“The Department of Health has lost a court battle to keep secret some details on abortion statistics.”
BBC News, 20th April 2011
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Archive for the 'government departments' Category
Government loses abortion battle – BBC News
Published April 20, 2011 abortion , freedom of information , government departments , news , statistics Leave a CommentRuling on late abortion figures challenged in court – Daily Telegraph
Published April 18, 2011 abortion , freedom of information , government departments , news , statistics Leave a Comment“The Department of Health is making a High Court challenge today to stop figures being published on the number of late abortions on ‘less than perfect’ foetuses with physical abnormalities, including cleft palate and club foot.”
Daily Telegraph, 18th April 2011
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Kenyans sue UK for alleged colonial human rights abuses – The Guardian
Published April 6, 2011 disclosure , government departments , human rights , Kenya , news Leave a Comment“Highly embarrassing colonial-era files detailing the British army’s repressive tactics against Mau Mau insurgents in Kenya during the 1950s will be revealed in a landmark compensation case.”
The Guardian, 5th April 2011
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Legal aid cuts: penny-wise and pound-foolish – The Guardian
Published April 1, 2011 budgets , government departments , legal aid , news Leave a Comment“Cutting funds for the poor and vulnerable to defend their rights will simply push the costs on to other government departments.”
The Guardian, 1st April 2011
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Foreign Office issues guidance on torture – Daily Telegraph
Published March 23, 2011 government departments , news , torture Leave a Comment“The Foreign office has issued guidance to all its staff for the first time on how to spot signs of torture.”
Daily Telegraph, 22nd March 2011
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Opening up public bodies to public scrutiny – Ministry of Justice
Published January 10, 2011 freedom of information , government departments , news Leave a Comment“New plans to extend the scope of the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) to open up government and other bodies to public scrutiny, were unveiled by the Ministry of Justice today.”
Ministry of Justice, 7th January 2011
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
George Osborne to be investigated by watchdog over cuts – The Guardian
Published November 26, 2010 budgets , equality , government departments , news , statutory duty Leave a Comment“Equality commission set to launch formal assessment into the Treasury’s conduct prior to last month’s spending review.”
The Guardian, 26th November 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Government publishes open data licence – OUT-LAW.com
Published October 7, 2010 copyright , database right , government departments , news Leave a Comment“The Government has published the details of a licence which allows the re-use of public and Government information on a perpetual, royalty-free basis regardless of any copyright or database rights that exist in the material.”
OUT-LAW.com, 7th October 2010
Source: www.out-law.com
Tribunal orders Government department to release IT contract details – OUT-LAW.com
Published September 24, 2010 disclosure , freedom of information , government departments , news , tenders , tribunals Leave a Comment“The Information Tribunal has ordered a Government department to publish most of the till-now withheld details of a major IT contract after ruling that the public interest was served better by disclosure than secrecy.”
OUT-LAW.com, 24th September 2010
Source: www.out-law.com
Solicitor General: speech to the ALBA summer conference – Attorney General’s Office
Published July 23, 2010 attorney general , government departments , human rights , legal representation , legislative drafting , speeches Leave a Comment“New Solicitor General Edward Garnier QC MP addresses the Constitutional and Administrative Law Bar Association about the role of the Law Officers.”
Attorney General’s Office, 17th July 2010
Soruce: www.attorneygeneral.gov.uk
Budget cut of 25% will ‘deny justice’, warns Crown Prosecution Service – The Guardian
Published July 15, 2010 budgets , Crown Prosecution Service , government departments , news Leave a Comment“The Crown Prosecution Service has told the attorney general’s office its 25% budget cut will ‘damage frontline services’ and ‘delay and possibly deny justice’, according to a copy of its draft submission to the Treasury, which the Guardian has seen.”
The Guardian, 14th July 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Prime Minister to launch Ministry of Justice reform priorities – Ministry of Justice
Published July 14, 2010 government departments , Ministry of Justice , press releases Leave a Comment“The Prime Minister joined Kenneth Clarke in asking the public to hold the Ministry of Justice to account through a list of departmental priorities launched today. The Structural Reform Plan (SRP) sets out clear priorities and transparent milestones for every department across Government, allowing the public to check whether commitments are met.”
Ministry of Justice, 13th July 2010
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Food Standards Agency to be abolished by health secretary – The Guardian
Published July 12, 2010 food , food hygiene , government departments , news , quangos , standards Leave a Comment“The Food Standards Agency is to be abolished by Andrew Lansley, the health secretary, it emerged last night, after the watchdog fought a running battle with industry over the introduction of colour-coded ‘traffic light’ warnings for groceries, TV dinners and snacks.”
The Guardian, 12th July 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Top law officers to be stripped of policy making roles, says Dominic Grieve – The Guardian
Published July 8, 2010 attorney general , government departments , legal profession , news Leave a Comment“The attorney general has delivered a stinging attack on the former government, saying it ‘lured’ law officers into a policy-making role.”
The Guardian, 7th July 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Government accused of declaring war on unions over strike law and redundancy plans – The Guardian
Published July 6, 2010 ballots , civil servants , government departments , industrial action , news , redundancy , trade unions Leave a Comment“The government was today (5 July) accused of declaring war on trade unions as ministers moved to cut the redundancy terms of public sector workers and reports emerged of plans to tighten up the law on strike ballots.”
The Guardian, 5th July 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Home Office advice to gay asylum seekers criticised – BBC News
Published July 6, 2010 asylum , government departments , homosexuality , news , refugees Leave a Comment“The Home Office has been accused of telling gay and lesbian asylum seekers to avoid persecution back home by keeping their sexuality secret.”
BBC News, 6th July 2010
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Baby P: Government lawyer apologises for handling of Sharon Shoesmith court case – Daily Telegraph
Published June 17, 2010 government departments , news , reports , solicitors Leave a Comment“The head of the Government’s legal team has apologised for failings in the preparation of a high-profile court case involving Sharon Shoesmith, the council chief blamed for the Baby P scandal.”
Daily Telegraph, 17th June 2010
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
One in four FOI requests turned down by public bodies – Daily Telegraph
Published June 1, 2010 freedom of information , government departments , news , statistics Leave a Comment“Almost one in four Freedom of Information requests are being turned down by Government departments and public bodies, and the trend is getting worse.”
Daily Telegraph, 31st May 2010
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Protocol between Lord Chancellor and Law Commission – Ministry of Justice
Published March 30, 2010 government departments , Law Commission , Ministry of Justice , news Leave a Comment“The Lord Chancellor and the Law Commission for England and Wales have agreed a statutory protocol governing how Government departments and the Law Commission should work together on law reform projects.”
Ministry of Justice, 29th March 2010
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Justice and Home Office: Hundreds of staff to be relocated from capital – The Independent
Published March 25, 2010 civil servants , government departments , Ministry of Justice , news Leave a Comment“Hundreds of civil servants working in the courts and justice system are to lose their jobs or face relocation after Jack Straw announced the abolition of a third of his department’s agencies.”
The Independent, 25th March 2010
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Freedom of information – update on recent FoI cases – Law Society’s Gazette
Published December 10, 2009 freedom of information , government departments , news , remuneration Leave a Comment“The recent controversy over bonuses paid to civil servants employed by the Ministry of Defence highlights the public interest in salaries and bonuses of public sector officials.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 10th December 2009
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Slaughter may lose its legal stranglehold on banking – The Times
Published October 29, 2009 banking , government departments , law firms , news , tenders Leave a Comment“Slaughter and May could lose its crown as the Government’s preferred legal adviser on the banking crisis. In the biggest legal shake-up since the bank bailouts started two years ago, the Treasury is asking other firms to tender for the business.”
The Times, 29th October 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
MoJ admits personal data breaches – Law Society’s Gazette
Published September 18, 2009 data protection , government departments , Ministry of Justice , news Leave a Comment“Nearly 2,000 people have had personal information about themselves lost by the Ministry of Justice over the past year, in a series of incidents listed in the department’s accounts, published last week.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 17th September 2009
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Government surveillance response ‘inadequate’, say Lords – OUT-LAW.com
Published June 23, 2009 data protection , government departments , news Leave a Comment“The Government’s response to a Parliamentary report on the monitoring and legislation surrounding surveillance is ‘inadequate’ and it has ‘paid insufficient attention’ to the report’s recommendations, a follow up report has said.”
OUT-LAW.com, 22nd June 2009
Source: www.out-law.com</a
Royal secrets withheld under revised information rules – Independent on Sunday
Published June 15, 2009 freedom of information , government departments , news , royal family Leave a Comment“Members of the public and journalists will be banned from seeing the contents of secret documents on the Cabinet and Royal Family under measures quietly announced by Gordon Brown last week.”
Independent on Sunday, 14th June 2009
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Are government databases excessive? – The Times
Published March 27, 2009 data protection , government departments , news , privacy Leave a Comment“A report finds almost a quarter of major databases are illegal. Is the data storage disproportionate?”
The Times, 27th March 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
The Big Question: Are there illegal government databases and what can we do about it? – The Independent
Published March 24, 2009 data protection , government departments , human rights , news Leave a Comment“The Big Question: Are there illegal government databases and what can we do about it?.”
The Independent, 24th March 2009
Source: www.independent.co.uk
ICO strengthens criticism of Government data sharing – OUT-LAW.com
Published February 20, 2009 data protection , government departments , news Leave a Comment“The Government’s controversial plans to share personal data between departments and with the private sector are ‘too wide’ and the safeguards ‘weak’ according to privacy watchdog the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).”
OUT-LAW.com, 18th February 2009
Source: www.out-law.com
Whistleblower launches legal action against Foreign Office – The Guardian
Published February 19, 2009 government departments , news , terrorism , whistleblowers Leave a Comment“The Foreign Office faces further scrutiny over controversial aspects of its ‘dangerous’ counter-terrorism policy after a sacked whistleblower yesterday announced that he was beginning legal proceedings against it.”
The Guardian, 19th February 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Home Office guilty of data breach – BBC News
Published January 22, 2009 data protection , government departments , news Leave a Comment“The Home Office broke data protection laws when a contractor lost a memory stick with information on thousands of prisoners, a watchdog has ruled.”
BBC News, 22nd January 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Government data sharing plan could extend to private sector – OUT-LAW.com
Published January 16, 2009 data protection , government departments , news , privacy Leave a Comment“A Government plan to allow more extensive sharing of personal data is not restricted to the public sector and could result in Government-collected information being shared with private companies, a privacy expert has said.”
OUT-LAW.com, 16th January 2009
Source: www.out-law.com
Big Brother database a ‘terrifying’ assault on traditional freedoms – The Independent
Published January 15, 2009 data protection , government departments , news , privacy Leave a Comment“Sweeping new powers allowing personal information about every citizen to be handed over to government agencies faced condemnation yesterday amid warnings that Britain is experiencing the greatest threats to civil rights for decades.”
The Independent, 15th January 2009
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Government failed to clamp down on data loss – Daily Telegraph
Published January 12, 2009 data protection , government departments , news Leave a Comment“Government departments have failed to tighten data handling rules despite losing 30 million personal files in two years, it has been disclosed.”
Daily Telegraph, 12th January 2009
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Home Office reveals FOI policies – BBC News
Published December 10, 2008 freedom of information , government departments , news Leave a Comment“An email sent by mistake from the Home Office to the BBC has revealed that freedom of information requests are often first reviewed by ministers.”
BBC News, 10th December 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
New privacy row over lost data – The Guardian
Published November 3, 2008 data protection , government departments , news Leave a Comment“The government was embarrassed by another data-loss scandal last night when the private details of up to 12 million people were put at risk after a memory stick was found in a pub car park.”
The Guardian, 2nd November 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Lost data official to be charged – BBC News
Published September 29, 2008 government departments , news , official secrets act , prosecutions Leave a Comment“The Cabinet Office official who left top-secret documents on a train in June is to be charged under the Official Secrets Act, the BBC has learned.”
BBC News, 29th September 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Home Office loses confidential data on all UK prisoners – Daily Telegraph
Published August 22, 2008 data protection , government departments , news Leave a Comment“The Home Office has lost confidential information on every prisoner in the country and more than 40,000 serious criminals sparking yet another Government data crisis. ”
Daily Telegraph, 22nd August 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Personal details of 4 million lost by Whitehall in just one year – Daily Telegraph
Published August 20, 2008 data protection , government departments , news Leave a Comment“Sensitive data for more than four million people was lost by Government departments in the past year, on top of the high profile loss of child benefit records.”
Daily Telegraph,
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Appropriation (No. 2) Act 2008
Published July 22, 2008 appropriation , government departments , legislation Leave a CommentMoD admits loss of ‘secret’ files – BBC News
Published July 18, 2008 data protection , government departments , news Leave a Comment“The Ministry of Defence (MoD) admitted more than 650 laptops had been stolen over the past four years – nearly double the figure previously claimed.”
BBC News, 18th July 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Fraud: Whitehall ‘doomed to lose £1bn of benefit payments every year’ – The Guardian
Published July 8, 2008 benefits , fraud , government departments , news Leave a Comment“The Whitehall department fighting benefit fraud and error will always lose more than £1bn of taxpayers’ cash every year to cheats and through mistakes, the civil servant running the department tells MPs in a letter published today.”
