Tougher sentences for domestic killers – Ministry of Justice

‘Domestic abusers who kill their partners or ex-partners will receive tougher sentences under government plans published today (17 March 2023).’

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Ministry of Justice, 17th March 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

Pre-charge bail statutory guidance – Government publications

Posted March 13th, 2023 in bail, codes of practice, government departments, news by tracey

‘This document provides guidance on the pre-charge bail regime in England and Wales, to be read in conjunction with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. The guidance is approved by the Secretary of State for the Home Office, laid in Parliament and published by the College of Policing.’

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Government publications, 1st March 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

Updated sentencing guidelines for child cruelty offences published – Sentencing Council

‘The Council has published updated sentencing guidelines for offenders convicted of child cruelty offences in England and Wales, following consultation.’

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Sentencing Council, 7th March 2023

Source: www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk

Upholding ethical standards – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL), established in 1994 by John Major to advise the prime minister on arrangements for upholding ethical standards of conduct across public life in England, clearly expected more from the government in this area. For while the CSPL’s January 2019 review of Local Government Ethical Standards contained 26 recommendations, on 4 October 2022, the CSPL’s chair, Lord Evans, wrote to the secretary of state for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC), at the time Simon Clarke MP, indicating that it was “very disappointed that many of its careful recommendations have not been accepted”. Among other things, Lord Evans noted “clear frustration within local authorities at the limited powers within the local government standards regime to address poor behaviour by a minority of individuals”. Because while the 2019 report indicated that “the vast majority of councillors and officers want to maintain the highest standards of conduct in their own authority”, it nevertheless noted that a “minority of councillors engage in bullying or harassment, or other highly disruptive behaviour, and a small number of parish councils give rise to a disproportionate number of complaints about poor behaviour”.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 24th February 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Amendments to the Treasure Act 1996 – and an ecclesiastical exemption – Law & Religion UK

Posted February 27th, 2023 in Church of England, codes of practice, news, treasure by sally

‘The Government has announced forthcoming changes to the Treasure Act 1996, as amended. The Act applies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Under its terms, newly-discovered artefacts defined as “treasure” are the property of the Crown, and a person who finds an object that he or she believes to be treasure must notify the relevant authorities within 14 days. The Act currently applies to objects that are more than 300 years old and are made of precious metal or are part of a collection of valuable objects or artefacts.’

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Law & Religion UK, 24th February 2023

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

Judicial review bid has implications for UK SIPP operators – OUT-LAW.com

‘A decision expected from the Court of Appeal in London could re-open the door for the courts to consider the scope of self-invested personal pension scheme (SIPP) operators’ due diligence obligations under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules, and on their obligations to compensate customers where there have been failings, legal experts have said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 17th February 2023

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Court of Protection issues guidance on ‘closed hearings’ and ‘closed material’ – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Vice President of the Court of Protection has issued guidance on Court of Protection ‘closed hearings’ and ‘closed material’.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 9th February 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Government publishes draft ‘fire and rehire’ Code of Practice – OUT-LAW.com

‘Ed Goodwyn tells HRNews about the UK government’s proposed statutory dismissal and re-engagement code.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 2nd February 2023

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Government consults on statutory code to crack down on “fire and rehire” practices – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Government has unveiled a “crackdown” on controversial dismissal and re-engagement tactics through a planned statutory code of practice.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 25th January 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Better protection for rape victims from invasive record requests – Home Office

‘The Home Office will legislate to protect people, including rape victims, from unnecessary requests for personal records.’

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Home Office, 20th January 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

Next steps to rid police of misogyny and predatory behaviour – Home Office

Posted January 19th, 2023 in codes of practice, government departments, news, police, sexual offences, vetting, women by tracey

‘The Home Secretary has set out next steps to strengthen vetting of police officers following the David Carrick case.’

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Home Office, 18th January 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

The use and abuse of the Rehabilitation Code in liability disputed cases – Exchange Chambers

‘The benefits of rehabilitation are well known. Numerous academic studies have demonstrated its importance and the net economic benefit (to both society and insurers) from its early introduction and funding. Despite that, many insurers continue to take a hostile and unsupportive attitude driven, perhaps, by a suspicion that a claimant will seek to introduce care, therapies, equipment or accommodation that might somehow increase the value of any eventual claim. I don’t believe that to be the case. In fact, my own experience is strongly that those insurers and defendant solicitors who actively support and fund early rehabilitation (and it is right to highlight that many do), even when liability is disputed, invariably end up achieving an earlier settlement with a costs saving and, on occasions, a saving in damages arising from the better recovery enjoyed by the claimant.’

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Exchange Chambers, 22nd December 2022

Source: www.exchangechambers.co.uk

Children growing up in households with domestic abuse to be recognised as victims – The Independent

‘Children who grow up amid domestic abuse will be treated as victims and given specialist support even if they were not present during violent attacks.’

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The Independent, 5th December 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Forty potential ministerial code breaches never investigated, report reveals – The Guardian

Posted December 2nd, 2022 in codes of practice, disciplinary procedures, government departments, news by tracey

‘Forty potential breaches of the ministerial code have never been referred for investigation by the ethics adviser, data shows.’

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The Guardian, 2nd December 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Rude judge? Don’t just shrug your shoulders, says LCJ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 25th, 2022 in barristers, codes of practice, complaints, judges, judiciary, news by tracey

‘Lawyers should raise complaints about a rude judge at an early stage rather than let the problem grow and fester, the lord chief justice has told the Bar Council’s flagship conference.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 24th November 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Matt Hancock broke government rules over I’m a Celebrity stint, says watchdog chair – The Guardian

Posted November 23rd, 2022 in codes of practice, government departments, media, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘Matt Hancock breached the government’s business appointment rules by not consulting the watchdog before appearing on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!, the chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) has said.’

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The Guardian, 22nd November 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

New UK guidelines place stricter rules on age-restricted online campaigns – OUT-LAW.com

Posted November 18th, 2022 in advertising, children, codes of practice, internet, news, ombudsmen by tracey

‘The UK’s advertising regulator has published new rules on how to target age-restricted ads responsibly online. Advertisers need to ensure compliance right from the start of the campaign planning, according to experts at Pinsent Masons.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 17th November 2022

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

High Court judge quashes planning permission for apparent bias, finds monitoring officer “went wrong in law” – Local Government Lawyer

Posted November 11th, 2022 in bias, codes of practice, local government, news, planning by tracey

‘A High Court judge has quashed a district council’s grant of planning permission for the erection of five self-contained buildings to store and facilitate construction of carnival floats, after finding that the permission was vitiated by apparent bias on the part of two councillors.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 11th November 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Campaigning and political activity by charities: guidance – Law & Religion UK

‘On 7 November, the Charity Commission issued updated guidance for England and Wales on Campaigning and political activity by charities. It follows the passing of the Elections Act 2022, which received Royal Assent on 28 April.’

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Law & Religion UK, 9th November 2022

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

New powers for forensic science regulator by end of March – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Forensic science witnesses in criminal justice cases can expect to be subject to the Forensic Science Regulator’s statutory regime by the end of March 2023, incumbent regulator Gary Pugh said today.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 4th November 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk