A report for the equal rights watchdog reviewed a pilot project that explored how voluntary organizations that worked in the equalities field were using human rights concepts, language, and tools.
Source: Sanchita Hosali and Amanda Ariss, Human Rights and Equality in the Voluntary Sector, Equality and Human Rights Commission
Links: Report | BIHR press release
Date: 2010-Dec
The government announced how it intended to implement the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (made in 2005) in relation to prisoner voting rights. The government would bring forward legislation providing that the blanket ban in the existing law would be replaced. Offenders sentenced to a custodial sentence of four years or more would continue to be deprived of the right to vote in all circumstances. Offenders sentenced to a custodial sentence of less than four years would be given the right to vote: but the sentencing judge would have powers to remove that right if they considered it appropriate. The right to vote would be restricted to United Kingdom parliamentary and European parliamentary elections, and not other elections or referendums.
Source: Written Ministerial Statement 20 December 2010, columns 150-151WS, House of Commons Hansard/TSO
Links: Hansard | Cabinet Office press release | Labour Party press release | PRT press release | Telegraph report | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2010-Dec
The Identity Documents Act 2010 was given Royal assent. The Act abolished identity cards and the national identity register, and repealed the Identity Cards Act 2006.
Source: Identity Documents Act 2010, Home Office/TSO
Links: Text of Act | Explanatory notes | Home Office press release | Liberal Democrats press release | NO2ID press release
Date: 2010-Dec
An article examined recent legal cases involving attempts to apply human rights law to the field of social security benefits.
Source: Mel Cousins, 'Human rights, anti-discrimination and social security benefits: recent UK case law', Journal of Social Welfare & Family Law, Volume 32 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Dec
The watchdog for official information said that since 2006 there had been 'welcome strengthening' of the data protection regime, a higher and better informed level of debate and scrutiny of surveillance-related developments, and a renewed political commitment to tackle unwarranted surveillance of the citizen. Despite this, technological and societal developments had proceeded and the risks to individual privacy remained real. Further safeguards were still required.
Source: Information Commissioner's Report to Parliament on the State of Surveillance, Information Commissioner
Links: Report | Information Commissioner press release | Guardian report
Date: 2010-Nov
A paper examined the commitments relevant to civil liberties made by the coalition government in its programme for government, and set out the considerations that should underlie any bill of rights that might replace or supplement the Human Rights Act.
Source: Civil Liberties, the Constitution and Cuts: Engaging with the Coalition, JUSTICE
Links: Paper
Date: 2010-Oct
The Identity Documents Bill was given a third reading. The Bill was designed to abolish the identity cards scheme and the National Identity Register.
Source: Identity Documents Bill, Home Office/TSO | Debate 15 September 2010, columns 913-970, House of Commons Hansard/TSO
Links: Hansard | Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | HOC research brief
Date: 2010-Sep
The new coalition government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on the implementation of human rights judgements. It said that although it remained committed to the European Convention on Human Rights, it wanted to look afresh at how human rights were protected to see if things could be done better – and in a way that properly reflected British traditions – by means of a Bill of Rights.
Source: Responding to Human Rights Judgments: Government response to the Joint Committee on Human Rights Fifteenth Report, Cm 7892, Ministry of Justice/TSO Links: Response | MPs report
Date: 2010-Jul
The new coalition government said that it agreed with a report by a joint committee of MPs/peers that had criticized the human rights strategy of the Equality and Human Rights Commission as 'too vague'.
Source: Government Reply to the Thirteenth Report from the Joint Committee on Human Rights, Cm 7918, Home Office/TSO
Links: Response | MPs report
Date: 2010-Jul
An article examined whether human rights values and legislation could be used as tools for community cohesion.
Source: Theo Gavrielides, 'The new politics of community cohesion: making use of human rights policy and legislation', Policy & Politics, Volume 38 Number 3 Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Jul
The Identity Documents Bill was published. The Bill was designed to abolish the identity cards scheme and the National Identity Register.
