English votes system ‘unstable’ warn MPs – BBC News

‘The new system of “English Votes for English Laws” is overly complicated and may not last long, MPs have warned.’

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BBC News, 11th February 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Internet monitoring bill ‘must do more to protect privacy’ – BBC News

‘Plans to authorise mass data collection and hacking by Britain’s spies do not do enough to protect privacy, a watchdog has warned.’

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BBC News, 9th February 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Lord Bramall inquiry: Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe called to account by MPs – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 8th, 2016 in armed forces, child abuse, inquiries, news, police, select committees by tracey

‘Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, Britain’s most senior police officer, will explain his conduct over the beleaguered child sex abuse inquiry for the first time later this month after being called to give evidence to MPs.’

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Daily Telegraph, 7th February 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Lord Brittan abuse inquiry ‘fully justified’, review finds – BBC News

‘The Metropolitan Police investigation of a rape allegation against the late Lord Brittan was “fully justified”, a review has concluded.’.

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BBC News, 7th February 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Investigatory powers bill: snooper’s charter lacks clarity, MPs warn – The Guardian

‘The government’s investigatory powers bill lacks clarity and is sowing confusion among tech firms about the extent to which “internet connection records” will be collected, a parliamentary select committee has warned.’

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The Guardian, 1st February 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Prisons inspector steps down with attack on Grayling for trying to influence his work – The Independent

Posted January 21st, 2016 in budgets, news, prisons, select committees by sally

‘The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is compromising the independence of Britain’s prison inspectorate by demanding “day-to-day control” over expenditure and the power to veto spending on a weekly basis, MPs have been warned.’

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The Independent, 20th January 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

No case for rewriting FoI Act, says information commissioner – The Guardian

‘Advice given to ministers by civil servants should not be excluded from freedom of information legislation, according to the official responsible for overseeing the workings of the act.’

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The Guardian, 20th January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Snooper’s charter: cafes and libraries face having to store Wi-Fi users’ data – The Guardian

Posted January 14th, 2016 in bills, costs, internet, investigatory powers, news, select committees by sally

‘Coffee shops running Wi-Fi networks may have to store internet data under new snooping laws, Theresa May has said.’

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The Guardian, 13th January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Privacy watchdog attacks snooper’s charter over encryption – The Guardian

‘The information commissioner’s office has heavily criticised the draft Investigatory Powers bill for attacking individuals’ privacy, particularly in relation to the apparent requirement on communication providers to weaken or break their data encryption at the government’s request.’

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The Guardian, 12th January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Councils call for online judicial approval of access to communications data – Local Government Lawyer

‘Councils should be able to apply for and be granted magistrates’ approval electronically for access to communications data, the Local Government Association and trading standards organisations have said.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 11th January 2016

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Care Quality Commission not yet an effective regulator, say MPs – BBC News

Posted December 11th, 2015 in health, news, quality assurance, reports, select committees by tracey

‘The Care Quality Commission, the health watchdog in England, is “not yet an effective regulator”, MPs say.’

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BBC News, 11th December 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Criminal courts charge ‘should be axed’ – justice committee – BBC News

Posted November 20th, 2015 in criminal courts charge, news, select committees by tracey

‘The criminal courts charge should be scrapped by ministers, a parliamentary committee has said, as it raised “grave misgivings” about the fee’s benefits.’

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BBC News, 20th November 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Tom Watson to issue written apology to Leon Brittan’s widow – The Guardian

Posted November 20th, 2015 in news, parliamentary privilege, select committees, sexual offences by tracey

‘Tom Watson has said he will write to the widow of Leon Brittan to apologise directly after he was criticised by MPs for repeating a claim that he was “as close to evil as any human could get” in connection with sex abuse allegations against the Conservative peer.’

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The Guardian, 20th November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Gove poised to back call for less overbearing regulatory regime for ABSs – Legal Futures

‘Lord Chancellor Michael Gove indicated yesterday that he would support legislative changes to make it easier to approve and regulate alternative business structures (ABSs) while the scope of the wider review of the Legal Services Act 2007 is worked out.’

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Legal Futures, 19th November 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

MoJ to publish impact of reforms on civil legal aid – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 12th, 2015 in civil justice, legal aid, news, reports, select committees by sally

‘Government research on the impact of its reforms on civil legal aid are expected to be published by the end of the year, the Ministry of Justice has revealed.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 11th November 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Criminal courts charge denied compensation to rape victim, MPs told – The Independent

‘A rape victim did not get compensation from her attacker because of the Government’s controversial new court charge, MPs have been told.’

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The Independent, 27th October 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Proposed blanket ban on legal highs criticised by MPs – The Guardian

Posted October 26th, 2015 in bills, drug offences, health & safety, inquiries, news, select committees by sally

‘A proposed blanket ban on legal highs is too broad and fails to adequately define what a psychoactive substance actually is, an influential committee of MPs has said.’

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The Guardian, 24th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Ban media from naming sex abuse suspects before charge, says top lawyer – The Guardian

‘A former top prosecutor has said parliament should pass a law banning the media from naming suspects in sex abuse cases until they are charged.’

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The Guardian, 20th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Tom Watson letter did not lead to Leon Brittan being interviewed, says CPS – The Guardian

‘Tom Watson’s controversial letter to Britain’s top prosecutor did not lead to Leon Brittan being interviewed by police over sex abuse allegations, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.’

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The Guardian, 13th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Law enforcement need to give more priority to asset recovery in criminal cases, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 9th, 2015 in assets recovery, confiscation, enforcement, news, select committees by tracey

‘New figures showing that criminals have still to re-pay a total of £774 million in ill-gotten gains highlights the need for law enforcement agencies to give greater priority to asset recovery in their criminal investigations, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 8th October 2015

Source: www.out-law.com