{"id":5962,"date":"2018-03-07T09:27:01","date_gmt":"2018-03-07T09:27:01","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2019-06-21T14:22:08","modified_gmt":"2019-06-21T14:22:08","slug":"yl-v-birmingham-city-council","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lawteacher.net\/cases\/yl-v-birmingham-city-council.php","title":{"rendered":"YL v Birmingham City Council – 2007"},"content":{"rendered":"

YL v Birmingham City Council [2007] UKHL 27, [2008] 1AC 95<\/strong><\/p>\n

PRIVATE CARE HOMES \u2013 HUMAN RIGHTS \u2013 LOCAL AUTHORITIES POWERS AND DUTIES \u2013 PUBLIC AUTHORITIES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Facts<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Y was a resident of a care home run by a healthcare company (S). Her placement had been arranged by the respondent local authority (B) in accordance with its duties under s.21<\/strong> of the National Assistance Act 1948<\/strong>. The placement was funded in large part by B, with a top-up fee being paid by Y's family and funding for nursing care being provided by the NHS. Following allegations about the conduct of Y's family during visits, S had proposed to transfer Y to a different home. In response she had invoked s.6(3)(b)<\/strong> of the Human Rights Act 1998<\/strong> and the Art.8<\/strong> of the European Convention of Human Rights<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Issues<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Court of Appeal were required to determine whether S was exercising functions of a public nature within the meaning of s.6(3)(b)<\/strong> of the 1998 Act, which would require S to conduct its business in such a manner as to be compatible with Convention rights.<\/p>\n

Held<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

S was not exercising functions of a public nature within the meaning of s.6(3)(b) <\/strong>of the 1998 Act<\/strong>. The rationale of the section was to ensure that those bodies for whose acts the state was answerable before the European Court of Human Rights should incur a domestic law obligation not to act incompatibly with Convention rights. The state could, in some circumstances, remain responsible for the conduct of a private law body to which it had delegated state powers, but the mere conferral of special powers by Parliament did not, without more, mean that a body had functions of a public nature. It was necessary to look at the context in which, and the basis upon which, a contractor acted; in providing care and accommodation, S acted as a private, profit-making company, which motivation pointed against treating it as a body with functions of a public nature.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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