Law and Rights
The State Opening of Parliament will be on 25th May. This is one of the State occasions when the full panoply of Her Majesty The Queen attending Parliament can be seen. The "Queen in Parliament" is the U.K's legislative body. Any Bill must, in order to become law, pass both Houses of Parliament and receive the Royal Assent though, in practice, the latter is a formality. The Queen will read the "Queen's Speech" setting out the plans for the forthcoming session of Parliament. The speech is followed by debate in the House of Commons. The detail of the speech is eagerly awaited and this is particularly the case with the first speech of a new Parliament.
The Ministry of Justice - [now headed by Kenneth Clarke] - has announced the responsibilities of the Ministerial Team. Significantly, responsibility for Youth Justice is now entirely with the Ministry of Justice instead of the previous division between MoJ and Education.
Some 27 Policy Reviews have been announced in the full version of the Coalition Agreement. The Civil Liberties proposals are in section 3 of the agreement; Policing is at paragraph 6 and Justice at paragraph 20. This is a very full programme over the entire range of government activity. The reviews will look at important topics such as the Human Rights Act 1998; the Extradition Act 2003; House of Lords Reform and Sentencing Policy. The Extradition Act 2003 has been particularly criticised because of the arrangements between the U.K. and the U.S.A. The Gary MacKinnon case exemplifies these arrangements.
Also, there will be a review of legal aid aimed at making it work more efficiently. Proceeds from the "Victim Surcharge" will be used to deliver up to 15 new rape crisis centres as well as putting those which exist on a more stable basis. A further and unexpected announcement is that anonymity will be extended to defendants in rape cases. This is likely to be extremely controversial - see The Guardian 20th May. Under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1976 s.6, defendants had anonymity but this was removed by the Criminal Justice Act 1988 s158(5).
The Electoral Commission has been looking at the problems with voting at the General Election on 6th May. See their announcement and report. The HUMAN RIGHTS BLOG has a good article on this. LIBERTY has responded to the Commission's report.
- Queen's Speech 27th May 2015 ~ Quick Notes
The State Opening of Parliament has taken place and the Queen's Speech was delivered - see the full text of the speech (New Statesman 27th May). The Speech outlines the principal features of the government's legislative programme. ...
- Queen's Speech 9th May 2012
Updated 11th May and 12th May The Queen delivered the Queen's Speech in the House of Lords. Details of the speech are available via the No.10 Downing Street website. 19 Bills are referred to in the Speech and these include a Crime and Courts...
- Plantagenet Palliser - After 100 Years, Will Lords Reform Arrive?
See the draft Bill together with Explanatory Notes. It was the author Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) who invented the fictitious character Plantagenet Palliser who became Duke of Omnium and, even though he had to sit in the House of Lords, Prime Minister...
- The Queen's Speech - A Lot To Do
The State Opening of Parliament was held on Tuesday 25th May with the usual pomp and pageantry. The real business of Parliament now begins and interesting days lie ahead. The Queen's Speech contained 23 Bills (and one draft Bill) - see...
- Formal Powers Of The Crown: New Acts Of Parliament: General Election
Tuesday 6th April: Gordon Brown went to Buckingham Palace and asked H.M. The Queen to Dissolve parliament. She duly obliged. A number of Bills were then passed into law as part of the so-called "wash up". Each of those Bills quickly...
Law and Rights
Governmental News and Reviews but not all will be plain sailing
Some 27 Policy Reviews have been announced in the full version of the Coalition Agreement. The Civil Liberties proposals are in section 3 of the agreement; Policing is at paragraph 6 and Justice at paragraph 20. This is a very full programme over the entire range of government activity. The reviews will look at important topics such as the Human Rights Act 1998; the Extradition Act 2003; House of Lords Reform and Sentencing Policy. The Extradition Act 2003 has been particularly criticised because of the arrangements between the U.K. and the U.S.A. The Gary MacKinnon case exemplifies these arrangements.
Also, there will be a review of legal aid aimed at making it work more efficiently. Proceeds from the "Victim Surcharge" will be used to deliver up to 15 new rape crisis centres as well as putting those which exist on a more stable basis. A further and unexpected announcement is that anonymity will be extended to defendants in rape cases. This is likely to be extremely controversial - see The Guardian 20th May. Under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1976 s.6, defendants had anonymity but this was removed by the Criminal Justice Act 1988 s158(5).
The Electoral Commission has been looking at the problems with voting at the General Election on 6th May. See their announcement and report. The HUMAN RIGHTS BLOG has a good article on this. LIBERTY has responded to the Commission's report.
- Queen's Speech 27th May 2015 ~ Quick Notes
The State Opening of Parliament has taken place and the Queen's Speech was delivered - see the full text of the speech (New Statesman 27th May). The Speech outlines the principal features of the government's legislative programme. ...
- Queen's Speech 9th May 2012
Updated 11th May and 12th May The Queen delivered the Queen's Speech in the House of Lords. Details of the speech are available via the No.10 Downing Street website. 19 Bills are referred to in the Speech and these include a Crime and Courts...
- Plantagenet Palliser - After 100 Years, Will Lords Reform Arrive?
See the draft Bill together with Explanatory Notes. It was the author Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) who invented the fictitious character Plantagenet Palliser who became Duke of Omnium and, even though he had to sit in the House of Lords, Prime Minister...
- The Queen's Speech - A Lot To Do
The State Opening of Parliament was held on Tuesday 25th May with the usual pomp and pageantry. The real business of Parliament now begins and interesting days lie ahead. The Queen's Speech contained 23 Bills (and one draft Bill) - see...
- Formal Powers Of The Crown: New Acts Of Parliament: General Election
Tuesday 6th April: Gordon Brown went to Buckingham Palace and asked H.M. The Queen to Dissolve parliament. She duly obliged. A number of Bills were then passed into law as part of the so-called "wash up". Each of those Bills quickly...