About Bank Holiday
A bank holiday is a national public holiday in the United Kingdom. These are set by the UK parliament in statute law. The term bank holiday is commonly used interchangeably with other public holidays such as Good Friday and Christmas Day, which are held by convention.
£10K Covid fines were too high, admits Priti Patel
... Dame Priti Patel told the Covid inquiry the penalty - introduced ahead of the August Bank Holiday in 2020 - was not proportionate...
David McCallum obituary: TV favourite from NCIS and The Man From U. N. C. L. E.
... The following year, he appeared as Lieutenant Commander Eric Ashley-Pitt in the The Great Escape which, over the ensuing years, became a staple of Bank Holiday TV viewing...
Martha's rule: Mother to press health secretary on patient rights
... He pledged in a BBC interview last week to examine a " Monday-to-Friday culture" in the NHS following Martha s preventable death during a Bank Holiday weekend...
Flight path system error caused air traffic chaos
... Hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled as a result on 28 August, a Bank Holiday, and the day after...
Martha's rule: Call for right to second opinion after tragic teen death
... The bleeding did stop, but the infection did not go away and Merope was concerned that the August Bank Holiday weekend was approaching, when it might be more difficult to get hold of certain staff...
Nats air traffic control fault: Experts reflect on three days of chaos
... How did a fault in the UK s air traffic control system that was fixed within four hours cause such prolonged chaos? It was a Bank Holiday Monday - a classic " big travel day"...
Close to 1m NHS appointments lost to strikes
... " This strike took place into a Bank Holiday weekend, when NHS activity is generally lighter, but many services have for some time avoided scheduling any planned appointments for strike days in order to prioritise emergencies...
Air traffic control: UK flights remain significantly disrupted after bank holiday fault
... Holidaymakers described a nightmare Bank Holiday Monday of travel, with many describing frustrated hours-long waits for news of when they would get moving...
£10K Covid fines were too high, admits Priti Patel
By Paul SeddonPolitics reporter
On-the-spot fines of £10,000 for breaching Covid laws on large gatherings were too high, the home secretary during the pandemic has said.
Dame Priti Patel told the Covid inquiry The Penalty - introduced ahead of the August Bank Holiday in 2020 - was not proportionate.
She added that, along with her officials at the Home Office , she had pushed back against it at The Time .
Hundreds of such fines were issued by Police during the pandemic.
At The Time , the government said The Penalty - for unlawful gatherings of More Than 30 People - would act as a " new deterrent" against rule breaches.
It was subsequently criticised in a report by MPs in September 2021, who argued fines of such size should only be imposed by a court.
However, evidence heard by the Covid inquiry showed the extent to which the fines were part of the government's strategy for encouraging compliance.
A handwritten note from former PM Boris Johnson suggested he wanted them emphasised when restrictions were eased in the summer of 2020.
" I agree with the openings, But the OVERRIDING MESSAGE should be about tougher enforcement and BIGGER FINES, " it read.
The Lawyer for The Inquiry noted the " crushing irony" of the memo. Mr Johnson was himself handed a £50 fine for
from June 2021, 366 fines of £10,000 were issued by Police forces in England and Wales.
In its 2021 report, MPs on The Commons justice committee said the government should not rely on large spot fines to enforce Public Health laws, adding Police could not take People 's financial circumstances into account.
Elsewhere in her testimony, Dame Priti said she felt the policing of the to remember murder victim Sarah Everard was " totally inappropriate".
The Metropolitan Police was criticised for its handling of the unofficial event, which saw hundreds of People gather on Clapham Common , South London , after a planned event was cancelled.
The Force was later found to have breached the rights of the organisers - and subsequently apologised and paid damages to Two Women arrested at The Event .
A WhatsApp message shown at The Inquiry from Lord Frost, then a Cabinet Office minister, suggested there was concern about the regulations within government at The Time .
" Truth is The Rules on outside gatherings are close to unenforceable and are evidently being widely ignored in all kinds of contexts now, " his message read.
'Confusion'Dame Priti also accepted that the Covid regulations had proved confusing for both The Public and Police - But said drafting the legislation was " solely the domain" of Matt Hancock 's health department.
Giving evidence ahead of Dame Priti, former Police leader Martin Hewitt said forces had struggled to keep on top of the many rule changes.
Mr Hewitt, who was boss of the National Police chiefs' council throughout the pandemic, also said officers should have been consulted more often when rules were drafted.
He added in one case officers had to delay enforcement of a new Covid regulation, having received only 16 minutes' notice before it legally came into effect.
He also said ministers had created " confusion" among The Public about the requirements by conflating laws and guidance during media interviews.
Related TopicsSource of news: bbc.com
Bank holiday Photos
