Lords inflict government defeat over visa laws – BBC News
‘The government has suffered a narrow defeat in the House of Lords over its Modern Slavery Bill.’
BBC News, 25th February 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: bills
Judges to rule on police requests for journalists’ phone records – Daily Telegraph
‘Police to be told they need to obtain the permission of a judge if they want to obtain details of a journalist’s phone calls or emails.’
Daily Telegraph, 21st February 2015
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Revenge porn: will the new laws make any difference? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange
‘Amidst much fanfare, “revenge porn”: the posting online of sexually explicit photographs of videos of someone without their consent (usually by an ex partner), was stated by the media as being made illegal on 12th February 2015.
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 17th February 2015
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
The Hunting Act – in 60 seconds – Daily Telegraph
‘As it approaches it’s tenth anniversary, The Telegraph examines what makes the Hunting Act one of the most contentious pieces of legislation seen in modern political times.’
Daily Telegraph, 18th February 2015
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
The Supreme Court in the United Kingdom Constitution – Lecture by Lady Hale
The Supreme Court in the United Kingdom Constitution (PDF)
Lecture by Lady Hale
The Bryce Lecture, 5th February 2015
Source: www.supremecourt.uk
Fracking will be allowed under national parks, UK decides – The Guardian
‘Amendments to infrastructure bill unpick earlier protections, meaning companies just outside parks will be able to drill horizontally below them.’
The Guardian, 12th February 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Law to make reporting of FGM mandatory – BBC News
‘Professionals who fail to report cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) in children could face the sack under a new law for England and Wales.’
BBC News, 12 February 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Supreme Court says Welsh NHS charges Bill in breach of A1P1 – UK Human Rights Blog
‘Sounds like a rather abstruse case, but the Supreme Court has had some important things to say about how the courts should approach an argument that Article 1 of Protocol 1 to ECHR (the right to peaceful enjoyment of possessions) is breached by a legislative decision. The clash is always between public benefit and private impairment, and this is a good example.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 11th February 2015
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘Revenge porn’ illegal under new law in England and Wales – BBC News
‘Posting “revenge porn” images and videos on the internet is becoming a criminal offence in England and Wales.’
BBC News, 12th February 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Recovery of Medical Costs for Asbestos Diseases (Wales) Bill: reference by the Counsel General for Wales – Supreme Court
Supreme Court, 9th February 2015
Proposed changes to S.21 – NearlyLegal
‘As well as the clauses introducing the retaliatory eviction proposals, the Government’s proposed amendments to the Deregulation Bill would make some other changes to s.21. The effects would be:
No s.21 notice can be served within the first 4 months of the shorthold tenancy, thus ending the all too widespread practice of serving a s.21 at the time the tenancy agreement is signed (though I’d still say that was probably caught by the deposit rules). The proposals also make clear that possession proceedings cannot be begun before 6 months from the start of the tenancy (that disposes of an idea some bright spark landlords had, that it was OK to start proceedings before 6 months so long as the possession order was made after the 6 month date).’
NearlyLegal, 8th February 2015
Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk
Asbestos NHS costs decision due from Supreme Court – BBC News
‘Firms in Wales whose staff are treated for asbestos-related illnesses are to learn if they must reimburse the NHS.’
BBC News, 9th February 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
BBC licence fee: decriminalisation of non-payment pushed back until 2017 – The Guardian
‘The government has been defeated in the House of Lords after peers voted for an amendment backed by former BBC chairman Lord Grade preventing decriminalisation of non-payment of the licence fee before 2017.’
The Guardian, 5th February 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
The revenge of retaliatory eviction law – NearlyLegal
‘After the Teather ‘revenge eviction’ member’s bill was talked out by a couple of Tory MPs, (Chope and Davis), the question was would the proposals survive in another form before the election.’
NearlyLegal, 5th February 2015
Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk
British court to rule on death sentences for two Trinidad murderers – The Guardian
‘Seven British judges will consider whether two convicted murderers from Trinidad should have their death penalty sentences lifted by the privy council.’
The Guardian, 4th February 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
University professors decry Theresa May’s campus anti-terrorism bill – The Guardian
‘More than 500 university professors have urged the home secretary, Theresa May, to urgently rethink her proposals to curb campus extremists.’
The Guardian, 3rd February 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Theresa May’s plans to stop students being drawn to terrorism are in conflict with law, says QC – The Independent
‘Plans by Home Secretary Theresa May to place a legal duty on universities to prevent students from being drawn into terrorism are in conflict with existing law, a leading QC will warn tomorrow.’
The Independent, 1st February 2015
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Acquitted defendants costs regime not incompatible with ECHR – UK Human Rights Blog
‘The Court (Burnett LJ giving the sole judgment) has ruled on whether the statutory changes made to the ability of acquitted defendants in the Crown Court to recover their costs from central funds are compatible with the ECHR.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 28th January 2015
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Hayley Hooper: The Counter Terrorism and Security Bill: A Potential Further Erosion of Citizenship Rights in the UK – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘The Counter Terrorism and Security Bill was introduced into the House of Commons on 7 January 2015 using a semi-fast-track procedure. The Bill provides for new powers to seize travel documents from individuals suspected of terrorism, for increased powers to retain internet data under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA), and more intrusive measures under the Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Act 2011. This comment focuses on one aspect of the Bill: the “temporary exclusion orders” (TEOs) proposed in Chapter Two. These TEOs would allow the Home Secretary to make an executive order to invalidate an individual’s passport whilst s/he is abroad if there is “reasonable suspicion” that s/he has been involved in terrorism or terrorism related activity outside of the United Kingdom. Such orders may remain in force for up to two years. This means that affected individuals can only return to the UK if they become the subject of a “managed return” during which they may be subject to conditions consistent with obligations in the existing Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Act.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 27th Janaury 2015
Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org
