Command Papers – official-documents.gov.uk
Source: www.official-documents.gov.uk
BAILII: Recent Decisions
High Court (Queen’s Bench Division)
Freetown Ltd v Assethold Ltd [2012] EWHC 1351 (QB) (21 May 2012)
Montpellier Estates Ltd v Leeds City Council [2012] EWHC 1343 (QB) (21 May 2012)
High Court (Chancery Division)
Bramston v Haut [2012] EWHC 1279 (Ch) (21 May 2012)
Source: www.bailii.org
Gay marriage: you say potato and I say potahto – Halsbury’s Law Exchange
“There’s been quite a commotion about gay marriage in the last few weeks following the Government’s apparent plans to shelve or delay its introduction with MP Gerald Howarth, amongst others, saying that the Tories’ stance on gay marriage was partly to blame for their performance at the local elections. A slightly narrow focus one might think when the Labour party, for whom more people voted in the local elections, supports gay marriage and when it is perhaps the economy that is at the forefront of many voters minds.”
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 22nd May 2012
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
Data extracted from suspects’ mobiles retained in accordance with strict privacy guidelines, The Met says – OUT-LAW.com
“Information collected from suspects’ mobile phones using new data extraction technology is retained in accordance with strict guidelines that protect individuals’ privacy, the Metropolitan Police Service (The Met) has said.”
OUT-LAW.com, 22nd May 2012
Source: www.out-law.com
Why me? Putting restorative justice into action – Ministry of Justice
“Will Riley was a victim of a burglary ten years ago when the home he shared with his wife and young daughter in North London was broken into. Will confronted the burglar who attacked him before the police arrived. A while afterwards he was asked if he would come and meet the man responsible for the burglary – who had since been arrested, found guilty and sentenced to prison for the crime.”
Ministry of Justice, 21st May 2012
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
El Goure v Kensington and Chelsea Royal London Borough Council – WLR Daily
“Although the legislation did not lay down the criteria of special circumstances in relation to priority need for housing homeless persons, a separated parent’s reasonable expectation that his children, who were living with their other parent, would move to live with him did not impose an obligation on the local housing authority to consider the parent’s case as special circumstances case for priority needs. Where an applicant for housing was represented by solicitors the failure of the authority expressly to notify the solicitor so that they could make representations in connection with the review did not invalidate the decision of the review officer to uphold the authority’s decision rejecting an application for priority need housing.”
WLR Daily, 18th May 2012
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Humphreys v Revenue and Customs Commissioners – WLR Daily
Humphreys v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2012 UKSC 18; [2012] WLR (D) 154
“The indirect sex discrimination against fathers arising from the refusal to split child tax credit between separated parents who shared care of a child was objectively justified.”
WLR Daily, 16th May 2012
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Maswaku v Westminster City Council – WLR Daily
Maswaku v Westminster City Council [2012] EWCA Civ 669; [2012] WLR (D) 153
“Section 193(5) of the Housing Act 1996 did not impose any statutory obligation on the local housing authority to spell out each and every possible consequence if an eligible homeless applicant refused temporary alternative accommodation offered which the authority considered to be suitable for him.”
WLR Daily, 18th May 2012
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Mattu v University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust – WLR Daily
“The disciplinary proceedings of a public employer as to the dismissal of an employee under a contract of employment did not determine a “civil right” of the employee for the purposes of the right to a fair hearing pursuant to article 6 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.”
WLR Daily, 18th May 2012
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Westbrook Dolphin Square Ltd v Friends Life Ltd – WLR Daily
Westbrook Dolphin Square Ltd v Friends Life Ltd [2012] EWCA Civ 666; [2012] WLR (D) 151
“Since the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 gave a tenant of a flat the right to acquire the freehold of his premises following service on the landlord of a notice of claim under section 13, and the tenant also had the statutory right to serve a second notice of claim at any time after a year had expired following the withdrawal of the first notice of claim, the general provision in CPR r 38.7, requiring the permission of the court to bring a second claim, did not apply to a second claim based on such a second notice.”
WLR Daily, 18th May 2012
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Burnip v Birmingham City Council and another (Equality and Human Rights Commission intervening); Trengove v Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council and another (Same intervening); Gorry v Wiltshire County Council and another (Same intervening) – WLR Daily
“The statutory criteria for calculating housing benefit for tenants in the private rented sector based on an entitlement to a one bedroom rate discriminated against the severely disabled and there was no justification in their case for continuation of the single bedroom rules.”
WLR Daily, 15th May 2012
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Tiverton huntsman John Norrish jailed for four years for party rape – BBC News
“A former huntmaster has been jailed for four years for raping a guest as he gave her a lift home following a ball.”
BBC News, 21st May 2012
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Almost 1,000 data offences recorded at DWP in 10 month period – OUT-LAW.com
“Staff at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) were disciplined a total of 992 times for unlawfully or inappropriately accessing individuals’ social security records between April 2011 and January this year.”
OUT-LAW.com, 22nd May 2012
Source: www.out-law.com
Bush and Blair’s pre-Iraq conversation must be disclosed, tribunal rules – The Guardian
“Extracts of a phone conversation between Tony Blair and George Bush a few days before the invasion of Iraq must be disclosed, a tribunal has ruled.”
The Guardian, 21st May 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Pssst… no secret hearings in naturalisation cases – UK Human Rights Blog
“Secrecy and secret justice are rarely out of the public eye. The Queen’s speech included plans to allow secret hearings in civil claims, at a time when their use is highly controversial. The government argues they are necessary to safeguard national security. Civil liberties groups and even the Special Advocates who help administer them, regard them as a bar to real justice and fair hearings.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 22nd May 2012
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Parents face jail sentence for forcing 11-year-old son to live in coal bunker – The Guardian
“A mother and stepfather who forced their 11-year-old son to live in a filthy converted coal bunker for a year are facing a prison sentence after admitting a charge of cruelty by willful neglect.”
The Guardian,21st May 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Anemometers and wind farms once more: PINS now win the day – UK Human Rights Blog
“I have previously posted on the decision leading to this successful appeal by the Planning Inspectorate, against an order that they produce their legal advice concerning a planning appeal. The decision of the First-Tier Tribunal in favour of disclosure was reversed by a strong Upper Tribunal, chaired by Carnwath LJ in his last outing before going to the Supreme Court. So the upshot is that PINS can retain whatever advice which led them to refuse this request for a public inquiry in a locally controversial case.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 22nd May 2012
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Addison Lee boss could face prosecution for bus lane instruction – The Guardian
“The head of one of the UK’s biggest cab companies, Addison Lee, faces possible prosecution for instructing his drivers to ignore the law and use bus lanes in London.”
The Guardian, 21st May 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Chief coroner of England and Wales to be appointed – BBC News
“The first chief coroner of England and Wales – tasked with setting new guidelines for coroners – will be appointed later.”
BBC News, 22nd May 2012
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Theresa May to press ahead with tougher antisocial behaviour laws – The Guardian
“Tensions within the coalition are believed to have delayed the introduction of a more ‘punitive’ regime to tackle antisocial behaviour and replace Labour’s discredited asbos.”
The Guardian, 22nd May 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
