Prisons set to run out of spaces again within a year despite early release scheme, MPs warn – The Independent

‘Overcrowded prisons will face “total gridlock in a matter of months” and run out of space in 2026 despite emergency measures to release prisoners early, MPs have warned.’

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The Independent, 14th March 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Three-quarters of judges report stress symptoms – Legal Futures

Posted February 26th, 2025 in health, judiciary, mental health, news, statistics by sally

‘Three-quarters of salaried judges and two-thirds of fee-paid judges report symptoms of stress, while a third of circuit judges are under “high or extreme stress”, the latest Judicial Attitude Survey has found.’

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Legal Futures, 26th February 2025

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Ombudsman sets out common failings of landlords when it comes to inspections following damp and mould complaints – Local Government Lawyer

Posted February 26th, 2025 in complaints, health, housing, landlord & tenant, local government, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘The Housing Ombudsman has analysed four common failings of social landlords in a report on inspections and knowledge management within damp and mould complaints.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 25th February 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Homelessness and health – Local Government Lawyer

‘Julia Jones and Julie Bennett look at government guidance which suggests that the discharging from hospital of people at risk of or experiencing homelessness is a window of opportunity to address an individual’s complex needs.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 20th February 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

CAP update shows complexity of UK ‘less healthy’ food and drink advertising ban – OUT-LAW.com

Posted February 14th, 2025 in advertising, codes of practice, consultations, food, health, media, news by sally

‘The Committee of Advertising Practice’s (CAP) update regarding media restrictions on advertisements for “less healthy” food and drinks products reveals the complexity of the issues to be considered by stakeholders, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 13th February 2025

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Bed blocking, possession orders and discharge planning – Local Government Lawyer

Posted February 14th, 2025 in autism, health, hospitals, local government, mental health, news, repossession by sally

‘The recent case of Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust v Mercer [2024] EWHC 2515 spotlights the pressing issue of “bed-blocking” in NHS hospitals. In May 2024, over 12,000 patients in England were in hospital who no longer needed to be there, yet remained in hospital, often due to care planning delays. The Judge in this case, HHJ Tindal, gave legal and practical guidance in the form of a checklist for hospitals seeking possession in relation to patients whose refusal to leave hospital is not thought to be affected by mental health or mental capacity issues.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 14th February 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Paolo Sandro: Soft, But for Whom? Law and the Creation of Accountability – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted February 13th, 2025 in coronavirus, emergency powers, health, news, rule of law by sally

‘Five years on, and with a potential new pandemic on the horizon (if not already here), researchers from all disciplines have been very busy evaluating how the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was managed by different governments around the world. In legal and political studies, for example, there is a growing body of literature which considers the encroachment on civil liberties effected by so-called “lockdown” policies and their overall impact on the rule of law.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 12th February 2025

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

MPs push for assisted dying to be expanded to people with a year left to live – The Independent

Posted February 7th, 2025 in assisted suicide, bills, health, limitations, news by sally

‘MPs are pushing for assisted deaths to be available for people suffering from Motor Neurone Disease or Parkinson’s who have a year left to live in a new amendment to the bill.’

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The Independent, 6th February 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Delay to ‘Awaab’s law’ risks lives of social housing tenants in England, Shelter says – The Guardian

‘The housing charity Shelter has criticised the government for putting lives at risk by delaying a law to make social landlords in England fix dangerous hazards quickly.’

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The Guardian, 6th February 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Law to make social landlords fix mould in force from October – BBC News

‘Landlords will be forced to investigate and fix damp and mould in social housing in England within strict timescales from October, the government has announced.’

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BBC News, 6th February 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

NHS 111 firm admits fault for not sending ambulance to baby who later died – The Guardian

‘A private call handling firm operating the NHS 111 non-emergency service has admitted it was at fault for failing to send an ambulance to a baby boy who died shortly after falling ill, an inquest has heard.’

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The Guardian, 3rd February 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Katie Lines: Law and Guidance in a Public Health Emergency – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted January 29th, 2025 in constitutional law, coronavirus, government departments, health, news, rule of law by sally

‘The use of law and guidance in a public health emergency was one of the issues explored by the Independent Commission on UK Public Health Emergency Powers. The Commission, chaired by the Rt. Hon. Sir Jack Beatson FBA and supported by the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, conducted an intensive review of the constitutional and rule of law dimensions of the UK’s Covid-19 response and emergency powers framework. Neither the UK nor Scottish Covid-19 Inquiries are focussing on these aspects of the pandemic response, and so the Commission was launched to fill this gap. Its report was published last spring and makes 44 recommendations for changes in law, policy, practice and procedure.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 29th January 2025

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Assisted dying bill amendment aims to close potential ‘anorexia loophole’ – The Guardian

Posted January 22nd, 2025 in assisted suicide, bills, health, mental health, news, parliament, select committees, suicide by sally

‘MPs will look to close a potential anorexia loophole in the assisted dying bill that psychiatrists fear could result in people with severe eating disorders using it to end their lives. The Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney, who sits on the committee of MPs that will scrutinise the proposed law, is tabling an amendment to tighten the language around mental capacity.’

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The Guardian, 21st January 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

MPs meet to scrutinise assisted dying bill for first time – The Independent

Posted January 22nd, 2025 in assisted suicide, bills, health, mental health, news, parliament, select committees, suicide by sally

‘The crucial committee which will scrutinise the assisted dying bill was told to be “civil and courteous” as members met for the first time ahead of expert evidence hearings at the end of January. The 23-member committee has a majority of MPs who are supportive of assisted dying, including two government ministers Stephen Kinnock and Sarah Sackman. The MPs, who will test the proposed legislation line by line, met on Tuesday to set out the timetable for the inquiry process.’

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The Independent, 21st January 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Ministers consider ban on all UK public bodies making ransomware payments – The Guardian

Posted January 14th, 2025 in computer crime, education, health, local government, news by sally

‘Schools, the NHS and local councils will be banned from making ransomware payments under government proposals to tackle hackers. In a crackdown on such cyber-attacks, operators of critical national infrastructure will be barred from bowing to demands when criminal gangs hold IT systems hostage.’

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The Guardian, 14th January 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Regulators must regulate lawfully: The availability of private law claims and remedies does not oust judicial review – Henderson Chambers

‘In this important recent decision the Supreme Court has found that in respect of an established nuisance, even where there were available to the claimant alternative private law remedies (nuisance and private prosecution) these did not oust an application for judicial review against the public authority in respect of an allegedly unlawful failure to exercise regulatory powers.’

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Henderson Chambers, 5th November 2024

Source: www.hendersonchambers.co.uk

Ombudsman demands social housing providers address “complacency” towards dealing with hazards – Local Government Lawyer

Posted December 12th, 2024 in health, health & safety, housing, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘The Housing Ombudsman has urged housing providers to improve their response to hazards ahead of the introduction of Awaab’s Law.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 11th December 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Only adverts showing junk food covered by TV ban – BBC News

Posted December 5th, 2024 in advertising, food, government departments, health, news by michael

‘The new ban has been introduced using powers in the Health and Social Care Act 2022, passed by Boris Johnson’s government, which set the focus on products.’

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BBC News, 5th December 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Council decision not to designate illegal landfill ‘contaminated land’ to be challenged in High Court – Local Government Lawyer

‘The High Court has agreed to hear a judicial review challenge of Havering Council’s decision not to allocate an illegal landfill behind pollution issues and wildfires as “contaminated land”.

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Local Government Lawyer, 4th December 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Court of Appeal allows appeal concerning amenability to judicial review of decision by adjudicator – 39 Essex Chambers

’39 Essex Chambers barristers Vikram Sachdeva KC and Jake Thorold have successfully represented the appellant in a Court of Appeal case concerning the amenability to judicial review of a decision of an adjudicator appointed by the Secretary of State determining a dispute arising out of a contract governing the provision of primary care services.’

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39 Essex Chambers, 3rd December 2024

Source: www.39essex.com