News The UNHCR has published its annual review of asylum applications lodged in European and Non-European industrialised countries. Across the 50 countries surveyed, the main countries of origin of asylum applicants in 2006 were Iraq (22,200), China (18,300), the Russian Federation (15,700), Serbia and Montenegro (15,600) and Turkey (8,700). The United States was the largest […]
On March 22nd 2007 Mr Barry Kerbey won his action against the Defendant for assault, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution. He claimed damages including aggravated and exemplary damages. Mr Kerbey was represented by Leslie Thomas of Garden Court Ch
On Wednesday 21 March 2007, the House of Lords handed down its joint opinion in the cases of Huang -v- Secretary of State for the Home Department; Kashmiri -v- Secretary of State for the Home Department [2007] UKHL 11. Duran Seddon was junior counsel for
This year's Minority Lawyers Conference is taking place on Saturday 28th April 2007. The Minority Lawyers Conference provides a forum for BME lawyers and those in the legal profession to express their views and exert their influence on legal and relevant
Government & Legislation Last Week On Monday 12 March 2007 Baroness Andrews set out the extent of the Government’s support for tenant and resident involvement in housing matters in a speech to the TAROE national conference. For a copy of the speech click here On the same day, the Government published the latest statistics on […]
CASES EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS Trade Union Rights ASLEF v United Kingdom, European Court of Human Rights (Application no. 11002/05) The restriction imposed on trade unions by section 174 Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 preventing them from expelling a member on the basis of his or her membership of a political […]
Government and Parliament Fees for entry clearance for marriage or for settlement go up on 1 April to a whopping £500 under the Consular Fees Order 2007, SI 2007/649. Student entry clearance will cost £99. Fees for the issue of passports are also increased under the Order. The Accession (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) (Amendment) Regulations […]
Government & Legislation Last Week On 6 March 2007 the Gypsy and Traveller Task Group on Site Provision and Enforcement presented Ministers with its interim report. It advised that enforcement against unauthorised sites remains a "blunt weapon" and "can only be used successfully if there is sufficient provision of authorised sites". For a copy of […]
Government & Legislation Last Week March 1 2007 was a busy day for developments in relation to gypsies and travellers. The junior minister, Meg Munn MP, gave a speech at a conference on Gypsies and Travelers held by the Royal Town Planning Institute. For a copy click here Her department published Preparing Regional Spatial Strategy […]
Cases Restrictive Covenants Thomas v Farr plc [2007] EWCA Civ 118 The Court of Appeal reviewed the authorities on non-competition clauses and upheld the enforceability of a clause in a contract of employment of a managing director of a firm of insurance brokers, prohibiting him from competing with the company for 12 months after the […]
News From the 12 March 2007 the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) will be operating a revised policy for handling Judicial Review challenges made after removal directions have been served. IND will give at least 72 hours notice of removal, including two full working days. The last 24 hours of the 72 hours will include […]
Government & Legislation Last Week On Tuesday 20 February 2007, Professor John Hills delivered his report on the future of social housing sector: Ends and Means – The future roles of social housing in England. For the full report or a summary click here The Secretary of State welcomed the report as not ending discussion […]
News Home Office ministers are refusing to abandon their policy of threatening to take the children of rejected asylum seekers into care despite a critical internal report saying it has failed to encourage them to leave the country. Immigration minister Liam Byrne refused, on 21 February, to rule out extending the controversial policy that can […]
Government and Legislation Last Week On Tuesday 13 February 2007 the Secretary of State for Communities set out her detailed vision for the development of housing policy for the next 5 to 10 years. For a copy of her speech, The Future of Housing Policy, click here On 14 February 2007 the Disability Rights Commission […]
Cases CM (Kenya) v Secretary of State for the Home Department An immigration tribunal had erred in law in finding that it was not unduly harsh to return an asylum seeker to Nairobi, as it had failed to give sufficient reasons for rejecting an expert report that suggested that the asylum seeker would be in […]
Maya Sikand, a member of the Garden Court Chambers crime team will be speaking at this years Criminal Bar Association spring conference.
Ian Macdonald QC scored a notable victory for the right to demonstrate and display banners outside Parliament
Last Week’s Housing Cases Watchman v Ipswich BC [2007] All ER (D) 109 (Feb), 8 February 2007. Despite a history of rent arrears and other debt, Mrs Watchman took out a mortgage to buy her home. The instalments were higher than the rent. When the rate of repayments increased and her husband lost her job, […]
(Click on case title to be transferred to a transcript of the Case) News Immigration and Nationality Directorate | Minister pledges fast but fair asylum system – New asylum teams for West London and the South EastCommission on International Religious Freedom reported that asylum seekers in the U.S are still being abused, the federal immigration […]
Government & Legislation last week The statistics for landlord’s possession claims, dealt with by the county courts in the last quarter of 2006, were released on Friday 2 February 2007. The number of claims issued was down 20%. The statisticians note that this was the first period to which the Rent Arrears Pre-Action Protocol applied […]
