Human Rights

May 3, 2018 0

Mental Health Act review ‘is just tinkering around the edges’ of reform

Mental health survivors and service-users have been left “underwhelmed” by the interim report of a review into mental health legislation in England and Wales ordered by the prime minister. One campaigner said it was clear that the review – chaired by Professor Simon Wessely –was “tinkering around the edges” of the Mental Health Act

Human Rights

May 3, 2018 0

Government refuses to say what has happened to its disability strategy

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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has refused to say what has happened to its cross-government disability strategy, following the release of new material under the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA). Despite repeated requests for the department to clarify whether it currently has a disability strategy, it has refused to do so. The

Human Rights

April 12, 2018 0

Government takes small step over risk of NHS care home discrimination

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The government has taken a small step towards addressing the discrimination faced by service-users with complex healthcare needs who risk being forced into institutions. Last month, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) wrote to 13 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) as the first step in a potential judicial review of their policies on long-term

Human Rights

March 22, 2018 0

NHS bodies face legal action by human rights watchdog over care home threat

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The equality and human rights watchdog has written to 13 NHS primary care organisations to warn them about discriminatory policies that could see service-users with complex healthcare needs forced into institutions. The letters from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to 13 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) across England are the first step in

Human Rights

Dr Phillip Lee speaking in the House of Commons

March 8, 2018 0

Minister suggests ‘realities of the world’ mean government will not halt attack on rights

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The justice minister responsible for human rights appears to have dismissed calls for the government to do more to protect the social and economic rights of disabled people and other groups. Dr Phillip Lee, a junior justice minister whose responsibilities include human rights, was speaking at the launch of the Equality and Human Rights

Human Rights

Virginia Bras Gomes speaking at a podium

March 8, 2018 0

‘Huge danger’ of UK austerity policies damaging rights, says UN expert

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There is a “huge danger” that the government’s austerity policies are damaging the well-established social and economic rights of disabled people and other groups, according to the chair of a UN human rights committee. Virginia Bras-Gomes, chair of the UN committee on economic, social and cultural rights (UNCESCR), said there was a “growing concern”

Human Rights

An overhead view of the delegates in the chamber in Geneva

March 1, 2018 0

DPOs ask May for meeting over lack of progress on UN convention rights

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Disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) have accused the government of maintaining a “head-in-the-sand denial” of its failure to protect disabled people’s human rights. The criticism came from a coalition of DPOs from across the UK as they wrote to the prime minister, Theresa May, to question the lack of progress in the six months since

Human Rights

A Ministry of Justice sign on a grey wall

February 15, 2018 0

Legal advice concerns after government abandons search for new contractors

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Lawyers and campaigners have raised fresh concerns about the government’s approach to providing legal advice to people who need help with discrimination and special educational needs (SEN) cases, after ministers abandoned efforts to award new contracts in those areas. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) had been seeking organisations to take on contracts to provide

Human Rights

Baroness Campbell speaking in the House of Lords

February 8, 2018 0

Disabled peer raises ‘deep concerns’ over impact of Brexit bill on rights

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Disabled people should be concerned that the process of leaving the European Union (EU) could see their rights “lost or watered down”, according to a disabled peer. Baroness [Jane] Campbell told fellow peers last week that she had “deep concerns” at the “sweeping powers” that the government’s European Union (withdrawal) bill would give to

Human Rights

Liz Carr holds up a sign saying Assisted suicide is not the solution, next to a man holding a sign saying don't give doctors a licence to kill, in front of other protesters

February 1, 2018 0

Concern over balance of major end-of-life conference

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Disabled campaigners have raised concerns that a major conference on “end of life choice” – being organised by the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) – appears to be tilted in favour of speakers who want to legalise assisted suicide. Of speakers lined up to speak at the conference who have previously expressed their views

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