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Private eye

23 October 2014 / Tom Morrison
Issue: 7627 / Categories: Features , Data protection
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Tom Morrison returns with his quarterly review of the world of information law

The summer can be a slow season for news, but somehow information law seems to keep finding a way of getting itself in the headlines. This season the sun has shone its light on democracy. I am not referring to the energetic and heartfelt campaigns fought in support of both sides of the debate on Scotland’s place in the Union. I am referring to those who report on such campaigns, to those who support the legal system upon which our democracy was built and those who enforce the rule of law.

The press: democracy in action?

Just as the schools were going back, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) published guidance for the attention of all of those who work in the media, together with advice for individuals who feel that their information has not been dealt with properly. The guidance was produced in response to one of Lord Leveson’s recommendations and was heavily consulted upon within the industry and the public

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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
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