The New UK Laws About To Come In By Tax Season

Tax season is coming up and Budget has finished making its statement regarding spending in the United Kingdom. After Budget's statement is the announcement of possible new UK laws that may come after April 2017. Most of it deals with childcare, personal finance and almost every available financing.

NHS prescriptions are set to go up by 20 pence, which means the £8.40 rate would be £8.60 for each medicine and appliance dispensed. However, for long-term diseases including cancer, epilepsy and diabetes, together with new mothers and pregnant women, children under 16 and those who are retired and on a low income, the fee is waived.

Business apprenticeships are to increase this year. An additional new tax levy to big businesses would enable the UK to fund 3 million apprenticeships nationwide. The £3bn yearly business levies earning about £3m yearly allows smaller companies to enjoy their profits while bigger ones enable an increase in employment for the country. 

Minimum wage increases -- greatly anticipated in the country -- would see a "substantial" boost. According to Cambridge News, it is likely to increase £7.50 an hour for professionals over 25 years of age. Employees from 18-24 year olds could increase from £5.60 to £7.05 effectively. The government may also increase the pay in the next few years

UK Government Spends About £25,000 For Four Judges For Security

An estimated £25,000 had been spent to help improve the security around the house of one judge and security over the houses of three judges. The spending has increased following the 51% number of judges who daily feared for their safety while inside the court and outside into their own houses.

One court judge, not involved with the security improvements, said death threats and possible kidnapping of a judge or their family members have become common. A female judge said a man threatened to kill her after she ruled to have the spouse keep the three children and smuggled a knife in court.

According to the judge, the incidents have become common but "authorities are not recording them. Some judges are even left in closed rooms without security or court clerks, further raising concerns about the security of justices in the country.

The Judicial Attitude survey indicate that about 48% of female judges are fearing for their safety while 35% of male judges are concerned for their own lives after a ruling. According to UCL Judicial Institute Professor Cheryl Thomas, government legal aid cuts had made it faster for warring parties to engage in bickering as stress and the lack of representation make it difficult for judges to find a proper conclusion.

Deeper UK-US Relations Would Mean Conflicts In Intelligence Gathering Operations

US President Donald Trump openly supports "waterboarding" or torture in gathering information from insurgents and terrorist forces, which would mean re-igniting a "special" relationship by the UK with the United States would mean an intelligence gathering-method conundrum for UK intelligence services department MI6 and MI5 who are working closely with US intelligence.

According to a former British diplomat, it would mean intelligence gathering in conflicted areas in Asia and the Middle East would have difficulties given it would be "torn between a moral and legal obligation not to be involved with torture" yet may relent because of "their heavy dependence on the United States."

All intelligence service agencies of the United Kingdom, Canada and Europe are by their respective laws opposed to torture in intelligence gathering. According to The Guardian, they are to absent themselves from the torture room -- a typical practice during CIA intelligence gathering operations during the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns.

Former MI6 Chief Sir John Sawers said torture is illegal and abhorrent and the agency -- during the 9/11 War on Terrorism campaign -- had to deal with "real, constant dilemmas" to avoid using torture-sourced intelligence but admitted it did yield useful information.

Amber Rudd Accused Of Mishandling Calais Children's Case

Member of Party and now- Home Secretary Amber Rudd faces allegations that she had violated several legislations upon handling the applications of Calais refugee children's entry into the United Kingdom. Thirty-six children applying for asylum in the UK had filed their complaint as 28 of them had their applications refused upfront. Hundreds of Calais refugee children have their applications refused for no clear reason.

Children filing their complaints are aged from fourteen to seventeen years old coming from different war-torn countries including Sudan, Eriteria, Afghanistan and Africa. The refugee children currently live in the unruly Calais jungle -- home to many other refugees for years between Britain and France.

The UK faces harsh criticism from human rights groups because even the most vulnerable children are not granted entry into the country. According to the children's legal representatives, many of the applicants have faced depression and trauma before and as they continue to live in Calais.

