Drive to end Winterbourne View-style care going backwards, official report shows – Daily Telegraph

‘Report commissioned by NHS calls for closure of all Winterbourne View-style institutions for disabled patients but Chief Nursing Officer insists complexity of cases leading to slow progress.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 26th November 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Simplification of Criminal Law: Kidnapping and Related Offences – Law Commission

Posted November 20th, 2014 in child abduction, false imprisonment, kidnapping, Law Commission, reports by sally

‘A report recommending reforms to the law relating to kidnapping, false imprisonment and child abduction.’

Full report

Law Commission, 20th November 2014

Source: www.justice.gov.uk/lawcommission

CPS decide no criminal charges should be brought following investigation into police actions in relation to the Kevin Nunes murder trial – Crown Prosecution Service

‘Operation Kalmia 2 was an investigation to determine whether any offences had been committed in connection with Staffordshire Police’s handling of disclosure of unused material in a prosecution (relating to the death of Kevin Nunes), which resulted in the convictions for murder in the subsequent criminal proceedings being quashed by the Court of Appeal. Following an investigation led by Chief Constable of Derbyshire Mick Creedon and managed by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was asked to consider allegations in relation to two matters relating to the handling of the murder trial.’

Full press release

Crown Prosecution Service, 19th November 2014

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Legal aid cuts ‘not thought through early enough’ – BBC News

Posted November 20th, 2014 in family courts, legal aid, legal representation, news, reports by sally

‘The government did not “think through” its legal aid cuts early enough and “does not know” whether people in need of aid are getting it, a report says. The National Audit Office said £300m a year would eventually be saved but other impacts of changes were unknown.’

Full story

BBC News, 20th November 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

NHS ombudsman ‘failing families’ – BBC News

Posted November 18th, 2014 in complaints, health, news, ombudsmen, reports by sally

‘The NHS ombudsman – the independent service that investigates patients’ complaints – is “wholly ineffective and failing families”, warns a charity.’

Full story

BBC News, 18th November 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Police failing to record quarter of all sexual offences, says watchdog – The Independent

Posted November 18th, 2014 in crime, news, police, rape, reports, sexual offences by sally

‘Police officers fail to record a quarter of sexual offences – including rapes – and one-third of violent attacks, a damning report by the police watchdog has concluded.’

Full story

The Independent, 18th November 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Jail those convicted of illegal blood sports, campaigners say – The Guardian

Posted November 18th, 2014 in hunting, imprisonment, news, penalties, reports, sentencing by sally

‘Hunters should face prison sentences for illegal blood sports, be banned from sending dogs underground and prevented from escaping prosecution by claiming that kills are accidental, according to animal welfare campaigners.’

Full story

The Guardian, 18th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Too many prisoners jailed unnecessarily, says review head – The Guardian

‘The unnecessary jailing of too many people in England and Wales is leaving resources stretched and vulnerable inmates unsupervised, the head of a review into prison suicides has said.’

Full story

The Guardian, 14th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Review of the national referral mechanism for victims of human trafficking – Home Office

Posted November 12th, 2014 in reports, trafficking in human beings, victims by sally

‘In April 2014 the Home Secretary commissioned a review of the National Referral Mechanism to establish whether it provides an effective and efficient means of supporting and identifying potential victims of human trafficking and whether it can, or should, cover all victims of Modern Slavery. The final report of the review of the National Referral Mechanism has now been published.’

Full report

Home Office, 12th November 2014

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

The Peter Wanless and Richard Whittam QC review – Home Office

Posted November 11th, 2014 in child abuse, government departments, police, reports, sexual offences by sally

‘This written ministerial statement was laid in the House of Commons by Theresa May and in the House of Lords by Lord Bates.’

Full statement

Full review

Home Office, 11th November 2014

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Major report calls for quotas to increase diversity at top of judiciary – Litigation Futures

Posted November 6th, 2014 in consultations, diversity, judiciary, news, part-time work, reports by sally

‘A quota system should be introduced to address the under-representation of women and ethnic minority judges, a major independent report commissioned by the Labour Party has recommended.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 6th November 2014

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Jackson calls for single limitation period – Litigation Futures

Posted November 4th, 2014 in contracts, judges, Law Commission, limitations, news, reports, speeches by sally

‘Lord Justice Jackson has called on the government to create a “single core limitation regime” for all claims in contract and tort, as recommended by the Law Commission.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 4th November 2014

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Theresa May accused of delaying abuse report publication amid inquiry furore – The Guardian

Posted November 3rd, 2014 in child abuse, delay, disclosure, inquiries, news, reports, sexual offences by sally

‘Theresa May, the home secretary, has been accused of delaying the release of a completed report about the Home Office’s handling of child abuse allegations during the furore about who should chair the new official inquiry into what happened.’

Full story

The Guardian, 2nd November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

‘Devastating impact’ of NHS blunders revealed in ombudsman’s report – The Guardian

Posted October 30th, 2014 in complaints, health, news, ombudsmen, reports by sally

‘The NHS has committed a catalogue of blunders that have had a “devastating impact” on every generation, a report has revealed.’

Full story

The Guardian, 29th October 2014

Source: www.guardian.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.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 29th October 2014

Source: www.out-law.com

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.’

Full story

The Guardian, 30th October 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

BSB’s new approach to working with chambers can help improve barristers’ businesses – Bar Standards Board

Posted October 28th, 2014 in barristers, news, pilot schemes, reports by sally

‘Today [24 October] the Bar Standards Board (BSB) has published the findings of its pilot supervision visits to chambers. The supervision programme is part of the BSB’s new targeted and proportionate approach to regulation launched at the beginning of the year.’

Full story

Bar Standards Board, 24th October 2014

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Competition law and public services: insights from the OFT report into higher education – Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers

Posted October 28th, 2014 in competition, education, news, reports, universities by sally

‘Recent public sector reforms have relied on choice and competition to increase the quality and quantity of service provision, whilst also controlling cost, through a programme known as Open Public Services. The use of choice and competition gives rise to public service markets, and ensuring that these markets function effectively is one of the Competition and Markets Authority’s declared objectives. Higher education constitutes one of the larger public service markets, and to understand how the market for undergraduate education in England functions, in October 2013, the OFT launched a Call For Information. Amongst other things, the OFT wished to consider whether it was plausible for universities to have arrived at a uniform fee for all their undergraduate courses without colluding, and whether the way prospective undergraduates apply for university places could harm competition between institutions, to the detriment of students. The OFT’s higher education report, published in March 2014, provides useful insights into the role of competition law in public service markets and of the challenges of apply competition law in public service markets.’

Full story

Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers, 27th October 2014

Source: www.competitionbulletin.com

Prisons struggling with old, sick and disabled people, says charity – The Independent

Posted October 28th, 2014 in disabled persons, elderly, news, prisons, reports by sally

‘Prisons are struggling to cope with the growing numbers of old, sick and disabled people behind bars, according to a prison charity.’

Full story

The Independent, 28th October 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Disability hate crime convictions drop, says CPS – BBC News

Posted October 23rd, 2014 in crime, disabled persons, harassment, hate crime, news, prosecutions, reports by sally

‘Prosecutors have pledged to do more to tackle disability hate crime after a drop in the number of convictions.’

Full story

BBC News, 23rd October 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk