Current Awareness

The Merchant Shipping (Liner Conferences) Act 1982 (Repeal) Regulations 2008

The William Parker School (Designation as having a Religious Character) Order 2008

The Grants to the Churches Conservation Trust Order 2008

The Representation of the People (Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2008

The Civil Aviation (Allocation of Scarce Capacity) Regulations 2007

The Legislative Reform (Health and Safety Executive) Order 2008

The Charities Act 2006 (Charitable Companies Audit and Group Accounts Provisions) Order 2008

The Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2008

The Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) (Amendment) Order 2008

Source: www.opsi.gov.uk

“A North Yorkshire man who suffered sexual abuse as a child has won the right to sue his tormentors in a landmark ruling by Law Lords.”

Full story

BBC News, 30th January 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

“The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has called for new laws to protect religious sensibilities that would punish ‘thoughtless and cruel’ styles of speaking.”

Full story

The Times, 29th January 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

“A woman who ran four brothels has escaped a jail term after a judge ruled that ‘no-one was harmed’.”

Full story

BBC News, 30th Janaury 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

“UK lawyers are more downbeat about the future of their businesses than at any time in the last six years, according to new research from accountancy firm Smith & Williamson.”

Full story

Legal Week, 30th January 2008

Source: www.legalweek.com

“Tory MP Derek Conway today announced he would stand down at the next election following the controversy over his employment of his son on a parliamentary salary.”

Full story

The Independent, 30th January 2008

Source: www.independent.co.uk

“A drugged driver who ploughed into six shoppers in central London, causing injuries that forced a mother and daughter to have their right legs amputated, was today jailed for four years.”

Full story

The Guardian, 30th January 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

“Despite press reports to the contrary, public authorities tapped just 1,435 phones and not 250,000 in a nine month period in 2006. The larger figure includes less heavily regulated requests for information about phone usage.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 30th January 2008

Source: www.out-law.com

“A Moroccan man accused of links with al-Qaeda and involvement in the 9/11 and Madrid attacks will remain in custody after losing his appeal at the House of Lords.”

Full story

The Times, 30th January 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Thompstone v Tameside and Glossop Acute Services NHS Trust
Corbett v South Yorkshire Strategic Health Authority
RH v United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust
De Haas v South West London Strategic Health Authority

Court of Appeal

“Where a court made a periodical payments order for a claimant in proceedings involving catastrophic injury in the context of future care, of which the main element was the wages of the carers, the annual earnings survey published for care assistants and home carers was the more appropriate and usable index than the retail price index.”

The Times, 30th January 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.

“Justice Minister Bridget Prentice has commissioned Dr Jonathan Spencer, an external consultant, to carry out an independent review of the Civil Justice Council.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 29th January 2008

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

“Gordon Brown’s promise to strengthen oversight of the security and intelligence agencies was made ‘untenable’ by the government’s refusal to disclose information about the past activities of Britain’s spies, a cross-party group of senior parliamentarians said yesterday.”

Full story

The Guardian, 30th January 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

“Jack Straw today appeared to back away from plans to build a new generation of 2,500-person ‘Titan’ jails after criticism from the chief inspector of prisons.”

Full story

The Guardian, 30th January 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

“At least 4,000 illegal workers have yet to be banned from taking security jobs, despite the passing of a deadline set by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.”

Full story

BBC News, 29th January 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

“Two decades after being dragged into bushes and sexually assaulted as she took a daylight stroll through a Leeds park, Mrs A still suffers nightmares. Now in her late 70s, Mrs A has said that the brutality of the attack destroyed her confidence and left her with lasting psychiatric injury.”

Full story

The Times, 30th January 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

“If you have done nothing wrong, then you have nothing to fear. But, asks Robert Verkaik, Law Editor, what if the police could disclose unproven allegations to your employer?”

Full story

The Independent, 30th January 2008

Source: www.independent.co.uk

“A British convert to Islam has been told that a terrorism control order imposed on him is to be quashed.”

Full story

BBC News, 29th January 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

“The government will propose new legislation to give the authorities more power to intervene in the case of a failing bank to prevent another Northern Rock-style crisis, the Treasury said.”

Full story

Reuters, 30th January 2008

Source: www.reuters.com

“Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is to overhaul stop and search powers in a bid to tackle rising gun and knife crime.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 30th January 2008

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk 

“Services for rape victims in England and Wales are in crisis, with half of support centres at risk of closure, a campaign group has warned.”

Full story

BBC News, 29th January 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

“One woman’s quest for justice against the so-called Lotto rapist ends in victory today, with a court ruling that paves the way for thousands of sex abuse victims to sue their attackers for compensation, The Times has learnt.”

Full story

The Times, 30th January 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

“The government’s “scramble to build new prisons” threatens to move the UK towards a system of ‘large-scale penal containment’ which would mean worse as well as more jails, the chief inspector of prisons warns today.”

Full story

The Guardian, 30th January 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

“Mothers of young children should not be jailed unless they pose a risk to society, the Children’s Commissioner for England says in an outspoken condemnation of sentencing policy.”

Full story

The Independent, 30th January 2008

Source: www.independent.co.uk

“An ‘angry and aggressive’ man who was arrested carrying an axe in a crowd waiting for Queen Elizabeth was jailed for a total of six years today.”

Full story

The Guardian, 29th January 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

“The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has accused banks of writing its contracts in a ‘different language’ that consumers do not understand, while giving evidence in the ongoing bank charges case.”

Full story

The Times, 29th January 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

“Record labels and film studios cannot demand that telecoms companies reveal the personal details of people suspected of swapping copyrighted material on the internet, the European Court of Justice ruled yesterday.”

Full story

The Times, 30th January 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk