Category: government departments

Nicholas Reed Langen: Confronting Climate Change in the Courts – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted April 28th, 2021 in climate change, constitutional law, courts, environmental protection, government departments, judiciary, news by sally

‘Talk is cheap. Governments, particularly wealthy, western ones, have been quick to make promises on climate change. They swear blind that they understand the threat the world faces, and that they will implement a policy response commensurate with it. Few nations have adopted this rhetoric as determinedly as the UK, with the British government promising to transform the UK into a net-zero country by 2050, an oath enshrined in law through the passing of the Climate Change Act 2008 (Order 2019) by Parliament in the summer of 2019.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 27th April 2021

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Grenfell: Government defeated on fire safety costs bill – BBC News

Posted April 28th, 2021 in accidents, bills, building law, fire, government departments, health & safety, housing, leases, news, parliament by sally

‘The government has been defeated for a fourth time on its Fire Safety Bill as the House of Lords voted to shield residents from fire safety work costs.’

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BBC News, 27th April 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

I suffered faith-based conversion therapy – Boris Johnson’s religious loophole is deeply worrying – The Independent

Posted April 28th, 2021 in equality, government departments, homosexuality, news, sexual orientation discrimination by sally

‘By creating exemptions in legislation to ban conversion therapies, we leave thousands of young people vulnerable to abuse. I can no more cure my sexuality than I can scrub the brown from my skin.’

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The Independent, 28th April 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Dropping of stalkers’ register from bill an ‘insult to victims’ – The Guardian

Posted April 28th, 2021 in bills, criminal records, domestic violence, government departments, news, stalking, victims by sally

‘Ministers have been accused of misleading and insulting victims after a push by a cross-party group of peers to create an automatic register of dangerous domestic abusers and stalkers was dropped.’

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The Guardian, 27th April 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Home Office Windrush decision was irrational, holds High Court – EIN Blog

Posted April 27th, 2021 in citizenship, colonies, government departments, immigration, news by sally

‘Hubert Howard was born in 1956 and came to the United Kingdom in 1960, aged almost 4 from Jamaica. He was part of the Windrush Generation. No doubt like all West Indians of that time, including my parents, he thought he was a British Citizen.’

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EIN Blog, 27th April 2021

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Home Office to resume evicting some asylum seekers ‘with immediate effect’ – The Guardian

Posted April 27th, 2021 in asylum, coronavirus, government departments, homelessness, housing, news by sally

‘The Home Office is starting the process of evicting some asylum seekers from their accommodation “with immediate effect” after a pause of almost a year because of the pandemic, according to internal documents seen by the Guardian.’

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The Guardian, 27th April 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

JR reform backlash intensifies – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 26th, 2021 in consultations, government departments, judicial review, lord chancellor, news, time limits by sally

‘Widespread relief that the panel tasked with conducting an independent review of administrative law did not recommend wholesale reform of judicial review proved short-lived when the lord chancellor revealed that the report was just a “starting point”. It quickly became apparent that the government wants to go much further than Lord Faulks’ recommendations.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 26th April 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Home Office unlawfully refused Windrush citizens status over minor criminal records, High Court rules – The Independent

Posted April 26th, 2021 in citizenship, colonies, criminal records, government departments, immigration, news by sally

‘Windrush victims have been unlawfully denied British citizenship on the grounds of minor criminal records, the High Court has ruled. In a judgement handed down on Friday, the Home Office was found to have wrongly imposed the “good character” requirement on Windrush cases, which led to people who have been in Britain for decades being refused citizenship on the basis of minor convictions.’

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The Independent, 24th April 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

New inquiry to be launched into civil servants taking second jobs – The Guardian

Posted April 26th, 2021 in civil servants, codes of practice, employment, government departments, inquiries, lobbying, news by sally

‘A new inquiry will be launched into civil servants taking second jobs, likely leading to officials facing tougher scrutiny after the Greensill scandal, the Guardian has learned.’

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The Guardian, 25th April 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

EU countries rule out bilateral asylum deals in blow to Priti Patel’s immigration plans – The Independent

Posted April 26th, 2021 in asylum, brexit, deportation, EC law, government departments, immigration, news, refugees by sally

‘n a major blow to Priti Patel’s immigration plans, EU countries have said they will not strike bilateral agreements with Britain to facilitate the deportation of refugees to Europe.’

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The Independent, 26th April 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Report condemns Home Office failures at barracks used to house asylum seekers – The Guardian

Posted April 23rd, 2021 in asylum, coronavirus, detention, government departments, health & safety, immigration, news by sally

‘The full scale of Home Office failures in managing former military sites as makeshift accommodation for asylum seekers is laid bare in a raft of damning documents seen by the Guardian.’

