Government pledges 400 extra prison officers for country’s toughest jails – The Independent

Posted October 4th, 2016 in drug abuse, news, prison officers, prisons, speeches by sally

‘The Government is pledging £14m to pay for 400 prison officers who will help tackle drugs and violence in the country’s toughest prisons.’

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The Independent, 4th October 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Homeless eligibility amends and deposit discretions – Nearly Legal

‘The Allocation of Housing and Homelessness (Eligibility) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2016 have (finally) been made to come into force on 30 October 2016. These sort out the anomaly highlighted in Romans v Southwark LBC and SSDCLG and Alabi v SSDCLG about those with leave to remain granted under Appendix FM. Their eligibility for housing and homeless assistance is confirmed. A number of appeals have been stayed pending the regulations, which should now be resolved.’

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Nearly Legal, 3rd October 2016

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Prisoner resettlement scheme raises concerns – BBC News

Posted October 4th, 2016 in employment, housing, news, prisons, probation, recidivists by sally

‘A flagship government policy to support and supervise inmates leaving jail has been severely criticised by inspectors.’

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BBC News, 4th October 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Racial elements in hate crime cases being ‘filtered out’ in UK – The Guardian

Posted October 4th, 2016 in hate crime, news, racism, reports, sentencing by sally

‘Police, prosecutors and the courts in Britain are “filtering out” racial elements in hate crime cases, half of reported hate crime is not prosecuted and judges are underusing heavier sentences for hate crime, say Council of Europe anti-racism experts.’

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The Guardian, 4th October 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

FCA increasingly favouring criminal prosecution in insider dealing cases, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 3rd, 2016 in financial regulation, insider dealing, news, prosecutions by sally

‘The number of criminal investigations into cases of insider dealing opened by UK regulators increased by 175% over the last financial year and early figures indicate the total for 2016/17 will be higher still, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 3rd October 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

Disgraced GP avoids prison over video of man having sex with snake – Daily Telegraph

‘A disgraced doctor has avoided prison after being convicted for a second time of having a stash of “extreme” pornography, including a video of a man having sex with a snake.’

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Daily Telegraph, 30th September 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Law ahead of other sectors in AI adoption and ambition – Legal Futures

Posted October 3rd, 2016 in artificial intelligence, legal services, news by sally

‘The use of artificial intelligence is more widespread in the law than in other sectors, and IT chiefs see more applications for it in the future, a survey has found.’

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Legal Futures, 3rd October 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Price comparison sites to be probed by watchdog – BBC News

Posted October 3rd, 2016 in competition, consumer protection, internet, news by sally

‘The way price comparison websites work is to be examined by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).’

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BBC News, 29th September 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Witness the Fitness (to Practise): Mixed Personal Data and Section 7 DPA – Panopticon

Posted October 3rd, 2016 in complaints, data protection, doctors, medical records, news, privacy by sally

‘The medical profession is only too used to the occasional outbreak of SARS. It is perhaps a little less used to an influx of SARs, as made under section 7 of the Data Protection Act 1998. In the case of the General Medical Council, requests for personal data will involve very sensitive data and just as sensitive issues of balance and extraction of the data of different parties. So it was in Dr DB v General Medical Council [2016] EWHC 2331 (QB).’

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Panopticon, 28th September 2016

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Local authorities “failing to use powers to tackle criminal landlords” – Local Government Lawyer

Posted October 3rd, 2016 in landlord & tenant, local government, news by sally

‘Tenants and landlords are “being let down by local authorities who are failing to use powers to tackle criminal landlords”, the Residential Landlords Association has claimed.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 28th September 2016

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Air quality law in the United Kingdom at a crossroads – OUP Blog

Posted October 3rd, 2016 in EC law, environmental protection, news, pollution by sally

‘UK air quality law now finds itself at a crossroads. Air quality law is a well-established area of environmental law, having been at the vanguard of much of it. It is a well-established area across multiple levels of governance, with local and national regulation in the UK operating against a backdrop of binding EU standards and an international law framework for transboundary air pollution (the 1979 Geneva Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP)). This multilevel body of law highlights that air pollution is a problem that has many sources – local, transboundary, stationary, mobile, manmade, natural – which act and interact via complex pollution pathways, leading to a range of regulatory responses within and beyond jurisdictional boundaries.’

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OUP Blog, 3rd October 2016

Source: www.blog.oup.com

‘Targeted’ late night levy for English licensing authorities proposed – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 3rd, 2016 in licensed premises, local government, news by sally

‘Licensing authorities in England and Wales could be able to target specific streets and areas under proposed reforms to the late night levy, rather than having to impose it on the whole area.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 30th September 2016

Source: www.oput-law.com

Strasbourg again favouring safety of conviction over cross-examination of witnesses? – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted October 3rd, 2016 in cross-examination, drug trafficking, human rights, news, witnesses by sally

‘In a unanimous decision, the European Court of Human Rights has held that the proceedings that lead to the conviction of an individual for drug trafficking charges were entirely compliant with Article 6, ECHR. Despite the inability to cross-examine a key prosecution witness, the Court considered that in light of the existence of supporting incriminating evidence (amongst other factors) the proceedings as a whole were fair.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 30th September 2016

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Police body cameras ‘cut public complaints by 93%’ – BBC News

Posted October 3rd, 2016 in news by sally

‘Police body cameras can dramatically reduce the number of complaints against officers, research suggests.’

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BBC News, 29th September 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Arguments in the referendum challenge now available – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted October 3rd, 2016 in brexit, devolution, EC law, news, prerogative powers, referendums, treaties by sally

‘The imminent litigation concerning the government’s response to the Brexit vote is much anticipated. The skeleton arguments have now been filed. The High Court has just resisted an application for partial redaction of the arguments, so they are open for public perusal.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 29th September 2016

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

‘Are you a killer?’ The quiet discrimination shutting military veterans out of the workplace – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 3rd, 2016 in armed forces, employment, news, recruitment, statistics by sally

‘Stereotypes about Armed Forces veterans as potentially “mad, bad and sad” are driving an unspoken discrimination against former servicemen and women in the civilian jobs market, according to the Royal British Legion.’

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Daily Telegraph, 2nd October 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Abuse victims ‘saddened’ as Ben Emmerson QC quits inquiry – BBC News

Posted October 3rd, 2016 in barristers, inquiries, news, sexual offences, victims by sally

‘Victims say they are “saddened, but not surprised” by the resignation of the most senior lawyer working for the independent inquiry into historical child sexual abuse.’

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BBC News, 30th September 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Leeds homelessness protesters fight legal bid to evict tent city – The Guardian

Posted October 3rd, 2016 in demonstrations, homelessness, local government, news, repossession by sally

‘The organisers of a homelessness protest, in which around 50 rough sleepers have pitched tents in Leeds city centre, are due to appear in court to fight a bid to disperse them.’

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The Guardian, 3rd October 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk