News The retired persons of independent means route will be closed from 27 November 2008. more info The number of jobs available to foreign workers through the shortage occupation route will be reduced, the Government announced on 11 November 2008. The shortage occupation list sets out those jobs for which there are not enough resident […]
Latest Housing Law News Housing work on legal aid: the blueprint for provision of publicly-funded Housing Law services after April 2010 has been set out by the Legal Services Commission in its consultation document Civil Bid Rounds for 2010 contracts: A consultation. The LSC proposes to let no Housing-only contracts. Future contracts will provide either […]
News The UKBA has announced that the age at which someone can apply for a marriage visa will increase from 18 to 21 from the end of this month. From 27 November both parties in a marriage will have to be 21 before a marriage visa can be issued. New immigration rules for business and […]
Two new housing seminars are taking place this month, Book your place now!
Mark Muller QC and Brenda Campbell were part of Access to Justice in Afganistan Project, which jointly involved: Garden Court Chambers, 20 Essex Street, Matrix Chambers and Blackstone chambers.
Latest Housing Law News Housing Ombudsman: the 2008 Annual Report of the Housing Ombudsman Service sets out the details of the ombudsman’s work over the past year and contains useful digests of concluded cases. For a copy, click here. Homelessness: the October 2008 Update from the Homelessness Action Team based at the Housing Corporation reviews […]
News The Australian Government has announced an investigation into reports that up to 20 rejected asylum seekers from Afghanistan were killed after being returned. more info The judicial arm of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) ruled that Niger had failed in its obligations to protect a 24 year old woman who had […]
The Master of the Rolls gave judgment today in Birmingham City Council v Shafi, dismissing the appeals brought by the Council. Maya Sikand, who represented the First Respondent Shafi
Latest Housing Law News Mortgage Repossession: on 22 October 2008 the Civil Justice Council (CJC) announced that the new pre-action protocol for mortgage possession cases had been approved and would come into force on 19 November 2008. For a copy of the announcement, click here. For a copy of the approved protocol itself, click here. […]
EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE Age discrimination Bartsch v Bosch C-427/06Under the guidelines of the employer’s pension scheme payments would not be made to a widow(er) of a member of the scheme if they were 15 or more years younger than the former employee. The ECJ held that such a provision was not covered by the […]
News On 16 October 2008 the Home Office announced "Tough new rules to safeguard the visitor route into the United Kingdom from abuse and keep Britain an attractive place to do business". Visa nationals wishing to come to the UK on business for up to six months must apply for a dedicated new business visa […]
News UNHCR official has accused Greece of violating the Refugee Convention by routinely rejecting asylum claims by migrants from war-torn states like Afghanistan. Greece’s record on asylum is so bad that UNHCR has advised EU countries not to return asylum seekers there until conditions improve. More info More generally the UNHCR’s top protection official has […]
Legislation Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Commencement No 2) Order 2008, SI 2008/2497: brings into force, inter alia, certain provisions of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 on 1 October 2008, establishing the Care Quality Commission and enabling the Care Quality Commission to take preparatory steps (such as the preparation of a programme […]
Latest Housing Law News New Housing Minister: The Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP has been appointed Minister of State (Housing) in the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG). She replaces Caroline Flint MP who served as Housing Minister from January 2008. Former legal aid solicitor Sadiq Khan also joins the CLG in a ministerial […]
News Phil Woolas was appointed as successor to Liam Byrne as Immigration Minister, in last week’s reshuffle. Byrne’s tenure in the post was considered such a success, he has now been promoted to the Cabinet. Woolas, in his first interview, has said that he wants to further toughen the current legislation and expressed sympathy with […]
Chambers is delighted to announce publication of this unique guide by barrister Leslie Thomas, leading specialist in the "civil rights" torts against the police and police-related litigation practitioner, with co-authors Adam Straw and Danny Fr
Blackstone's Guide to the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, will be published on 9th January 2009
Latest Housing Law News Tolerated trespassers: Before the relevant provisions of the Housing & Regeneration Act 2008 are brought into force, the Government needs to work out how they should be applied to those who were tolerated trespassers of local authorities when those councils sold their stock to housing associations. A consultation paper, inviting views […]
News The Home Secretary has announced the Government’s intention to lift the UK’s immigration reservation to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The UK had initially entered its reservation when it ratified the Convention in 1991, restricting the rights of children who are subject to immigration control. More info The first […]
Latest Housing Law News Housing Reform Green Paper: in its response to the report The Supply of Rented Housing, produced by the Communities and Local Government Select Committee, the government has given more details on the content of the forthcoming Housing Reform Green Paper. That will now set out proposals "to provide housing services and […]
