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Post by nickd on Mar 28, 2012 17:20:38 GMT 1
Anyone for Ping Pong?Let's explain what a game of ping pong has to with legal aid and why you should get involved..Here is an important date for our game of 'Ping Pong', it is one you should have firmly etched in your mind, or just written down somewhere to remind you...This is the date when the Legal Aid, Sentencing & Punishment of Offender's bill (LASPO) get's 'pinged' into the House of Commons for a very important debate. Some of Mylegal's regular viewers will be all too familiar with The Legal Aid, Sentencing & Punishment of Offender's Bill or 'LASPO' for short. For those of you who are not and would like to find out a bit more, you can access the Justice for All, Scope & Sound off for Justice LASPO campaigns through the following link which takes you to much more information.
mylegal.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=frontline&thread=635
For those of you following LASPO on Twitter, you may have seen a fair mention of 'Ping Pong' and 'April 17'. No, we haven't given up on our day jobs and started a new found obsession with bat and ball; - we're keeping an eye out for a much bigger game taking place - it's being played out between two of the biggest houses in the country. With one bat in hand we have the House of Lords.With the other bat, we have the House of Commons What's the batting order? As things stand, as far as LASPO is concerned, the House of Lords is the house we want to win in our game of ping - pong. The bill has completed its passage through the report stage in the second chamber and will return to the Commons where they will consider the amendments made. Both Houses need to agree to the exact wording of the bill and the bill may 'ping pong' between both houses until this happens. When the exact wording of the bill has been agreed by both Houses the bill is ready for royal assent. Once a bill receives royal assent it becomes an Act of Parliament (proposals in the bill become law). The reason we back some of the Lords (mainly the Labour Party, but some cross-benchers & other parties as well) is because they passed 11 important amendments to the legal aid part of the LASPO bill; - it doesn't make it perfect, but it makes it a whole lot better than it was when it last left the House of Commons. What happens next is that LASPO will be batted by the Lords back to the House of Commons who could then overturn the amendments passed by the Lords. To some politicians it may be a big game;- to us it's more about doing all we can to leave LASPO as it stands and thus do our best towards preserving social welfare justice for those who need it most; - our clients. Here's more information about the LASPO amendments which went to a vote in the House of Lords. These are the 11 amendments which government lost when they voted to oppose them. This means they are now part of the bill as it stands - but this could be reversed on April 17thThese are all of the amendments considered in the House of Lords as of the 29th March 2012. These includes ones which were agreed, voted out, voted in or withdrawn. www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/2010-2012/0327/2012327.pdfThis is how the LASPO bill looks including the amendments voted for in the House of Lords up to March 21st, further amendments were then voted on March 27th; - these are not yet included in the following link to the revised bill: The LASPO Bill as of the 21/3/2012 (this could be updated soon) www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/lbill/2010-2012/0135/2012135.pdfWe now take a closer look at the 11 amendments which we are asking people to try and convince their MP's that they should stay as they are. The best way of doing this is to persuade MP's that it makes financial sense to agree with the amendments proposed by the Lords. It means putting pressure on MP's to speak with their own leaders to see the sense in not undoing everything the House of Lords voted on when carefully considering the bill. The full details of each of the 11 amendments are to be found in the posts which follow. There is also some further advice on what to do. What now follows are some brief summaries on each of the 11 voted for amendments, for the full details you will need to look at the posts which follow on. Remember that the numbering from 1 to 11 is not the number of the amendment, we've just used it to identify the 11 amendments which Government lost when put to the vote in the House of Lords; - in each case the government voted against them and lost the vote. The House of Commons could reverse any of the amendments made by the House of Lords (even those which were agreed). These are in the link to the full list of amendments. The government is much more likely to want to overturn amendments that they did not vote for. Where you see 'contents' this means the numbers of Lords who agreed with the amendment, where it says 'not contents' these are the numbers of Lords who disagreed with them. A higher number of 'contents' wins. Where you see 'amendment agreed upon division' this means the House of Lord divided between the numbers of 'contents' and 'not contents' and voted at what is called a 'division'. A division is called when the House cannot agree whether to accept or withdraw the amendment, in some cases the Lord agrees not to 'move' the amendment, which means they decide not to put it to the vote. A summary of the 11 amendments Here's a run down of the votes which government lost during the 'report' stages in the House of Lords. (1) Amendment 1 sets out a clearer definition of the Lord Chancellor's functions(Change of wording regarding the Lord Chancellor's functions in clause 1 of the bill)(2) Amendment 2 sets out how Lord Chancellor must ensure victims of domestic violence can access legal services (Lord Chancellor must ensure victims of domestic violence can access legal services in accordance with the financial criteria on financial resources in section 20 of the bill)(3) Amendment 3 sets out how the Lord Chancellor must set out the role of the 'director of legal services' on matters such independence from the Crown.(The Lord Chancellor must ensure that the terms on which the designated person holds the post of Director are, as regards the making and termination of the designation and otherwise, such as to ensure the Director's independence from Ministers of the Crown (subject to any direction or guidance given under subsection (3) in relation to the carrying out of the Director's functions under this Part.)(4) Amendment 11 of schedule 1 brings welfare benefits up to First Tier Tribunal level back within the scope of the bill.(Civil legal services provided in respect of a social welfare decision relating to a benefit, allowance, payment, credit or pension under various acts to include independent advice and assistance for a review, or appeal to a first-tier tribunal, of such a decision)(5) Amendment 12 of schedule 1 brings welfare benefits up to Upper Tribunal & higher courts back within the scope of the bill(Civil legal services provided in respect of a social welfare decision relating to a benefit, allowance, payment, credit or pension under various acts to include (a) independent advice or assistance for an appeal to a second-tier tribunal; and (b) independent advice, assistance and representation at a higher court of such a decision)(6) Amendment 13 of schedule 1 concerns obtaining expert reports in medical negligence cases.(Civil legal services provided in relation to the obtaining of one or more expert reports in clinical negligence proceedings.)(7) Amendment 119 of clause 26 opens up access to services other than just by through a single point telephone gateway (Imposes a duty upon Lord Chancellor to provide access to legal services other than just by telephoning, bringing face to face advice at initial interview stage back within the bill)(8) Amendment 132AA before clause 43 helps claimants with claims for respiratory illness/disease arising out of industrial exposure to harmful substances (Makes exceptions for sections not to apply in relation to proceedings which include a claim for damages for respiratory disease or illness (whether or not resulting in death) arising from industrial exposure to harmful substance)(9) Amendment 132AB before Clause 43 makes an exception for industrial disease cases for other sections not to apply where an employer has been in breach of their duty owed to an employee(The changes made by sections 43, 45 and 46 of this Act do not apply in relation to proceedings which include a claim for damages for a disease, condition or illness (whether or not resulting in death) resulting from any breach of duty owed by an employer to an employee)(10) Amendment 3 (Schedule 1, page 140, line 5) would make legal aid available for children in all current cases - this includes clinical negligence cases.(At present, legal aid helps just over 40,000 children every year who have civil justice legal problems in their own right. If the Bill is left as it stands, legal aid for around 35,000 children every year will continue, but legal aid will not be available for around 6,000 children under 18 who would qualify if the current rules remained in place)(11) Amendment 4 (also Schedule 1, page 140, line 5) affects Children and clinical negligence which took place when the individual concerned was a child(Civil legal services provided in relation to clinical negligence in the course of the provision of clinical services which took place at a time when the individual was a child)Hopefully, by now you will know a bit more about LASPO and have a clearer understanding of the amendments we are trying to protect.Further debate will take place on the 17th April when the emphasis will be on the Government asking its MP's to overturn these LASPO amendments on the grounds of 'financial privilege'. It happened in the welfare reforms when amendments were won in the House of Lords following a great deal of Peer pressure from disability groups including major charities; - it was also the hard work of the 'Spartacus' campaign which persuaded many of the Lords to support them. The Government then overturned the Lords in the House of Commons. Many disabled people will be adversely affected by the welfare reforms and will rely upon agencies funded by legal aid to help advise them. These agencies do work on two fronts, (a) helping clients directly and (b) through valuable social policy work. Social policy work is very important because it enables specialist agencies to tell Government where it has got things wrong, it also helps in challenging unfair laws which always exist after large scale reform has taken place. Legal aid specialists feed in to social policy work by telling their representative bodies where the law is wrong in practice. They have a great deal of experience on the front - line in First Tier & Upper Tribunals; - if amendments 11 and 12 are reversed they will no longer be able to do the work they do. Some of these amendments are going to be more important to you than others. It is important for all advice agencies and the clients who rely upon them for advice to get involved in trying to persuade their MP to challenge any attempt to overturn these hard fought for amendments. Choose the amendments which you believe to be most important to you. For instance without amendments 11 and 12 CAB & Law Centres will have their funding dramatically cut in their welfare benefit work - this will mean many won't be able to help any clients with welfare benefit appeals; - this could affect many who currently seek advice. Likewise, we need as many people to put pressure on their MP's to keep amendment 119 to keep face to face advice when accessing legal aid for the first time. Victims of domestic violence will relate to amendment 2, clinical negligence victims will relate to amendment 13 and 3 & 4 in schedule 4. Remember to refer to the actual amendment number rather than the listing number which we have used from 1 to 11. Victims of industrial related illness (such as asbestos poisoning) will relate to amendments 132AA and 132AB. The first three amendments relate to clause 1 of the bill which is connected with the 'Lord Chancellor's functions' in delivering legal services via the 'director' of legal services. Advice agencies & CAB help thousands of people every year, not many people will realise how reliant we are on legal aid funding. Now we are asking you to help us and we would be very grateful for your support.
We give you some further advice in the next post.
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Post by nickd on Mar 28, 2012 20:22:55 GMT 1
Remember the Government will argue that the amendments have to be reversed because they need to make financial savings to pay off the budget deficit. So let your MP know how the amendment will save money rather than cost the StateAn example of this would be in a benefit appeal. Citizens Advice research (which has not been contested by Government) says that for every £1 spent on benefits advice, £8.80 is saved. Welfare benefits advice could for instance stop an expensive appeal having to go ahead by presenting evidence at an earlier stage. It can also help avoid the situation where cases which are not going to succeed end up being appealed by a claimant who has had no advice about the 'merits of the case'. Good advice can prevent overpayments or help identify them well before the authorities realise a benefit is being paid incorrectly. Getting clients their lawful entitlement is what justice demands, the right decision is vital and making it earlier rather than later can help people get support to transition from welfare in to work (in say the case of an Employment & Support Allowance claimant who is in the 'Work Related Activity group') - government should support this because it helps them with the WORK programme by getting people referred at an earlier stage. There are also other costs such as those related to seeing doctors and mental health groups which could be avoided if people didn't need to appeal against badly made decisions relating to their benefit entitlement. Many surgeries are kept busy by people having to visit their doctors over problems with their benefit entitlements. People should make their MP's aware over how they are likely to visit them at their constituency offices if they cannot get specialist advice. Government says benefits advice only needs general advice, please highlight any cases to your MP which illustrates how complex some appeals are and how people struggle without help. Remember this is due to be debated very soon, so you need to act well before April the 17th to give your MP enough time to speak with their colleagues, this is our best chance of being able to get government to agree to accept some or all of the amendments before the debate takes place.
Please act now rather than later. It need only take you a short amount of time to put something together. Use the campaign links we have provided to send your MP an email or you could write to them or even see them at their constituency office. Remember you should contact your MP rather than a Lord or Peer. A few minutes now could save you a lot of time & hardship in the future if advice services are no longer available. We can only operate with funding; - right now the legal aid cuts are taking a massive chunk of this vital funding away at a time when all we hear in the news is the impact of so much government reform.
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Post by nickd on Apr 3, 2012 19:20:03 GMT 1
In the following posts you will see a run down of all 11 amendments made to LASPO in the House of Lords as the result of a vote in which the government lost - these are the ones which Government is now mostly likely to reverse.Remember the numbers from 1 to 11 are not the number of the amendment itself, these are clearly shown in each post. You will need to be able to identify which particular amendment you are asking your MP to support. It is key to do this now so as to give your MP time to speak with other ministers and let them know just why they think it's better for a particular amendment to be supported before voting takes place on the 17th April in the House of Commons.
So please have a read through the next 11 posts and choose which amendments you consider to be most important, these are the ones you need to draw attention to and explain why you think they should stay unopposed.
Remember it is best to try and convince your MP on the basis of disputing financial savings will be made if the amendment(s) are reversed. You need to point out how they will not make financial savings by drawing attention to costs which will be incurred if legal aid is not available in the area which the amendment(s) refers to
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Post by nickd on Apr 3, 2012 20:32:49 GMT 1
March 5th 2012Clause 1 : Lord Chancellor's functions Amendment 1Moved by Lord Pannick 1: Clause 1, page 1, line 5, leave out from "secure" to end of line 6 and insert "(within the resources made available and in accordance with this Part) that individuals have access to legal services that effectively meet their needs" Outcome (4.09 pm) Division on Amendment 1 Contents 235; Not-Contents 190. (1) Amendment 1 agreed upon division.
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Post by nickd on Apr 3, 2012 20:38:15 GMT 1
March 5th 2012Amendment 2Moved by Baroness Scotland of Asthal 2: Clause 1, page 1, line 6, at end insert- "( ) In exercising the duty under subsection (1), the Lord Chancellor must ensure that victims of domestic violence are able to access civil legal services in accordance with the financial eligibility criteria in section 20 (financial resources)." Outcome (5.38 pm) Division on Amendment 2. Contents 238; Not-Contents 201. (2) Amendment 2 agreed upon division
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Post by nickd on Apr 3, 2012 20:39:36 GMT 1
March 5th 2012Clause 4 : Director of Legal Aid Casework Amendment 3Moved by Lord Hart of Chilton 3: Clause 4, page 3, line 31, at end insert- "( ) The Lord Chancellor must ensure that the terms on which the designated person holds the post of Director are, as regards the making and termination of the designation and otherwise, such as to ensure the Director's independence from Ministers of the Crown (subject to any direction or guidance given under subsection (3)) in relation to the carrying out of the Director's functions under this Part." Outcome (6.32 pm) Division on Amendment 3 Contents 212; Not-Contents 195. (3) Amendment 3 agreed upon division .
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Post by nickd on Apr 3, 2012 20:40:29 GMT 1
March 7th 2012Moved by Baroness Doocey Amendment 11: Schedule 1, page 125, line 5, at end insert-7 Mar 2012 : Column 1782 "Social welfare law (1) Civil legal services provided in respect of a social welfare decision relating to a benefit, allowance, payment, credit or pension under- (a) the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992; (b) the Jobseekers Act 1995; (c) the State Pension Credit Act 2002; (d) the Tax Credits Act 2002; (e) the Welfare Reform Act 2007; (f) the Welfare Reform Act 2012; or (g) any other enactment relating to social security. (2) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (1), "civil legal services" includes independent advice and assistance for a review, or appeal to a first-tier tribunal, of such a decision." Baroness Doocey: This amendment is almost identical in scope to the one moved in the other place by the right honourable Member for Carshalton and Wallington, who is also chair of the Liberal Democrat policy committee on justice. It concerns the proposals in the Bill to remove legal aid for appeals against official decisions- Outcome (6.07 pm) Division on Amendment 11. Contents 237; Not-Contents 198. (4) Amendment 11 agreed upon division .
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Post by nickd on Apr 3, 2012 20:43:18 GMT 1
March 7th 2012Amendment 12Moved by Lord Bach 12: Schedule 1, page 125, line 5, at end insert- "Social welfare law (No. 2) (1) Civil legal services provided in respect of a social welfare decision relating to a benefit, allowance, payment, credit or pension under- (a) the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992; (b) the Jobseekers Act 1995; (c) the State Pension Credit Act 2002; (d) the Tax Credits Act 2002; (e) the Welfare Reform Act 2007; (f) the Welfare Reform Act 2012; or (g) any other enactment relating to social security. (2) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (1), "civil legal services" includes- (a) independent advice or assistance for an appeal to a second-tier tribunal; and (b) independent advice, assistance and representation at a higher court of such a decision." Lord Bach: My Lords, I spoke to this amendment in the last debate. I beg to move and test the opinion of the House. 6.21 pm Division on Amendment 12. Contents 222; Not-Contents 194. (5) Amendment 12 agreed upon division .
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Post by nickd on Apr 3, 2012 20:44:33 GMT 1
March 7th 2012Amendment 13Moved by Lord Lloyd of Berwick 13: Schedule 1, page 125, line 5, at end insert- "Clinical negligence (1) Civil legal services provided in relation to the obtaining of one or more expert reports in clinical negligence proceedings. (2) In this paragraph- "clinical negligence proceedings" means proceedings which include a claim for damages in respect of clinical negligence; "clinical negligence" means breach of a duty of care or trespass to the person committed in the course of the provision of clinical or medical services (including dental or nursing services); "expert report" means a report by a person qualified to give expert advice on all or most of the matters that are the subject of the report; "proceedings" includes any sort of proceedings for resolving disputes (and not just proceedings in court), whether commenced or contemplated." Outcome (8.10 pm) Division on Amendment 13 Contents 178; Not-Contents 172. (6) Amendment 13 agreed upon division.www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201212/ldhansrd/text/120307-0002.htm
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Post by nickd on Apr 3, 2012 20:45:27 GMT 1
March 14th 2012Clause 26 : Choice of provider of services etc Amendment 119Moved by Baroness Grey-Thompson 119: Clause 26, page 21, line 11, leave out subsection (2) and insert- "( ) Notwithstanding subsection (1), the Lord Chancellor's duty under section 1(1) must include a duty to secure that a person eligible to legal aid advice is able to access it in a range of forms at the outset, including securing the provision of initial face-to-face advice." Baroness Grey-Thompson: My Lords, the amendment is also in the names of the noble Lords, Lord Bach, Lord Newton of Braintree and Lord Pannick. It seeks to remove the provisions for both a mandatory telephone gateway and the delivery of legally aided services exclusively by telephone. Instead, the amendment would insert a duty to promote the plurality of provision and the delivery channels in order to have regard to the needs of clients when procuring services. The Government have said that they will introduce the mandatory gateway initially in four areas of law. However, the Bill gives the Government wide powers to make legal aid services available exclusively by telephone or other electronic means in the future. I move the amendment for several reasons. A telephone-only service may work for a large number of people. However, it may adversely impact the most vulnerable clients, who may struggle to explain complex problems over the phone. I should like to ask the Minister to share with us how the coalition Government will identify the groups of people for whom this service is not suitable, and the criteria that will be used, given that the Government acknowledged the difficulty in their impact assessment, which stated: "Disabled people may ... find it harder to manage their case paperwork through phone services. They may also find it harder to communicate via the phone or manage any emotional distress more remotely". 4.25 pm Division on Amendment 119 Contents 234; Not-Contents 206. (7) Amendment 119 agreed upon division.www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201212/ldhansrd/text/120312-0002.htm#12031237001119
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Post by nickd on Apr 3, 2012 20:45:45 GMT 1
March 14th 2012Amendment 132AAMoved by Lord Alton of Liverpool 132AA: Before Clause 43, insert the following new Clause- "Exception in respiratory (industrial disease or illness) cases The changes made by sections 43, 45 and 46 of this Act do not apply in relation to proceedings which include a claim for damages for respiratory disease or illness (whether or not resulting in death) arising from industrial exposure to harmful substance." Lord Alton of Liverpool: My Lords, in speaking to Amendment 132AA, I shall speak also to Amendments 136, 141 and 142, which relate to Clauses 43, 45 and 46. In speaking to them I return to the issue of mesothelioma and its victims, the question that I raised on 22 November at Second Reading, at some length in Committee on 30 January, and during Oral Questions on 29 February. At the outset, may I thank the Minister for his courtesy in meeting the noble Lord, Lord Avebury, and myself yesterday, and for listening so carefully to the arguments that we advanced to him? Outcome (7.05 pm) Division on Amendment 132AA Contents 189; Not-Contents 158. (8) Amendment 132AA agreed upon division.
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Post by nickd on Apr 3, 2012 20:46:00 GMT 1
March 14th 2012Amendment 132ABMoved by Lord Bach 132AB: Before Clause 43, insert the following new Clause- "Exception for industrial disease cases The changes made by sections 43, 45 and 46 of this Act do not apply in relation to proceedings which include a claim for damages for a disease, condition or illness (whether or not resulting in death) resulting from any breach of duty owed by an employer to an employee." Lord Bach: My Lords, I beg to move. 7.16 pm Division on Amendment 132AB Contents 168; Not-Contents 163. (9) Amendment 132AB agreed upon division.
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Post by nickd on Apr 3, 2012 20:48:29 GMT 1
March 27th 2012 www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201212/ldhansrd/text/120320-0001.htm#12032057001221Schedule 1 : Civil legal services Amendment 3Moved by Baroness Grey-Thompson 3: Schedule 1, page 140, line 5, at end insert- "Children under 18 1 (1) Civil legal services in relation to advice and proceedings where a child is, or proposes to be, the applicant or respondent in proceedings, or where the child is represented by a legal guardian, including- (a) private family law; (b) any benefit, allowance, payment, credit or pension under- (i) the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992, (ii) the Jobseekers Act 1995, (iii) the State Pension Credit Act 2002, (iv) the Tax Credits Act 2002, (v) the Welfare Reform Act 2007, (vi) the Welfare Reform Act 2011, or (vii) any other enactment relating to social security; (c) all areas of education law not otherwise covered in this Schedule; (d) all areas of housing law not otherwise covered in this Schedule; (e) all areas of debt-related disputes not otherwise covered in this Schedule; (f) all areas of immigration and asylum law not otherwise covered in this Schedule; (g) all areas of clinical negligence law not otherwise covered in this Schedule; (h) all areas of consumer law not otherwise covered in this Schedule; (i) appeals to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority; (j) civil legal services relating to a review or appeal under section 11 or 13 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007; and (k) civil legal services relating to an appeal to the Supreme Court." Baroness Grey-Thompson: My Lords, I speak to the amendment in my name and in those of the noble Baronesses, Lady Eaton and Lady Benjamin. I am also very proud to say that the name of the noble Lord, Lord Newton of Braintree, was included on this amendment, and I know that I speak for all those in this Chamber when I say that he will be greatly missed. This amendment would make legal aid available for children in all current cases, including when they are victims of medical negligence. At present, legal aid helps just over 40,000 children every year who have civil justice legal problems in their own right. If the Bill is left as it stands, legal aid for around 35,000 children every year will continue, but legal aid will not be available for around 6,000 children under 18 who would qualify if the current rules remained in place. The Government have so far not explained why those 6,000 children will be treated differently from other children who have problems under the same categories of law. Outcome (4.44 pm) Division on Amendment 3 Contents 232; Not-Contents 220. (10) Amendment 3 agreed upon division .www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201212/ldhansrd/text/120327-0001.htm#12032757001716
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Post by nickd on Apr 3, 2012 20:54:43 GMT 1
March 27th 2012Amendment 4Moved by Lord Cormack 4: Schedule 1, page 140, line 5, at end insert- "Children and clinical negligence (1) Civil legal services provided in relation to clinical negligence in the course of the provision of clinical services which took place at a time when the individual was a child. (2) In this paragraph- "clinical negligence" means breach of a duty of care or trespass to the person committed in the course of the provision of clinical or medical services (including dental or nursing services); "clinical negligence proceedings" means proceedings which include a claim for damages in respect of clinical negligence; "child" means a person under the age of 18." 27 Mar 2012 : Column 1279 Lord Cormack: My Lords, the House has just approved an amendment which I felt included my own. I am reluctant to ask the House to vote again but, since my noble friend said that Amendment 4 is not consequential, I have something of a dilemma. It is my view that what the House has decided embraces what my amendment contains. However, since my noble friend is shaking his head vigorously, I must, with great reluctance, therefore test the opinion of the House. 5 pm Division on Amendment 4 Contents 228; Not-Contents 215. (11) Amendment 4 agreed upon division .www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201212/ldhansrd/text/120327-0001.htm#12032757001716
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Post by nickd on Apr 5, 2012 7:43:17 GMT 1
Here are all the links you need to take action before...Don't leave it too late and don't be silenced!
Ilegal & Mylegal have fought a relentless battle along with national campaign groups to win these amendments - let's make sure we keep them! www.justice-for-all.org.uk/What-were-about
Round up of LASPO in the House of Lords
www.justice-for-all.org.uk/News/Roundup-of-the-Legal-Aid-Bill-in-the-Lords
Contacting your MP via Justice for All
act.justice-for-all.org.uk/lobby/15 www.scope.org.uk/ soundoffforjustice.org/lobby-your-mp www.younglegalaidlawyers.org/2-weeks-to-save-legal-aid We need you all to help us now so we can carry on helping you!We are just asking you to spend a few moments of your time to make sure your MP knows why this is so important to us all - it won't cost you anything and will save you more money than government realises. The Government wants to get LASPO passed in to legislation this year. This means getting Royal Assent & making sure the bill is included in the Queen's speech which is drawn up by ministers and delivered by the monarch; this sets out the government's legislative agenda for the coming period. The current session of parliament will run until around Easter 2012, with the next state opening of parliament taking place shortly afterwards.
After the House of Commons considers LASPO on the 17th April, it then returns to the House of Lords once again on the 23rd April when it is expected to reach the final stage before Royal Assent. We will not know what happens in the House of Commons but make a note of the next stage in the House of Lords; - we will let you know what happens with regular updates on all the sites.There is plenty of information on Mylegal/ilegal & all the campaign websites as well as elsewhere on the internet if you are searching around for more on the law, case studies, statistics & briefing papers to help you. It's nearly all here using a whole network of different links!
More here (to name but a few)
mylegal.proboards.com/index.cgi
ilegal.org.uk/index.cgi
www.cpag.org.uk/campaigns/legal_aid.htm
Welfare reform
diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/
thebrokenofbritain.blogspot.co.uk/
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Post by nickd on Apr 14, 2012 10:13:01 GMT 1
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