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And Now Legal Muggles Too

Colin Talbot By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted: June 30, 2009

This morning BBC Radio news is reporting that today’s Education White Paper will set legally enforceable rights. Either the Beeb has got it wrong, or this is the fastest U-turn in history – or maybe the Government is just in another muggle.

Only yesterday the Government declared in its “Building Briatain’s Future” document:

“These guarantees, and others that we will set out, will be backed up by more responsive non-legal redress mechanisms” (para 15, p64). Later is goes on to say “we will not legislate in such a way as to mean redress will be through the courts. This will not be a charter for drawn-out legal action to receive your rights – but rather a rapidly responsive system of personal advocacy”. (para 16).

I pointed this out on Radio 4’s World Tonight last night (about 22 minutes into the programme).

So who’s right? Who knows – maybe we’ll find out this afternoon when the White Paper is published – but my guess is the Beeb has got it wrong. These “rights” will be legislated, but non-enforceable through the Courts.

About Colin Talbot

Colin Talbot is a Professor of Government, a former Specialist Advisor to the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee and the Public Administration Select Committee and has appeared as expert witness many times in Parliament, the Scottish Parliament and NI Assembly. He's also advised Governments from the USA to Japan.

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