The Cabinet Office has announced  that written feedback is being sought for the Independent Review of the Windsor Framework, led by Lord Murphy of Torfaen. The review, commissioned by Northern Ireland Secretary, Hilary Benn, on 9 January 2025, follows the Northern Ireland Assembly's December 2024 vote on articles 5-10 of the Framework. Stakeholders can submit feedback until 31 May 2025, with the final report examining the Framework's social, economic and political implications due by July 2025.

A school which provides education for five or more pupils of compulsory school age and is not maintained by the local authority.

Although it commonly arises in the context of disputes, and therefore litigation, set-off is essentially a matter of substantive law. This Practice Note sets out the key factors relevant to determining whether a right to set-off exists, be it legal or equitable. Note, however, it does not consider set-off in the specific areas of bankers' set-off, insolvency set-off or abatement of rent, on which see: Are there different types of set-off? For guidance on pleading a right to set-off, see Practice Note: Pleading set-off. Are there different types of set-off? At its most simple, a set-off may arise between two parties who owe each other monetary debts. There are five main types of set-off: • independent set-off (also known as legal set-off or statutory set-off) • transaction set-off (also known as equitable set-off) • contractual set-off • insolvency set-off, and • bankers' set-off (sometimes known as current account set-off) Their main identifying characteristics are outlined in the Practice Note: Types of set-off. For guidance on set-off in the specific banking and insolvency contexts

For the purposes of Chapter 9 of the Listing Rules, a shareholder who is entitled to vote on the election of directors of a listed company and is not a controlling shareholder.

Pensions analysis: The Deputy Pensions Ombudsman has rejected a complaint about the investment of pension scheme assets. Martin Scott of gunnercooke LLP looks at the decision.

Individual trustee or corporate trustee independent of the employer and members. They are trustees who are not connected with the employer or the fund's advisers.

FORTHCOMING DEVELOPMENT: On 15 December 2025, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) launched a consultation examining whether the existing powers enabling the Pensions Regulator (TPR) to remove and replace trustees should be supplemented or reformed, noting that TPR’s current statutory powers to suspend, prohibit or replace trustees are tightly constrained, used infrequently and can involve complex, quasi-judicial processes. Where trustee replacement is required, TPR generally appoints independent trustees from its independent register, which in practice consists of a small number of professional trustee firms and can be an effective but costly solution, particularly for schemes under stress or orphan schemes with no trustees in place. Against this background, the consultation explores the feasibility of introducing a government-appointed public trustee to act as a secure, independent, last-resort option where trustees need to be replaced or appointed. Independent individuals may act in relation to occupational pension schemes, either as the sole trustee or as one of a number of trustees (or as directors of a corporate trustee). There is no general overriding definition

For the purposes of Rule 29 (Asset valuations) a valuer who meets the requirements of an 'external valuer' as defined in the Standards and, in addition, has no connection with other parties to the offer.

An indeterminate sentence is one employed for public protection where it would be unclear what an appropriate minimum term would be.

A market containing all the stocks of a particular asset. For example, the FTSE (Financial Times Stock Exchange) All Share Index contains all the public limited companies listed on the UK equity market issuing shares.

A passively managed fund.

This Practice Note contains links to Flowcharts in Lexis+® UK Restructuring & Insolvency, covering insolvency litigation with further topics being added over time. The Flowcharts contain links to relevant Overviews, Practice Notes, Checklists, Precedents, News Analysis and further reading. Insolvency litigation • Misfeasance claims under section 212 of the Insolvency Act 1986—flowchart