Prison violence epidemic partly due to staff cuts, MoJ admits – The Guardian

Posted October 28th, 2016 in budgets, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, violence by sally

‘The Ministry of Justice has explicitly acknowledged that staff cuts are a factor in the rising tide of violence in prisons in England and Wales.’

Full story

The Guardian, 27th October 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

MoJ told to comply with jailed drug baron’s kosher food FoI demands – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted September 30th, 2016 in food, freedom of information, Judaism, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons by sally

‘A man jailed for 25 years for his role in a drug-smuggling plot has scored a victory over the Ministry of Justice, which has been told it failed to carry out ‘reasonable research’ about imports of kosher food into prisons.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 28th September 2016

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Judge suing Ministry of Justice says he has been denied a fair hearing – The Guardian

‘A judge facing a disciplinary hearing has complained he is being denied a fair hearing because he has been told he cannot be legally represented or call witnesses.’

Full story

The Guardian, 7th June 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

MoJ rules out review of legal aid repayment interest – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 12th, 2016 in interest, legal aid, Ministry of Justice, news, repayment by sally

‘The Ministry of Justice has ruled out reviewing the 8% rate of interest it charges when legal aid has to be repaid – even though the Bank of England continues to hold UK interest rates at 0.5%.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 11th May 2016

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

MoJ seeks to allay court closure concerns – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 6th, 2016 in budgets, courts, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘The Ministry of Justice has given some insight into the reasons behind its decision to close a court that campaigners have bitterly fought to save.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 5th May 2016

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Government plan for 500% increase in immigration and asylum fee sparks anger – The Independent

Posted April 22nd, 2016 in appeals, fees, immigration, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘The Ministry of Justice has revealed plans to increase the cost for immigrants to appeal against Home Office decisions by up to 500 per cent.’

Full story

The Independent, 22nd April 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Lower-than-expected court fee income contributes to Ministry of Justice funding black hole – Legal Futures

Posted April 20th, 2016 in budgets, courts, fees, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘Lower-than-expected court fees from high-value cases and increased demand in the criminal justice system are behind the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) request for £427m extra funding over and above its designated department spending limit for 2015-16, it has emerged.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 20th April 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

MoJ plan for legal aid residence test thrown out by supreme court – The Guardian

Posted April 19th, 2016 in appeals, legal aid, Ministry of Justice, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘Government attempts to introduce a discriminatory residence test for anyone claiming legal aid have been summarily thrown out in a unanimous supreme court ruling.’

Full story

The Guardian, 18th April 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

MoJ wins privilege battle over PowerPoint slides prepared by counsel for training session – Legal Futures

‘PowerPoint slides prepared by external counsel for training at the Ministry of Justice were subject to legal professional privilege and did not have to be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act, the First-Tier Tribunal (FTT) has ruled.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 7th April 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Ministry of Justice officials ‘helped private firms win government contracts’ – The Guardian

‘Ministers have ordered an immediate inquiry into allegations that former senior civil servants from the Ministry of Justice have used their Whitehall knowledge and contacts to help private companies secure government contracts worth millions.’

Full story

The Guardian, 14th March 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Michael Gove sets out new rules to safeguard independence of prison inspectors – The Independent

Posted March 1st, 2016 in Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, reports by sally

‘The independence of prison inspectors is to be guaranteed following complaints that the former Justice Secretary, Chris Grayling, tried to water down their reports by removing criticisms of his approach to penal policy.’

Full story

The Independent, 10th February 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Bar Council welcomes Lord Chancellor’s decision to scrap two-tier contracting – The Bar Council

‘The Bar Council has welcomed the Lord Chancellor’s announcement today that the Government is to dispense with the two-tier contracting system.’

Full press release

The Bar Council, 28th January 2016

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Michael Gove has scrapped the Government’s planned legal aid cuts – The Independent

Posted January 29th, 2016 in budgets, criminal justice, legal aid, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘The Government has scrapped major cuts to the criminal legal aid system in England and Wales, it has announced.’

Full story

The Independent, 28th January 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

MoJ and MoD join forces to protect soldiers from “parasitic litigation” – Litigation Futures

Posted January 27th, 2016 in armed forces, Iraq, law firms, legal aid, Ministry of Justice, news, torture by sally

‘Justice minister Dominic Raab and armed forces minister Penny Mordaunt are to chair a working party looking at how to prevent “any malicious or parasitic litigation from being taken against our brave armed forces”, Mr Raab revealed yesterday.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 27th January 2016

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Top UK judges denounce ‘dangerous’ increase in court fees – The Guardian

Posted January 27th, 2016 in budgets, courts, fees, judiciary, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘Court fee increases that were hastily introduced to plug a £100m hole in the Ministry of Justice’s budget were based on “hopeless” evidence, according to the most senior civil judge in England and Wales.’

Full story

The Guardian, 26th January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

MoJ apologises for faulty divorce settlements calculator – The Guardian

Posted January 22nd, 2016 in computer programs, divorce, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘The financial assets of more than 3,600 couples were miscalculated in divorce and separation proceedings due to a faulty Ministry of Justice website.’

Full story

The Guardian, 21st January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

‘Going into legal aid work now is career suicide’ – The Guardian

‘Government cuts to legal aid means social welfare lawyers are a dying breed. So where will the next generation come from? Step up the Justice First Fellowship.’

Full story

The Guardian, 6th January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

MoJ urged to probe impact of ‘religion-based law’ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 9th, 2015 in codes of practice, equality, gender, Islam, Judaism, judiciary, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘The Ministry of Justice should issue guidance to ensure that religious and cultural tribunals comply with UK standards on gender equality and judicial independence, according to a high-profile commission into the role of religion and society.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 8th December 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

MoJ considers specialist courts for issues such as domestic abuse – The Guardian

‘The potential for developing more US-style specialist tribunals – including courts dedicated to tackling the surge in domestic abuse cases – is being examined by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).’

Full story

The Guardian, 7th December 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Making new criminal offences – Ministry of Justice

Posted December 3rd, 2015 in crime, criminal justice, Ministry of Justice, news, proportionality by sally

‘This guidance is for officials who may be considering creating new criminal offences or amending existing criminal offences.’

Full guidance

Ministry of Justice, 2nd December 2015

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice