‘The government’s approach to the coronavirus is creating risks for the rule of law, politicians have warned in a report looking at the human rights implications of Covid-19.’
Law Society's Gazette, 21st September 2020
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘The Lord Chief Justice called it “the biggest pilot project that the justice system has ever seen” and said “there will be no going back to February 2020”. Remote court hearings would have come sooner or later, but thanks to Covid-19 they came at us fast, in March 2020, and it looks like they’re here to stay. Ironically, they were one of the things the massive £1bn court modernisation programme was supposed to have developed, but when it came to the crunch HMCTS wasn’t quite ready so there was “the most extraordinary scramble”, said Professor Hazel Genn, to find solutions that worked.’
Transparency Project, 25th August 2020
Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk
‘MPs have today launched an inquiry to investigate delays in the court system and what should be done to clear the backlog of cases.’
Legal Futures, 30th July 2020
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The Department for Work and Pensions is to overhaul its safeguarding systems following a series of high-profile failures in which mentally ill claimants took their own lives after having their benefits cut off by welfare officials.’
The Guardian, 22nd July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘MPs could be banned from foreign trips or made to take anger management classes under a proposed revamp of Parliament’s sanctions regime.’
BBC News, 21st July 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Lawyers have become “de facto agents of the Russian state” by helping to smooth the way of Russian money entering the UK, according to Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee.’
Legal Futures, 22nd July 2020
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘At least five people have died before receiving the Windrush compensation they had applied for, the government has revealed, reigniting concern about the slowness of the scheme.’
The Guardian, 7th July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The latest reports of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights lay bare the conditions in some British prisons.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 6th July 2020
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘The regulation of gambling has gone “horribly wrong” and should be radically overhauled without delay, a House of Lords committee has urged. Ministers have pledged to review the 2005 Gambling Act in the face of a growing consensus among MPs and addiction experts that legislation passed under Tony Blair’s government is no longer effective. But in a wide-ranging report, a select committee led by former ITV and BBC chairman Lord Grade said sweeping changes could go forward without the need for a review.’
The Guardian, 2nd July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The government and the gambling watchdog have an “unacceptably weak understanding” about the harmful effects of gambling and how to tackle them, a parliamentary committee has warned.’
The Guardian, 28th June 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Ministers are being urged to toughen up the regulation of digital and social media because “a pandemic of misinformation and disinformation” is eroding trust in politics and public institutions.’
The Guardian, 29th June 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Anthony Williams arrived in Birmingham from Jamaica aged seven in 1971, and went to primary and secondary school before joining the army and serving with the Royal Artillery for 13 years. Later, he had a successful second career as a fitness instructor until 2013, when he found himself classified as an illegal immigrant and sacked from his job.’
The Guardian, 21st June 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Law Society and Bar Council have urged the government to act on a report from MPs that that would help lawyers who have fallen through the gaps of the coronavirus support schemes.’
Legal Futures, 16th June 2020
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Serial domestic abusers or stalkers should be registered and monitored in the same way as serious violent and sexual offenders, a group of cross-party MPs have said, as they put forward a proposed change to domestic abuse laws currently passing through parliament.’
The Guardian, 10th June 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Post Office prosecuted postmasters over missing money despite having evidence its own computer system could be to blame.’
BBC News, 8th June 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘People should not presume that remote hearings cannot be used for cases where the credibility of witnesses is at stake, the IT adviser to the Lord Chief Justice has said.’
Legal Futures, 4th June 2020
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The government must legally swear to delete all the data it captures using the NHS Covid-19 contact-tracing app, a committee of MPs and peers has urged.’
The Guardian, 15th May 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Following the publication last week by the Joint Committee on Human Rights of its report on the proposed NHS App and the risk of adverse effects on privacy and human rights, the Committee has drafted a Bill – the Digital Contact Tracing (Data Protection Bill) – and sent it to the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock.’
Doughty Street Chambers, 12th May 2020
Source: insights.doughtystreet.co.uk
‘Hate crime directed at south and east Asian communities has increased by 21% during the coronavirus crisis, ministers have told MPs.’
The Guardian, 13th May 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
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