Worldwide: Government, Public Sector

Northern Ireland's Assembly has passed legislation establishing a Truth Recovery Public Inquiry into Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses operating between 1922 and 1995. The inquiry faces the complex challenge of building upon extensive prior research while navigating questions of scope, evidence handling, and balancing trauma-informed procedures with legal fairness requirements.

A UK court examines the boundaries of procurement evaluation, addressing when re-moderation is permissible, how evaluators must confine themselves to tender responses, and the critical importance of adhering to conflict of interest mitigation measures in public sector contracting.

The UK Government's decision to pause significant portions of its Local Government Reorganisation programme raises fundamental questions about the legal foundations and future direction of local government reform. With ministers withdrawing previous reorganisation decisions in four counties and pausing proposals in 14 additional areas following updated legal advice, the announcement signals potential challenges to the alignment between legal process and government policy that could reshape or even stall the