New ‘watchdog’ and ‘monitor’ will hold reformed Highways Agency to account, says UK government – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 30th, 2014 in bills, enforcement, fines, government departments, news, road traffic by sally

‘New bodies which will monitor the performance of the strategic road network and champion the needs of its users will be created as part of plans to hold a reconstituted Highways Agency to account, the UK government has announced.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 29th October 2014

Source: www.out-law.com

Diversity quotas back on agenda at league table launch – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 30th, 2014 in diversity, legal profession, news, quotas by sally

‘One of the founders of the Black Solicitors Network (BSN) has called on the legal regulators to consider introducing quotas and targets to promote diversity.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 30th October 2014

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Necessity or Ideology? – London Review of Books

Posted October 30th, 2014 in civil justice, legal aid, news by sally

‘In the 12th and 13th centuries, judges would be sent out from Westminster every seven years to adjudicate on any disputes that had come about since their last sojourn. In 1292, in Shropshire, Alice Knotte complained that Thomas Champeneys ‘detaineth from her seven shillings in money and a surcoat of the value of three shillings’. ‘Alice can get no justice at all,’ she protested, ‘seeing that she is poor and that this Thomas is rich.’ She implored the judge: ‘I have none to help me save God and you.’’

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London Review of Books, 6th November 2014

Source: www.lrb.co.uk

Senior Costs Judge: bids for adjournments based on Coventry receiving “short shrift” – Litigation Futures

Posted October 30th, 2014 in adjournment, costs, judges, news by sally

‘Applications for adjournments of costs assessment until the Supreme Court’s decision in Coventry v Lawrence are rightly being given “short shrift”, the Senior Costs Judge has said.’

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Litigation Futures, 30th October 2014

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Probation union launches legal challenge over government reforms – BBC News

Posted October 30th, 2014 in contracting out, news, probation, trade unions by sally

‘A legal challenge to government plans to privatise some probation services in England and Wales has been launched by the probation officers’ union Napo.’

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BBC News, 30th October 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Judicial reviews against government up 92% since 2010 – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 30th, 2014 in government departments, judicial review, news, statistics by sally

‘The number of judicial reviews involving government departments has almost doubled since 2010, the government has revealed.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 29th October 2014

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Pensions Regulator fines first employers for breaches of automatic enrolment duties – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 30th, 2014 in employment, enforcement, fines, news, pensions, reports by sally

‘The amount of enforcement action taken against employers for non-compliance with their automatic enrolment duties rose considerably in September, according to the Pensions Regulator, which has also recently issued its first fines for breaches.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 29th October 2014

Source: www.out-law.com

Good Things Come to Those Who (Have Inherent) Weight – Panopticon

Posted October 30th, 2014 in appeals, disclosure, freedom of information, news, public interest, tribunals by sally

‘Philosophically, everything must have an inherent weight. Otherwise it would have no weight at all. But FOIA is not concerned with philosophy; it is much more concerned with who is in charge of the sheep dip, and indeed the levels of public funding for the sheep being dipped. (No points for spotting that reference, Bruce.) As a result, there are often debates in the FOIA case law about whether a particular qualified exemption contains an inherent weight, i.e. is the fact that the exemption is engaged at all sufficient to place some weight in the public interest balance against disclosure? The answer varies according to the particular exemption.’

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Panopticon, 29th October 2014

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Consultation duty gets to the Supreme Court – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted October 30th, 2014 in appeals, consultations, local government, news, Supreme Court, taxation by sally

‘Lord Wilson posed the question, answered today by the Supreme Court, with concision. When Parliament requires a local authority to consult interested persons before making a decision which would potentially affect all of its inhabitants, what are the ingredients of the requisite consultation?’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 29th October 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Q&A: Probation reforms explained – BBC News

Posted October 30th, 2014 in charities, contracting out, news, probation, rehabilitation by sally

‘In June the government put into force plans to change the way the probation service runs, and forged ahead with proposals to privatise parts of it. But why are some people unhappy about this?’

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BBC News, 29th October 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Badger cull protesters lose legal battle – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 30th, 2014 in agriculture, animals, appeals, environmental health, news, pilot schemes by sally

‘Court of Appeal judges dismiss campaigners’ claim Government acting unlawfully by allowing latest badger culls to go ahead without monitoring by independent expert panel.’

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Daily Telegraph, 29th October 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Punitive drug law enforcement failing, says Home Office study – The Guardian

Posted October 30th, 2014 in crime, drug abuse, drug offences, enforcement, evidence, health, news, reports by sally

‘There is no evidence that tough enforcement of the drug laws on personal possession leads to lower levels of drug use, according to the government’s first evidence-based study.’

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The Guardian, 30th October 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Voyeur teacher Gareth Williams has jail term cut – BBC News

Posted October 29th, 2014 in appeals, news, sentencing, teachers, video recordings, voyeurism by sally

‘A Cardiff deputy head teacher who secretly filmed pupils going to the toilet has had his “manifestly excessive” five-year jail term cut to four by the Court of Appeal.’

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BBC News, 28th October 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

High security prisoners offered academic course to learn about ’causes of crime’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 29th, 2014 in news, prisons, rehabilitation, universities by sally

‘Academics from Durham University will teach criminology to prisoners and students inside Category ‘A’ jail.’

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Daily Telegraph, 29th October 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Single mother-of-five made homeless by benefits cap turns to Supreme Court over Westminster Council’s attempts at ‘social cleansing’ – The Independent

Posted October 29th, 2014 in appeals, benefits, families, homelessness, housing, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘A single mother-of-five who was made homeless after resisting Westminster Council’s attempt to move the family 50 miles from the capital is applying to the Supreme Court to review her case.’

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The Independent, 29th October 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Ministers to consult over mandatory abuse reporting – BBC News

Posted October 29th, 2014 in child abuse, consultations, news by sally

‘The government is to undertake a public consultation into whether the reporting of child abuse by regulated bodies should be made mandatory.’

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BBC News, 29th October 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Chris Huhne loses legal costs appeal – The Guardian

Posted October 29th, 2014 in appeals, costs, news, perverting the course of justice, road traffic offences by sally

‘Former cabinet minister Chris Huhne has lost a challenge against an order that he must pay £77,750 costs from his prosecution for passing speeding points to his ex-wife.’

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The Guardian, 28th October 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Naked Rambler loses at European court over right to public nudity – The Guardian

‘A man known as the Naked Rambler has lost his case at the European court of human rights where, he claimed he had a right to bare all in public.’

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The Guardian, 28th October 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Government not required to disclose full details of defence – UK Human Rights Blog

‘The High Court has ruled that in a case against the state which did not directly affect the liberty of the subject, there was no irreducible minimum of disclosure of the state’s case which the court would require. The consequences of such disclosure for national security prevailed.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 27th October 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Finding your way – New Law Journal

Posted October 28th, 2014 in budgets, case management, disclosure, documents, law firms, news by sally

‘Jeffrey T Shapiro & James Morrey-Jones examine how law firms should budget for e-discovery post-Jackson.’

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New Law Journal, 27th October 2014

Source: www.newlawjournal.co.uk