CPL Seminar: Multiple topics

Speakers: Barry Solaiman, PhD candidate, University of Cambridge: 'Evaluating lobbying in the United Kingdom: Moving from a corruption or equality framework to ‘institutional diversion’'
Location: Moot Court Room

It is argued that the problems associated with the lobbying of Parliament and Government in the UK need to be clearly articulated so that analyses of regulatory reform can be assessed. Currently, the issues are poorly articulated in academic and other literature because of a lack of agreement about what the main concerns are. The result is that discussions about legal remedies for lobbying reform are poorly informed, not fully considered and sometimes misguided. As such, my research adopts an analytical framework called ‘institutional diversion’ which is a theoretical construct developed from legal, political science and economic literature. This framework has three advantages. First, institutional diversion assists in articulating the concerns with lobbying with greater precision. Second, it provides a clear and logical test to decipher whether specific concerns are problematic in practice and why. Finally, it serves as a starting point for normative enquiries into reform and regulation.

Speakers: Chris Sargeant, PhD candidate, University of Cambridge: 'Accountability for deaths in prison custody: A critical analysis'

After every death in prison custody in England and Wales, a range of different mechanisms operate in order to attempt to hold responsible persons to account for their actions. This paper reviews the work of one particular mechanism, namely the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, in order to examine how effective it is at performing this task. It argues that the PPO presently fails to meet even its own stated aims and is thus in need of significant reform in the future.

Faculty Members and Visitors, PhD students and LLM Public Law students are welcome.

For more information contact Mark Elliott (mce1000@cam.ac.uk)