The Guardian, 8th July 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Muddle-through’ system blamed for loss of 25m benefit records – The Guardian
Published June 26, 2008 data protection , government departments , news Leave a Comment“The loss of 25m child benefit records, including bank details and sensitive personal information, was brought about by a ‘woefully inadequate system’ and was ‘entirely avoidable’, according to two reports published yesterday.”
The Guardian, 26th June 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Lost child benefit records: Inquiry condemns ‘inadequate’ data handling – The Guardian
Published June 25, 2008 data protection , government departments , news Leave a Comment“The government was criticised today for the ‘woefully inadequate’ handling of sensitive data at HM Revenue and Customs that led to the loss of CDs holding the personal records of 25 million people.”
The Guardian, 25th June 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Annual report on freedom of information in central government – Ministry of Justice
Published June 20, 2008 freedom of information , government departments , reports Leave a Comment“Report on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act in central government in 2007, bringing together quarterly statistics and analysing longer term trends.”
Ministry of Justice, 18th June 2008
Source; www.justice.gov.uk
Secret files on stolen Blears PC – BBC News
Published June 17, 2008 data protection , government departments , news Leave a Comment“A personal computer holding sensitive documents relating to defence and extremism has been stolen from Hazel Blears’ constituency office in Salford.”
BBC News, 17th June 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Smith faces Commons summons to explain secret papers blunder – The Guardian
Published June 16, 2008 data protection , government departments , news Leave a Comment“The home secretary, Jacqui Smith, was last night facing a Commons summons to explain how another batch of secret documents were left on a train.”
The Guardian, 16th June 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Secret anti-terror documents ‘left on train’ – The Independent
Published June 11, 2008 documents , government departments , news , terrorism Leave a Comment“A police investigation has been launched after secret Government documents were left on a train, it was confirmed today.”
The Independent, 11th June 2008
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Fraudsters hack into Home Office website – Daily Telegraph
Published June 9, 2008 computer crime , government departments , news Leave a Comment“Cunning computer hackers have hijacked the Home Office crime reduction website and used it to carry out an elaborate online scam.”
Daily Telegraph, 8th June 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Freedom of information guidance – Ministry of Justice
Published May 15, 2008 freedom of information , government departments , news Leave a Comment“The following guidance is aimed at people working in central government departments who deal with freedom of information requests. It may also be a useful reference tool for those working in other public authorities.”
Ministry of Justice, 14th May 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Freedom Of Information: Businesses must disclose what they tell ministers – The Independent
Published May 9, 2008 freedom of information , government departments , special report Leave a Comment“Secret deals between industry players and politicians have long been part of government business. Now, says Robert Verkaik, Law Editor, they will be subject to scrutiny.”
The Independent, 9th May 2008
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Tax staff breach data security – BBC News
Published May 1, 2008 data protection , government departments , news Leave a Comment“More than 600 staff at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have been disciplined for accessing personal or sensitive data, it has been revealed.”
BBC News, 1st May 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Judges will carry on holding ministers to account – because that’s their job – The Times
Published April 25, 2008 government departments , judiciary , special report Leave a Comment“Yesterday’s court rulings highlight the delicate relationship between the executive and the judiciary — one in which judges increasingly hold ministers to account, and find them wanting.”
The Times, 25th April 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Govt to sound out law firms as Catalist fails to deliver on hype – Legal Week
Published April 24, 2008 government departments , legal services , news Leave a Comment“The Government’s procurement arm has begun talks with all 48 firms on the Catalist legal panel, amid continued problems with the much-hyped attempt to centralise Whitehall legal spending.”
Legal Week, 24th April 2008
Source: www.legalweek.com
Information watchdog raps Government over access to data – OUT-LAW.com
Published April 15, 2008 freedom of information , government departments , news Leave a Comment“The Department of Health is not dealing with freedom of information (FOI) requests properly because of a lack of staff, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has said. The ICO has rebuked the Government department over its FOI behaviour.”
OUT-LAW.com, 14th April 2008
Source: www.out-law.com
Internal departmental guidelines for briefing a minister – Ministry of Justice
Published March 28, 2008 civil servants , government departments Leave a Comment“A request was made for a copy of the current internal departmental guidelines for briefing a minister. Below are copies of the guidelines requested. These cover submissions and briefings for the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State, other departmental ministers and the Permanent Secretary.”
Ministry of Justice, 28th March 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
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