The law regulating wildlife is spread over a collection of Acts dating back to 1831. Much of the older legislation is out of step with modern requirements, and there is duplication between the principal modern Act – the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 – and Regulations made with a view to implementing EU law obligations. … Read more >
“Reform of Offences Against the Person”, published today, sets out our recommendations for reforms that would replace the outdated Offences Against the Person Act 1861 with modern, clear and logical legislation The Act is notoriously difficult to understand and use. It refers to concepts no longer recognised in law, the language is archaic and obscure … Read more >
New rules are needed to tackle violent offences and make better use of court time, according to the Law Commission. In a scoping report issued today the Law Commission is recommending reforms that would: replace the outdated Offences Against the Person Act 1861 with modern, clear and logical legislation create a new offence of “aggravated … Read more >
In a consultation opening today we look at what can be done to protect owners of retirement flats and their families from unexpected charges hidden in leases. Leases of retirement flats and bungalows often include a fee triggered by certain events, such as when the owner sells or sub-lets their property. These “event fees” are … Read more >
Owners of retirement flats and their families are being caught out by unexpected charges hidden in leases. Leases of retirement flats and bungalows often include a fee triggered by certain events, such as when the owner sells or sub-lets their property. These “event fees” are typically set at around 1% of the property sale price … Read more >
The Intellectual Property Office has opened a consultation to assess whether there would be sufficient stakeholder support to introduce our Intellectual Property (Unjustified Threats) Bill into Parliament using the special procedure reserved for uncontroversial Law Commission Bills. The consultation, which opened on 22 October, asks whether stakeholders: agree that law reform in this area is … Read more >
We have published a Bill that would implement the reforms we recommended in 2014 to patent, trade mark and designs, at the request of the Government. The Bill is published with an explanatory report Patents, Trade Marks and Designs: Unjustified Threats.The report also makes two new recommendations that would apply the reformed law to the … Read more >
Today we are opening the second consultation in our project to create a new sentencing code for England and Wales. The law on sentencing affects all criminal cases, and is applied in hundreds of thousands of trials and at thousands of appeals each year. But it lacks coherence and clarity: it is spread across many statutes, … Read more >
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 comes into force today bringing new rights for consumers and protecting businesses from unfair competition. The Act implements recommendations for reform made by the Law Commissions for England and Wales and for Scotland in two areas of consumer law: remedies for faulty goods and unfair terms in consumer contracts. From … Read more >
Businesses can suffer serious loss if insurance companies delay paying claims. But under Law Commission reforms introduced into Parliament today, insurers would be obliged to make prompt payment or face a claim for damages. At the moment, insurers are under no legal obligation to pay valid claims within a reasonable time. If they pay unreasonably … Read more >