Morecambe Bay: Nurse and midwife regulator apologises for failing families who lost children in scandal – The Independent

Posted July 18th, 2018 in birth, children, hospitals, midwives, news, nurses, select committees by tracey

‘The families of children who died because of major care failures by the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, have received an apology from the body meant to protect patients and the public from unsafe nurses and midwives.’

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The Independent, 17th July 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

MPs want new watchdog to root out research misconduct – The Guardian

Posted July 11th, 2018 in fraud, news, select committees, universities by tracey

‘A national watchdog that has the power to punish British universities for failing to tackle research misconduct is needed to ensure that sloppy practices and outright fraud are caught and dealt with fast, MPs say.’

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The Guardian, 11th July 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Pay defence practitioners earlier to improve disclosure – attorney general – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Redesigning the legal aid system to pay defence practitioners earlier in a case could help to tackle long-standing disclosure challenges, the attorney general has told MPs.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 9th July 2018

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

UK counter-terror bill risks criminalising curiosity – watchdog – The Guardian

Posted July 10th, 2018 in bills, human rights, news, reports, select committees, terrorism by sally

‘Academics, journalists and those with “inquisitive and foolish minds” would be at risk of prosecution and prison sentences of up to 15 years under proposed counter-terrorism laws, a parliamentary human rights watchdog has said.’

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The Guardian, 10th July 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Windrush victims detained ‘unlawfully’ by Home Office – BBC News

Posted July 2nd, 2018 in colonies, detention, immigration, news, reports, select committees by sally

‘Immigration officials detained members of the Windrush generation “unlawfully and inappropriately” despite their right to be in the UK, MPs have found.’

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BBC News, 29th June 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Government must overhaul ‘mess’ of privatised probation system, inquiry finds – The Independent

Posted June 22nd, 2018 in contracting out, news, probation, select committees by tracey

‘The government must overhaul its “mess” of a botched programme to privatise probation that is failing against every measure and may threaten public safety, MPs have said.
An eight month inquiry by the Justice Committee found that the controversial Transforming Rehabilitation scheme had created a “two-tier” service seeing vital services outsourced to loss-making contractors.’

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The Independent, 22nd June 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

MPs warned of court modernisation risks – Legal Futures

‘Evidence provided to MPs by those involved in or observing the courts have outlined wide-ranging concerns about the government’s court modernisation programme.’

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Legal Futures, 18th June 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Court users “must buy in to reforms”, says MoJ as it pledges vulnerable will not be left behind

‘The Ministry of Justice’s top civil servant has told MPs that the government’s massive court reform programme will have failed if it does not carry the support of those who use the courts.’

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Legal Futures, 7th June 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

TSB investigated over IT meltdown – BBC News

‘A computer failure at TSB that caused up to 1.9 million people to lose access to online banking services is being investigated by the financial regulator.’

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BBC news, 6th June 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

John Bercow will not be investigated over ‘stupid woman’ row – The Guardian

‘John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, will not be investigated by the standards watchdog over allegations that he described the cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom as a “stupid woman”.’

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The Guardian, 4th June 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Surrogacy and parental orders for single parents – the ‘non-urgent’ road to change – Family Law

‘Since May 2016, prospective single applicants for parental orders for surrogate children have waited with bated breath for the change in the law that permits them to make their applications, independent of their relationship status. At the end of last year, it was announced that a remedial order to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 (HFEA 2008) had been placed before Parliament. However, five months have now passed and the question remains whether we are any closer to change.’

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Family Law, 31st May 2018

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

UK inquiry opened into carbon capture, usage and storage – OUT-LAW.com

‘A UK parliamentary committee is to scrutinise how the government plans to reduce emissions and meet its climate change targets should the cost of using carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) solutions not fall.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 31st May 2018

Source: www.out-law.com

Government U-turn over anti-terror law used to deport migrants – The Guardian

Posted May 30th, 2018 in deportation, immigration, news, select committees, terrorism by sally

‘The government has agreed to stop deporting people under an immigration rule designed to tackle terrorism and those judged to be a threat to national security pending a review, after the Guardian highlighted numerous cases in which the power was being misused.’

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The Guardian, 29th May 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Government needs to act on key Chilcot inquiry finding, committee warns – The Guardian

Posted May 30th, 2018 in constitutional history, inquiries, Iraq, news, reports, select committees by sally

‘MPs have called for tougher safeguards to be introduced to prevent a prime minister taking the country to war without adequate cabinet consultation.’

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The Guardian, 29th May 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Home Office criticised for failures in reforms to criminal records vetting – The Guardian

‘The Home Office has been accused of running a “masterclass in incompetence” over its attempts to improve the criminal records checking scheme.’

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The Guardian, 25th May 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Police mugshot deletion scheme criticised for lack of transparency – BBC News

Posted May 25th, 2018 in criminal records, facial mapping, news, police, select committees by sally

‘Thousands of innocent people who have been questioned by police may not know they can have their mugshots deleted, a Commons report has warned.’

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BBC News, 25th May 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Bar Council backs Justice Committee concerns over increasing small claims limit – The Bar Council

Posted May 18th, 2018 in personal injuries, press releases, select committees, small claims by tracey

‘Yesterday’s report from the Justice Select Committee highlighted concerns over plans to increase the small claims limit to £5,000 which, according to the Bar Council, could undermine access to justice for those injured in accidents.’

Full press release

The Bar Council, 18th May 2018

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

John Bercow: Probe into Commons Speaker bullying claims blocked – The Independent

‘A probe into allegations John Bercow bullied members of staff has been blocked by MPs. The Commons Standards Committee voted three-two against allowing Parliament’s watchdog to investigate the claims.’

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The Independent, 17th May 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

MPs to examine Dangerous Dogs Act – BBC News

Posted May 11th, 2018 in dogs, news, select committees by sally

‘MPs are to investigate the effectiveness of the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act amid figures suggesting there has been an increase in attacks.’

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BBC News, 11th May 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ministry of Justice “a little frustrated” by legal aid strike as CBA recommends ‘no returns’ policy – Legal Futures

‘David Gauke, the justice secretary and Lord Chancellor, has admitted that the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is feeling “a little frustrated” by the direct action taken by criminal law barristers over legal aid fees.’

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Legal Futures, 10th May 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk