Data protection laws breached by Government over public consultation security flaw, says ICO – OUT-LAW.com

“The Department for Education (DfE) was guilty of a breach of UK data protection laws when a ‘temporary security flaw’ meant that personal information belonging to respondents to one of its consultations were ‘compromised’, the UK’s data protection watchdog has said.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 19th October 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Companies can challenge regulator’s calculation of fines for anti-competitive behaviour under new procedure – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 18th, 2012 in appeals, competition, fines, news, penalties by sally

“Organisations that face being fined for breaching UK competition law will be able to challenge the level of penalty being proposed or the way the fine has been calculated under a new procedure outlined by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 18th October 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Benefit fraud convictions rise after officials get new powers – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 17th, 2012 in benefits, fraud, news, penalties, prosecutions, repayment by tracey

“New figures show the level of fraud convictions have risen by more than 40 per cent amid a new crackdown on benefit cheats.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 17th October 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Professional fines may be tax deductable, tribunal finds – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 12th, 2012 in corporation tax, fines, news, penalties by sally

“The McLaren racing team is entitled to claim a corporation tax reduction in respect of a £32 million fine levied by the motor racing governing body because the fine was not a criminal penalty imposed by statute, a tribunal has held.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 11th October 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Charity served with monetary penalty notice – Panopticon

Posted October 11th, 2012 in charities, data protection, fines, news, penalties, social services by sally

“Today (10 October), the Commissioner served – for the first time – a monetary penalty notice on a charity. The charity in question, Norwood Ravenswood Ltd, is a social care charity. One of its social workers had attempted to deliver to the home of prospective adopters certain background reports containing highly confidential sensitive personal data on four young children. Finding the couple out, and unable to fit the package through the letterbox, the social worker left the package in a concealed area at the side of the house. When the prospective adopters returned home, the package had disappeared. It was never recovered.”

Full story

Panopticon, 10th October 2012

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Victims to pick offenders’ punishment, Home Secretary says – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 9th, 2012 in crime, news, penalties, restorative justice, victims by sally

“Victims of crime will be able to decide how offenders are punished, under new proposals outlined by Home Secretary Theresa May today.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 9th October 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Treasury Committee suggests higher fines and criminal sanctions for LIBOR manipulation – OUT-LAW.com

Posted August 21st, 2012 in banking, financial regulation, fines, news, penalties, reports, select committees by sally

“Higher fines for firms that fail to co-operate with regulators and potential criminal sanctions for benchmark manipulation have been suggested by the Treasury Select Committee in a report responding to alleged manipulation of market rates by major banks.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 21st August 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

New video games age-rating regime comes into force – OUT-LAW.com

Posted July 30th, 2012 in children, consumer protection, news, penalties, video games by sally

“Retailers that supply age-rated video games to children who are below the specified age could face up to six months in jail and a £5,000 fine under a new age classification regime in operation in the UK.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 30th July 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Speedy copyright law change process is extended to regulations carrying 10 year jail term – OUT-LAW.com

Posted July 20th, 2012 in copyright, news, parliament, penalties, regulations by tracey

“It will be possible to use a speeded up Parliamentary approval process for changing parts of copyright law that carry penalties of up to 10 years in jail under a proposed new law, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has said.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 19th July 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Tribunals could be able to order companies guilty of “systemic discrimination” to carry out equal pay audits – OUT-LAW.com

“Employment tribunals will be able to order companies who lose sex discrimination cases to disclose the gap in pay between their male and female employees under plans announced by the Equalities Minister.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 18th June 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Fixed penalty fines for traffic offences could rise 50% to £90 – The Guardian

Posted June 15th, 2012 in fines, news, penalties, road traffic offences by sally

“Fines for breaking the rules of the road could be increased from £60 to £90 under government plans that have been sent out for consultation.”

Full story

The Guardian, 14th June 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Upheld football creditors’ rule “becoming increasingly outdated”, expert says – OUT-LAW.com

Posted May 28th, 2012 in debts, insolvency, news, penalties, sport by sally

“The controversial rule allowing the Football League and Premier League to insist that football players, managers and other clubs get paid before other creditors if a football club enters administration will ‘likely become an irrelevance’ as penalties against insolvent teams become more sophisticated, according to an expert.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 28th May 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

New law ‘to halt scrap metal trade’ after church and memorial thefts

Posted May 28th, 2012 in bills, monuments, news, penalties, theft by sally

“A new law to stop the trade in scrap metal stolen from churches, war memorials and railways is likely to be introduced by the Coalition.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 27th May 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Almost 1,000 data offences recorded at DWP in 10 month period – OUT-LAW.com

Posted May 22nd, 2012 in data protection, government departments, news, penalties by sally

“Staff at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) were disciplined a total of 992 times for unlawfully or inappropriately accessing individuals’ social security records between April 2011 and January this year.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 22nd May 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

New tool to tackle economic crime – Attorney General’s Office

Posted May 17th, 2012 in company law, consultations, fraud, news, penalties, prosecutions by sally

“Plans for a new tool to tackle economic crime were published today for consultation by Solicitor General Edward Garnier QC and Justice Minister Crispin Blunt.”

Full story

Attorney General’s Office, 17th May 2012

Source: www.attorneygeneral.gov.uk

Review of sanctions for disclosure failures in criminal trials – Judiciary of England and Wales

Posted April 27th, 2012 in criminal procedure, disclosure, penalties, press releases by tracey

“The Lord Chief Justice has asked Lord Justice Gross and Mr Justice Treacy to conduct a review of sanctions for disclosure failures.”

Full press release

Judiciary of England and Wales, 26th april 2012

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Magistrates to have power for summary justice – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 16th, 2012 in magistrates, news, penalties by sally

“Magistrates will have the power to hand out summary justice in police stations or community centres under a planned overhaul of out of court penalties to be revealed next month.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 16th April 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Deferred prosecution agreement legislation to be introduced, Solicitor General says – OUT-LAW.com

“The Government will introduce new laws that enable businesses and prosecutors to negotiate the punishments those firms should face for unlawful activity before the end of this Parliament, a top legal advisor has said.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 22nd March 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Cartels and law reform – a conspiracy against the public – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted March 21st, 2012 in budgets, competition, news, penalties, prosecutions by sally

“Adam Smith is often quoted for his comment on cartels:

‘People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices’.”

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 21st March 2012

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Deferred prosecution could come to UK, says Alderman – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted March 15th, 2012 in company law, deferred prosecution agreements, fraud, news, penalties by sally

“Legislation to enable US-style deferred prosecutions for corporate crime may feature in the Queen’s speech on 9 May.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 15th March 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk