A local authority performance assessment which is part of the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) and combines the external auditor's assessment of value for money in use of resources with a joint inspectorate assessment of council service performance.

This Precedent Organisational decision levels (RACI) framework can be used for establishing decision-making authority in each area of your organisation. This tool is also known as a RACI framework as it identifies those people who are respectively responsible (R) and accountable (A) for decisions,

1 Preliminary assessment Identify the nature of the actual or suspected organised crime activity and any immediate risks to the organisation. Consider whether there are indicators of money laundering, terrorist financing, fraud, bribery and corruption, cybercrime, modern slavery and human trafficking, sanctions breaches or tax evasion facilitation. If so, consider appropriate internal reporting/escalation routes, including liaising with the nominated officer and/or submitting a suspicious activity report (SAR). Consider whether any immediate action is required to protect staff, customers, systems, premises or assets, including whether transactions or business relationships should be suspended pending further review. If the matter may involve employee misconduct or whistleblowing concerns, liaise with [insert name or title

Serious and organised crime is defined in successive serious and organised crime strategy documents as individuals planning, coordinating and committing serious offences, whether individually, in groups and/or as part of transnational networks. It costs the UK at least £47 billion each year. The main categories of serious offences covered by the term serious and organised crime are: child sexual abuse; modern slavery and human trafficking; organised immigration crime; illegal drugs; illegal firearms; organised acquisitive crime; cybercrime; fraud; money laundering; and bribery, corruption and sanctions evasion. In 2026, the National Crime Agency (NCA) published its National Strategic Assessment of Serious and Organised Crime. The assessment concludes that the overall serious and organised crime threat increased during 2025 and is likely to continue increasing. The 2026 assessment moves away from the four threat headings used in previous assessments and considers serious and organised crime across five domains: • UK communities • the UK border • transnational networks • online environments, and • finance Across these domains, the NCA identifies four principal trends: • the technological transformation of serious and organised crime

A category of trading venue which is a multilateral system (a) which is not a regulated market or an MTF, and (b) in which multiple third-party buying and selling interests in bonds, structured finance products, emission allowances or derivatives are able to interact in the system in a way that results in a contract. (Definition from article 2(1)(15) of Retained Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 (UK MiFIR). Equities cannot be traded through an OTF.

Once the parties have decided that mediation is appropriate for seeking to resolve their dispute, or they are parties to a contract which requires them to consider mediation in the event of a dispute, or the court has ordered the parties to consider mediation, the parties’ legal representatives will be responsible for setting up the mediation. This Practice Note considers the lawyer’s role in organising a mediation, including choosing a mediator, organising the venue, drafting the mediation agreement and deciding who will attend the mediation. For information on the parties’ obligations to consider alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and the courts’ powers with respect to ordering or encouraging the parties to consider ADR, both before and during any litigation, see Practice Note: Court powers to order or encourage ADR in civil proceedings. For information on the potential costs consequences where a party unreasonably refuses to engage in ADR or fails to comply with an order for ADR, see Practice Note: Costs consequences of refusing to consider ADR in civil proceedings. For information on the lawyer’s role in preparing

Types of medical records Medical records form the basis of any claim for clinical negligence and it is of utmost importance to source all such relevant records. Although broadly similar, the type of documents that may be available and useful differs between GP records and hospital records. Where there are duplicate records between GP and hospital records, the copies should not be discarded. The following table demonstrates the different types of records. GP records Hospital records Computerised records Computerised records Medical summaries Clinical records (including A&E records where appropriate) Lloyd George cards Nursing records (including nursing Kardex, observation charts, care plans, fluid balance charts, etc) Correspondence Correspondence Prescriptions Operating records (including consent forms) Investigations and test results (including ECG forms, X-rays, scans, ultrasounds) Investigations and test results Discharge summaries Discharge records Health insurance forms Radiology imaging—X-rays, ultrasounds, CT, MRI Accident and emergency documentation Specialised records (eg maternity) Lifestyle questionnaires and past medical history Drug / medication / prescription charts Depending upon

Originally, and often still colloquially, known as the Organisation of the Islamic Conference. The ‘collective voice of the Muslim world’ and the second largest global inter-governmental organisation after the United Nations with a membership of 57 states spread over four continents. The OIC spawned the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and endeavours to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among its various peoples.

Discount from the par value at the time that a bond or other debt instrument is issued.

It is ‘practicable’ for the original Employment Judge to consider an application for review (now reconsideration) even where the grounds of the application include an allegation of bias on the part of the judge at the tribunal hearing. ‘Practicable’ means feasible. Examples of when it would not be ‘practicable’ for the original Employment Judge to consider an application for review include where the judge is physically unavailable, has died or is too unwell to attend to the application. The more appropriate course of action for a party seeking to challenge a judgment on grounds of bias is to appeal. EAT: Papajak v Intellego Group

Pensions analysis: The Deputy Pensions Ombudsman has upheld a complaint about accrued benefits. Martin Scott of gunnercooke LLP looks at the decision.

Property analysis: The Court of Appeal held that a general release provision in a conveyance of land, properly construed, allowed the original vendor to vary or discharge restrictive covenants. The case will be of interest to property practitioners as the power of restrictive covenants in conveyances with release provisions will be reduced and a greater range of developments may be able to take place.