New penalties proposed for rule-breaking MPs – BBC News
‘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
Category: select committees
Lawyers have become “de facto agents of Russian state” – Legal Futures
‘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
Windrush: at least five who applied for compensation die before receiving it – The Guardian
‘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
Are “squalid” prison conditions and the response to the Covid-19 pandemic breaching human rights? – UK Human Rights Blog
‘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
Gambling regulation has gone ‘horribly wrong’, says Lord Grade – The Guardian
‘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
Government and watchdog ‘are totally failing problem gamblers’ – The Guardian
‘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
Peers call for tougher regulation of digital and social media in UK – The Guardian
‘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
‘I feel targeted’: Windrush victim decries compensation delays as racism – The Guardian
‘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
MPs offer hope for lawyers locked out of Covid-19 support – Legal Futures
‘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
MPs call for register to monitor serial domestic abusers and stalkers – The Guardian
‘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
Postmasters were prosecuted using unreliable evidence – BBC News
‘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
Remote hearings “can deal with credibility issues” – Legal Futures
‘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
MPs and peers call for legal requirement to delete UK contact-tracing data – The Guardian
‘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
An Act for the App? Is the NHS contact app bad for your privacy? – Doughty Street Chambers
‘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
Anti-Asian hate crimes up 21% in UK during coronavirus crisis – The Guardian
‘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
Digital Contact Tracing Updates from the Human Rights Committee – UK Human Rights Blog
‘The Human Rights Committee, reviewing NHSX’s current digital contact tracing app architecture, has recommended that the government’s current privacy assurances are not sufficient to protect data privacy and that legislation must be passed to ensure that. This echoes Professor Lilian Edwards’ call for primary legislation to ensure privacy rights are protected. These recommendations are given special significance NHSX’s choice to adopt the controversial and arguably less secure “centralised” model.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 11th May 2020
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
UK contact-tracing app could fall foul of privacy law, government told – The Guardian
‘The NHS contact-tracing app must not be rolled out across the UK until the government has increased privacy and data protections, an influential parliamentary committee has said, as rights groups warn that the current trial is unlawful under the Data Protection Act.’
The Guardian, 7th May 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Optimism of the will, pessimism of the intellect – Nearly Legal
‘According to this Inside Housing report of a Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee meeting today (4 May), the Housing Minister Robert Jenrick announced prospective measures to avoid a deluge of eviction proceedings at the expiry of the PD51Z stay.’
Nearly Legal, 4th May 2020
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
Harry Dunn death: diplomatic immunity for Anne Sacoolas ‘illogical’ – The Guardian
‘Britain agreed to let Anne Sacoolas, the driver charged with killing 19-year-old motorcyclist Harry Dunn, return to the US on the basis of an “apparently illogical” interpretation of the law on diplomatic immunity, according to the most senior civil servant at the Foreign Office.’
The Guardian, 22nd April 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
