Legislation / Legal
HO: An Anti Social Behaviour Action website is part of the Home Office’s commitment to ensuring those suffering harassment or intimidation feel confident they know who to turn to. The website allows the public to find the person or team in their area who can tackle local problems with anti-social behaviour.
It also includes the latest data showing what public perceptions of anti-social behaviour are in each area and which of the many powers available to hit back at yobbish behaviour are being used. It even allows them to compare their local area with others across the country.
As part of wider & ongoing work with local partnerships across the country the Home Office has agreed to prioritise 16 local partnerships to support them in tackling ASB, increasing the use of ASB powers and in lowering perceptions of anti-social behaviour. An ASB Action Squad will be working closely with these and other areas to ensure they are fully supported and have the expertise to use all the powers at their disposal.
Press release ~ ASB Action website ~ Directgov – Antisocial behaviour ~ Crime reduction: Anti-social Behaviour Orders
DH: New alternatives to statutory regulation for currently unregulated health & occupational professions have been proposed by the Extending Professional Regulation Working Group, which has recommended that unregulated groups could be covered by new licensing laws, which will reassure patients and the public that they are getting the highest quality of care possible.
The report does not commit Government to firm changes in policy at this stage and the DH will now assess their full implications before any implementation.
Press release ~ Extending Professional and Occupational Regulation ~ DH – Extending Professional regulation
SGC: The approach to sentencing in cases of attempted murder should be based on the degree of harm inflicted on the victim and the extent to which the attempt was planned, new advice from the Sentencing Guidelines Council says. Around 70 cases of attempted murder are sentenced each year and vary widely both in the degree of harm inflicted or foreseeable and in the way the attempt was carried out.
The starting points & sentencing ranges reflect the minimum terms within a life sentence that would have applied had the offence been murder, as well as guidance issued by the Council in relation to other serious violent offences. Where a court finds that there is a real risk that an offender convicted of attempted murder will cause significant harm in the future, a sentence of imprisonment for public protection under the dangerous offender provisions may be imposed.
MoJ: Simpler forms allowing you to choose someone now that you trust to make decisions on your behalf in the future if you lose your mental capacity have been presented to Parliament. The redesigned 'Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)' forms give the person you choose (the attorney) the power to make decisions about your (the donor's) property or personal affairs if you have an accident or illness that stops you being able to make decisions for yourself - for example a brain injury, or a degenerative disease.
There are two new proposed forms, one for Property & Financial Affairs and the other for Health & Welfare. The forms are shorter, simplified versions of longer forms already in existence since October 2007. When registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (along with a fee of £120 for each form), the LPA gives the donor the peace of mind that it will be a person they trust who will look after their affairs if needed.
