Judge appeals for funds to fight judiciary whistleblowing ruling – The Guardian
‘Claire Gilham wants judges to have legal protections for disclosures in public interest.’
The Guardian, 12th November 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
Category: Ministry of Justice
New research questions link between austerity and legal aid cuts – The Bar Council
‘New research commissioned by the Bar Council reveals the full scale of a decade of dis-investment in justice and argues that decisions to make wholesale budget cuts cannot be blamed on austerity measures alone.’
The Bar Council, 1st November 2018
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
Divorce & Financial Remedy Update, October 2018 – Family Law Week
‘Naomi Shelton, Associate, Mills & Reeve LLP considers the news and case law relating to financial remedies and divorce during September 2018.’
Family Law Week, 2nd October 2018
Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk
High Court: Gauke breached principle of judicial independence – Law Society’s Gazette
‘The parole board’s tenure arrangements ‘continue to fail the test of objective independence’ – a High Court judge has said in a ruling that also critcised the actions of justice secretary David Gauke leading up to the departure of its former chair as ‘not acceptable’.’
Law Society's Gazette, 10th August 2018
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Justice secretary wrong to push Parole Board chair to quit, judge rules – The Guardian
‘A high court judge has ruled it was unacceptable for the justice secretary to pressurise the Parole Board chair Nick Hardwick into resigning, and that the board lacks independence from the government.’
The Guardian, 9th August 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
Stephen Lawrence killer David Norris to get damages – BBC News
‘One of Stephen Lawrence’s killers has settled a claim with the Ministry of Justice after he was attacked in prison. David Norris suffered a broken nose and ribs at HMP Belmarsh in 2011 where he was being held on remand ahead of his trial for murder. He sued for damages, reported to be £10,000, after the assault.’
BBC News, 6th July 2018
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
We got it wrong: MoJ admits overcharging for court fees – Law Society’s Gazette
‘The Ministry of Justice has admitted overcharging for a string of different court fees – with the lost income from reducing the fees set to cost around £9m a year. The announcement follows the Gazette’s revelation that some personal injury claimants had been overcharged by more than £100 for starting proceedings in the High Court and County Court since 2016.’
Law Society's Gazette, 4th July 2018
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Law Centres Network wins battle with MoJ over housing legal aid scheme changes – Local Government Lawyer
‘A High Court judge has quashed changes introduced by the Ministry of Justice to the Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme (HPCDS), it has been reported.’
Local Government Lawyer, 22nd June 2018
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
MoJ to review use of pain-inducing restraint on young offenders – The Guardian
‘The Ministry of Justice is launching a review of the use of pain-inducing restraint across all child prisons and escorting procedures after a children’s charity threatened legal action.’
The Guardian, 7th June 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
MoJ postpones plans to reduce female prison population – The Guardian
‘A multimillion pound government strategy to reduce the number of women being jailed for non-violent offences has been postponed, the Guardian can disclose. Plans to set up community prisons for women and to launch a scheme that would provide support for female offenders were supposed to be announced this month. The Ministry of Justice has delayed finalisation of the strategy, which is now going to be rewritten.’
The Guardian, 2nd May 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
Duty of Care Owed by the MoJ to Serving Prisoners Limited to Matters Arising out of their Custody – Zenith Chambers
‘In this case the claimant claimed damages from the MoJ for personal arising from clinical negligence and breach of his rights under ECHR art.3.’
Zenith Chambers, 2nd March 2018
Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk
Accountants to challenge government decision on rights to handle legal work – Legal Futures
‘The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) has launched judicial review proceedings against the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) over the decision to deny its members the right to conduct litigation, advocacy and legal instruments work, Legal Futures can reveal.’
Legal Futures, 6th March 2018
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Ministry of Justice not liable for clinical negligence in prison – UK Human Rights Blog
‘In Razumas v Ministry of Justice [2018] EHWC 215 a prisoner who had made a claim for clinical negligence against the Ministry of Justice, rather than against the specific health care provider, had his claim dismissed.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 26th February 2018
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
Passing the justice parcel – Counsel
“Clarke 28; Grayling 32; Gove 14; Truss 11; Lidington 7. The names are familiar. In some cases, the change was welcome.The numbers are rather too reminiscent of recent Ashes scorecards for the England top batting order. They are no more impressive in their true context: the number of months in office as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. The average for the preceding 70 years was at least 56: over 4½ years. The trend is far from welcome.”
Counsel, February 2018
Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk
Newspapers threaten legal action for Worboys parole report – BBC News
‘Two newspapers have threatened legal action if the Parole Board does not publish its reasons for agreeing to release convicted rapist John Worboys.’
BBC News, 24th January 2018
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
UK courts service spending sees tenfold rise since 2010 – The Guardian
‘The courts service spent £50m last year on agency and contract staff, a more than tenfold rise since 2010 when it spent less than £4m, while courts have been closing at an unprecedented rate.’
The Guardian, 21st January 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
New lord chancellor prioritises parole transparency review – Law Society’s Gazette
‘Less than 24 hours after the prime minister handed the justice brief to solicitor David Gauke as part of a cabinet reshuffle, the new lord chancellor says he has begun the process of making parole decisions more transparent.’
Law Society's Gazette, January 2018
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
MoJ spending huge sums on consultants to help deliver digital courts – The Guardian
‘The Ministry of Justice is spending tens of millions of pounds on management consultants to help deliver online and digital court programmes that are designed to save money and improve access to justice.’
The Guardian, 2nd January 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
MoJ formally rules out review of legal regulation and complete independence for regulators – Legal Futures
‘The current framework of legal regulation is “inconsistent”, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) accepted today, but said it could not commit to the formal review sought by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and others.’
Legal Futures, 19th December 2017
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
