ABRIDGED - August 2007
Compromise on Mental Health Bill
The controversial Mental Health Bill that includes a plan to detain those with untreatable mental illness has now reached a compromise and completed its passage through Parliament.
http://rehabwindow.net/Display.aspx?id=494
No more multiple benefit assessments for disabled people?
Mr Jeremy Hunt, Conservative MP for Southwest Surrey, introduced a bill into the House of Commons to create a single assessment system for disability benefits.
http://rehabwindow.net/Display.aspx?id=496
Court working dress: equality for solicitors
Solicitors exercising higher rights of audience will be permitted to wear the same court working dress as barristers, under reforms to simplify judicial court working dress announced by the Lord Chief Justice. http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications_media/media_releases/2007/2707.htm
Law Society Library telephone enquiry service
Have you ever wished you had a library or legal subscription service at your firm for looking something up? Call the Law Society's library, and their expert law librarians can search their well stocked library for the answer, or check the online legal services that they subscribe to. Call them the next time you need to check something on 0870 606 2511.
Find out about their other services at www.library.lawsociety.org.uk
Trevor Phillips speech to the TUC lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender conference
On 28 June, Trevor Phillips, the head of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights gave a speech to the TUC lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender conference. http://www.cehr.org.uk/libdoc/refer.rhtm/455093/TrevorPhillips'SpeechtoTUCLGBTconfe
President of the European Parliament gives his support to citizens with disabilities' initiative "1million4disability"
President Pöttering supports the initiative of the European Disability Forum to collect one million signatures in favour of a European disability-specific directive
Brussels, 12 July 2007 -The president of the European Parliament officially expressed his support for the "1million4disability" campaign just a few days after the launch of the European Commission's online consultation on combating discrimination in Member States and at EU level. The European Disability Forum, the European platform representing the interests and defending the rights of 50 million people with disabilities in the European Union, leads this citizens' initiative.
The aim of the campaign is to collect signatures in favour of strong, comprehensive legislation that will be effective in protecting people with disabilities from discrimination in all fields of life, in line with the recently adopted UN Convention on the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities, which has been signed by the European Community.
So far, the 1million4disability campaign, launched in January 2007, has gathered more than 300,000 signatures. On the 4th October, an official gathering of disability delegations from all over Europe will take place in Brussels with the aim of demonstrating support for the adoption of improved European disability legislation.
For more information on the EDF campaign "1million4disability":
www.1million4disability.eu
For press queries, please contact: Helena González-Sancho Bodero, EDF Communication and Press Officer E-mail: communication@edf-feph.org