Cabinet Office has developed and published a standard Carbon Reduction Contract Schedule which provides standard terms and conditions to support contract-specific decarbonisation objectives to be set and delivered and provides a framework to monitor and assess the Suppliers’ decarbonisation performance ...
Shoosmiths’ energy & infrastructure partner Chris Pritchett hosted a panel discussion at the Solar and Storage Live London last week, focussing on the often-overlooked elements of the low carbon transport transition, namely accessibility, regional parity, and the regulatory and industry code barriers to rolling out some of the solutions that this transition so desperately needs ...
Greenwashing is a form of marketing that misrepresents a product, service or practice as having positive environmental effects,1 thereby misleading consumers and preventing them from making an informed purchasing decision.2 Several initiatives have been launched around the world to counter this practice. In California, a law requires business entities to disclose information in support of environmental claims ...
The reception, hosted by Lord Borwick, focussed on how to operationalise the Automated Vehicles Bill (AV Bill), and realise its full potential, now that it is expected to receive Royal Assent and become law later this year. Despite the swift movement through Parliament of this landmark legislation - aimed at establishing a legal framework for the safe deployment of autonomous vehicles - the UK remains at the beginning of its regulatory journey ...
On 12 April, the Cabinet Office published the second tranche of its official guidance documents on the Procurement Act. The guidance documents cover: The National Procurement Policy statement (‘NPPS’); Technical Specifications; Pipeline Notices; Planned Procurement Notices; and Preliminary Market Engagement. Each guidance document clearly sets out the key points and the policy intent in respect of these discrete parts of the Procurement Act ...
The EU published a report on 18 April 2024, ‘Much More than a Market’.1 The reasons behind the call for the report are the EU’s concerns that just over 30 years after its creation there are important aspects of the Single Market that are not complete, and that the world is very different to what it was 30 years ago ...
On December 6, 2023, an amendment to the Act to amend the Act respecting municipal taxation and other legislative provisions1(?Bill 39?)was adopted during a clause-by-clause consideration of Bill 39 in parliamentary committee. Two days later, the Bill received assent ...
Shoosmiths has submitted a comprehensive response for the proposed Automated Vehicles Bill (AV Bill) to the House of Commons. It outlines crucial insights from the firm into the expanding connected and automated mobility sector, to support with new legislation ...
There are three main challenges to increasing competition in the availability of enroute charging stations, especially at motorway service area (MSA) sites, and the common theme is cost. The main challenges are: High costs for connecting to the electricity network, which acts as a key barrier to charge point operators (CPOs) investing at MSA sites. Limited competition at MSA sites, which is linked to the high costs for connecting to the electricity network ...
Ahead of International Data Centre Day on 20 March 2024 we consider what we believe to be some of the most important trends that are likely to have an impact on the data centre industry over the next 12 months: 1 ...
In general, the directors and officers of a legal person have obligations and responsibilities relating to the legal person?s activities. Each director must act with prudence, diligence, honesty, loyalty and in the legal person?s interest.1 Each officer is responsible for representing the legal person and directing its activities ...
The Law Commission recently announced that it has commenced a three-year review of existing legal frameworks to identify the challenges and opportunities linked to the introduction of highly automated systems into the aviation sector. Such systems could include autonomous drones that can deliver goods to remote areas and pilot-less flying taxis that can transport people across urban environments ...
In the recent judgment of John Mussington & Anor v. Development Control Authority & Others (Antigua and Barbuda) [2024] UKPC 3, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (“JCPC”) found that the appellants had standing to challenge the construction of an airstrip in Bermuda ...
Liverpool’s impressive Spine building was the backdrop for the North West Hydrogen Alliance’s conference focussed on delivering the hydrogen economy. Appropriately, for an event with such an ambitious title, the occasion drew participants and presenters from various segments of the value chain. On the production side, BP and Cadent announced plans for a new 250MW plant ...
Practise What You Preach Governance + Compliance Magazine Joanne Sear, Principal Associate Barrister, Shoosmiths February 2024 Companies in the legal services industry may be advising clients on the risks and opportunities around corporate responsibility, but are they living up to those recommendations? For more than a decade, corporate responsibility (CR) has been a key risk and opportunity for businesses ...
The Department for Transport today announced that design work on the £1.75 billion Midlands Rail Hub can commence with an injection of £123 million. The Midlands Rail Hub project is poised to transform rail connectivity in the heart of England, promising significant benefits for commuters and travellers alike. This is a comprehensive upgrade project that aims to enhance rail services across the Midlands region ...
To reduce carbon emissions, significant changes are necessary in how our industries operate, how they draw power from the grid and how we heat our homes. Hydrogen emerges as a pivotal element in achieving net zero (NZ) emission goals. It serves as a low-carbon fuel, facilitating our transition toward a more sustainable future. Developing a hydrogen economy holds the key to unlocking future investments, generating employment opportunities and enhancing supply chains ...
This February saw the largest Energy Storage Summit in the UK so far, as over 1500 delegates, exhibitors and speakers converged on West London to discuss the key issues in storage, both in the UK and overseas. Chris Pritchett, energy and infrastructure partner has been a prominent figure in Energy Storage since 2015 and was asked to chair day two of the conference ...
The Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 (the “Regulations”) implement certain basic informational requirements that bus operators of local services need to implement in their vehicles in order to improve the accessibility of information for passengers on local bus services ...
The regulations that are starting to emerge in various different jurisdictions pose major challenges, not just for users, but also for developers of AI systems. In this article we will look at the main differences and the areas of common ground. Artificial intelligence has revolutionized many aspects of our lives, from healthcare to national security. However, its use has also raised concerns in connection with privacy, discrimination and security ...