Category: coronavirus

Remote hearings: the HMCTS evaluation – Transparency Project

Posted January 5th, 2022 in consultations, coronavirus, HM Courts Service, news, remote hearings, statistics by sally

‘Last month HM Courts and Tribunals Service published their own research into user experiences of remote hearings: Evaluation of remote hearings during the COVID 19 pandemic. The report analyses responses to surveys conducted between May and October 2020 with public users of the justice system and in mid-2021 with professionals such as lawyers, judges and court staff.’

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Transparency Project, 4th January 2022

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

New Acts – legislation.gov.uk

Posted January 4th, 2022 in armed forces, company directors, contracts, coronavirus, disqualification, financial regulation, legislation, rates by tracey

2021 c. 34 – Rating (Coronavirus) and Directors Disqualification (Dissolved Companies) Act 2021

2021 c. 33 – Critical Benchmarks (References and Administrators’ Liability) Act 2021

2021 c. 35 – Armed Forces Act 2021

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

Lady Hallett to chair spring public inquiry into Covid pandemic – The Guardian

Posted December 16th, 2021 in coronavirus, inquiries, judges, news by sally

‘Lady Hallett, a former senior appeal court judge, has been appointed to chair the public inquiry into the Covid pandemic.’

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The Guardian, 15th December 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Covid: Family of woman lose appeal against end-of-life ruling – BBC News

Posted December 16th, 2021 in appeals, coronavirus, families, medical treatment, news by sally

‘Relatives of a woman left brain-damaged and paralysed after contracting Covid-19 have lost an appeal against a ruling that she should be allowed to die.’

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BBC News, 15th December 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Fiona de Londras, Daniella Lock and Pablo Grez Hidalgo: COVID passes and the ongoing abuse of ‘urgent’ law-making – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted December 14th, 2021 in coronavirus, emergency powers, news, parliament, regulations by tracey

‘Later today the House of Commons will consider the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Entry to Venues and events) (England) Regulations 2021, which introduce a system mandating the use of COVID passes (or, in formal parlance, “COVID status certifications”). These Regulations are being made using the emergency provisions contained in s. 45R of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 14th December 2021

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Unorthodox Covid Views and Medical Regulation – Richard Smith – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted December 13th, 2021 in coronavirus, disciplinary procedures, doctors, freedom of expression, human rights, medical treatment, medicines, news, vaccination by tracey

‘White v General Medical Council [2021] EWHC 3286 (Admin) (03 December 2021). A case in which the High Court reminds the regulator of requirements for imposing curbs on free speech.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 7th December 2021

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

HMCTS: Public prefers remote hearings but professionals see declining respect – Legal Futures

Posted December 13th, 2021 in coronavirus, courts, HM Courts Service, news, remote hearings, statistics, trials by tracey

‘Public users of the courts generally prefer remote to in-person hearings, but they have led to declining levels of respect, formality and concentration, according to government research.’

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Legal Futures, 13th December 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Legal challenge to hotel quarantine policy goes to Court of Appeal – BBC News

Posted December 10th, 2021 in appeals, coronavirus, government departments, health, holidays, hotels, judicial review, news by michael

‘A legal challenge to the Government’s mandatory quarantine hotel policy is to be taken to the Court of Appeal.’

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BBC News, 9th December 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UKHSA considers legal action against privately run Immensa lab – The Guardian

Posted December 8th, 2021 in auditors, contracting out, coronavirus, freedom of information, health, news, ombudsmen, public procurement by sally

‘A government health watchdog is considering legal action against a private health company whose laboratory gave at least 43,000 people potentially false negative Covid-19 test results.’

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The Guardian, 8th December 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Coroners in England issue rare warnings over avoidable deaths in pandemic – The Guardian

Posted December 7th, 2021 in coronavirus, coroners, inquests, news by sally

‘Coroners in England have said lessons must be learned from failings made by overstretched services that struggled to adapt during the Covid pandemic, as details of inquests into deaths only now emerge.’

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The Guardian, 6th December 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Covid not good enough reason for solicitors missing court deadline – Legal Futures

Posted December 6th, 2021 in coronavirus, delay, law firms, negligence, news, striking out, time limits by sally

‘The disruption caused by Covid last year was not a good enough excuse for a law firm missing a deadline to file amended particulars of claim by four months, the High Court has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 6th December 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Car wash that stayed open during height of pandemic fined for breaking COVID-19 restrictions – Local Government Lawyer

Posted December 6th, 2021 in coronavirus, fines, local government, news by sally

‘A council prosecution has seen a business owner in South Norfolk found guilty of an offence under The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) Regulations 2020.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 3rd December 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

The Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill: the Code of Practice – Local Government Lawyer

Posted December 3rd, 2021 in bills, codes of practice, company law, coronavirus, landlord & tenant, local government, news, rent by tracey

‘In the third article in a three-part series on the Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill, Edward Blakeney and Mattie Green examine the accompanying Code of Practice.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 3rd December 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Dozens of maskless passengers hit with £200 fines after rule reinstated – The Independent

Posted December 3rd, 2021 in coronavirus, fines, news, statistics, transport by tracey

‘Dozens of maskless passengers have been fined as compulsory face coverings were reinstated.’

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The Independent, 2nd December 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Man who glued lock of Gorleston vaccine centre is jailed – BBC News

Posted December 2nd, 2021 in coronavirus, criminal damage, news, sentencing, vaccination by sally

‘A man who put superglue on the lock of a Covid-19 vaccination centre, preventing 504 people from getting jabs, has been jailed for 12 weeks.’

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BBC News, 1st December 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Grace period in a time of Covid – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted December 1st, 2021 in asylum, coronavirus, delay, deportation, detention, housing, human rights, immigration, news by sally

‘In R (Babbage) v The Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] EWHC 2995 (Admin), the Claimant applied for judicial review, claiming that his immigration detention from 27 February 2020 to 29 April 2021 had been unlawful and/or that there was a public law error relating to the delay in the provision of s.4 accommodation. Soole J gave a potentially significant judgment concerning the ambit of the “grace period” for locating s.4 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 accommodation, i.e. accommodation provided to failed asylum seekers. The judge also made some apposite comments concerning the requirement for appropriate evidence in unlawful detention claims from the relevant decision maker.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 30th November 2021

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Council facing judicial review for push to get children in vulnerable families back to school – Local Government Lawyer

Posted December 1st, 2021 in coronavirus, disabled persons, judicial review, local government, news, pre-action conduct, school children by sally

‘A Covid-vulnerable family has sent a pre-action protocol letter to a council that it says unlawfully told a headteacher to stop allowing their children to stay home during rises in case numbers.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 30th November 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Covid: as rules on mask wearing in England return, what exactly is the law? – The Guardian

Posted December 1st, 2021 in coronavirus, fines, government departments, health & safety, news, transport by sally

‘As part of targeted measures to prevent the spread of the new Covid-19 variant Omicron, from 4am on 30 November, people in England will be required by law to wear a face covering in certain places.’

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The Guardian, 29th November 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Department for Work and Pensions Faces Court Case For ‘Human Rights Breach’ – Each Other

Posted November 30th, 2021 in benefits, coronavirus, disabled persons, human rights, judicial review, news by tracey

‘The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is facing a court case which alleges a human rights breach that could see the Government ordered to pay £1,560 each to over two million benefits claimants.’

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Each Other, 29th November 2021

Source: eachother.org.uk

Mandatory vaccination for care home workers not unlawful nor in breach of ECHR – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted November 29th, 2021 in care homes, care workers, coronavirus, employment, human rights, judicial review, news, vaccination by tracey

‘Peters & Anor, R (On the application of) the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care & Anor [2021] EWHC 3182 (Admin), 2 November 2021. This was a renewed application by the claimants for permission to proceed with a judicial review challenge to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021, which requires a registered person who runs a regulated activity in a care home to ensure that any person entering the premises has been vaccinated, unless for clinical reasons that person is exempt.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 26th November 2021

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com