The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has reported that Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court has issued a £36,036.50 confiscation order on against Beverley Bennie, who was jailed in January 2025 for embezzling £96,371 from a children's charity and coffee company. The order, made under Proceeds of Crime laws, allows for additional asset recovery if further assets are identified. Bennie has six months to pay the sum, with recovered funds to be distributed through the CashBack for Communities programme.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has secured a confiscation order for £81,589.86 against Stephanni Houston at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court. Houston, previously sentenced to 38 months imprisonment in November 2023 for embezzling £516,268.98 from two construction companies, must also pay compensation orders of £41,610.83 and £39,979.03 to the affected businesses. The confiscation order remains open for recovery of additional assets to meet the full criminal benefit amount determined by the court.

The President of the Court of Protection (COP) has made amendments to three Practice Directions supplementing the Court of Protection Rules 2017 (COPR 2017), SI 2017/1035. These changes are: (1) PD 2A is amended to make provision for circumstances in which circuit judges and recorders may act as Tier 3 Judges; (2) PD 19B is substituted to reflect updates to fixed costs that may be claimed by deputies, and to make other consequential amendments to reflect recent case law and, (3) PD 20B is amended to clarify the circumstances in which appeals from a Tier 2 Judge may be heard by the Court of Appeal. The amendments come into force on 1 April 2024.

Cumbrians Opposed to Radioactive Environment: Started in 1980 as the Barrow Action Group to oppose the import of foreign fuel through the port of Barrow-in-Furness for reprocessing at Sellafield. Since then, CORE has widened its campaign remit to cover all aspects of Sellafield’s operations including the radioactive sea and air discharges, the resultant contamination of the local environment, and the health detriment to local communities and wildlife. Its core mission is to stop reprocessing, foreign imports, and aerial and sea discharges.

Following the European Parliament’s adoption of a legislative proposal for legislative proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2009/65/EC (UCITS), Directive 2013/36/EU (CRD IV) and the Investment Firms Directive (EU) 2019/2034 (IFD)  in April 2024, the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU has published an ‘I/A’ Item Note asking the Council’s Permanent Representatives Committee (COREPER) to confirm its agreement and to suggest that the Council approve the European Parliament's position at a forthcoming meeting.

Following the European Parliament’s adoption of a legislative proposal for a regulation on the transparency and integrity of environmental, social and governance (ESG) rating activities in April 2024, the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU has published an ‘I/A’ Item Note asking the Council’s Permanent Representatives Committee (COREPER) to confirm its agreement and to suggest that the Council approve the European Parliament's position at a forthcoming meeting.

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, SI 2002/2677.

An agreement between an employer and employee which settles the employee's employment law claims against the employer.

This Precedent is archived and no longer maintained. Part 1: Interpretation 1 Miscellaneous definitions 1.1 In the Arrangement, except where the context otherwise demands: Arrangement • means the Proposal and the Conditions read together; Associate • shall have the meaning given to it in Article 4 of the Order; Claim • means a provable debt in accordance with Rule 12.03 of the Rules with the modifications necessary to refer to a voluntary arrangement; Conditions • are these Conditions; Connected • shall have the meaning given to it in Article 7 of the Order; Court • means any court having jurisdiction in respect of the Arrangement; Creditor • is a person bound by the Arrangement to whom a Debt is owed; Debt • has the meaning given to it in Rule 12.03 (provable debts) of the Rules and Article 9 of the Order with the modifications necessary to refer to a voluntary arrangement, and an HMRC Debt; Directors • means all the directors of the Company at the time that the Proposal was made or at the time of the event described, where relevant in the context; Dividend • means a distribution to Creditors; Excluded Assets • are those assets identified in the

Insurance & Reinsurance analysis: the High Court considered one of many topical insurance issues left unresolved by the recent Supreme Court ‘test case’ on business interruption insurance (The Financial Conduct Authority v Arch Insurance (UK) Ltd & Others [2021] UKSC 1), namely whether there was cover for losses arising from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic under a policy with a ‘closed list’ disease clause. The policy in question provided cover against the outbreak of a range of infectious diseases, including ‘Plague’ but not COVID-19. The policyholder argued that the word ‘Plague’ should be read as a general term for an infectious disease with a high mortality rate, epidemic or pandemic, such that loss caused by COVID-19 would be covered. The court rejected this interpretation and held that the word ‘Plague’ was intended to refer to the specific disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. The clause therefore did not cover loss caused by COVID-19 and the policyholder’s claim was struck out. Written by Martyn Naylor, barrister at 4 Pump Court Chambers. Martyn was instructed as junior counsel in the Supreme Court ‘test case’ and recently obtained summary judgment for an insurer in a ‘closed list’ disease clause case similar to the present.

Law360, London: A group of insurers will challenge test-case litigation over business interruption insurance in connection with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic at the Court of Appeal in London on 21 January 2025, a hearing that lawyers say could have a long-term impact on disputes over cover.