Truss’s plan to increase probate fees may not be legally enforceable – The Guardian

Posted April 6th, 2017 in enforcement, fees, news, probate, reports, select committees by tracey

‘Government plans to raise £300m by increasing probate fees – payable when claiming inheritances – may not be legally enforceable, a parliamentary committee has said. A report by the joint committee on statutory instruments has suggested that the Ministry of Justice may not have the authority to introduce the charges of up to £20,000 per estate.’

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The Guardian, 6th April 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Licensing Act review committee calls for ‘radical comprehensive overhaul’ – OUT-LAW.com

‘Licensing laws in England and Wales should be changed to give local planning authorities responsibility for determining the rights of businesses to sell alcohol on their premises, according to a House of Lords committee.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 4th April 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

UK should follow minimum alcohol price, say Lords – BBC News

Posted April 4th, 2017 in alcohol abuse, alcoholism, licensing, news, reports, Scotland, select committees by sally

‘Minimum unit pricing for alcohol should be rolled out across the UK if Scotland’s scheme is successful, a Lords committee says.’

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BBC News, 4th April 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Allow judiciary to work until 75, says Britain’s most senior judge – The Guardian

Posted March 30th, 2017 in age discrimination, elderly, judges, judiciary, news, retirement, select committees by tracey

‘Judges should be allowed to sit beyond the age of 70 to ease the growing problem of judicial recruitment, the UK’s most senior judge, Lord Neuberger, has said.’

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The Guardian, 29th March 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Christina Lienen: Why the Implications of ‘No Deal’ Are No Mere ‘Exercise in Guesswork’ – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘Theresa May is to trigger Article 50 on 29 March 2017, kicking off the two-year negotiation period during which the relationship between the UK and the EU will be redefined. On 12 March the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee published their ninth report of the current session: ‘Article 50 negotiations: Implications of ‘no deal’’. This is the first Select Committee publication focusing specifically on the implications faced by the UK in the event of a ‘no deal’ situation, with reference to a range of different sectors, policy areas and circumstances. Last week the concerns raised in the report as to the Government’s position or rather the apparent lack thereof regarding ‘no deal’ implications seemed to be confirmed when the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union made headlines telling the Brexit Select Committee that the Government had done no economic assessment of the possible effects of a “no deal” scenario. On 24 January 2017, similar remarks were made when Davis said that there were so many different things to assess, considering implications of ‘no deal’ would be ‘nothing more than an exercise in guesswork at this stage’. In this post I will highlight the most interesting points raised in the report which go to show that, contrary to what the Government suggests, it is actually both possible and vital to assess what areas require particular attention and what challenges this would bring. Beyond the question of ‘no deal’ implications, there are various aspects that the report touches upon which would benefit from academic discussion.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 24th March 2017

Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org

Alexander Horne: Select Committee Powers of Enforcement – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘On 7 March 2017, the House of Commons Committee of Privileges announced a new inquiry into the exercise and enforcement of the powers of the House in relation to select committees and contempts of Parliament.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 23rd March 2017

Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org

Lord chief justice attacks Liz Truss for failing to back article 50 judges – The Guardian

‘The lord chief justice, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, has launched a forthright attack on the justice secretary, Liz Truss, for her failure last year to defend judges who were branded “enemies of the people”.’

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The Guardian, 22nd March 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Impact of Brexit on legal services “a cause for concern”, justice committee says – Legal Futures

‘The justice select committee has described the impact of Brexit on legal services as “a cause for concern, but not hyberbole”, in a report published today.’

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Legal Futures, 22nd March 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

MPs launch unprecedented inquiry into air pollution amid Government delay and inaction – The Independent

‘In an unprecedented move, four House of Commons select committees are to investigate the state of air pollution in cities across the country.’

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The Independent, 20th March 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

MPs launch inquiry into government’s personal injury reforms – Legal Futures

‘MPs on the justice select committee have launched a “short” inquiry into the personal injury reforms contained in the Prisons and Courts Bill. The announcement comes ahead of the bill’s second reading – during which the principles behind it will be debated – on Monday.’

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Legal Futures, 17th march 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.com

Tony Blair’s rush to war could be repeated due to lack of checks, MPs warn – The Independent

Posted March 16th, 2017 in Iraq, ministers' powers and duties, news, reports, select committees, war by tracey

‘No checks have been put in place to prevent a prime minister repeating Tony Blair’s disastrous rush to war in Iraq, MPs have warned.’

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The Independent, 15th March 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Social media firms accused of ‘commercial prostitution’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 15th, 2017 in hate crime, internet, news, select committees by tracey

‘Social media companies have been accused of “commercial prostitution” and having “no shame” after being grilled by MPs over their failure to take down abusive content.’

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Daily Telegraph, 14th March 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

MPs urge government to preserve access to European legal services market – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted March 10th, 2017 in international relations, legal services, markets, news, select committees by sally

‘Preserving access to the single market in legal services is among the reasons why the government urgently needs to set out a vision for trade with the EU following Brexit, MPs say today.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 8th March 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Fake news inquiry to review social networks’ complaints procedures – The Guardian

‘A parliamentary inquiry into fake news is to consider legislation forcing social networks to improve the way they handle complaints after Facebook’s failure to remove sexualised images of children.’

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The Guardian, 8th March 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

MPs raise concerns over tougher knife crime guidelines’ impact on prison populations – The Independent

Posted March 8th, 2017 in Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, select committees, sentencing, violence, weapons by tracey

‘MPs have raised concerns over tougher knife crime sentencing guidelines due to the “substantial” impact it could have on the escalating prison population in Britain.’

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The Independent, 8th March 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Courts are running out of qualified judges, peers are told – The Guardian

‘Vacancies for crown court and high court judges are increasingly being left unfilled because of a serious shortage of suitably qualified applicants, a select committee has been told.’

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The Guardian, 1st March 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

MPs seek reassurance after police chief says not all paedophiles should be jailed – The Guardian

‘A group of influential MPs has demanded “immediate reassurance” from a senior child protection officer after he suggested only paedophiles who pose a physical risk to children should face a criminal sentence.’

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The Guardian, 28th February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

BBC orders urgent investigation into behaviour of TV licence fee collectors amid allegations of underhand tactics – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 27th, 2017 in BBC, codes of practice, enforcement, fees, licensing, media, news, select committees by tracey

‘The BBC has ordered an urgent investigation into the behaviour of television licence fee collectors amid allegations they are using underhand tactics and aggressive incentive schemes to catch evaders.’

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Daily Telegraph, 27th February 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

What Is the Joint Committee On Human Rights And What Does It Do? – RightsInfo

Posted February 20th, 2017 in human rights, legislation, news, parliament, select committees by sally

‘The Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) plays an important role in ensuring that human rights are protected in the UK. Its job includes checking that new laws proposed by the Government are compatible with human rights.’

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RightsInfo, 5th February 2017

Source: www.rightsinfo.org

Judicial review aiming to stop UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia to begin – The Guardian

Posted February 7th, 2017 in international law, news, sale of goods, Saudi Arabia, select committees, weapons by sally

‘A judicial review that aims to halt UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia because they could be used to illegally kill civilians in Yemen is set to begin on Tuesday.’

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The Guardian, 7th February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk