On 3 October 2022 the Environment Secretary (‘ES’), Ranil Jayawardena, announced proposals to raise the maximum civil penalty for water companies who pollute the environment by 1,000-fold, from £250,000 to a proposed £250 million. The proposals are subject to consultation, but if they are implemented, it is hoped they would help to prevent water companies from causing serious polluting incidents and preserve public and environmental health for future generations ...
We take a look at the options open for Ukrainian nationals fleeing to come to the UK and what you can do to help. The requirements for each are summarised below: 1. Ukraine Family Scheme This allows the family members of British citizens, people who are settled in the UK, people who hold pre-settled status in the UK under Appendix EU or people with refugee status or humanitarian protection to join their family members in the UK ...
A recent UK Supreme Court Judgment, the Financial Conduct Authority v Arch Insurance (UK Ltd) & Ors [2021] UKSC 1, clarified whether a variety of insurance policy wordings cover business interruption losses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and public health measures taken by UK authorities in response to the pandemic from March 2020 ...
In Triple Point Technology Inc v PTT Public Company Ltd [2021] UKSC 29, the principal issue before the Court was the approach to be adopted when interpreting a liquidated damages clause in a contract i.e. a clause providing for a pre-determined sum agreed upon in the event of a specified breach by one of the parties ...
The UK now has one publicly accessible charge point for every 11.2 Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) on the road, having seen a remarkable 70% jump in charge points over the past year. The figures, utilised in the calculation of the Electric Vehicle Country Attractiveness (EVCA) Index developed by Cornwall Insight and law firm Shoosmiths, demonstrate the substantial impact of the government's ongoing efforts to expand the charging infrastructure network ...
This article looks at trends, including the response to COVID-19, which we expect to impact the mid-market in 2021. Last year we gave COVID-19 a quick mention in our ‘look at the year ahead’. Nobody foresaw the impact it would have. As the market enters a new year, there remains the uncertainty that we’ve grown familiar with ...
This article looks at current trends in UK mid-market debt finance and what we anticipate for 2024. Businesses have faced a perfect storm of challenges in the last twelve months: slow economic growth, rising interest rates, geopolitical unrest and struggles to curb inflation. Despite all that, Q4 of 2023 was a busy one, with a definite uptick in new deals off the back of more positive economic news towards the end of the year ...
Considerable publicity and a sense of shock surrounded a judgment of the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) published on 3 December in relation to a proposed merger of two companies involved in the supply of data systems to the NHS. The judgment focuses on how decisions are reached by the bodies responsible for UK merger control and, in particular, the degree of discretion given to the OFT to clear cases without ordering a full four month inquiry ...
The UK government has proposed legislation (Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament) that would materially affect merger control for transactions. This comment addresses the proposed changes that would be of concern to those engaged in mergers affecting local markets ...
On November 20, 2012, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) published “Anonymisation: Managing Data Protection Risk Code of Practice” (the “Code”). The purpose of the Code is to provide organizations with a framework for assessing the risks of anonymization ...
The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) recently published a questionnaire to gather feedback on how privacy seals might be used to improve data protection compliance and customer privacy awareness. The questionnaire is available online until November 30, 2012 ...
On November 28, 2012, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) issued monetary penalties totaling £440,000 to two owners of a marketing company that sent millions of unlawful spam SMS text messages over a period of three years.Following an 18 month investigation, Christopher Niebal and Gary McNeish, the owners of Tetrus Telecoms (“Tetrus”), have been ordered to pay £300,000 and £140,000, respectively ...
On October 29, 2012, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) served private sector financial services company The Prudential Assurance Company Limited (“Prudential”) with a monetary penalty of £50,000 in connection with a serious violation of the Data Protection Act 1998 (“DPA”). The violation concerned a mix-up involving Prudential customer details ...
The parties to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) have agreed to formally commence an accession process with the UK. Ahead of the start of formal negotiations, the UK Government has set out its strategic approach to accession ...
The UK Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) is currently consulting on a fundamental review of the UK competition regime. This includes, amongst other proposals, the introduction of a mandatory merger regime and a combination of the hitherto distinct first and second phase authorities (the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the Competition Commission) to form a single 'Competition and Markets Authority' (CMA) ...
The UK Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) is currently consulting on a fundamental review of the UK competition regime. This includes, amongst other proposals, the introduction of a mandatory merger regime and a combination of the hitherto distinct first and second phase authorities (the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the Competition Commission) to form a single 'Competition and Markets Authority' (CMA) ...
As global regulators continue to grapple with the challenges of developing and implementing effective Artificial Intelligence (AI) regulation, and with AI sitting high on the agenda for Rishi Sunak’s meeting this week with President Biden, the UK Government has announced that it will be hosting a global AI Summit later this year ...
HM Treasury has recently published the outcome of its UK Prospectus Regime Review. The Review Outcome sets out important reforms to the UK prospectus regime for the public issuance of securities and admission to trading on capital markets, outlining the policy approach the UK Government will take following last year's Prospectus Regime Review consultation. This briefing note sets out the key measures confirmed by the UK Government in the Review Outcome ...
HM Treasury has recently published the outcome of its UK Prospectus Regime Review. The Review Outcome sets out important reforms to the UK prospectus regime for the public issuance of securities and admission to trading on capital markets, outlining the policy approach the UK Government will take following last year's Prospectus Regime Review consultation. This briefing note sets out the key measures confirmed by the UK Government in the Review Outcome ...
Half a decade after the Brexit vote and just before the interim solution was about to run out, the European Comission has (finally) confirmed that the UK is regarded as 'adequate' for data protection purposes. Here's what you need to know. For those not too familiar with the terminology of ‘adequacy’ it all sounds a tad underwhelming ...
As we gear up for the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s first full public hearing on 13 June, here is a reminder of what has been covered to date, followed by a list of issues to be covered within the scope of the first (Module 1) investigation. Inquiry to date the Inquiry was formally established by the Chair (Baroness Heather Hallett) on 28 June 2022, at which time the final Terms of Reference were published by the Government (UK COVID-19 Inquiry: terms of reference - GOV.UK (www.gov ...
Shock to UK employment world The UK employment model was turned on its head by COVID-19 and the restrictions brought in by the Government. The seismic effects of the restrictions and the speed with which they were introduced tested the adaptability and resilience of employers and employees in a way not seen previously in the UK ...
As the Covid-19 Inquiry reaches Module 2 of its timeline and it turns its attention to the political and administrative decisions made at the height of the pandemic, Shoosmiths looks at the history of public inquiries to reflect on their purpose and effectiveness in preventing future mistakes of the same kind. Reviewing previous public inquiries may inform us about the likely trajectory of the Covid-19 Inquiry ...
The first hearings for the official UK Covid-19 Inquiry are fast approaching – though less quickly than originally anticipated, with the start date now delayed to Tuesday 13 June. Although public hearings are yet to get under way, the Inquiry has nonetheless had a busy February and March, with preliminary hearings for Modules 1 (pandemic preparedness and resilience), 2 (political and administrative decision-making) and 3 (impact on the healthcare sector) all taking place ...
