A reporter friend of mine has been in touch to tell me some interesting news. He was covering a protest at Nottingham Airport and was then promptly arrested by the police along with the protestors. While he languished in his cell, the police raided his house and confiscated items they believed linked him to the ‘crime’ of breaching airport security.

They took a few videos and 16 books including a biography of George Bush, ‘The Worst Case Scenario Handbook’, ‘Terrorists or Freedom Fighters’ and…wait for it…

Your Right to Know!

Yes, folks, YRTK was deemed sufficiently subversive to warrant police attention. The copy is now languishing in a London police station awaiting examination by officers as to whether it will be used as ‘evidence’ in the reporter’s trial. Good to see our police officers hard at work tackling the terrorist threat.

After much campaigning and several articles, it appears that Your Right to Know may have scored a victory for the common man’s right to know the laws that bind him.

The Statutory Publications Office now says that the online statute law database: “will be launched free of charge to the public once piloting is complete. A commercial strategy will still be developed, but will primarily be looking at options that concern the commercial reuse of data as well as functionality for specialist users”.

Readers of the blog will know that I campaigned for open access to the statute law database joined by other citizens groups including mySociety and the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians.

STATUTES FREE ON WEB
Law Gazette, By Rupert White
Thursday 05 October 2006

The on-line statute law database moved closer to reality last month when the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) told users that the final Web-based system will be fundamentally free to use.

The decision was revealed in a newsletter from the DCA’s Statutory Publications Office (SPO), announcing the end of the first public ‘beta’ test phase of the database.

The next phase is expected to have more than twice the number of users from a wider audience, including members of the public.

Until now it has been unclear how the DCA would operate a charging element for the database (see (2006) Gazette, 30 March, 11). But it appears that pressure from various sources has won the day – the SPO said the Web ‘will be launched free of charge to the public once piloting is complete. A commercial strategy will still be developed, but will primarily be looking at options that concern the commercial reuse of data’ as well as functionality for ‘specialist users’.

The Law Society welcomed the move. A spokeswoman said: ‘We are very pleased that this is being made available to everyone free of charge. The database will be a useful resource for solicitors and others.’

However, she added that it needs to present both current and historical data, as ‘an Act of Parliament may be considerably changed after it has come into force, and both the original text and the later changes to it need to be easily accessible’.

Is it possible to find out whether somebody has an ABSO? Particularly, which postcodes have ASBOs near them? This would make an excellent news story, and for enterprising reporters I offer this article from Kable’s Government Computing about the availability of ASBO info.

COUNTY COURTS TO SHARE ASBO INFO

Dated: 3 October 2006

The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) has launched a series of pilots for information sharing between the agencies involved in anti-social behaviour orders.

It said on 2 October 2006 that 11 county courts would take part in the year long pilots as part of the Respect Action Plan. These are at Birmingham, Bow, Bradford, Bristol, Central London, Hull, Lambeth, Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester and Nottingham.

A spokesperson for the DCA told GC News the pilots would not demand the creation of any new IT system, but involve coordinators in each area pulling together the information from different sources.

“It’s the kind of position that’s already in place for magistrate’s courts, where so far most ASBOs have been granted,” the spokesperson said.

The pressure to extend the practice has been created by a growing use of county courts for applying for the imposition for ASBOs. This has usually revolved around housing services.

Constitutional affairs minister Harriet Harman said: “It is very important that the authorities deal decisively with anti-social behaviour so that people can get on with their daily lives peacefully.

“County courts are increasingly dealing with anti-social behaviour cases. Anti-social behaviour coordinators will ensure that the courts run smoothly and they anti-social behaviour laws are used effectively.”