Society calls for delay to legal aid bill – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 18th, 2011 in bills, legal aid, ministers' powers and duties, news by sally

“The Law Society today called on the government to delay passage of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, after Jonathan Djanogly was stripped of responsibility for regulating claims management companies.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 18th October 2011

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Justice minister stripped of powers – The Guardian

Posted October 18th, 2011 in conflict of interest, ministers' powers and duties, news by sally

“The justice minister, Jonathan Djanogly, has been stripped of his responsibility to regulate firms that ‘ambulance chase’ the public following a Guardian investigation that revealed how he and his family could profit from controversial changes to legal aid he was piloting in parliament.”

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The Guardian, 17th October 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Oliver Letwin faces investigation after disposing of documents in park bin – The Guardian

Posted October 14th, 2011 in data protection, ministers' powers and duties, news by tracey

“The office of the Information Commissioner has confirmed it is investigating claims that the Conservative minister Oliver Letwin has been disposing of government documents in bins in a park close to Downing Street.”

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The Guardian, 14th October 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Justice minister failed to declare interest in industry he regulates – The Guardian

Posted October 3rd, 2011 in conflict of interest, ministers' powers and duties, news by sally

“The justice minister Jonathan Djanogly failed to declare that his children were minority shareholders in his brother-in-law’s businesses – two firms which advertise accident compensation claims and are part of an industry that Djanogly regulates in government, the Guardian can reveal.”

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The Guardian, 2nd October 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Panic as ministers are warned they may have to disclose personal emails – The Independent

“David Cameron and his most senior aides face being forced to open up their private email accounts to see if they contain details of sensitive government business hidden from the Civil Service. A meeting of permanent secretaries yesterday discussed ordering a ‘trawl’ of personal email accounts held by Mr Cameron, senior aides and government ministers to see if they contain messages which fall within the remit of the Freedom of Information Act, The Independent understands.”

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The Independent, 22nd September 2011

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Michael Gove faces questions over use of private email – Daily Telegraph

“Michael Gove and his closest advisers are under scrutiny after Government business was apparently conducted using personal email accounts.”

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Daily Telegraph, 20th September 2011

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Ministers ‘could get powers to overrule European Court of Human Rights’ – The Guardian

Posted September 9th, 2011 in human rights, ministers' powers and duties, news by tracey

“The European Court of Human Rights could have its powers downgraded by handing ministers across the continent the right to strike down rulings under plans being examined by the British government. A commission set up by the government to examine reforms to the Strasbourg-based ECHR has floated the idea of handing ministers and parliamentarians on the Council of Europe the right to override rulings of the court.”

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The Guardian, 9th September 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

“Corporate failure by MoD” finds Baha Mousa inquiry – UK Human Rights Blog

“The 1,400 page final report on the inquiry into the death of Baha Mousa has been published today after three years of hearings. The chairman of the inquiry, retired Court of Appeal judge Sir William Gage, has condemned members of the 1st Battalion The Queen’s Lancashire Regiment for their ‘lack of moral courage’ to report abuse and the use of banned interrogation after Mousa died of 93 injuries in British army custody in Basra in 2003.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 8th September 2011

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Related link: The Report of the Baha Mousa Inquiry

Hillsborough disaster files decision challenged by government – The Guardian

“The government is to appeal against a ruling that Margaret Thatcher’s discussions about the Hillsborough tragedy should be made public.”

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The Guardian, 17th August 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

England riots: ministers wrong to ‘steer’ courts, says Lord Carlile – The Guardian

Posted August 18th, 2011 in judiciary, ministers' powers and duties, news, sentencing, violent disorder by sally

“The government’s former terror adviser has intervened in the row over the sentencing of people who took part in last week’s riots, accusing ministers of appearing to ‘steer’ the courts into handing down the more stringent sentences.”

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The Guardian, 17th August 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Sharon Shoesmith unfair dismissal ruling backed by supreme court – The Guardian

“The supreme court has rejected applications by the Department for Education and Haringey council to challenge a landmark ruling that Sharon Shoesmith was unfairly sacked following the death of Baby P.”

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The Guardian, 2nd August 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Regina (Shoesmith) v OFSTED and others – WLR Daily

Regina (Shoesmith) v OFSTED and others [2011] EWCA Civ 642; [2011] WLR (D) 184

“The report of Ofsted into child safeguarding arrangements within a local authority, requested by the Secretary of State for Education following the death of a child while on the authority’s child protection register, was properly and fairly carried out under the statutory requirements of section 20 of the Children Act 2004. In the circumstances, more formal and demanding standards were not obligatory.”

WLR Daily, 27th May 2011

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Please note that once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

The House of Lords is keeping ministers’ Henry VIII powers in check – The Guardian

“The government’s little-reported announcement last week that it will no longer bypass parliament when it abolishes public bodies is a sign that the House of Lords is working effectively: even ministers now understand that the best thing to do when they find themselves in a hole is to stop digging.”

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The Guardian, 9th March 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Ministers face high court battle over cap on immigration – The Guardian

Posted September 24th, 2010 in immigration, judicial review, ministers' powers and duties, news by sally

“A high court battle is to be launched that threatens to deliver a fresh body-blow to the government’s already troubled plans to introduce a cap on immigration.”

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The Guardian, 23rd September 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Post-It notes and the end of written history – BBC News

“The new coalition government is currently deciding when the legislation, which follows a review of secrecy rules by a committee chaired by Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre, will come into effect.”

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BBC News, 1st July 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Justice ministers’ responsibilities announced – Ministry of Justice

Posted May 20th, 2010 in ministers' powers and duties, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

“Roles and responsibilities for new ministers at the Ministry of Justice have today been confirmed.”

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Ministry of Justice, 20th May 2010

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Ken Clarke is a good fit for the Ministry of Justice – The Guardian

“Conservative stalwart has quality of reliability that suggests he is not prepared to be pushed around by officials or lawyers.”

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The Guardian, 13th May 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Spies must seek ministerial green light to pay bribes, Lords rules – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 9th, 2010 in bills, bribery, intelligence services, ministers' powers and duties, news, spying by sally

“Spies will have to seek permission from ministers before paying bribes to ‘contacts’, the House of Lords has ruled.”

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Daily Telegraph, 9th February 2010

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

R (Friends of the Earth and another) v Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change – WLR Daily

R (Friends of the Earth and another) v Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change [2009] EWCA Civ 810; [2009] WLR (D) 276

“On an application for judicial review of the Secretary of State’s alleged failure to take steps to implement targets specified in the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 and the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy, and in particular for eliminating fuel poverty ‘as far as reasonably practicable’, where the legal obligation on the Secretary of State had been defined in terms of effort and endeavour, arguments as to the desirability of the Government’s policy on the use of available money were not apt to found an argument of breach of statutory duty and judicial review, absent a rationality challenge.”

WLR Daily, 31st July 2009

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Regina (Al-Sweady and Others) v Secretary of State for Defence – Times Law Reports

Regina (Al-Sweady and Others) v Secretary of State for Defence

Queen’s Bench Divisional Court

“The complete integrity of public interest immunity certificates and the schedules attached to them, signed by ministers of the Crown, was absolutely essential in all cases in which they were put forward. The courts had to be able to have complete confidence in them. Nothing less was acceptable.”

The Times, 3rd August 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk