Stephen Tierney: Towards a Principle of Positive Engagement?: The House of Lords Constitution Committee reports on The Governance of the Union – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘Over the past decade the House of Lords Constitution Committee has immersed itself in the principles, purposes and operation of devolution. Last week marked 10 years since the referendum on Scottish independence, and in that time the Committee has published multiple reports on the changing face of the territorial constitution, offering encouragement, detailed critique and practical recommendations. A number of these publications are cited in the introduction to its most recent report on The Governance of the Union: Consultation, Co-operation and Legislative Consent, which is published today. This report addresses the new system of intergovernmental relations introduced in 2022, the operation of the Sewel convention, the use of secondary legislation in devolved areas and plans by the new Labour Government for further devolution in England. Most notably, it recommends that a “principle of positive engagement” be added to the existing principles for intergovernmental relations, currently listed in The Review of Intergovernmental Relations policy document of January 2022.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 27th September 2024

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Public Inquiries | Enhancing Public Trust: Key recommendations from the House of Lords Statutory Inquiries Committee report – 2 Hare Court

Posted September 25th, 2024 in chambers articles, inquiries, news, select committees by tracey

‘On Monday, the House of Lords Statutory Inquiries Committee published its report on recommended reforms to the work of statutory inquiries. The report is published in the context of 18 public inquires taking place in the UK this year alone, and recent significant developments in the Grenfell Tower, Infected Blood, Post Office and Covid-19 Inquiries. Some of the report’s recommendations extend beyond statutory inquiries, to include major inquests.’

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2 Hare Court, 19th September 2024

Source: www.2harecourt.com

Public inquiries should be shorter and recommendations tracked, Lords says – The Guardian

Posted September 16th, 2024 in accidents, building law, construction industry, delay, fire, inquiries, news, select committees by tracey

‘Public inquiries should be shortened and the progress of their recommendations tracked, according to a House of Lords committee, which says a major overhaul is required to restore public confidence among victims and survivors.’

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The Guardian, 16th September 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Lucy Letby – latest: Inquiry to begin into baby murders at NHS hospital as appeal attempt launched – The Independent

Posted September 10th, 2024 in appeals, children, hospitals, inquiries, murder, news, nurses by tracey

‘A public inquiry begins on Tuesday into the events surrounding the crimes of child serial killer nurse Lucy Letby.’

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The Independent, 10th September 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

What is the mental health public inquiry and what could it change? – BBC News

Posted September 9th, 2024 in hospitals, inquiries, mental health, news by tracey

‘Mental health patients are among the most vulnerable in society, but services in England have been under huge strain for at least a decade, with sometimes fatal consequences. A public inquiry backed by the government will focus on deaths in Essex as a starting point, but what is it and what does it hope to achieve?. Solicitors representing a growing number of families who have lost loved ones say the Lampard Inquiry, which starts on 9 September, is as important as those around the Post Office and infected blood scandals.’

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BBC News, 9th September 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Grenfell families criticise report for ignoring impact on diverse communities – The Guardian

‘Grenfell families have criticised the final inquiry report on the disaster for failing to fully address the disproportionate impact the tragedy had on diverse and marginalised communities.’

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The Guardian, 5th September 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Justice for Grenfell deaths may not come this decade, warns former chief prosecutor – The Guardian

‘Justice for those responsible for the 72 deaths in the Grenfell Tower fire may not come until the end of this decade, a former chief prosecutor has warned, as survivors voiced growing fury over building firms’ “arrogant” refusal to admit wrongdoing.’

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The Guardian, 5th September 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

The final Grenfell inquiry report and what it means for families – Politics Weekly UK – The Guardian

‘The 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London was the result of ‘decades of failure’ by central government, the public inquiry into the catastrophe has found. The Guardian’s John Harris looks at the findings of the report with the social affairs leader writer Susanna Rustin. And, as Labour continues to warn ‘things will get worse before they get better’, we are joined by the economists James Meadway and Ann Pettifor to discuss whether a painful period of austerity-lite is the only way through the storm.’

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The Guardian, 5th September 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Grenfell Report: Key findings from the inquiry – BBC News

Posted September 5th, 2024 in bereavement, construction industry, fire, health & safety, inquiries, London, news, reports by sally

‘The Grenfell Inquiry’s final report sets out how a chain of failures across government and the private sector led to Grenfell Tower becoming a death trap.’

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BBC News, 4th September 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

High Court Upholds Costs Orders Against Halton Borough Council Over Planning Inquiry – Local Government Lawyer

Posted September 4th, 2024 in costs, expert witnesses, health & safety, housing, inquiries, local government, news, planning by tracey

‘The High Court has upheld two costs orders against Halton Borough Council following the collapse of a planning inquiry due to the failure of the council’s expert witness to support its case.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 4th September 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘Grenfell is a warning to the world’: The survivors still searching for justice – The Independent

‘As the Grenfell inquiry prepares to publish its final report into the 2017 tower block fire that killed 72, Nadine White speaks to those still grappling with its tragic legacy.’

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The Independent, 1st September 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Lucy Letby inquiry should be postponed or changed, experts say – The Guardian

Posted August 28th, 2024 in appeals, birth, hospitals, inquiries, murder, news, nurses by tracey

‘A group including some of the UK’s leading neonatal experts and professors of statistics is calling on the government to postpone or change the terms of a public inquiry over concerns about the conviction of the neonatal nurse Lucy Letby.’

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The Guardian, 27th August 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Vetting of sacked police chief failed, inquiry finds – BBC News

Posted August 6th, 2024 in inquiries, news, police, vetting by tracey

‘Basic checks were not carried out in the recruitment of a chief constable who was later found to have lied about his career, an inquiry has found.’

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BBC News, 6th August 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Time to reset legal regulation and ethics, says consumer panel head – Legal Futures

‘The new Lord Chancellor, Shabana Mahmood, needs to recognise the need for an overhaul of the legal regulatory regime, the new chair of the Legal Services Consumer Panel has argued.’

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Legal Futures, 22nd July 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Hancock and Hunt failed to prepare UK for pandemic, Covid inquiry finds – The Guardian

Posted July 18th, 2024 in bereavement, coronavirus, government departments, health, inquiries, news by michael

‘The former health secretaries Jeremy Hunt and Matt Hancock have been criticised for their failure to better prepare the UK for the pandemic, in a damning first report from the Covid inquiry that calls for an overhaul in how the government prepares for civil emergencies.’

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The Guardian, 18th July 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Inquiry into Greater Manchester police calls for end to inappropriate strip-searches – The Guardian

Posted July 18th, 2024 in detention, inquiries, news, police, stop and search by michael

‘The Baird report, which was commissioned by Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, and released on Thursday morning [18 July], examined 14 cases of 11 women and three men who had been treated unfairly by Greater Manchester police (GMP). It found wrongful arrests, a lack of care for domestic and sexual abuse survivors, and strip-searches being conducted forcefully on vulnerable women.’

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The Guardian, 18th July 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

First Covid inquiry report to show UK plan failures – BBC News

Posted July 18th, 2024 in coronavirus, emergency powers, government departments, inquiries, news, reports by michael

‘The failures and weaknesses in the UK’s pandemic preparations are expected to be laid out in the first report published by the Covid inquiry.’

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BBC News, 18th July 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Inquiry into headteacher’s suicide says ‘macho culture’ of inspections must end – The Guardian

Posted July 15th, 2024 in inquiries, mental health, news, ombudsmen, suicide, teachers by tracey

‘An independent inquiry into the death of the Reading headteacher Ruth Perry has called for an end to England’s “macho culture” of inspections and school accountability.’

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The Guardian, 12th July 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Ampleforth inquiry finds alleged serious abuse against pupils in last 10 years – The Guardian

‘An inquiry into the running of a prestigious private school said it uncovered a string of “serious abuse allegations” committed against pupils by monks and staff within the last decade.’

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The Guardian, 12th July 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Sex abuse head teacher ‘could have been stopped’ – BBC News

Posted July 2nd, 2024 in child abuse, inquiries, news, sexual grooming, sexual offences, teachers by tracey

‘A head teacher convicted of grooming and sexually abusing four teenage girls could have been stopped, according to a parent whose daughter had unsupervised one-to-one sessions with him.’

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BBC News, 1st July 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk