One of the most surprising things about expert witness immunity from suit, which has just been abolished by a majority decision of the Supreme Court, with two of the seven judges dissenting, is that it has never been challenged until now.
Blog and Comment
No sympathy for the OFT
The Office of Fair Trading could expect no sympathy from the construction industry over the headline in the Times that announced the unprecedented cuts in fines imposed on six of the contractors found guilty of cover pricing: ‘Hammering for OFT as builder’s fines are slashed’ it thundered.
Good news on catastrophes
An important project examining what measures the construction industry has taken to avert accidents on a catastrophic scale has been carried out for the Health and Safety Executive by researchers from CIRIA and Loughborough University. The overall message is that much more needs to be done; the alarming conclusion though is that many who should know better are not doing anything.
PFI reform long overdue
Reform of the working of the private finance initiative (PFI) and related public private partnerships is expected at any time following an internal government review. It is badly needed, and it will not be easy. Since its introduction to the UK in 1992 by Chancellor Norman Lamont, PFI has been controversial.