“The House of Lords has blocked attempts to exempt charities and trade unions from the referral fee ban. The house was debating proposed amendments to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders bill.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 21st March 2012
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
“Where a corporation had been removed from the register of charities but had not been struck off and dissolved until after the death of the testatrix, a gift made in her will took effect notwithstanding that the corporation had ceased to exist.”
WLR Daily, 16th March 2012
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
“Victims of oil spills, pollution or land grabs in developing countries will no longer be able to pursue claims in British courts against multinational corporations under legal reforms being pushed through by the government, aid charities have warned.”
The Guardian, 30th January 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“The Government will implement EU proposals that will allow charities and universities to share services without charging each other VAT, according to proposals published in today’s Finance Bill 2012.”
OUT-LAW.com, 6th December 2011
Source: www.out-law.com
“Controversial guidance requiring private schools to provide free places for poor pupils is to be scrapped after a landmark court ruling.”
Daily Telegraph, 5th December 2011
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“The broadcasting watchdog Ofcom has launched an investigation into an Asian radio station after it withheld tens of thousands of pounds in listener donations from those in need.”
The Guardian, 4th November 2011
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Guidance issued by the Charity Commission for England and Wales included errors of law in respect of the public benefit requirement contained in the Charities Act 2006 on independent schools which charged fees. Whether the public benefit requirement was satisfied depended on the facts of each case. The correct approach was to look at what a trustee, acting in the interests of the community as a whole, would do in all the circumstances of the particular school under consideration and to ask what provision ought to be made once the threshold of benefit going beyond the de minimis or token level had been met. There was no reason why the provision of scholarships or bursaries to students who could pay some, but not all, of the fees should not be seen as for the public benefit. Provided that the operation of the school was seen as being for the public benefit, with an appropriate level of benefit for the poor, a subsidy to the not so well off was to be taken account of in the public benefit.”
WLR Daily, 13th October 2011
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
” It is not for the Charity Commission or the courts to impose on trustees of a school their own idea of what is for the ‘public benefit’ so as to qualify for charitable status, the Upper Tribunal has ruled. In a detailed assessment of the law on charitable status both before and after the Charities Act, the Tribunal has indicated that the Act has not introduced any legal requirement to act in a way prescribed by the Charity Commission or anyone else. Provided they run their charity to ensure that the poor are able to benefit in a way that is more than minimal or tokenistic, they should be free to make their own considered assessment of what is for the ‘public benefit’ in the circumstances pertaining to their own institution.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 18th October 2011
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
“Independent schools have won a long-running legal battle with the Charity Commission on what schools must do to justify their charitable status.”
BBC News, 14th October 2011
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“Action Against Medical Accidents has launched a legal challenge against the government’s controversial plans to scrap legal aid for clinical negligence cases.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 22nd September 2011
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
“Director-general of National Trust Dame Fiona Reynolds on the Coalition’s controversial planning reforms.”
Daily Telegraph, 21st September 2011
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“A coalition of high-profile, international charities has condemned the government’s legal reforms for denying overseas victims of UK multinationals any chance of justice. In a letter to the Guardian, Amnesty International, Friends of the Earth, Oxfam and others warn that if the justice secretary, Ken Clarke, succeeds in restricting ‘no win, no fee’ agreements then Trafigura-style cases could never be brought again.”
The Guardian, 11th September 2011
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“In an increasingly competitive legal sector it is understandable that many lawyers are unwilling to admit to human weakness, but those counselling struggling legal professionals believe that the number failing to cope has risen notably in recent years.”
Legal Week, 8th September 2011
Source: www.legalweek.com
“A new ‘pre-departure accommodation centre’ is expected to open its doors to failed asylum seekers and their children next week. The converted special needs school in Pease Pottage, West Sussex, will house families for up to a week, before they are forcibly removed from the UK. The new facility follows the closure of the family unit of the controversial Yarl’s Wood immigration removal centre, in Bedfordshire. The UK Border Agency (UKBA) insists that the Pease Pottage ‘family-friendly’ accommodation will only be used ‘as a last resort where families resolutely fail to comply [to leave the UK?]’.”
The Guardian, 23rd August 2011
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“A fresh wave of law centre closures and redundancies is feared as the government introduces plans this week for an additional 10% cut in legal aid fees.”
The Guardian, 22nd August 2011
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Care charities and other not-for-profit organisations are being asked whether they think they can better meet the needs of people who lack mental capacity.”
Ministry of Justice, 4th August 2011
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
“Reprieve and other charities have found that the investigation set up by the government has serious shortcomings.”
The Guardian, 4th August 2011
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Human rights groups and lawyers boycotting the inquiry into allegations of torture by the security and intelligence agencies are accusing the government of reneging on promises that it would be open and independent.”
The Guardian, 4th August 2011
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Downing Street has insisted the government is committed to enshrining its overseas aid spending targets in law, despite objections by the defence secretary, Liam Fox.”
The Guardian, 17th May 2011
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Civil servants have been ordered to reconsider disclosing thousands of documents relating to a fund run by former MP George Galloway during Saddam Hussein’s regime.”
The Independent, 14th May 2011
Source: www.independent.co.uk
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