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The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on extending Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation to cover private prisons and other security, care and educational facilities. The proposal would see contractors operating private prisons, providers of secure accommodation for children, grant-

Scotland has seen a 20 per cent increase in hate crimes against people with disabilities since 2013/14, according to Crown Office figures. However, the Crown Office report notes "a broad consensus that this type of crime continues to be underreported compared to other forms of hate crime".

Catriona Munro by Catriona Munro, partner in the EU competition and regulatory team at Maclay Murray & Spens LLP

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has published draft technical guidance on how Scottish taxpayer status should be decided. The move comes as the Scottish Parliament prepares to set its own Scottish rate of income tax (SRIT) from April 2016, as enabled by the provisions of the Scotland Act 2012.

The UK government's fast-track asylum appeals procedure is "structurally unfair" and unlawful, according to a High Court ruling. Mr Justice Nicol, sitting in London, said the detained fast-track system puts claimants at a "serious procedural disadvantage" and remarked it "looks uncomfortably akin to

A football fans' organisation has responded to Friday's publication of an independent evaluation of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act which found that only 21 per cent of cases brought under the section 1 of the act secured a conviction. Fans Against C

Chris Harte, chief executive at Morton Fraser Morton Fraser has "seen success on a number of fronts" over the past year, the firm said today as it announced its financial results for 2014/15.

From left: Douglas McLachlan, Murray McCall, Robert Carr, Paul Brown Anderson Strathern is reporting year-on-year growth for the first six months of its financial year.

Sheriff Principal Craig Scott QC Tenants seeking to challenge court rulings granting eviction must have “cogent and compelling reasons” for suggesting that a sheriff’s judgement was wrong.

SNP MSP Christina McKelvie Fewer women are taking forward challenges to sexual discrimination in the workplace following the introduction of employment tribunal costs, an MSP has said.

David Anderson QC New legislation is needed to govern the intelligence services' powers to monitor the internet according to the UK's terror watchdog.

A court has heard an unusual case in which a British man, with the approval of his infertile wife, conceived a baby with an African woman in Germany but with whom the couple subsequently fell out over the child's living arrangements. Mrs Justice Pauffley described the case as “quite extraordinary�

The UK's Supreme Court saw a record 105,000 visitors in 2014/15, almost a third more than in 2013/14, according to an annual report. The Court's fifth Annual Report and Accounts was laid before Parliament yesterday.

The Scottish Paralegal Association (SPA) monthly newsletter is available for download.

Law Society of Scotland staff hit the high street yesterday when they took over a charity shop in the heart of Edinburgh to raise money for the Nepal earthquake disaster. Six Society employees took over the Mary Portas Living and Giving shop for Save the Children after spending a month raising