European Union takes UK to court over migrants’ entitlement to benefits – The Independent
“The EU is taking Britain to court over migrants’ entitlement to benefits.”
The Independent, 30th May 2013
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Category: news
Surveillance: RIPA and the Communications Data Bill – Panopticon
“The Communications Data Bill, shelved amid political heavy weather, is back on the agenda in the wake of last week’s Woolwich murder. Today for example, Conservative MP and former policing minister Nick Herbert wrote an article in The Times in support of the Bill and responding to those who have called it a ‘snooper’s charter’.”
Panopticon, 29th May 2013
Source: www.panopticonblog.com
Death Penalty Legal Funding Refusal: Appeal Court Confirms Limits of Human Rights Act – UK Human Rights Blog
“On 22 April 2013 the Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in refusing to pay for a lawyer to assist Lindsay Sandiford as she faces the death penalty for drug offences in Indonesia. Last Wednesday, they handed down the reasons for their decision.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 29th May 2013
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Leading lawyers criticise plans to restrict legal aid – BBC News
“Ninety leading barristers have urged the government to withdraw ‘unjust proposals’ to restrict legal aid for people demanding judicial reviews.”
BBC News, 29th May 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Review into Bribery Act would be ‘premature’, says expert – OUT-LAW.com
“Any review of the UK bribery laws which came into force in July 2011 would be ‘premature’, an expert has said.”
OUT-LAW.com, 29th May 2013
Source: www.out-law.com
Women guilty over party drug that killed friend – Daily Telegraph
“The parents of a young woman who died after taking mephedrone have issued a warning against the so-called ‘party drug’ that ‘ripped our family apart’.”
Daily Telegraph, 29th May 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Protesters launch appeal against HS2 High Court ruling – BBC News
“A protest group is to appeal against a High Court ruling that effectively gave the go ahead to the London-Birmingham section of the HS2 high-speed railway.”
BBC News, 29th May 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Deferred Prosecution Agreements – No. 5 Chambers
“Following the Bribery Act 2010 the next instrument the Government is preparing in the ‘battle against economic crime’ is the Deferred Prosecution Agreement [‘DPA’]. Following a consultation in 2012 the Ministry of Justice inserted schedule 17 into the Crime and Courts Act 2013 [‘CCA 2013’]. Although the Crime and Courts Act 2013 received Royal Assent in April 2013, Schedule 17 is not yet in force.”
No. 5 Chambers, 22nd May 2013
Source: www.no5.com
Run down on recent and anticipated welfare benefit changes – Hardwicke Chambers
“In April 2013, the so called ‘bedroom tax’ was introduced, meaning that a single person or couple with no children will have their housing benefit reduced by 14% where they occupy two bedroom accommodation and 25% if they occupy three or more beds.”
Hardwicke Chambers, 24th May 2013
Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk
The New World of Whistleblowing: bringing back the public interest – 11 KBW
“The enactment of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (“PIDA”) was designed to introduce important protection for those blowing the whistle to draw attention to wrongdoing discovered in the workplace. During the passage of the Bill in the House of Lords, Lord Nolan commended those behind it ‘for so skilfully achieving the essential but delicate balance in this measure between the public interest and the interests of employers’. Fifteen years on, the verdict is less effusive. Significant gaps had been identified in the legislation, for example in failing to impose vicarious liability on employers for acts of victimisation carried out by their employees or agents. In other respects, however, PIDA has come to be seen a blunt instrument, enabling disgruntled employees to seek unlimited compensation despite having done nothing to further the public interest.”
Full story (PDF)
11 KBW, 22nd May 2013
Source: www.11kbw.com
Muslim-run company to compensate Christian worker for race discrimination – Daily Telegraph
“A Muslim-run company have been ordered to pay a Christian worker over £2,000 for racially discriminating against him because he is white.”
Daily Telegraph, 29th May 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Burglars win right to keep convictions secret – Daily Telegraph
“Thousands of criminals, including burglars, will be allowed to work in hospitals, schools and care homes after senior judges ruled that criminal record checks were breaching offenders’ human rights.”
Daily Telegraph, 29th May 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Choirmaster jailed for sexually abusing pupil seeks to appeal against sentence – The Guardian
“The disgraced choirmaster Michael Brewer is to attempt to appeal against the length of his six-year prison sentence for indecently assaulting a former pupil.”
The Guardian, 29th May 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Four get life for murder of Negus McLean – The Independent
“Four gang members were given life terms today for killing a 15-year-old boy who was chased by a ‘hunting posse of boys on bicycles’ and stabbed.”
The Independent, 28th May 2013
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Psych versus Psych: A Diagnostic Dispute and the Implications for Expert Witnesses in Family Proceedings – Family Law Week
“William Tautz, barrister of Tooks Chambers, examines the fundamental challenge to psychiatric diagnosis recently announced by the British Psychological Association and explores its implications for the instruction and cross-examination of expert witnesses in a post-streamlined PLO world.”
Family Law Week, 23rd May 2013
Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk
Faster justice as unneccessary committal hearings are abolished – Ministry of Justice
“Serious criminals will face justice as soon as possible with the abolition of committal hearings Justice Minister Damian Green said today.”
Ministry of Justice, 28th May 2013
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
The Intellectual Property Bill – NIPC Law
“In Digital Opportunity, A Review of Intellectual Property and Growth Professor Ian Hargreaves made 10 recommendations for IP policy which I discussed at length in “IP Policy: Does Hargreaves say Anything New?” 24 June 2011. Some of those recommendations required primary legislation. Others did not. As I said in my article, Hargreaves was not the first review of IP policy in recent years and most of the previous ones had been left to gather dust. I suspected the same would happen to Hargreaves.”
NIPC Law, 28th May 2013
Source: www.nipclaw.blogspot.co.uk
High Court: failure to comply with rules likely to result in “severe sanctions” – Litigation Futures
“The High Court has issued a fresh warning that it will take a ‘very much stricter view’ of the failure to comply with directions in the post-Jackson world.”
Litigation Futures, 29th May 2013
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
