Update on recent Tribunal decisions part 2: personal data of “low inherent sensitivity” – Panopticon

Posted November 9th, 2012 in data protection, disclosure, freedom of information, news, tribunals by sally

“The ‘personal data’ provisions under s. 40(2) FOIA and regulation 13 EIR can often be very difficult to apply, particularly in light of the Durant ‘notions of assistance’, namely biographical significance and focus. It is correspondingly difficult to predict how such arguments will fare before the Tribunal. Two recent cases offer good illustrations. Both saw the Tribunal order disclosure of property-related personal data which was deemed to be of ‘low inherent sensitivity.’ ”

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Panopticon, 8th November 2012

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Content of emails should generally not be considered as property, rules High Court – OUT-LAW.com

Posted November 9th, 2012 in confidentiality, disclosure, electronic mail, intellectual property, news by sally

“Businesses do not have a general claim of ownership over the content in staff emails, a High Court judge has said.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 8th November 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Stamp duty land tax avoidance scheme was effective says the Upper Tribunal – OUT-LAW.com

Posted November 9th, 2012 in leases, news, partnerships, stamp duty, tax avoidance by sally

“A stamp duty land tax (SDLT) avoidance scheme which involved the interaction of the sub-sale and the partnership rules was effective, according to the Upper Tribunal.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 8th November 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

The Article 8 Toys Go Back in the Box – NearlyLegal

Posted November 9th, 2012 in housing, human rights, landlord & tenant, local government, news, succession by sally

“The Court of Appeal has handed down judgement in a case that will probably come to characterise the operation of Article 8 in the daily life of the County Courts.”

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NearlyLegal, 9th November 2012

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/

Chancery Lane hits out at LETR over claim – Law Society’s Gazette

“The Law Society has hit back at claims that the current system of legal education and training is unfit for purpose. In a critical response to a discussion paper published by the cross-professional Legal Education and Training Review (LETR), the Society says it is ‘not aware of clear evidence that the current system is broken’.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 8th November 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Speeding biker Gary Dobson who did 144mph on A63 banned – BBC News

Posted November 9th, 2012 in dangerous driving, guilty pleas, motorcycles, news, sentencing by sally

“A biker who reached speeds of 144mph (232km/h) on an A-road in North Yorkshire has been banned from riding for six months.”

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BBC News, 8th November 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Council ‘failed to consider differing needs of elderly and dementia patients when setting care home fees’ – Daily Telegraph

“A group of care homes has won a legal challenge against their local council, after accusing it of setting care fees too low and putting elderly and frail people at serious risk.”

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Daily Telegraph, 8th November 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Husband who beat wife’s lover freed after she finally admits affair – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 9th, 2012 in appeals, grievous bodily harm, news, sentencing, suspended sentences by sally

“A man jailed for beating up a friend he saw embracing his wife has been freed on appeal – after she belatedly confessed to the affair.”

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Daily Telegraph, 8th November 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Injured workers face tougher battle for compensation under government plans – The Guardian

“Personal injury lawyer says bill making workers prove company negligence favours insurance industry at expense of taxpayer.”

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The Guardian, 8th November 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Phone hacking: Andy Coulson fights high court ruling over legal fees – The Guardian

Posted November 9th, 2012 in contract of employment, fees, interception, media, news by sally

“Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson has challenged a high court ruling that News International is not liable to pay his legal fees over the phone-hacking scandal. Lawyers for Coulson told the court of appeal in London on Thursday that criminal charges relating to his time as editor of the Sunday tabloid were ‘absolutely essential’ to the meaning of a key clause in his contract with News International.”

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The Guardian, 8th November 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Scissor death killer Sandra Clinch jailed for husband’s manslaughter – BBC News

Posted November 9th, 2012 in diminished responsibility, domestic violence, homicide, news, sentencing by sally

“A woman who fatally stabbed her husband with a pair of scissors in a row about tidying their house has been jailed.”

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BBC News, 8th November 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Abu Hamza son Imran Mostafa jailed over King’s Lynn raid – BBC News

Posted November 9th, 2012 in firearms, news, robbery, sentencing by sally

“The son of Islamic cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri has been jailed for 11 years over an armed raid on a Norfolk jewellers.”

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BBC News, 8th November 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Lady of the manor’ wins £8.7m in divorce from landed gentry – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 9th, 2012 in divorce, financial provision, news by sally

“A multi-millionaire estate owner from an ‘illustrious family’ has been ordered to pay his ex-wife £8.7m after falling in love with a penniless young singer, as a judge ruled the ‘lady of the manor’ should be kept in the luxury she had expected since birth.”

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Daily Telegraph, 8th November 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Immigration backlog is the size of Iceland – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 9th, 2012 in delay, immigration, news by sally

“The Commons home affairs select committee said the growing number of immigration cases — which includes almost 174,000 missing illegal immigrants — is equivalent of the population of Iceland. Mismanagement by the UK Border Agency could lead to tens of thousands more illegal immigrants being granted an ‘effective amnesty’ as officials write off their cases, the MPs said.”

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Daily Telegraph, 8th November 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Upper Tribunal confirms the legitimacy of the new immigration rules – but questions their completeness – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted November 8th, 2012 in deportation, human rights, immigration, news, tribunals by sally

“Before the new immigration rules were introduced in July, cases involving Article 8 ECHR ordinarily required a two-stage assessment: (1) first to assess whether the decision appealed against was in accordance with the immigration rules; (2) second to assess whether the decision was contrary to the appellant’s Article 8 rights. In immigration decisions, there was no doubt that human rights were rooted in primary legislation: s.84(1)(c) and (g) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, the ‘2002 Act’) allows an appeal to be brought against a decision which unlawful under section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998 (c. 42) (public authority not to act contrary to Human Rights Convention) as being incompatible with the appellant’s Convention rights. In addition to this, there is s.33(2) of the UK Borders Act 2007 which provides, as one of the statutory exceptions to the automatic deportation regime, ‘…where removal of the foreign criminal in pursuance of a deportation order would breach (a) a person’s Convention rights’.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 8th November 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Firms that discriminate against Territorial Army reserves may be sued – The Guardian

Posted November 8th, 2012 in armed forces, employment, news by sally

“Companies that discriminate against members of the Territorial Army could be sued under the same kind of laws that protect women and ethnic minorities, ministers have revealed.”

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The Guardian, 8th November 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Defra Public Consultation: Food Information Regulations 2013 – Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Posted November 8th, 2012 in consultations, food, news, regulations by sally

“Defra has launched a public consultation on the Government’s plans to make underpinning domestic legislation (Food Information Regulations 2013) to enable the FIC to be enforced in the UK.”

Defra Public Consultation: Food Information Regulations 2013 (PDF)

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, November 2013

Source: www.defra.gov.uk

Civil courts could get powers to enforce compensation for wronged consumers – OUT-LAW.com

Posted November 8th, 2012 in civil justice, compensation, consumer protection, courts, enforcement, news by sally

“New powers that could make it easier for consumers to demand reimbursement from companies who have overcharged or mis-sold them products have been proposed by the Government.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 7th November 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Recent Statutory Instruments – legislation.gov.uk

Posted November 8th, 2012 in legislation by sally

The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (Commencement No. 3 and Saving Provision) Order 2012

The Criminal Justice Act 2003 (Commencement No. 29 and Saving Provisions) (Amendment) Order 2012

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

Changes to squatting laws should be extended to commercial property, expert says – OUT-LAW.com

Posted November 8th, 2012 in crime, news, squatting by sally

“An increase in the number of cases of squatting in commercial premises was the ‘inevitable consequence’ of a change in the law to criminalise the practice in residential property, an expert has said.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 7th November 2012

Source: www.out-law.com