Ministry of Justice outlines PLO streamlining measures

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The Practical impact of the Procurement Act 2023
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DAC Beachcroft consider some of its practical impact and implications, including
how to choose the right regime, how authorities are tackling the notice requirements,
considerations when making modifications, and setting and monitoring KPIs.

The Practical impact of the Procurement
Act 2023 – the challenges, the benefits
and the legal lacunas

Katherine Calder and Victoria Fletcher from DAC Beachcroft
consider some of its practical impact and implications,
including how to choose the right regime, how authorities
are tackling the notice requirements, considerations when
making modifications, and setting and monitoring KPIs.

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councils set to miss the March deadline? Ashfords’ energy
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The Procurement Act 2023: One Year On -
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Katherine Calder and Sarah Foster of DAC Beachcroft focus on
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three key areas of change that the Act introduced.

The Procurement Act 2023: One Year On -
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Katherine Calder and Sarah Foster of DAC Beachcroft focus on
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Weekly mandatory food waste collections

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Weekly mandatory food waste collections

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Case study: using enforcement powers for the remediation of buildings

The Government has made funding available, up to £100,000 per building, for local authorities to obtain legal advice on pursuing those responsible for remediating buildings – the Remediation Enforcement Support Fund. (The closing date for local authorities to apply for funding is fast approaching and is currently set for midnight on 28 February 2026.) But how does a local authority effectively…

How Finders International Supports Council Officers

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Details: 22.Mar.2010

The Ministry of Justice has published details of its revisions to the Public Law Outline (PLO) which are due to come into effect on 6th April, 2010.

The MoJ describes the changes as “fine tuning” rather than a wholesale revision of the practice direction. The main changes concern the documentary requirements at issue, clarification of the 'Timetable for the Child' as well as making improvements to the PLO forms. The pre-proceedings checklist has been amended to reduce the volume of documents required at issue, while a number of application forms have been consolidated and simplified.

However, the four main stages and timescales of the PLO will remain unchanged and applications for Emergency Protection Orders will remain outside the scope of the PLO.

The changes follow the publication in July last year of MoJ-commissioned research into the operation of the PLO in practice, which found that there were inconsistencies in compliance with PLO standards and that the paperwork requirement of the PLO was “unwieldy and in need of streamlining”.

The PLO was introduced in April 2008, with the aim of streamlining the process of bringing care and supervision proceedings in the Family Court, putting greater emphasis on case management and advocacy preparation.

Full details of the revisions can be downloaded here.