header-logo header-logo

(In)decision time

27 January 2012 / Ian Smith
Issue: 7498 / Categories: Features , Damages , TUPE , Employment
printer mail-detail

Ian Smith pays tribute to some end of term judicial desk clearance

There was a considerable element of judicial desk clearance before the Christmas break, to such an extent that it has been difficult to choose the case law most meriting comment here. Pride of place must go to a Supreme Court decision on contractual liabilities on dismissal, which is of most note for what it did not decide. This case takes up most of this column, but it also contains briefer coverage of another much awaited Supreme Court case, this time on how statutory holidays apply to offshore workers (and possibly to others with unusual working patterns), and an important Court of Appeal decision on a tricky point of TUPE law, arising where there are contemporaneous administration proceedings (often in so-called “pre-pack” cases).

Edwards v Chesterfield

The decision of the Supreme Court in Edwards v Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Trust; Botham v Ministry of Defence [2011] UKSC 58, [2011] All ER (D) 101 (Dec) stops a potentially major extension of contractual

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Group partner joins Guernsey banking and finance practice

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

London labour and employment team announces partner hire

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Double partner appointment marks Belfast expansion

NEWS
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has not done enough to protect the future sustainability of the legal aid market, MPs have warned
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
Boris Johnson’s 2019 attempt to shut down Parliament remains a constitutional cautionary tale. The move, framed as a routine exercise of the royal prerogative, was in truth an extraordinary effort to sideline Parliament at the height of the Brexit crisis. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC dissects how prorogation was wrongly assumed to be beyond judicial scrutiny, only for the Supreme Court to intervene unanimously
back-to-top-scroll