Equality principle meaning

In this issue: Key developments UK immigration control: how it works Sponsored work Family routes Long residence, discretion and human rights EU law rights and EU Settlement Scheme Challenging immigration decisions and enforcement Preventing illegal working Citizenship applications Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Latest Q&As Key developments Future developments—Immigration calendar Our Immigration calendar highlights key upcoming developments for business immigration advisers. UK immigration control: how it works Home Office confirms eVisas will replace all vignettes in 2026 The Home Office has amended its eVisa guidance to state that from 12 January 2026, most recipients of visit visas and some other routes will get both an eVisa and a vignette. Those issued a valid UK vignette before that date will be able to retrieve their eVisa through their UK Visas and Immigration account. The guidance also confirms that later in 2026, vignettes will be discontinued...

In this issue: Social housing Education Planning Local government finance Public procurement Governance Healthcare Social care Licensing Environmental law and climate change LexTalk®Local Government: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Social housing Local authority successful in Court of Appeal on suitability of accommodation offered in performance of prevention duty (Fatolahzadeh v LB of Barnet) Fatolahzadeh v LB of Barnet saw Genevieve Screeche-Powell represent the council, which prevailed in resisting a Housing Act 1996 (HA 1996), section 204 appeal pursued by a homeless applicant. Two central issues of principle arose: (i) whether Parliament intended that an alleged non-compliance with the ‘new’ HA 1996, s 189A duties should automatically vitiate any later decision taken to meet the duty to secure suitable accommodation; and (ii) the extent to which the section 202 review procedure can rectify asserted shortcomings. This marks the first occasion on which the Court...

Tagidor Premium Investments SA & Others v GB Foods SA and GB Foods Africa Holding Company SL [RG 22/14437] Cour d'appel de Paris What are the practical implications of this case? To annul an arbitral award for breach of French international public policy arising from alleged corruption and money laundering, the breach must be established by a body of grave, precise and corroborative evidence. Accordingly, pointing only to a speculative possibility that French public policy could be infringed, or to merely conjectural indications of corrupt conduct, will not meet the threshold. In addition, where a party maintains that the principle of equality of arms—protected as part of the right to a fair trial—was not upheld by the tribunal, the courts will not second-guess the tribunal’s reasoning, save where that reasoning leaves one party in a materially inferior position compared with the other side. Put differently, compelling, specific and reinforcing material will suffice; speculative possibilities or unsubstantiated hints of wrongdoing do not. What was the background?...

The 21st century has delivered vast pieces of primary legislation, exemplified by the Companies Act 2006 with its 1,300 sections and 16 Schedules. In parallel, the yearly volume of statutory instruments has expanded, rising from 1,664 in 2008 and peaking at 3,485 in 2014. Totals then declined from 2016, with 1,387 passed in 2018. Even so, the growing length of Acts of Parliament and the surge from 100 or fewer statutory instruments to more than 1,000 a year beginning in 1970 and 1972 underline the mounting codification of UK law and a persistent shift towards secondary legislation. Getting started The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel’s Drafting Guidance is an essential reference, particularly for primary legislation. Alongside practical advice on drafting and the legislative process, it sets out the rationale behind modern drafting approaches. The guidance covers: the overarching drafting principle of clarity specific language issues, including gender neutrality commonly employed drafting techniques drafting repeals, amendments and modifications of existing enactments subordinate...

This Practice Note considers how equal pay (equality of terms) applies to women who are pregnant or on ordinary or additional maternity leave (OML/AML). It also examines key elements relevant to pregnancy and maternity within equal pay law, including: the implied maternity equality clause, covering its impact and the duration of the protected period the principle that a comparator is unnecessary for pregnancy- and maternity-related equal pay claims how pay rises, bonuses and pension contributions are handled during maternity leave and on returning to work A woman away from work on maternity leave occupies a distinct position that merits particular protection, yet is not comparable to a man who is actually working. Consequently, she is not entitled to full pay during maternity leave, notwithstanding the equal pay principle in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. That said, being on maternity leave does not remove all equal pay entitlements for the duration of the absence (see: Effect of maternity...

Brexit-related legislation of relevance to employment practitioners ARCHIVED: This archived Practice Note helps you keep abreast of Brexit-linked legislation relevant to employment practitioners that is due or already in force. For general employment law developments, see: Legislation tracker-employment. Where appropriate, links to news reports offering full information on the relevant legislation are included. Commencement date (unless otherwise indicated) By 31 December 2023 (other provisions subject to commencement orders) - Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform). Under the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill (previously the Brexit Freedoms Bill), the special status of retained EU law within UK law will end from late 2023. Retained EU law includes the Working Time Regulations 1998, the Equality Act 2010, TUPE 2006, the Agency Worker Regulations 2010 and the Part-time Worker Regulations 2000. The Bill enables the government to specify, amend, repeal and replace retained EU law more readily via secondary legislation. It provides for sunsetting the majority of retained EU law, ending the...