Legislation / Legal

LSC: The Legal Service Commission are introducing 2 new payment arrangements for Crime (Lower) and Civil (Legal Help) work. Under both new arrangements you will still receive a payment each month as you do now, but claims & payments on your account will be more closely aligned.
Press release & links
 
ScotGov: The Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act has received Royal Assent, the Minister for Community Safety announced recently. The Act will give Scotland's police & prosecutors the additional tools they have asked for to extract poisonous songs of hatred from Scottish football and threats of harm being posted on the internet.
 
The new laws create 2 new distinct offences, punishable through a range of penalties up to a maximum 5-year prison sentence:
* The first offence targets any offensive & threatening behaviour expressed at & around football matches which is likely to cause public disorder.
* The second offence relates to the communication of threats of serious harm or which are intended to stir up religious hatred on the internet or other communications.
Press release & links
 
MoJ: The Ministry of Justice has published a new online tool that lets people see the length of time cases take in courts across England & Wales. Visitors to the Open Justice website can now view detailed court-by-court data relating to criminal, civil and family court proceedings.
Press release & links
 
SGC: The Sentencing Council has published a new guideline for judges & magistrates on the sentencing of drug offences, which will come into effect on 27 February 2012.  Although primarily aimed at criminal justice professionals, the guideline is specifically designed to be accessible and clear to the public. . 
Press release & links
 
WAG: There is just hours to go to go until a new law is introduced in Wales which will ban the sale of cigarettes from vending machines. The move is part of the Welsh Government’s efforts to safeguard young people & children from the harmful effects of smoking.
 
Local Trading Standards Officers will be enforcing the ban in Wales.  If a business is found to be selling cigarettes to the public directly from a vending machine, it could be fined up to £2,500. If any vending machine still displays tobacco advertising, the business could be fined up to £5,000 and the owner could face up to 2 years in prison.
Press release & links
 
Defra: The Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) highlights the top 100 challenges to the UK & our economy of a changing climate and ‘provides the evidence of the need to increase our resilience’.  The research confirms the UK as a world-leader in understanding climate risk to ensure we can make robust plans to deal with these threats.
 
However, a Government report published alongside the CCRA does highlight the many current & future policies already in place and gives details of plans which will address some of the risks identified.
Press release & links ~ WAG comment ~ CBI comment
 
HMT: The Government has published legislation which will ‘fundamentally transform & strengthen financial regulation in the United Kingdom’. The new regime sets out a clear, coherent & comprehensive regulatory framework, replacing the uncertainty & inadequacy of the previous structure, and helping to mitigate against future risks to stability.
Press release ~ Financial Services Bill
 
IfG: In a report out recently, the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) commends government progress in implementing its ICT strategy, but recommends that more can be done to ensure the strategy delivers promised benefits.
 
In particular, PASC argues for an overhaul of government procurement to break the perceived ‘oligopoly’ of large suppliers and calls for more timely and accurate data to benchmark costs across government departments.  The Institute for Government  has welcomed the general thrust of PASCs report.
Press release & links
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