Category: reports

Mental health detention powers must be reviewed urgently, says Parliamentary Committee – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted August 14th, 2013 in children, community care, detention, hospitals, human rights, mental health, news, reports by sally

“The House of Commons Health Committee has published a report (PDF) following its inquiries into the Mental Health Act 2007. The MHA 2007 introduced several amendments to the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA, as amended), some of which were very controversial at the time and continue to be so now. The Health Committee’s report follows post-legislative scrutiny of the legislation by its parent department.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 14th August 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Azelle Rodney death: Met to support police marksman’s legal challenge – The Guardian

Posted August 14th, 2013 in judicial review, news, police, reports, unlawful killing by sally

“Scotland Yard has announced it will support a legal challenge by one of its firearms officers attempting to overturn an official ruling that he unlawfully shot and killed a suspect.”

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The Guardian, 13th August 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Mediation: reasonable growth – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted August 12th, 2013 in arbitration, budgets, family courts, legal aid, news, reports by sally

“The government is introducing measures which it says will take pressure off the courts and tribunals, and in the case of family law disputes fill the gap left by cuts to legal aid. But many practitioners say the policies have not been properly thought through – and may actually hinder the use of mediation.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 12th August 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Berwick report: Danger of understaffed NHS wards can no longer be ignored after Mid Staffs scandal, Jeremy Hunt warned – The Independent

Posted August 7th, 2013 in doctors, hospitals, medical treatment, news, nurses, reports, standards, wilful neglect by sally

“Review says NHS staff responsible for ‘recklessness or wilful neglect’ of patient safety should face jail.”

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The Independent, 6th August 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Related link: Improving the Safety of Patients in England (PDF)

Culture change call for Chancery Division – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted August 1st, 2013 in computer programs, courts, news, reports by sally

“The Chancery Division of the High Court must undergo cultural change – and replace its ‘patchwork quilt’ of IT systems – according to the first comprehensive review of the division in 30 years.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 31st July 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Private investigators will require licence, says Theresa May – The Guardian

Posted August 1st, 2013 in licensing, news, private investigators, reports, select committees by sally

“The government on Wednesday announced that private investigators will need a licence to operate and training about the law, as it imposed new rules on the unregulated industry of gaining information.”

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The Guardian, 31st July 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Wasted costs against local authority in private law proceedings by James Hargan – Sovereign Chambers

Posted July 31st, 2013 in costs, family courts, local government, news, reports, residence orders, social services, wasted costs orders by sally

“In HB, PB, and OB –v- London Borough of Croydon [2013] EWHC 1956 (Fam) Cobb J had to consider whether or not to make an order that a Local Authority which had been directed to file a section 37 report, and whose failure to do so properly had led to wasted costs, should pay those wasted costs of aborted days of hearing. The power to make such a costs order was in the discretion of the court (Senior Courts Act 1981 s51(1)) and, by reference to FPR 2010 28.1, the court could make such order as it thought just. The Local Authority was sufficiently closed connected with the litigation, and its failings were so serious, as to justify making what the court was urged to regard as an exceptional order.”

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Sovereign Chambers, 19th July 2013

Source: www.sovereignchambers.co.uk

‘Compensation culture is a myth’: Claims for work-related injuries and diseases fall 60 per cent in a decade – The Independent

Posted July 31st, 2013 in compensation, health & safety, news, personal injuries, reports, statistics by sally

“The ‘spiralling’ compensation culture presented by the Government is a myth, according to a report which shows work injury claims are down 60 per cent in the last decade.”

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The Independent, 30th July 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Rogue private eyes report published in full – BBC News

Posted July 30th, 2013 in illegality, news, private investigators, reports by sally

“A controversial report by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency detailing the activities of rogue private investigators has been placed on the internet.”

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BBC News, 29th July 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Report: lawyers struggle with learning disability clients – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 29th, 2013 in learning difficulties, legal services, news, reports by sally

“Lawyers struggle to provide people with learning disabilities with the specialist support they need, according to new research published today.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 29th July 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

A work in progress – New Law Journal

Posted July 29th, 2013 in barristers, diversity, legal education, legal profession, news, professional conduct, reports, solicitors by sally

“Jon Robins turns the spotlight on the conclusions & recommendations of the long awaited LETR.”

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New Law Journal, 19th July 2013

Source: www.newlawjournal.co.uk

IPCC to investigate Hillsborough police offier Sir Norman Bettison over report on anti-racism campaigner – The Independent

Posted July 29th, 2013 in complaints, evidence, investigatory powers, news, police, race discrimination, reports by sally

“The former Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, Sir Norman Bettison, is to be investigated over claims he ordered his officers to compile a detailed report on the anti-racism campaigner Mohammed Amran, before he testified to the Macpherson Inquiry into the death of the teenager Stephen Lawrence.”

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The Independent, 26th July 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Expert highlights “worrying approach” in Justice Committee’s report on sentencing of environmental offenders – OUT-LAW.com

Posted July 26th, 2013 in environmental protection, news, reports, select committees, sentencing by sally

“It is ‘worrying’ that a Justice Committee report suggests treating companies whose actions risk harm to the environment in the same way as those who cause actual harm, an expert has said.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 25th July 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

20 law firms implicated in ‘secret’ phone hacking scandal – Daily Telegraph

Posted July 26th, 2013 in confidentiality, disclosure, interception, law firms, news, private investigators, public interest, reports, select committees, telecommunications by sally

“Lawyers were the biggest users of the private investigators behind the ‘secret’ phone-hacking scandal, it has been revealed.”

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Daily Telegraph, 26th July 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Competition Commission backs away from mandatory rotation in preliminary report on audit market – OUT-LAW.com

Posted July 25th, 2013 in auditors, competition, news, reports by tracey

“The Competition Commission (CC) has decided against forcing companies to rotate their statutory auditors regularly and has signalled that they should instead put their auditing needs out to tender at least every five years.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 24th July 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Forensics upheaval ‘threat to justice’, MPs warn – BBC News

Posted July 25th, 2013 in crime, forensic science, news, reports, select committees by tracey

“Major crimes could go unsolved unless the government does more to support forensic science, MPs have warned.”

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BBC News, 25th July 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Insanity and Automatism – Law Commission

Posted July 23rd, 2013 in automatism, defences, insanity, Law Commission, reports by tracey

“We have published a discussion paper examining the rules governing the defences of insanity and automatism.”

Full paper

Law Commission, 23rd July 2013

Source: www.justice.gov.uk/lawcommission

Healthcheck detects public unease at bar regulator ‘bias’ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 23rd, 2013 in barristers, complaints, news, reports by tracey

“Complainants to the Bar Standards Board have accused the regulator of bias in favour of barristers as dissatisfaction grows about transparency and openness. The BSB’s yearly healthcheck survey found increasing public unease about its complaints process, despite the number of complaints falling in the past year.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 23rd July 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Most porn-on-demand services are beyond UK regulation, warns watchdog – The Independent

Posted July 19th, 2013 in foreign companies, internet, media, news, pornography, reports by sally

“Most porn on demand services available to British internet users are operated from outside the UK putting them beyond UK regulation, a regulator has warned.”

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The Independent, 19th July 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Six people falsely accused of crimes after errors in internet data disclosure – The Guardian

Posted July 19th, 2013 in disclosure, interception, internet, miscarriage of justice, news, privacy, reports, telecommunications by sally

“Six people have been wrongly detained and falsely accused of crimes in the past year as a result of mistakes made in the official disclosure of confidential data on their internet use to the police and security services.”

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The Guardian, 18th July 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk