Snooper s Charter Back On
Amid privacy and data security concerns, the Government is to press ahead with it s so-called Snooper s Charter1, which will give UK police the power to access the website browsing history of everyone in Britain.
It is expected that Theresa May, the Home Secretary, will announce the plans to the Commons as part of new surveillance legislation giving increased powers to the security services, the police, GCHQ and MI6, who have long called for such measures to help combat organised crime, child abuse and terrorism.
Under the proposals, Internet service providers and other communications firms would be required by law to retain the web browsing history of all users for a period of 12 months. With judicial approval, police and security services could then seize the data as part of a criminal investigation. However, 75% of the public are against the idea, citing privacy issues and data security as key concerns.
Gay Marriage Becomes Legal In Ireland
Five months after Ireland became the first country in the world to vote in favour of legalising gay marriage2, the predominantly Catholic nation has now signed the move into law.
Following an announcement by the President s Office on 29th October, the Marriage Bill 2015 became law, with the first wave of weddings now expected within weeks.
In May of 2015, 62.1% of the Irish population voted in support of gay marriage in a referendum on the issue.
In what has been described by gay marriage campaigners as a deeply emotional moment , the law will also mean same sex unions between Irish nationals that took place overseas will now be recognised under Irish law.
Female Barristers With Children Should Be Supported
The Chairman of the Bar Council3, Alistair MacDonald QC, says that allowances should be made for female barristers who have stepped back from their careers to have children but who want to return to work and progress in the profession.
Proposed as part of a raft of measures to help women succeed in a notoriously male dominated profession at senior level, MacDonald said initiatives to stop large numbers of women abandoning their legal careers were not working citing legal aid cuts and the spiralling cost of child care as additional problems.
Bar Council figures show that 57% of mothers at the bar are primary carers for their children, compared to only 4% of fathers. To counter this, the industry body has tried to introduce more flexible working practices and helpful parental leave programmes which in MacDonald s own admission were not working as well as we had hoped, otherwise things would have improved by now.
Police Start Using Skype Interviews
In a highly criticised budget cutting experiment, police have started interviewing victims of crime on Skype4, rather than officers attending home interviews. The software allows computer users to make free video and phone calls over the Internet.
Organised by Cambridgeshire Police, the trial is intended to give more flexibility to crime victims in arranging interviews, while it is also hoped the initiative will free-up more time for neighbourhood police patrols.
However, critics of the scheme have said it will work against those who do not have access to computers, and the Home Office have said it s up to other police forces as to whether they also adopt the approach.
Cambridgeshire Police said they would still attend home interview visits where necessary .
Concern Over Ministerial Code Changes
UK lawyers have expressed deep concern about the way the Government has rewritten the ministerial code5.
In particular, legal experts have been especially critical over revisions to the code that state members of the Government should be bound by international law.
The recent rewrite of the ministerial conduct standards document completely leaves out any reference to the issue, which top lawyers have said could heavily impact the UK in terms of its standing with other countries.
Critics say the subtle admission the new code only says ministers should comply with the law and protect the integrity of public life would affect Government decisions on the use of overseas military force, such as deploying drones in Syria, or impact rulings by the International Court about Geneva Conventions or human rights.
References
- ^ Snooper s Charter (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ gay marriage (uk.news.yahoo.com)
- ^ Chairman of the Bar Council (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ Skype (www.bbc.co.uk)
- ^ ministerial code (www.theguardian.com)
The post Legal News Roundup: 30th October 2015 appeared first on News4Security.