The adjournment at short notice of court hearings is a source of extreme frustration and usually financial hardship for litigants. Where a case is vacated at the last minute, which has become increasingly frequent due to the shortage of district and deputy district judges and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a litigant will have spent significant sums to engage counsel and for the preparation of the hearing. This is particularly problematic in family proceedings where the general outcome is that each party bears their own costs. HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not offer compensation in circumstances where a case is vacated at short notice, and there is no formal application process for such compensation.

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note is archived and is not maintained. It is for background information only. This Practice Note, produce in partnership with Chris Parker and Samantha Reeves of DLA Piper UK LLP and Philip Reynolds of FRP Advisory, looks at the issues that arise in an insolvency of a sports club (football, rugby, formula 1) and the practical challenges that insolvency practitioners and their legal advisers will face. It also considers the stakeholders that will participate in the process, and the role of each in reaching a successful outcome. Insolvency in the sports industry—overview The sports sector has seen a number of high-profile insolvencies since 2010, including the administration of Force India, Caterham and Marussia Formula 1 (F1) teams, the Bradford Bulls RFC and Plymouth Albion RFC, and the administration of Bolton Wanderers FC in 2019. Sport has been particularly hit as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, especially as a result of a fall in matchday revenues.

The International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF) has published its strategic plan for 2026–2030, outlining measures to accelerate global regulatory convergence for medical devices and strengthen governance. The plan sets out five strategic focus areas: (1) modernising governance to support sustainable and transparent growth; (2) reinforcing foundational regulatory principles by converting legacy Global Harmonization Task Force (GHTF) documents into updated IMDRF guidance; (3) addressing regulatory challenges posed by innovative technologies through the development of new technical documents and joint workshops with the IMDRF Industry Group; (4) expanding stakeholder engagement through new and enhanced mechanisms for participation and outreach; and (5) strengthening support for the implementation of IMDRF documents through training and practical guidance. To support consistent application across jurisdictions, the plan also calls for a more systematic and structured approach to IMDRF training programmes. The plan builds on progress made during the 2021–2025 strategic period, which was marked by rapid technological innovation, increased use of regulatory reliance mechanisms and significant regulatory disruption arising from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. During this time, regulators faced accelerating technological developments, including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and digital therapeutics, while adapting regulatory systems to pandemic-related pressures. IMDRF responded by issuing guidance on personalised medical devices, Software as a Medical Device (SaMD), AI-enabled medical devices and cybersecurity, and by developing the Reliance Playbook to promote more efficient and coordinated regulatory cooperation.

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained. It describes the rules for overseas workday relief (OWR) in force before 6 April 2025. Overseas Workday Relief (OWR) is a relief from UK income tax for certain non-domiciled individuals, who have elected to be taxed on the remittance basis, on their unremitted 'general earnings' from employment related to duties performed overseas. As a result of the government’s changes to the taxation of non-domiciled individuals set out in Finance (No 2) Act 2017, a number of individuals who were previously regarded as non-domiciled under the UK tax rules, are now deemed UK domiciled for all tax purposes; meaning the remittance basis and OWR will no longer be available to them. See Practice Note: Deemed domicile for tax from 6 April 2017. Prior to 6 April 2013, a similar arrangement to OWR was available on a non-statutory basis under HMRC statement of practice 1/09 (SP 1/09) for individuals who were resident

This Practice Note explains when the Hague Service Convention applies and the available channels for transmitting documents for service between contracting parties. It covers the Central Authority and postal channels, relevant declarations and objections, the service process, certificates of service, costs, translation and local law requirements. It also considers practical issues concerning the addressee’s location, disruption caused by emergencies and the HCCH Good Practices initiative. For guidance on: • preparing a request, proof of service and default judgment, see Practice Note: Hague Service Convention—preparing a request, proof of service and default judgment • considerations specific to England and Wales, see Practice Note: Hague Service Convention—England and Wales This Practice Note does not deal with the question of whether the court’s permission is required to serve documents outside England and Wales (England). For guidance, see Practice Notes: Cross-border service—a guide for dispute resolution practitioners and Cross-border service—is permission required to serve a defendant who is outside England and Wales? For an understanding of the convention, the Hague Convention on Private International

The Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) has launched an inquiry into disabled workers' and jobseekers' access to flexible working arrangements across different groups of disabled people and sectors. Despite there being a cultural shift since the COVID-19 pandemic towards greater acceptance of flexible working, there has been no substantial impact on the employment rate of disabled people and the disability employment gap. The inquiry will consider the effectiveness of current law, including employers' reasonable adjustment duties under the Equality Act 2010 and changes in the Employment Rights Act 2025 intended to widen flexible working arrangements. The Committee is accepting submissions until 26 June 2026.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has published a report calling for urgent improvements to the process and communications regarding ‘Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation' (DNACPR). The PHSO’s casework and research demonstrates that whilst the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted problems, these continue to persist. Key findings include: (1) a lack of accessible information given at the time or before DNACPR conversations take place; (2) issues with record-keeping and documenting decisions, with up-to-date information not following a patient through the medical system and, (3) a lack of public awareness about CPR and who is responsible for making a DNACPR decision.

UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE) has published an analysis written by Senior Fellow, Professor Jonathan Portes, which examines new data released by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) indicating that non-EU migration is accelerating job growth in the UK. The new data from December 2024  shows a significant rise in non-EU-origin payrolled employments, up by nearly two million (90%) since pre-pandemic levels, while EU-origin employments decreased by an estimate of 300,000 and the number of UK-origin employments has remained stable.

The European Commission has released guidance for European contracting authorities on using EU law to tackle suspected cases of collusion in public procurement. There has been an increased danger of this during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, as public authorities have had the need to urgently procure vast quantities of supplies for health services—some companies may attempt to use this to their advantage and artificially control procurement and restrict competition. The guidance provides a concise and ready to use tool for national authorities to combat those issues, and aims to raise awareness among authorities and businesses to show policies and regulations should still be respected.

Further to the Government's response to the Law Commission’s Final report Modernising Wills: Final report, the government acknowledge that reforms are needed and confirmed further announcements will be made when the 31 recommendations have been considered. The draft legislation sets out reforms proposed in the report including revoking the Wills Act 1837 and replacing this with a modern act ready for the future: Modernising Wills: Final Report Volume II: draft Bill for a new Wills Act. What is the position with the Wills Bill? The draft Wills Bill was released by the Law Commission as Volume II to their report on modernising Wills law. What are the key provisions of Wills Bill? The Wills Bill plans to republish the Wills Act 1837 with modernised language and 31 recommended changes as per the extensive report. The key changes planned are the following: • power to make a Will and dispose of property by Will: section 1 sets out that an individual may make a Will and further details are provided in Schedule 1 • testator aged 16 or

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published its response to the Department for Business and Trade (DBT)'s call for evidence on the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, SI 2018/634. The CMA investigated suspected breaches of consumer protection law in the package holiday sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. This enforcement action secured more than £200m in refunds for consumers. The response includes the CMA’s recommendations and advice to the DBT on how changes to the Regulations may impact consumers and competition.

Transparency International UK has published an analysis titled, 'Behind the Masks: Corruption red flags in COVID-19 public procurement', analysing public procurement and contracts issued during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Transparency International has identified 135 high-risk contracts with three or more corruption red flags, totalling £15.3bn. Transparency International has proposed that those charged with protecting the purse, including the proposed COVID-19 Corruption Commissioner, should investigate these high-risk contracts identified in the report, as well as proposing that the UK government changes how it does procurement and strengthens its institutional safeguards against impropriety.