HM Treasury has launched a voluntary repayment scheme, effective from 12 September 2025 until December 2025, allowing individuals and businesses to return funds received under coronavirus (COVID-19) schemes—including loans, grants, social security, and tax benefits—without any questions asked. This initiative is part of a wider effort to recover over £10bn lost due to pandemic-related fraud, flawed contracts and mismanagement, with £1.54bn already recovered.

MLex: Ryanair's CEO has hailed yesterday's deal on a framework for Booking to sell its flights as a victory for consumers and for the Irish low-cost airline. He also defended the Irish carrier's lawsuits against EU approvals for coronavirus (COVID-19)-era bailouts for Deutsche Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and others. 'If we don't fight that fight, no one else will', Michael O'Leary said.

The Insolvency Service has published its monthly insolvency statistics for January 2024 on company and individual insolvencies. The data shows that 1,769 company insolvencies were registered, 5% higher than in January 2023 and also higher than when government support measures were in place in response to coronavirus (COVID-19). For individuals, the total number of insolvencies in January 2024 was 8,089 which was 4% higher than in January 2023.

The Insolvency Service has reported on the disqualification of 831 company directors in 2023-24 for the coronavirus (COVID-19) support scheme abuse (459 in 2022-23 and 140 in 2021-22). The average disqualification length for this period is almost ten years. Among the disqualified company directors were Richard Ward, Darrel North and Sabine Zogota, who used the bounce back loan personally instead of for their respective companies.

We have assumed that the reference to ‘TMO’ is to a traffic management order. TMOs are made under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (RTRA 1984) (see Practice Note: Road traffic—traffic regulation order procedure and notices). There are a variety of procedure regulations on TMOs (see Practice Note: Road traffic—traffic regulation order procedure and notices, in particular section: Procedure regulations), however, the Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996 (LATO(P)(EW) Regs 1996), SI 1996/2489 is a typical example, with LATO(P)(EW) Regs 1996, SI 1996/2489, reg 16 setting out the procedure for making a TMO. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has also fuelled the creation of additional procedure regulations and guidance. For example, the Traffic Orders Procedure (Coronavirus) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2020 (TOP(C)(A)(E) Regs 2020), SI 2020/536, came into force on 23 May 2020 to temporarily amend the: • Road Traffic (Temporary Restrictions) Procedure Regulations 1992, (RT(TR)P Regs 1992), SI 1992/1215 • LATO(P)(EW) Regs 1996, SI 1996/2489 • Secretary of State’s Traffic Order (Procedure) (England and

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained. CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19): Many arbitral organisations have responded to the coronavirus pandemic with practical guidance and/or changes to their usual procedures and ways of working. This Practice Note considers the issues arising out of multi-party and/or multi-contract arbitration proceedings under the 2017 International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Rules of Arbitration (2017 ICC Rules). It also refers to the guidance in the ICC Note to Parties and Arbitral Tribunals on the Conduct of the Arbitration under the ICC Rules of Arbitration (ICC Note). The 2017 ICC Rules apply to any ICC arbitrations commenced on or after 1 March 2017, unless the parties have agreed to submit to the rules in force on the date of their arbitration agreement. The 2017 ICC Rules include: • an expedited procedure which automatically applies where the arbitration agreement is entered into after 1 March 2017 and the amount in dispute is below US$2m. In cases above this threshold, the parties must opt-in. For guidance on the ICC

Pandemics cause difficult business conditions and uncertainty for many law firms and solicitors. Often they involve doing all you can to close your office and work from home, and that results in an unprecedented number of solicitors and staff working from home and providing their services digitally, some having rarely or never done so before. The SRA acknowledges that this will present many with new cyber security challenges. Legal requirements The SRA expects you to identify, monitor and manage all material risks to your business. See Practice Note: How to identify and evaluate risk across the business. Information and cyber-security are important risks to consider for most law firms. Confidentiality You must keep the affairs of clients confidential unless disclosure is required or permitted by law or the client consents—see subtopic: Confidentiality and disclosure. All firms must have measures in place to keep client’s information confidential. Most firms will already have in place arrangements to protect client information for

Private Client analysis: District Judge Chloë Phillips has given judgment in Coady v Coady PT-2023-BHM-000025 (Business & Property Courts in Birmingham (Probate)), determining as a preliminary issue whether a coronavirus (COVID-19) era ‘garden signing’ satisfied section 9 of the Wills Act 1837 (WA 1837). The court held that it did not, with the result that the Will of 25 April 2020 was invalid. Written by Charlotte John of Gatehouse Chambers.

Commercial analysis: The case of Advanced Multi-Technology for Medical Industry v Uniserve Ltd was a dispute arising out of agreements relating to the procurement of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) including medical masks during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It raised a number of contractual issues, including misrepresentation and authority to act on behalf of another individual/entity and to bind them legally. Written by Iain Sharp, partner, and Reema Shour, professional support lawyer, both at Hill Dickinson LLP.

The Insolvency Service has published its monthly insolvency statistics for February 2024 on company and individual insolvencies. The data shows that 2,102 company insolvencies were registered, 17% higher than February 2023 and also higher than when government support measures were in place in response to coronavirus (COVID-19) as well as pre-pandemic levels. For individuals, the total number of insolvencies in February 2024 was 10,136, 23% higher than in February 2023.

NOTE: On 1 October 2026, a newly formed Business and Property Division replaces the Chancery Division—see News Analysis: The new Business and Property Division of the High Court. This Practice Note contains references to, and information derived from, the Chancery Guide. It is understood that a Business and Property Division Guide is being drafted and it is assumed this will replace the Chancery Guide. Existing links to the Chancery Guide will remain in content until a replacement is released. This Practice Note considers the power of the court to adjourn a hearing under CPR 3.1(2)(b) and a party’s ability to apply for such an adjournment. In particular, it sets out the five specific ‘Fitzroy Robinson’ factors the court will consider when determining an application to adjourn or bring forward a hearing, together with consideration of cases in which the Fitzroy factors have been applied. It also looks at other factors the court may take into account, including the timing of the application to adjourn, and examines the ill-health of a party or witness and what medical evidence

Appeals filed before 2 December 2024 This Practice Note applies only to: • appeals to the Supreme Court that were proceeding before 2 December 2024, and • applications for permission to appeal and notices of appeal that were filed before 2 December 2024 unless the court or Registrar directs that the SCR shall apply (SCR 62). Appeals filed before 2 December 2024 are subject to the Supreme Court Rules 2009 (revoked) and the Practice Directions as they were in force up to that date. References to those Rules and Practice Directions in this Practice Note are in the form ‘old SCR 23’ and ‘old SCR PD 2’. Copies of those Rules and Practice Directions may be found here: Appeals filed on or after 2 December 2024 Cases that do not fall within the categories noted above (or where the court or Registrar has directed that the SCR will apply) are subject to the SCR and the associated Practice Directions. For guidance on such cases, see Practice Notes: • Supreme Court—role, structure and powers—on or after