Make sure that you have not missed a key development in your area of the law by reading our In brief review of the latest Practical Law Public Sector e-mail.
Central government:
- The House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts has published a report on the rural broadband programme.
Civil litigation:
- The High Court has:
- highlighted some important practical points for practitioners to keep in mind when instructing expert witnesses (Proton Energy Group SA v Orlen Lietuva);
- considered the adequacy of an electronic disclosure exercise and whether it amounted to a breach of an unless order (Smailes and another v McNally and others); and
- considered whether to make an unless order in light of the changes to the overriding objective resulting from the Jackson reforms (Jones and others v Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change).
- A panel of judges, led by Mr Justice Ramsey, will be reviewing progress following implementation of the Jackson reforms.
Commercial:
- The Law Commission has published a consultation on a bill to consolidate the legislation relating to industrial and provident societies.
Education and children’s services:
- The DfE has published:
- its annual assessment and reporting arrangements for 2014 for key stage 1;
- a consultation on its proposals to amend the procedures for transferring the surpluses of predecessor schools when they are converted to academies; and
- a consultation on proposed reforms to guidance on support for looked after children.
- The Court of Appeal has considered an appeal by a mother against the refusal to grant her leave to oppose their adoption (Re B-S (Children)).
- The LGO has found that Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council acted wrongfully in attempting to move a girl from a residential care placement against her wishes.
Employment:
- On 1 October 2013, several key employment law changes came into force, including the abolition of third-party harassment and the annual increase in the national minimum wage.
- Advocate General Kokott has ruled that a woman who becomes a mother under a surrogacy arrangement is entitled to maternity leave under EU law (C-D v S-T).
- The Welsh Government has published a consultation on its proposed revised Code of Practice on Workforce Matters.
Environment:
- Defra has delayed until 1 December 2013 its plan to revoke the regulations on Site Waste Management Plans in England.
- Natural England has launched a consultation on its new approach to Marine Protected Area conservation advice.
- The DECC has:
- announced the signing of a joint statement between the governments of the UK and of Guangdong Province in China, to promote co-operation on low carbon projects; and
- published a consultation on providing additional support for renewables projects located on certain Scottish islands, as part of Electricity Market Reform.
- The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published its first Working Group report on the physical science basis of climate change.
FOI and data protection:
- The government has made legislation to bring into force the Prisons (Interference with Wireless Telegraphy) Act 2012.
Housing:
- A First-tier Tribunal has ruled that the housing benefit “bedroom tax” deduction breached the human rights of a disabled woman whose husband needed to sleep in a separate room (F v Glasgow City Council).
Local government:
- The Audit Commission has published a briefing paper highlighting value for money profiles on councils’ income from charging for services.
- The DCLG has published a guide to the new range of community rights available to enable people to have more power over what happens in their communities.
- The Welsh Government has published a consultation on its proposals to change the way that care services in Wales are regulated and inspected.
Property and planning:
- The High Court has considered whether a change of use was always inappropriate in the green belt, for the purposes of the National Planning Policy Framework (Fordent Holdings Ltd v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and another).
- The Land Registry has updated a number of its Practice Guides to reflect the Land Registration (Proper Office) Order 2013, which comes into force on 1 October 2013.
Public procurement:
- The ECJ has considered the circumstances in which private construction projects that are substantially subsidised by public funds should fall within the EU public procurement rules.
- The European Ombudsman has found that there was no maladministration in the European Parliament’s handling of a procurement process.
Regulation and enforcement:
- The government has published its proposals to reform parking rules, in order to boost trade in local high streets.