Source: Identity Documents Bill, Home Office/TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | Home Office press release | Liberal Democrats press release | NO2ID press release | TUC press release
Date: 2010-May
The new Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government announced (in the Queen's Speech) plans for:
A Freedom (Great Repeal) Bill, designed to extend the scope of the Freedom of Information Act, reform the libel laws, repeal 'unnecessary' criminal offences, and introduce safeguards against the misuse of anti-terrorism legislation.
An Identity Documents Bill, designed to scrap the identity card scheme.
Source: Queen's Speech, 25 May 2010
Links: Text of Speech | HGC press release | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2) | Telegraph report
Date: 2010-May
A think-tank report examined what people thought about the use of their personal information by public bodies.
Source: Peter Bradwell, Private Lives: A people's inquiry into personal information, Demos
Date: 2010-Mar
A report for the equal rights watchdog examined best-practice processes for developing a new Bill of Rights for the United Kingdom. It sought to identify the key principles that should underpin the development of a Bill of Rights, and to identify policy implications in relation to any future process.
Source: Alice Donald with Philip Leach and Andrew Puddephatt, Developing a Bill of Rights for the UK, Research Report 51, Equality and Human Rights Commission
Links: Report | London Metropolitan University press release
Date: 2010-Mar
The government published two reports summarizing responses to a Green Paper (March 2009) that outlined proposals for a Bill of Rights.
Source: Rights and Responsibilities: Developing Our Constitutional Framework – Summary of Responses, Cm 7860, Ministry of Justice/TSO | People and Power: Shaping Democracy, Rights and Responsibilities, Ministry of Justice
Links: Report (1) | Report (2) | Hansard | Green Paper
Date: 2010-Mar
A report by a joint committee of MPs and peers said that the government should seek to prevent future violations of the European Convention on Human Rights where they were predictable, rather than the existing approach of 'minimal compliance' with specific judgments. Better mechanisms for implementing Court judgments needed to involve Parliament, particularly given the central role played by Parliament under the Human Rights Act.
Source: Enhancing Parliament's Role in Relation to Human Rights Judgments, Fifteenth Report (Session 2009-10), HC 455 and HL 85, Joint Select Committee on Human Rights/TSO
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Mar
A report by a joint committee of MPs and peers said that the human rights strategy published in November 2009 by the Equality and Human Rights Commission was 'too vague' and recommended that a more detailed version should be published later in 2010, after public consultation. Although the human rights watchdog was now approaching its human rights work more systematically, it was not yet fulfilling the human rights mandate set out in the Equality Act.
Source: Equality and Human Rights Commission, Thirteenth Report (Session 2009-10), HC 183 and HL 72, Joint Select Committee on Human Rights/TSO
Links: Report | EHRC press release | BHA press release | BBC report | Personnel Today report | Guardian report
Date: 2010-Mar
A report said that repeal or significant amendment of the Human Rights Act would prove difficult to reconcile with the devolution framework governing Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Source: Qudsi Rasheed, Devolution and Human Rights, JUSTICE
Links: Report | JUSTICE press release | Guardian report
Date: 2010-Feb
The government responded to a report by a joint committee of MPs and peers on the policing of protests.
Source: Demonstrating Respect for Rights? Follow Up: Government Response to the Committee's Twenty-second Report of Session 2008-09, Sixth Report (Session 2009-10), HL 45 and HC 328, Joint Select Committee on Human Rights/TSO
Date: 2010-Feb
The European Court of Human Rights ruled that random stop-and-search powers under section 44 of the Terrorism Act were far too widely drawn and lacked adequate parliamentary and legal safeguards against abuse.
Source: Gillan and Quinton v The United Kingdom, European Court of Human Rights
Links: Text of judgement | Index on Censorship press release | ACPO press release | Guardian report | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Jan