charge of her expenses since 2004 when Sheila (the mother) had been admitted to hospital under the Mental Health Act 1983. But alarm bells only went off after her unpaid nursing bills reached nearly £30 000. The Public Guardian launched an enquiry that led to this hearing of an application for the court to revoke the son’s (Martin’s) Enduring Power of Attorney (‘EPA’) and to direct him to cancel its registration. The Public Guardian also applied to freeze Sheila’s bank account.’

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 28th October 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Former Ukip MEP sentenced to five years in prison for expenses fraud – The Guardian

Posted July 14th, 2015 in expenses, fraud, news, sentencing by tracey

‘Ashley Mote, who submitted bogus European parliamentary expenses claims of almost £500,000, ‘lied and lied’ throughout his trial.’

Full story

BBC News, 13th July 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

MoD secretary Yasmin Disney jailed for £100k fraud – The Independent

Posted June 10th, 2015 in armed forces, expenses, fraud, news, sentencing by sally

‘A former MoD secretary who submitted £100,000 in false expenses to buy a sports car and luxury holidays has been jailed for her “spree of dishonesty”.’

Full story

The Independent, 10th June 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

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

Ipsa loses court of appeal challenge over MPs’ expenses – The Guardian

Posted April 28th, 2015 in appeals, disclosure, documents, expenses, freedom of information, news, parliament by sally

‘The regulatory body set up after the MPs’ expenses scandal has lost a test case challenge in the court of appeal against an order that it must release copies of receipts and invoices submitted by politicians.’

Full story

The Guardian, 28th April 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Supreme Court: legal expenses insurance premium could not be recovered with costs – OUT-LAW.com

Posted February 2nd, 2015 in appeals, costs, expenses, insurance, news, proportionality, Supreme Court by sally

‘The successful party in a civil court case is not entitled to recover the cost of any ‘after the event’ (ATE) legal expenses insurance premium from an unsuccessful opponent, no mater how “reasonable” it was to have taken out the policy in the first place, the UK’s highest court has ruled.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 30th January 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Commons watchdog will publish names of MPs facing expenses investigation – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 16th, 2014 in disclosure, expenses, media, news, parliament, privacy, private hearings by tracey

‘IPSA will name MPs who face investigation into their expenses, but they will be able to have the hearings in private.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 15th December 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Police watchdog has carried out six investigations into commissioners – The Guardian

Posted December 1st, 2014 in complaints, expenses, news, police by tracey

‘The policing watchdog for England and Wales has carried out six investigations into police and crime commissioners since they took up their posts two years ago.’

Full story

The Guardian, 1st December 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Nigel Farage fined £200 for failure to declare free office space – The Guardian

Posted October 22nd, 2014 in elections, expenses, fines, news, political parties by sally

‘Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader, has been fined £200 for breaking electoral law after he failed to declare that he was getting office space free.’

Full story

The Guardian, 21st October 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Maria Miller expenses report: minister must repay expenses and apologise – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 3rd, 2014 in expenses, news, parliament, repayment, reports by tracey

‘Maria Miller must pay back £5,800 worth of expenses and apologise for her behaviour in a personal statement in the House of Commons, says report.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 3rd April 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

“Game, set but not quite match” following the C of A decision re rents in administration – 11 Stone Buildings

Posted March 10th, 2014 in administrators, expenses, insolvency, leases, news, rent by sally

‘Many commercial landlords will be delighted with the Court of Appeal’s unanimous decision in Jervis v Pillar Denton Limited (Game Station) and Others [2014] EWCA Civ 180, overruling the decisions in Goldacre and Luminar. The Court of Appeal held that, applying the Lundy Granite principle, the question of whether quarterly rent due under a lease was an administration expense or a provable debt depended not on whether the rent fell due during the period of the administration, but whether the property had been used for the benefit of the administration. Sarah Clarke gives the background to these cases, sets out the Game appeal decision and highlights its consequences as well as the real concerns for officeholders.’

Full story

11 Stone Buildings, February 2014

Source: www.11sb.com

Jervis and others v Pillar Denton Ltd (Game Station) and others – WLR Daily

Posted February 28th, 2014 in administrators, expenses, insolvency, law reports, rent by sally

Jervis and others v Pillar Denton Ltd (Game Station) and others [2014] EWCA Civ 180 ; [2014] WLR (D) 94

‘In the context of insolvency, where rent was payable in advance the office holder should make payments at the rate of the rent for the duration of any period during which he retained possession of the demised property for the benefit of the winding up or administration. The rent would be treated as accruing from day to day. Those payments were payable as expenses of the winding up or administration. The duration of the period was a question of fact and was not determined merely by reference to which rent days occurred before, during or after that period.’

WLR Daily, 24th February 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

US extradition fight cost couple their jobs, savings and health, court told – The Independent

Posted February 7th, 2014 in expenses, extradition, fraud, news by tracey

‘The lives of a British couple who are fighting extradition to the United States over an alleged work expenses fraud have been “shattered”, the High Court has heard. Paul and Sandra Dunham, from Northampton, launched their action after the US Department of Justice sought their extradition over what the couple claim is an “employment-related dispute”.’

Full story

The Independent, 7th February 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Stephen Bett mileage: IPCC considers Norfolk PCC claim – BBC C News

Posted December 19th, 2013 in complaints, expenses, news, police by tracey

‘Mileage claims lodged by a police and crime commissioner are being looked at by the police watchdog.’

Full story

BBC News, 19th December 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

West Midlands CPS pair jailed for £1m taxi fares scam – BBC News

Posted September 2nd, 2013 in Crown Prosecution Service, expenses, fraud, news, sentencing, taxis by sally

“A former Crown Prosecution Service finance manager and her partner have been jailed for making bogus expenses claims worth more than £1m.”

Full story

BBC News, 30th August 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

More couples opt for DIY divorce as legal fees rise – LegalVoice

Posted August 21st, 2013 in arbitration, budgets, divorce, expenses, family courts, fees, news by sally

“With the legal fees for a ‘simple’ divorce in London now at £2,500, DIY divorce websites are reporting a sharp rise in the number of couples using their services.”

Full story

LegalVoice, 19th August 2013

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk