’Irrelevant’ criminal record checks harm ex-offenders’ job hopes – The Guardian

‘The criminal records system is hampering the rehabilitation of ex-offenders, according to new figures. Nearly three quarters of the million or so convictions revealed to employers each year in criminal records checks are more than a decade old. Only around 5,000 – one in 197 – are considered relevant to a person’s job application.’

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The Guardian, 25th November 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

NHS pays out record compensation to cancer patients – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 27th, 2017 in cancer, compensation, damages, freedom of information, health, negligence, news by sally

‘The number of cancer patients successfully suing the NHS for missed diagnoses has doubled in the past five years, new figures show.’

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Daily Telegraph, 26th November 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Serious Fraud Office zeros in on large-scale fraud as prosecutions for other offences fall – The Independent

‘As the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) increasingly focuses on large-scale frauds, the overall number of fraud prosecutions in the UK is falling, new figures show.’

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The Independent, 5th November 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Rogue landlords enjoy an easy ride as councils fail to prosecute – The Guardian

‘Councils across Britain have been accused of letting rogue landlords off the hook, after new figures revealed that most have failed to secure a single prosecution.’

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The Guardian, 28th October 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Suspicious transaction reports to FCA soar to record high – OUT-LAW.com

‘The number of reports notifying the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) of suspicious transactions have risen to their highest ever level, more than doubling in the last two years.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 23rd October 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

One in five stopped by immigration enforcement is a UK citizen, figures show – The Guardian

‘One in five people stopped by immigration enforcement teams in Britain’s biggest cities is a UK national, according to newly revealed figures that critics say cast doubt on official claims that such stops are “intelligence-led”.’

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The Guardian, 8th October 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Number of child-on-child sexual assaults almost doubles – Daily Telegraph

‘Reports of children sexually assaulting each other have almost doubled in the last four years, figures show as experts blame the rise in the availability of online pornography.’

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Daily Telegraph, 9th October 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Up to a quarter of secondary schools break the law by failing to teach religious education, survey finds – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 18th, 2017 in education, freedom of information, news, statistics by tracey

‘Up to a quarter of secondary schools are breaking the law by failing to teach religious education, a new survey has shown, as one expert said the subject can be seen as an “easy loss” amid financial pressure.’

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Daily Telegraph, 17th September 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Police ‘may work with paedophile hunters’ – BBC News

‘Police have admitted they may have to work with “paedophile hunters” after research revealed a rise in their evidence being used in court. Figures obtained by the BBC show 11% of court cases in 2014 for the crime of meeting a child following sexual grooming used vigilante evidence, rising to 44% in 2016.’

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BBC News, 18th September 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Can police forces publish misconduct investigation reports? Should they? – UK Police Law Blog

‘Publication of misconduct investigation reports can give rise to difficult and important questions, particularly in cases where there has been no misconduct hearing because there has been a determination of “no case to answer”, or because the accused officer has resigned or retired.’

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UK Police Law Blog, 11th September 2017

Source: ukpolicelawblog.com

Abused children ‘refused compensation’ over consent – BBC News

Posted September 11th, 2017 in child abuse, compensation, consent, freedom of information, news, sexual grooming, victims by tracey

‘A woman sexually abused as a child by a grooming gang leader was told by a government body she “consented” to it. Sammy Woodhouse was initially denied compensation by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) which said she was not “manipulated”. A Freedom of Information request revealed she is one of nearly 700 child victims of sexual abuse, including grooming, to be refused payments.’

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BBC News, 11th September 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Use of cloud-based communications raises challenges over compliance with FOI laws, says watchdog – OUT-LAW.com

‘The use of cloud-based communications tools by employees of public sector bodies presents challenges over the way those organisations comply with freedom of information (FOI) laws in the UK, the information commissioner has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, September 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

DVLA bans over 300 potentially offensive licence plates – BBC News

Posted August 25th, 2017 in Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency, freedom of information, news by sally

‘More than 300 vehicle licence plates have been banned from use when the 67 registrations are released on 1 September.’

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BBC News, 25th August 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

The Wages of Sin is: the Ability to Rely on Section 12 – Panopticon

‘What happens when your FOIA request to a public authority is met with the response that it would breach the cost limits set under section 12 to respond to the request because the authority’s record keeping systems are in a particular (i.e. poor) state? In a word: tough.’

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Panopticon, 24th August 2017

Source: panopticonblog.com

Four fold increase in fines under ‘busybody charter’ – Daily Telegraph

‘A four-fold increase in the number of fines issued under the “busybody charter” has been described as “utterly alarming”, with councils cracking down on activities such as feeding birds, walking dogs and playing loud bhangra music.’

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Daily Telegraph, 31st July 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Dog attack powers ‘not being used’ – BBC News

‘Powers introduced to curb dog attacks are not being used by the authorities, a Freedom of Information request by the Victoria Derbyshire show suggests.’

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BBC News, 24th July 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UK’s refusal to reveal legal advice on drone killings faces challenge – The Guardian

‘Campaigners appeal against ruling that government can keep advice secret because it relates to security agencies.’

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The Guardian, 20th July 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Proposals to make free movement of data a principle of EU law expected this autumn – OUT-LAW.com

Posted July 19th, 2017 in data protection, EC law, freedom of information, internet, news, speeches by sally

‘The free movement of non-personal data is to be enshrined in EU law, the commissioner for the digital single market Andrus Ansip has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 18th July 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Information law: when something is “on” an environmental measure – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted July 3rd, 2017 in electricity, environmental protection, freedom of information, news by tracey

‘Department for Business, Energy and Industry Strategy v. Information Commissioner and Henney [2017] EWCA Civ 844. As many will know, there are two different systems of freedom of information, the first and better known, the Freedom for Information Act 2000, and the second, the Environmental Information Regulations 2009. From the perspective of the inquirer (Mr Henney, here), the EIRs are the more favourable, and it was the differences between the systems which gave rise to this long-running dispute to do with energy Smart Meters.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 30th June 2017

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Don’t mention the bigger picture – Panopticon

‘The definition of ‘environmental information’ is notoriously wide. Notorious too is the difficulty of applying it and the lack of binding authority on how to go about the task.’

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Panopticon, 29th June 2017

Source: panopticonblog.com