Payday loans complaints rise 22% despite FCA clampdown – The Guardian

Posted February 28th, 2017 in banking, complaints, consumer credit, financial regulation, insurance, news, statistics by tracey

‘Complaints to the financial ombudsman about payday loans have risen to almost 200 a week – and not all of those experiencing problems necessarily fit the image of low-income borrowers relying on short-term loans to get by.’

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The Guardian, 28th February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Thousands spent on judges’ security amid growing hostility – The Guardian

‘Ministry of Justice says security was upgraded at judges’ homes, with figures showing many in judiciary fear for safety.’

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The Guardian, 27th February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

How is the PLO working? What is its impact on court process and outcome? – Family Law Week

‘The last five years have brought important reforms to care proceedings. The Judiciary made proposals for modernising family justice with a focus on strong judicial leadership, judicial continuity and better case management.2 The Family Justice Review3 recommended that the duration of care proceedings should be limited to 26 weeks, that fewer experts should be instructed in proceedings and there should be more limited scrutiny of the care plan, with the court considering only the plan for permanency (care by the parents(s), placement in the extended family, long-term fostering, or adoption) and not matters such as services for the child and contact arrangements. The Review’s recommendations were enacted in the Children and Families Act 2014, supplemented by new procedural rules (the PLO 2014) and implemented on April 22, 2014. This date also marked the opening of the Family Court, replacing the triple jurisdiction of the Family Proceedings Court, the County Court and the High Court. ‘

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Family Law Week, 17th February 2017

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Domestic abuse victims wait nearly two years for compensation – The Guardian

Posted February 17th, 2017 in compensation, domestic violence, news, statistics, victims by sally

‘Domestic violence victims are waiting almost two years on average to receive compensation for abuse they have suffered, government statistics have revealed.’

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The Guardian, 17th February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

‘Record hate crimes’ after EU referendum – BBC News

Posted February 15th, 2017 in EC law, hate crime, news, referendums, statistics by sally

‘A majority of police forces in England and Wales saw record levels of hate crimes in the first full three months following the EU referendum, according to new analysis.’

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BBC News, 15th February 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

NHS hasn’t improved enough since Mid Staffs, says inquiry lawyer – The Guardian

Posted February 13th, 2017 in health, news, statistics by sally

‘Current conditions in the NHS ”sound familiar” to those that existed during the Mid Staffordshire scandal, according to the lawyer who chaired the inquiry into the hospital trust.’

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The Guardian, 12th February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Prisons need ‘profound culture change’, charities say – BBC News

Posted February 13th, 2017 in charities, mental health, news, prisons, reports, statistics, suicide by sally

‘Prisons in England and Wales need a “profound culture change” which focuses on inmate safety, a new report says.’

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BBC News, 13th February 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Judges ready to jump ship over declining pay and conditions – Litigation Futures

Posted February 10th, 2017 in judiciary, news, pensions, remuneration, retirement, statistics by tracey

‘Research has shown widespread disaffection among the judiciary with working conditions, including findings that almost half of High Court judges would quit the bench early if possible.’

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Litigation Futures, 10th February 2017

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Number of child murders falls to lowest figure since records began – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 10th, 2017 in children, murder, news, sexual offences, statistics by tracey

‘The number of child murders fell to the lowest level on record last year despite an 11 per cent rise in adult homicides across Britain.’

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Daily Telegraph, 9th February 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Police pay out at least £22m to informants in five years – BBC News

Posted February 8th, 2017 in freedom of information, informers, news, police, remuneration, statistics by tracey

‘Police forces across the UK paid out at least £22m to informants over the last five years, according to figures obtained by BBC Radio 5 live.’

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BBC News, 8th February 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Claims of child-on-child sexual offences soar in England and Wales – The Guardian

‘Allegations of children committing sexual offences against other children have risen 78% in England and Wales in four years, prompting renewed calls for compulsory education on sexual consent and healthy relationships.’

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The Guardian, 3rd February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

One female genital mutilation case reported every hour in the UK – The Independent

Posted February 6th, 2017 in children, female genital mutilation, health, news, statistics, women by sally

‘A case of female genital mutilation (FGM) is either discovered or treated at a medical appointment in England every hour, according to analysis of NHS statistics by a charity.’

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The Independent, 6th February 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Anti-Semitic hate crime at record high, says UK charity – BBC News

Posted February 3rd, 2017 in hate crime, Judaism, news, statistics by sally

‘Hate crime against Jewish people in the UK increased by more than a third last year, with recorded incidents now at record levels, charity figures suggest.’

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BBC News, 2nd February 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Number of alleged child sex offences committed by other children almost doubles – Daily Telegraph

‘The number of children being investigated by police for sexual offences has almost doubled in the last four years.’

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Daily Telegraph, 3rd February 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Clin neg fixed costs plans unveiled as Hunt targets ‘unscrupulous’ firms – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Health secretary Jeremy Hunt today finally announced the details of the fixed costs regime for clinical negligence cases.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 30th January 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Public sector gender pay gap reporting requirements in force from March, government confirms – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 27th, 2017 in news, remuneration, sex discrimination, statistics by sally

‘Public sector employers, including universities, will be required to report on their gender pay gaps from 31 March 2017 and not 5 April, as indicated by draft regulations, the government has confirmed.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 26th January 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Prison suicides rise to record level in England and Wales – BBC News

Posted January 27th, 2017 in news, prisons, statistics, suicide by sally

‘A record number of people killed themselves in prisons in England and Wales in 2016, figures show.’

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BBC News, 26th January 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Mistreatment of women MPs revealed – BBC News

‘An overwhelming majority of women MPs have received online and verbal abuse from the public and a third have considered quitting as a result, a BBC Radio 5 live survey suggests.’

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BBC News, 24th January 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Justice denied: the damning results of the latest report on the impact of legal aid cut – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

‘Secretary of State for Justice, Liz Truss, recently announced that the government would soon confirm the time-table for the post legislative review of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO). There has been growing pressure on ministers for some time to announce this (see “Back to the drawing board”, 166 NLJ 7698 13 May 2016, p 6). The Legal Action Group (LAG) hopes that the review will be used as an opportunity by the still relatively new team at the top of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to look at funding the provision of early advice in civil legal cases.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 11th January 2017

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

QC body to probe why more women are not applying – Legal Futures

Posted January 13th, 2017 in minorities, news, queen's counsel, statistics, women by tracey

‘The body that appoints QCs has commissioned research to uncover barriers which deter women from applying, after they made up 27.6% of the latest batch of silks – but this was the highest proportion ever.’

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Legal Futures, 13th January 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk