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30 Jun 2023 Home affairs

Culture shift needed to deliver court reform programme – Bar Council

The Public Accounts Committee has published its report into the Court Reform Programme expressing serious concerns that HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has underestimated the scale and complexity of reforms leading to stress amongst staff.

29 Jun 2023 Home affairs

Rishi Sunak Vows To Do "Whatever Necessary" For Rwanda Deportations Despite Court Ruling It's Unlawful

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he "disagrees" with the Court of Appeal ruling that the government's plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful, which has presented a new challenge for his pledge to reduce the number of illegal crossings to the UK in small boats.

06 Jun 2023 Home affairs

Prisons are a festering wound in our public services – they need urgent reform

I became an MP in June 1983 after practising criminal law for 12 years. Much of the parliamentary ambition I had was focused on the criminal justice system. I was troubled by the rising prison population and the increasingly ineffective role of prisons in reforming and improving the lives of young men and women to prepare them for leaving jail.

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21 Apr 2023 Home affairs

Raab resignation: This has to be a fresh start for the justice system – Bar Council

Commenting on the resignation of Dominic Raab as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Chair of the Bar Nick Vineall KC said:

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23 Feb 2023 Home affairs

NAO report: Court reform programme must not come at the cost of access to justice, says Bar Council

Court reform programme must not come at the cost of access to justice

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17 Feb 2023 Home affairs

Bar Council reacts to courts and justice announcements

Today the Bar Council has reacted to both the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) announcement on Nightingale courts and the speech by Shadow Secretary of State for Justice Steven Reed MP outlining his party’s proposals and priorities for the justice sector.

18 Jan 2023 Brexit

It’s not too late to drop Retained EU Law Bill before it wreaks chaos in our workplaces and courts

The new year has just begun, but the countdown has already started on a swathe of workplace law and environmental protections.

30 Sep 2022 Home affairs

The draft Victims Bill fails to deliver for victims

The government’s draft Victims Bill is intended to amplify victims’ voices and put their needs and rights at the heart of the criminal justice system.

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21 Jul 2022 Home affairs

Bar Council hails new measures helping domestic abuse victims in family and civil courts

The Bar Council welcomes a new measure banning alleged perpetrators of domestic abuse from cross-examining their alleged victims in family and civil courts.

29 Jun 2022 Home affairs

Victims of sexual violence must not be deterred from seeking counselling

Reporting sexual violence to the police can be an utterly terrifying experience, and the process of going through the criminal justice system often re-traumatises many victims and survivors.

Court closures have weakened access to justice in England and Wales – a solution must be found fast

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24 Jun 2022 Home affairs

Court closures have weakened access to justice in England and Wales – a solution must be found fast

To mark Justice Week 2022, the Bar Council of England and Wales has highlighted the number of court closures and is calling for greater investment to help solve the problem.

29 Dec 2021 Coronavirus

All The Major Covid Backlogs Government Must “Get A Grip” Of In 2022

The government faces a daunting list of Covid-induced backlogs in 2022 across a wide range of departments.

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09 Dec 2021 Home affairs

Barristers in England & Wales triple overseas income

Following the publication of TheCityUK’s report into the value of UK legal services, the Bar Council has analysed income data from Bar Mutual, the profession’s insurer, and found a further increase in barristers’ income from overseas work, even in 2020. From 2005-2020, overseas income for barristers in England & Wales has tripled.

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07 Dec 2021 Culture

Bar Council: Mark Fenhalls QC inaugural speech

Mark Fenhalls QC, Chair-Elect of the Bar Council, inaugural speech.

03 Dec 2021 Home affairs

Let’s embrace a child-focused approach to separation

The Divorce Act will overhaul divorce law and is due in Spring 2022. I believe this is a real opportunity to reset the agenda for separating families, keep them out of court where safe to do so and focus on children.

02 Dec 2021 Home affairs

It’s shameful that victims feel demeaned and degraded instead of seeing justice delivered

“You’re safer staying in that abusive relationship than you are trying to get out. The aftermath is 100 per cent worse.” Harrowing words that you’d never think a survivor of attempted murder, rape and domestic abuse would utter. But that’s the harsh reality Rachel (pseudonym) and many other survivors face because of the ugly truth behind our broken criminal justice system.

23 Nov 2021 Health

The Health and Care Bill must support parents of critically ill children

The government is moving once in a generation health and social care reforms through Parliament. It is essential that the rights of parents are not forgotten, and there is legislation to support them and clinicians when deciding about treatment options for their critically ill children. The amendment I tabled, widely known as Charlie’s Law, aims to achieve just that.

15 Nov 2021 Home affairs

It is high time we increased the minimum age of criminal responsibility

We treat our young people appallingly, from schools forced to become exam factories to breath-taking rates of child poverty.

23 Oct 2021 Home affairs

Conservatives take aim at Human Rights Act - again

The Conservative government has publicly renewed its ambition to make potentially sweeping changes to the Human Rights Act (HRA), ahead of the publication of an independent review in the coming weeks.

20 Oct 2021 Home affairs

The government is failing in its fundamental duty to protect women and girls and uphold the law

“Traumatised, forgotten, abandoned.” These are words spoken by victims of domestic abuse, rape and serious sexual assault who are being let down by the criminal justice system - suffering in isolation, scared and often completely unaware of their rights as victims.

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30 Sep 2021 Home affairs

Crown Court backlog increases again to over 60,000 cases

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28 Sep 2021 Home affairs

Bar Council survey shows rising reports of harassment and discrimination in barristers’ profession

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20 Aug 2021 Home affairs

Bar Council warns against rising use of 'get out of jail free cards' to avoid courts

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27 Jul 2021 Home affairs

Bar Council slams "short term fix" on courts

The Bar Council has responded to new measures announced by the Government today regarding courts.