November 8, 2011 Off

Latest human rights developments in the UK: 31/10/2011 – 6/11/2011

By Justin Glenister in Weekly human rights updates

Tues 1/11/2011

Police Surveillance: House of Commons
Police may only use the RIPA 2000 to authorise the use of covert techniques if this is necessary for certain human rights compatible purposes such as the prevention of crime, public safety and if it is proportionate to do so.
James Brokenshire, Under-Sec of St for Crime and Security, Conservative
Full transcript

Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Bill: House of Lords
The Bill received a line by line examination during the second day of committee stage. Further line examination is scheduled for 15 November.
Full transcript

Human Rights Commission (NI): House of Lords
Both the Belfast agreement and the Northern Ireland Act 1998 refer to the provision of advice to Government by the commission on a bill of rights. The statement on the NIHRC website that it was charged with drafting was an administrative error.
Lord Shutt of Greetland, Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Lords, Lib Dem
Full transcript

Overseas Aid: House of Lords
The Government use four partnership principles to ensure the UK now only provides budget support directly to Governments when we are satisfied they share our commitments to human rights, as one example.
Baroness Northover, Government Whip, Lib Dem
Full transcript 

Tuition Fees: Media
Two students are mounting a legal challenge to the increase in university tuition fees, claiming the increase to up to £9,000 per year breaches their human rights.
BBC | Guardian

Wed 2/11/2011

Prisoner Votes: Prime Minister’s Office
The Attorney General Dominic Grieve is essentially setting out the UK position to the ECtHR in his address today.
Press briefing

Extradition: Judiciary
In Julian Assange v Swedish Prosecution Authority, Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, has lost his High Court appeal against extradition to Sweden. He lost on all four grounds of appeal.
Judgment | Guardian | UKHRB

Human Rights Act: Media
This week’s clip from Amnesty TV looks back at Theresa May’s assertion there was an illegal immigrant who had not been deported because they had a pet cat.
Guardian

Prisoner Votes: Media
National parliaments not European judges should decide whether prisoners are entitled to the vote, the Attorney General Dominic Grieve has told the ECtHR.
Guardian

Thurs 3/11/2011

Home Department: House of Commons
Figures were provided for the number of officials employed by non-departmental public bodies for which the Home department has been responsible since 2000.
Damian Green, Min of St for Immigration, Conservative
Full transcript

Deportation: House of Commons
To establish how many foreign national offenders subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements are living in the UK have been allowed to remain on human rights grounds would require cross referencing incurring a disproportionate cost.
Damian Green, Min of St for Immigration, Conservative
Full transcript

Family Justice: Media
A major review of the family justice system has been published, commissioned jointly by the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Education and the Welsh Assembly Government.
Review | UKHRB

Extradition: Media
An e-petition supporting a terrorism suspect held for seven years without charge has topped 100,000 signatures – the level for a parliamentary debate.
BBC

Police Searches: Media
People taking part in demonstrations must accept they could be searched by police, a court has ruled.
BBC

Fri 4/10/2011

Police Surveillance: Media
Justice has published a significant and wide-ranging critique of state surveillance powers contained in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.
Report | UKHRB

Gender Equality: Media
Theresa May announced a package of measures that aspires to help women ‘fulfill their potential’ in business, as a report by the Fawcett Society accused the government of undermining women’s rights.
Guardian

Sat 5/11/2011

Immigration: Media
UK Border Agency officials are conducting unlawful passport checks on buses to try to catch illegal immigrants, a previously undisclosed tactic that has infuriated civil liberties campaigners.
Guardian

Comments are closed.