Legislation / Legal

HO: Men hunting out paid-for sex on the street can now be arrested on their first offence thanks to new measures (that will come into effect on 1 April 2010) to tackle the demand for prostitution, Home Office Minister, Alan Campbell, announced last week, to coincide with International Women’s Day. The police will no longer having to show kerb-crawlers are ‘persistent’ before arresting them,
 
To support practitioners the Home Office is also launching a toolkit developed with the Greater London Domestic Violence Project to support the co-ordinated community response model (CCRM) to domestic violence.  The toolkit brings together guidance, research, polices & information in one place.
 
Meanwhile a new campaign to raise awareness of the cruel & brutal practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) was launched last week. The campaign includes a poster and a leaflet designed to be displayed nationwide in key locations such as school staff rooms and social workers’ offices, alongside a dedicated website to provide help & support for professionals, victims and survivors.
Press release ~ Prostitution measures come into effect on 1 April as part of the Crime and Policing Act 2009 ~ HO: Prostitution ~ FGM awareness campaign ~ CCRM toolkit ~ Together We Can End Violence Against Women and Girls: a Strategy
 
MoJ: People claiming compensation after being injured in road accidents will be able to receive their compensation more quickly & simply under a new fast-track process put before Parliament last week. The scheme introduces fixed stages & costs, with set deadlines for both claimants’ & defendants’ solicitors.
 
It will apply to road traffic accident personal injury claims valued between £1,000 and £10,000, which in the past have formed the vast majority of claims. The aim is a process which delivers fair compensation to the claimant as soon as possible at proportionate cost.  

The process will be made even quicker through a new industry led online portal which will allow solicitors to share information quickly, efficiently & securely.  The scheme is set to come into effect on 30 April 2010.
Press release ~ RTA personal injury claims online portal ~ MoJ: Low value personal injury claims in road traffic accidents ~ Closed consultation: Case track limits and the claims process for personal injury claims
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