The conduct of Baroness Uddin


Book Description

The focus of this report is Baroness Uddin's use of the Members' Reimbursement Scheme from May 2005 onwards, regarding her designation of three successive properties - in Frinton on Sea, Maidstone and Wapping, London - as her main residence. The last of these, designated on 1 January 2010, has been Lady Uddin's family home since 1993. The Sub-committee on Lords' Conduct found that Lady Uddin's interpretation of "main residence" was unreasonable. The designation of the Frinton and Maidstone properties was a deliberate misrepresentation of her position and the travel claims were made with the intention of substantiating her designation of her main residences. In total, the Sub-committee calculated that she wrongly claimed £125,349.10 over the period in question. Lady Uddin appealed to the full Committee against the Sub-committee's findings and recommendations. The Committee upholds the finding on the sum wrongly claimed, and recommends that she makes a personal statement of apology to the House and is then suspended from the House for three years or until she has repaid the sum wrongly claimed, whichever is the later.




The conduct of Lord Paul


Book Description

The focus of this report is Lord Paul's use of the Members' Reimbursement Scheme from late 2005 onwards. The Sub-committee on Lords' Conduct considered whether in this period Lord Paul had correctly designated two successive properties in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire as his main residence, and made claims for overnight subsistence and travel in relation to them. Lord Paul has acknowledged that he wrongly designated the Oxfordshire property as his main residence, has apologised and repaid a sum of money. Lord Paul maintained that he acted in good faith in making the designation and claims, but the Sub-committee disagreed. Lord Paul appealed to the full Committee on this point. The Committee, while not finding actions that were dishonest or in bad faith, conclude that: designation of the Oxfordshire property was a deliberate misrepresentation of his domestic arrangements; his actions were unreasonable, and demonstrated gross irresponsibility and negligence. The Committee recommends that Lord Paul be suspended from the service of the House for four months.




The conduct of Lord Bhatia


Book Description

The focus of this report is Lord Bhatia's use of the Members' Reimbursement Scheme between 1 October 2007 and 1 January 2009, regarding his designation of a flat in Reigate as his main residence whilst still owning and spending the majority of his time at a family home in Hampton. The Sub-committee on Lords' Conduct found that Lord Bhatia's interpretation of "main residence" was unreasonable and that he did not act in good faith in designating the Reigate property and in claiming for overnight subsistence and travel. Lord Bhatia appealed to the full Committee against the Sub-committee's findings and recommendations. The Committee upholds the findings of the Sub-committee, and recommends that he makes a personal statement of apology to the House and is then suspended from the House for one year or until she has repaid the sum of £27,446 wrongly claimed, whichever is the later.










Public Law Directions


Book Description

A considered balance of depth, detail, context, and critique, Public Law Directions offers the most student-friendly guide to the subject; empowering students to evaluate the law, understand its practical application, and approach assessments with confidence.




Parliament and the Law


Book Description

Parliament and the Law (Second Edition) is an edited collection of essays, supported by the UK's Study of Parliament Group, including contributions by leading constitutional lawyers, political scientists and parliamentary officials. It provides a wide-ranging overview of the ways in which the law applies to, and impacts upon, the UK Parliament, and it considers how recent changes to the UK's constitutional arrangements have affected Parliament as an institution. It includes authoritative discussion of a number of issues of topical concern, such as: the operation of parliamentary privilege, the powers of Parliament's select committees, parliamentary scrutiny, devolution, English Votes for English Laws, Members' conduct and the governance of both Houses. It also contains chapters on financial scrutiny, parliamentary sovereignty, Parliament and human rights, and the administration of justice. Aimed mainly at legal academics, practitioners, and political scientists, it will also be of interest to anyone who is curious about the many fascinating ways in which the law interacts with and influences the work, the constitutional status and the procedural arrangements of the Westminster Parliament.




Honour, Violence, Women and Islam


Book Description

Why are honour killings and honour-related violence (HRV) so important to understand? What do such crimes represent? And how does HRV fit in with Western views and perceptions of Islam? This distinctively comparative collection examines the concept of HRV against women in general and Muslim women in particular. The issue of HRV has become a sensitive subject in many South Asian and Middle Eastern countries and it has received the growing attention of the media, human rights groups and academics around the globe. However, the issue has yet to receive detailed academic study in the United Kingdom, particularly in terms of both legal and sociological research. This collection sets out the theoretical and ethical parameters of the study of HRV in order to address this intellectual vacuum in a socio-legal context. The key objectives of this book are: to construct, and to develop further, a theory of HRV; to rationalise and characterise the different forms of HRV; to investigate the role of religion, race and class in society within this context, in particular, the role of Islam; to scrutinise the role of the civil/criminal law/justice systems in preventing these crimes; and to inform public policy-makers of the potential policies that may be employed in combating HRV.




Protecting the consumers of timeshare products


Book Description

Timeshare is popular, especially amongst UK consumers, but the sector has often caused problems. The European Communities removed many of the worst excesses with its 1994 Directive, which introduced a right of withdrawal, a cooling-off period, and a ban on advance payments during the cooling-off period. However there are loopholes that have been exploited by the unscrupulous and complaints about long term holiday clubs have grown dramatically. The Commission is seeking to address these problems with proposals for a broader directive. This report considers that directive's strengths and weaknesses.




Creating Authentic Organizations


Book Description

Our identity is often bound up what we do at work. The work we do goes some way to describing who we are, what we stand for and it reveals, in one dimension at least, a tangible and valued contribution that we make to the world. Authenticity in organizations matters more than ever. In today's complex and global economy it's more important than ever that we empower employees to bring their authentic selves to work. Doing so leads to increased innovation, productivity, more thoughtful risk-taking, a sense of responsibility and enhanced adaptiveness to change. Creating Authentic Organizations goes beyond the remit of authentic leadership and shows how the concept of authenticity can and should be applied to your organization. It offers a new management framework based on the freedom to operate, meaningful dialogue and a deep search for personal meaning at work; autonomy and the opportunity to make an impact is a key driver of productivity. With simple and powerful models and strategies to bring about workplace authenticity, this bold and cutting-edge approach will show you how to ensure more authentic dialogue and encourage open and meaningful discussion around threats and challenges. Creating Authentic Organizations gives you the tools to bridge the gap between the corporate persona and the authentic self, leading to greater employee engagement, well-being and organizational resilience. Online supporting resources include an authenticity and freedoms diagnostic tool and guidance notes.