Tag Archives: access to justice

Callum Robertson

LASPO, the worst piece of legislation you’ve probably never heard of

By Callum Robertson | Mon 5th November 2018 - 11:22 am

LASPO, unless you have some sort of involvement with the law, probably comes across as some sort of quango that doesn’t have much meaning. However, it is probably the most crucial piece of justice related legislation since the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (which established the Supreme Court).

The Government’s consultation on the effects of LASPO has just concluded and every organisation who has submitted evidence to the Ministry of Justice consultation has broadly said the same thing. It has not worked.

What the Legal Aid, Sentencing & Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) did was bring about a wide range of …

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Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 9 Comments
Gillian Guy

The Independent View: Judicial review changes would advance state powers at expense of individual freedom

By Gillian Guy | Thu 14th November 2013 - 3:59 pm

In its 2010 Manifesto, the Liberal Democrats pledged to ‘restore and protect hard-won British liberties’.  The Government’s consultation on judicial review, which closed this week, could result in a radical shift of power from individuals to the state. If this happens, the legal system and the people who depend on it for fair treatment will be weaker for it.

Plans from the Ministry of Justice to introduce serious restrictions on access to judicial review will make it much harder for people to challenge the execution of public power on behalf of an individual citizen.

The Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has argued that …

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Posted in Op-eds and The Independent View | Also tagged , and | 7 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Carmichael in Cameroon for two weeks of volunteering

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 18th August 2013 - 12:18 pm

AlistairCarmichaelLiberal Democrat Chief Whip swaps lurking in the shadows of Westminster for two weeks in Cameroon today.

As I write he’s in Terminal One at Heathrow waiting to catch a flight to Brussels and will land in the African country, which lies between Nigeria to the north, Equatorial Guinea to the South and the Central African Republic to the east.

Alistair is not heading to Cameroon for a holiday. He will be part of a VSO project, working for the Aide Legale Liberale, an organisation which aims to provide free legal representation for …

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Posted in News | Also tagged , and | 3 Comments
James Sandbach

Tribunal justice – do our Parliamentary Parties ‘get’ it?

By James Sandbach | Fri 15th March 2013 - 8:51 am

Brighton Spring Conference unanimously supported a motion on justice in social security tribunals – a critical issue as welfare reform begins recalibrating everyone’s social security rights and entitlement, and specialist legal aid advice to challenge decisions disappears. This is the fifth time Conference has debated and challenged the Government’s legal aid reforms. In Sheffield 2011, I summated an access to justice motion criticising the Ministry of Justice’s outline proposals, in Birmingham, autumn 2011 and again in Brighton 2012 I proposed amendments to welfare reform motions calling to reinstate legal aid for welfare rights, whilst in Gateshead an amendment …

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Posted in Op-eds and Party policy and internal matters | Also tagged | 7 Comments
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