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Fighting for truth

25 October 2024 / Jo Delahunty KC , Colin Wells
Issue: 8091 / Categories: Opinion , Public , Inquests , Criminal , Human rights , Media
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The Hillsborough Law is decades overdue. Colin Wells & Jo Delahunty KC explain why its provisions should be used to deliver justice to those who need protection when agencies have failed them

The Public Authority (Accountability) Bill—aka the Hillsborough Law—was introduced to the House of Commons in 2017 by former MP Andy Burnham.

It is an important law, which aims to: set a requirement on public institutions, public servants and officials to act in the public interest and with candour and frankness; define the public law duty on them to assist courts, official inquiries and investigations; create criminal offences for the breach of certain duties; enable victims to enforce such duties; and provide public funding for victims and their relatives in certain proceedings before the courts and at official inquiries and investigations.

The need for such a Bill, based on the findings of the 2017 Bishop James Jones report, to become law has been recognised by many. In the powerful words of the Hillsborough Law Now campaign: ‘It’s time for

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Serious injury teambolstered by high-profile partner hire

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Firm strengthens employment team with partner hire

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

Lawyers’ liability practice strengthened with partner appointment in London

NEWS
Tech companies will be legally required to prevent material that encourages or assists serious self-harm appearing on their platforms, under Online Safety Act 2023 regulations due to come into force in the autumn
Commercial leasehold, the defence of insanity and ‘consent’ in the criminal law are among the next tranche of projects for the Law Commission
The Bar has a culture of ‘impunity’ and ‘collusive bystanding’ in which making a complaint is deemed career-ending due to a ‘cohort of untouchables’ at the top, Baroness Harriet Harman KC has found
Lawyers have broadly welcomed plans to electronically tag up to 22,000 more offenders, scrap most prison terms below a year and make prisoners ‘earn’ early release
David Lammy, Ellie Reeves and Baroness Levitt have taken up office at the Ministry of Justice, following the cabinet reshuffle
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