One case described an Afghan boy whose father had helped NATO triops during its anti-Taliban operations. The boy's family was killed and he was forced to seek refuge in the United Kingdom. However, his application was denied and his representatives at the Duncan Lewis Solicitors did not receive any Home Office response when they raised his concerns. They boy had tried to kill himself in the camp four times.

Things To Remember About UK's Child Seat Law For 2016

A third of UK's parents had fitted their children's car seats erroneously according to data by Insurer Sheila's Wheels. Data suggests that one out of 10 of these instalments may be dangerous as they can unhinge and injure children.

UK and EU law states only EU-approved seats used in the United Kingdom. If the parents could not follow proper seating instalment and placement for children their insurer may render them ineligible to claim for insurance. Of course, the primary concern is the safety of children.

Here are a few pointers to make sure you comply with 2016's new car seat laws for children.

•             Kids under 12 years old must use car seats.

•             Children under 135cm tall must use car seats.

•             Kids under 150cm still recommended under laws in Ireland, Germany and France.

Children are to travel in rear-facing seats designed for toddlers and infants until they are at least 15 months old. Parents may need a larger rear-facing seat when the baby outgrows their rear-facing seat.

To fit the seat correctly, the Scottish Sun has a few steps to help you.

Children can only travel legally without a car seat if they're travelling in a public vehicle such as a taxi, cab or minivan. But they could only sit at the back of the car. In a minibus or coach, young kids are to sit in the back. Parents with more than three children are also legally entitled to seat their children where they can most fit.

UK Threatened With Legal Action Over Children's Conditions in Calais Camps

Concerned UK citizens threaten to lodge a claim against the UK government for avoiding 

intervention in the case of 30 children stranded in the desolate French camp.

Citizens UK, a charity working with the Home Office on the current Calais operation, the current programme of the UK government in the territory is slow and one-dimensional.

They threaten to launch legal actions against the government unless it intervenes in the case of 30 of the most vulnerable children stranded in the area.

The charity claimed the Home Office programme has ignored a group of over 500 unaccompanied 

children about eight to 15 years old most of them females due to their lack of relatives in the United Kingdom.

“The government has still not set up a system to assess their best interests and transfer these children, who include 38 girls from the Calais camp. Zero children have been transferred to date under the amendment’s terms,” the charity said in a statement.

George Gabriel, community organiser with Citizens UK, said: “There are over 1,200 children in the middle of a muddy, freezing field surrounded by 10,000 adults they do not know. The idea that as a country we cannot successfully reunite the small number eligible with their families is ridiculous.

“The real problem here is that the provisions introduced specifically to protect the very youngest and most vulnerable children under the Dubs amendment have never been acted on.”

UK Called To Stop Arms Sales To Saudi Over Human Rights Violations

A House of Commons Business and International Development Committees report indicate that the sale of UK's arms to Saudi Arabia should halt following the latter's involvement in Yemen.

The Committee said it had received evidence of "clear violations" of international humanitarian law (IHL). About 47 civilians including 21 women and 15 children were killed in Saudi Arabian 

skirmishes using UK weaponry. The report also included injuries to 58 more individuals after a house hosting a wedding party was hit by Saudi Arabian aircraft ammunition.

MPs are split on the issue. According to the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee's rival report, the government must block exports if the UK courts say the weapon sales are unlawful.

The Saudi Arabian Air Force including other allies of the US-led coalition have also struck other neutral parties in Syria.

Medicins Sans Frontieres accused the coalition of war crimes after attacking several of their volunteer hospitals in the area that killed 11 the previous month.

According to FAC Conservative Chairman Crispin Blunt the report was one-sided. He had walked 

out of a private meeting between the House of Commons Committees on Arms Export Controls (CAEC) to avoid a vote from being taken on the draft report.

The UK Defence Committee did not comment whether they will publish their own report on the matter.