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The Guardian, 23rd April 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

High court to hear legal battle over UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia – The Guardian

Posted April 23rd, 2021 in government departments, news, sale of goods, Saudi Arabia, war, war crimes, weapons by sally

‘Anti-arms trade campaigners have been given permission to challenge in the high court the UK government’s decision to resume the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia that could be used in the war in Yemen.’

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The Guardian, 22nd April 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Parliament’s power needs to be restored after its ‘shocking’ marginalisation by government – UCL Constitution Unit

Posted April 21st, 2021 in constitutional law, coronavirus, emergency powers, government departments, news, parliament by sally

‘The Constitution Unit has jointly written a briefing to all MPs – summarised in a letter in the Times published on 21 April 2021 – with the Hansard Society, Public Law Project and Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law warning that parliamentary accountability and control over decisions have diminished to a degree that would have been unthinkable before COVID-19. Individual MPs have also been shut out of participation, and the vast majority of Commons votes are now held by party whips.’

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UCL Constitution Unit, 21st April 2021

Source: www.ucl.ac.uk

‘No meaningful parliamentary debate or scrutiny’ of Covid laws, says former government legal chief – The Independent

Posted April 21st, 2021 in constitutional law, coronavirus, emergency powers, government departments, news, parliament by sally

‘The British government’s former top lawyer has called for urgent changes to the way coronavirus laws are made after a year without any “meaningful parliamentary debate or scrutiny”.’

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The Independent, 20th April 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Mandatory vaccinations for care home workers – a slippery slope? – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted April 19th, 2021 in care homes, consultations, coronavirus, employment, government departments, human rights, news, vaccination by sally

‘Or, as Andrew Neil put it on the Spectator TV News Channel this week, “A Dripping Roast For Lawyers”. To be fair, Neil was referring to the patchwork of mandatory vaccines across the United States. But with the publication yesterday of the Government’s consultation paper on vaccine requirements for all staff deployed in a care home supporting at least one older adult over the age of 65, the debate raging about “vaccine passports” has a real target in its sights. Not only because the government has found some primary legislation that gives it the power to introduce mandatory vaccinations, but also because the proposals are not limited to employees.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 16th April 2021

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

HS2: Judge orders pause on tree felling at wood that inspired Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox – The Independent

Posted April 19th, 2021 in animals, environmental protection, government departments, judicial review, licensing, news, railways, transport, trees by sally

‘A High Court judge has ordered HS2 to stop felling trees at a wood that inspired Roald Dahl to write Fantastic Mr Fox, ahead of a hearing into whether the government licences were issued legitimately.’

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The Independent, 17th April 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Wife of British wrestling champion refused UK visa – The Independent

Posted April 19th, 2021 in families, government departments, immigration, married persons, news, refugees, sport, visas by sally

‘The wife of a British wrestling champion who has won gold medals for the country has hit out at the UK’s “cruel” immigration rules after his wife was refused a visa.’

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The Independent, 17th April 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Home Office breaching human rights law by failing to investigate detainee deaths, court rules – The Independent

Posted April 16th, 2021 in death in custody, deportation, detention, government departments, human rights, immigration, news, witnesses by sally

‘The Home Office’s policy for investigating deaths in immigration detention has been found to breach human rights law.’

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The Independent, 15th April 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Demands for ‘urgent’ reform after watchdog finds ‘no boundaries’ for civil servants in private jobs – The Independent

Posted April 16th, 2021 in civil servants, conflict of interest, government departments, lobbying, news, ombudsmen, parliament, political parties by sally

‘The head of a Whitehall watchdog has called for “urgent” reform of the system for vetting private sector appointments for senior civil servants and ministers, warning that “there doesn’t seem to have been any boundaries at all” for an adviser who moved straight from the heart of government to the failed finance company Greensill.’

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The Independent, 16th April 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

High Court quashes inspector’s decision in case involving challenges under both sections 288 and 289 TCPA 1990 – No. 5 Chambers

Posted April 14th, 2021 in appeals, chambers articles, enforcement notices, government departments, local government, news, planning by sally

‘Planning analysis: In considering challenges under sections 288 and 289 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (TCPA 1990) heard together, the High Court quashed an inspector’s decision to uphold an appeal against an enforcement notice and to grant planning permission. The TCPA 1990, s 289 challenge had been conceded in advance of the hearing, but the parties disagreed about whether the inspector’s decision should be quashed in its entirety as a consequence. Mrs Justice Lang allowed the TCPA 1990, s 288 challenge on the basis of failures in the inspector’s consideration of development plan policies, but said that she would have quashed the decision anyway.’

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No. 5 Chambers, 8th April 2021

Source: www.no5.com