Human Rights and the UK Competition Act

2021 ◽  
pp. 231-254
Author(s):  
Arianna Andreangeli

In Chapter 9, Arianna Andreangeli discusses the approach adopted in the UK towards questions of human rights compliance in UK competition enforcement processes. It examines the nature of competition proceedings in light of Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the implications that that issue has for the fairness standards applicable to those proceedings. It is argued that while the recognition that competition cases may have a ‘criminal nature’ does not justify the wholesale extension of all the safeguards that the Convention reserves to criminal cases, it nonetheless means that investigated parties are entitled to some basic protections that Article 6 ECHR enshrines. The chapter explores the Competition Appeal Tribunal’s powers of review of infringement decisions and suggests that at the root of the conferral of a power of scrutiny ‘on the merits’ is the need to ensure that the public enforcement competition proceedings are ‘human-rights proofed’. It concludes that, while demands of effectiveness in the application of the UK competition rules cannot be overlooked, maintaining the CAT’s rigorous review role for competition decisions is indispensable for compliance with human rights standards and for the integrity and reputation of the UK competition framework.

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Pugh

Abstract In response to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic the UK government has passed the Coronavirus Act 2020 (CA). Among other things, this act extends existing statutory powers to impose restrictions of liberty for public health purposes. The extension of such powers naturally raises concerns about whether their use will be compatible with human rights law. In particular, it is unclear whether their use will fall within the public heath exception to the Article 5 right to liberty and security of the person in the European Convention of Human Rights. In this paper, I outline key features of the CA, and briefly consider how the European Court of Human Rights has interpreted the public health exception to Article 5 rights. This analysis suggests two grounds on which restrictions of liberty enforced some under the CA might be vulnerable to claims of Article 5 rights violations. First, the absence of specified time limits on certain restrictions of liberty means that they may fail the requirement of legal certainty championed by the European Court in its interpretation of the public health exception. Second, the Coronavirus Act’s extension of powers to individuals lacking public health expertise may undermine the extent to which the act will ensure that deprivations of liberty are necessary and proportionate.


2002 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jürgen Schwarze

The extent to which judicial review is granted and effectively exercised is a key element for the evaluation of any modern legal system. The principle of judicial review provides a basic protection for individuals and prevents those exercising public functions from abusing their powers to the disadvantage of the public. During the last quarter of the twentieth century, the circumstances in which the courts in the United Kingdom have been prepared to intervene in order to provide relief for unlawful administrative action have expanded in spectacular fashion.2The incorporation in the UK of the European Convention on Human Rights on 2 October 2000 in the UK marks a significant change in this field.


2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie Brechin

The use of Islamic norms in the determination of arbitration in England and Wales has become a source of great controversy. Concerns are raised for the human rights of vulnerable parties who may be pressured into arbitrations and who may not be treated fairly under the agreed rules of arbitration or by arbitrators themselves. The Arbitration Act 1996 limits the ability to appeal arbitration decisions and as such does not safeguard the rights of these parties. As a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights the UK is under an obligation to uphold human rights standards domestically, and it is argued that the way in which arbitration on religious norms is currently regulated does not comply with this obligation. This article considers some of the possible adaptations or alterations that could rectify the situation, improving parties' experience of religious arbitration and ensuring that the system remains compatible with international human rights obligations.


2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Fadel

AbstractThe European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), in a trilogy of cases involving Muslim claimants, has granted state parties to the European Convention on Human Rights a wide margin of appreciation with respect to the regulation of public manifestations of Islam. The ECHR has justified its decisions in these cases on the grounds that Islamic symbols, such as the ḥijāb, or Muslim commitments to the shari‘a — Islamic law — are inconsistent with the democratic order of Europe. This article raises the question of what kinds of commitments to gender equality and democratic decision-making are sufficient for a democratic order, and whether modernist Islamic teachings manifest a satisfactory normative commitment in this regard. It uses the arguments of two modern Muslim reformist scholars — Yūsuf al-Qaraḍāwī and ‘Abd al-Ḥalīm Abū Shuqqa — as evidence to argue that if the relevant degree of commitment to gender equality is understood from the perspective of political rather than comprehensive liberalism, doctrines such as those elaborated by these two religious scholars evidence sufficient commitment to the value of political equality between men and women. This makes less plausible the ECHR's arguments justifying a different treatment of Muslims on account of alleged Islamic commitments to gender hierarchy. It also argues that in light of Muslim modernist conceptions of the shari‘a, there is no normative justification to conclude that faithfulness to the shari‘a entails a categorical rejection of democracy as the ECHR suggested.


2003 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Bell

Stresses that the criminal economy is much more cash‐intensive than the legitimate economy, and explains why. Indicates the scope of the problem for crime control: that carrying illegal proceeds as cash across national border remains an important method of money laundering. Outlines the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 concerning powers to allow searches for cash, and the standard of proof required. Discusses the different types of evidence allowed: avoidance of the usual banking channels, previous convictions and acquittals, lack of business records, lack of an audit trail, credibility, presence of items indicating crime, criminal associates, lying and inconsistent statements, contamination of the cash by drugs, suspicious denomination of banknotes, attempts at concealment, travel destinations and arrangements, financial background, failure to cooperate, and confidential informants. Goes on to cash seizures under terrorist legislation, possible challenges to seizures as contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights, the choice between civil and criminal forfeiture, and how the investigation proceeds.


2021 ◽  
pp. 433-447
Author(s):  
Howard Davis

Without assuming prior legal knowledge, books in the Directions series introduce and guide readers through key points of law and legal debate. It discusses European Convention law and relates it to domestic law under the HRA. Questions, discussion points, and thinking points help readers to engage fully with each subject and check their understanding as they progress and knowledge can be tested by self-test questions and exam questions at the chapter end. This chapter considers the application of Convention rights in the field of prisoners’ rights; the impact of Convention rights on prisoners in the UK is considered. Prisoners remain within the protection of the European Convention on Human Rights, though the application of these rights will take their position into account. Prisoners’ rights include not only rights to the non-arbitrary loss of liberty (Article 5) and rights to fair procedures (Articles 5 and 6), but also not to be disproportionately denied the rights and freedoms in Articles 8–11. Imprisonment deprives individuals of their liberty and, therefore, is a public function for which the state is responsible under the Convention. The controversy over prisoners’ right to vote is discussed in Chapter 25.


Author(s):  
John Stanton ◽  
Craig Prescott

One of the most fundamental aspects of any constitution are the provisions and measures that protect the rights and freedoms of individuals. In the UK, rights protection is markedly different to that in America, in chief because there is no entrenched Bill of Rights. Rights protection is dominated by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), incorporated by the Human Rights Act 1998, which sets out a number of positive rights that are actionable in the UK courts This chapter discusses the ways in which these rights are protected in the UK Constitution. It discusses the courts' historic civil liberties approach and common law protection of rights, before then examining the development, incorporation, and application of the ECHR. The chapter also explores the way in which the various sections of the Human Rights Act 1998 work to ensure appropriate enforcement and protection of rights in UK law.


2020 ◽  
pp. 349-411
Author(s):  
Adrian Keane ◽  
Paul McKeown

This chapter discusses the meaning of hearsay in criminal proceedings and the categories of hearsay admissible by statute in such proceedings. It considers the relationship between the hearsay provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (the 2003 Act) and Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights as it relates to hearsay; the definition of hearsay and its admissibility under the 2003 Act, including admissibility under an inclusionary discretion (section 114(1)(d)); and safeguards including provisions relating to the capability and credibility of absent witnesses, the power to stop a case and the discretion to exclude. Also considered in this chapter are: expert reports; written statements under section 9 of the Criminal Justice Act 1967; and depositions of children and young persons under section 43 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933.


2020 ◽  
pp. 846-846
Author(s):  
David Cabrelli

This chapter examines the law of trade disputes and industrial action in the UK, i.e. the law which regulates action taken by members of a trade union which imposes restrictions upon employers when collective relations between the employer and the workforce have broken down. The position is analysed in the context of the legality of industrial action in European law and under the European Convention on Human Rights....


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