Letters - December 2007
01 Dec 2007
Coroners Bill - Innocents in limbo - Hear, hear - Beyond Kyoto
Dec 2007: Happy and Glorious
A false picture that does children no favours
01 Dec 2007
CHILD MAINTENANCE AND OTHER PAYMENTS BILL. The existing model of child support is based on one non-resident parent paying child support to a parent with care - and it is assumed that these are the father and mother respectively. The stereotype is doing more harm than good.
From the people who got it wrong last time, another fine mess
01 Dec 2007
CHILD MAINTENANCE AND OTHER PAYMENTS BILL. After the fialure of the CSA, the new approach is a catalogue of missed opportunities and flawed thinking.
60,000 children who need us to care more and for longer
01 Dec 2007
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSON'S BILL. David Berridge discusses the changes proposed by the bill.
Will two more school years really give Britain the skills it needs?
01 Dec 2007
EDUCATION AND SKILLS BILL. Is raising the school leaving age to 18 really such a dramatic suggestion?
No more Mr President
01 Dec 2007
CONSTITUTIONAL RENEWAL BILL. The Blair style of government may be over, but just what does it mean when Brown promises to transfer power from the executive?
A debate about the stable door, the horse having already bolted
01 Dec 2007
EU TREATY REFORM BILL. Parliament must have its say before and not after a treaty.
No closure for rough justice
01 Dec 2007
CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND IMMIGRATION BILL. Schedule 17 of the bill propses a massive widening of the powers currently available to the police to close down premises.
If you cannot deport then don't think the answer is limbo
01 Dec 2007
CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND IMMIGRATION BILL. The latest provision aim to plug the gap in the Borders Bill by ensuring that those who can't be deported won't be allowed to live normal lives in the UK.
The other Blair and the row we don't need
01 Dec 2007
COUNTER-TERRORISM BILL. Paul Wilkinson looks at the debate over the 28-day detention limit.
A sales pitch to part fools from their money
01 Dec 2007
PENSIONS BILL. Steve Bee breaks down the debate into a simple question-and-answer format.
Asking the low-paid to save? Are you mad?
01 Dec 2007
PENSIONS BILL. The tattered remnants of the Turner Commission drafted into legislation.
How best to be green but also how best to make Britain secure
01 Dec 2007
ENERGY BILL. The Energy Bill is a Cinderella, living in the shadow of her step-sisters the Climate Change and Planning Bills.
Missing in action
19 Nov 2007
SIR HILARY SYNOTT on the importance of civilian volunteers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the factors inhibiting their contribution.
A tweak, Mr Hutton, to make good your intentions
01 Dec 2007
CHILD MAINTENANCE AND OTHER PAYMENTS BILL. Ian McFall looks at compensation in cases such as mesothelioma developed from asbestos exposure outside the workplace, and how effective the bill will be in these cases.
Wanted: a regulator who will cut red tape
01 Dec 2007
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE BILL. If power is to move away from the centre, trust boards must be the drivers for local improvements. A system which tres to predict every eventuality with the constant potential for intervention is anachronistic, impractical and financially unrealistic.
Breeding Controversy
01 Dec 2007
HUMAN FERTILISATION AND EMBRYOLOGY BILL. Lauren Leigh Hinthorne outlines the structure of the bill and the controversy surrounding it.
Making good with £400m of nobody's money
01 Dec 2007
DORMANT BANK & BUILDING SOCIETY ACCOUNTS BILL. It is estimated that up to £400m may be sitting in Britain's bank and building societies without a traceable owner. The bill aims to release this cash for use in community projects.
Getting rid of their debts before they do
01 Dec 2007
SALE OF STUDENT LOANS BILL. The bill authorises the first sale of student loans since the ore-1998 student loan book was sold off in the late 1990s. As long as the government gets a good deal, the sale looks like good value for tax payers.
And so a billion-plus drops quietly into the coffers
01 Dec 2007
NATIONAL INSURANCE CONTRIBUTIONS BILL. The bill will align the NIC 'upper earnings limit' with the starting point of the 40 per cent higher rate income tax threshold. And raise additional funds of over £1bn.
A bigger bill from Brussels
01 Dec 2007
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (FINANCE) BILL. In December 2005, Blair and other EU heads of state and government agreed the EU Financial Framework 2007-13 at the European Council. Brian Ardy looks at the impact this will have on the UK.
The British tortoise which proved no match for the French hare
01 Dec 2007
CHANNEL TUNNEL RAIL LINK BILL. It took the French seven years to build a high-speed link from Paris to the tunnel. Britain's equivalent has only just opened.
The signals at GO
01 Dec 2007
CROSSRAIL BILL. Iriving Yass outlines the bill's proposals and the next steps.
BACK ON THE BUSES
01 Dec 2007
LOCAL TRANSPORT BILL. Outside London, bus use has been in long-term decline. The bill would remove some of the barriers and conflicts between local authorities and service providers.
Clamping down on rogue traders
01 Dec 2007
REGULATORY, ENFORCEMENT AND SANCTIONS BILL. Paul Ramsden looks at the benefits of the bill, improving co-operation between business and regulators whilst targeting the rogue traders.
Cuckoos do not have a right to nest
01 Dec 2007
EMPLOYMENT BILL. Keith Norman discusses the events leading up to and following Jay Lee's expulsion from ASLEF and its contribution to the Employment Bill.
It's pay-back time for the rogue bosses who rip off their workers
01 Dec 2007
EMPLOYMENT BILL. The National Minimum Wage is a key element to ensuring that workers are being paid fairly. The proposals include a new penalty for underpayment of the NMW as well as a fairer way of calculating arrears.
Sacking the tribunals
01 Dec 2007
EMPLOYMENT BILL. Mediation is the better alternative to workplace disputes.
HOUSES FOR ALL
01 Dec 2007
PLANNING REFORM BILL. Mark Tewdwr-Jones examines the pros and cons of the proposals.
Clearing the ground for the new Jerusalem
01 Dec 2007
HOUSING AND REGENERATION BILL. The main thrust of the bill is to enable an expansion in the housebuilding programme to levels not seen since the 1960s.
The case for having two mothers
01 Dec 2007
HUMAN FERTILISATION AND EMBRYOLOGY BILL. Ruth Hunt looks at the impact of the bill on same-sex couples.
Style over substance
18 Nov 2007
PAUL TAYLOR considers the foreign policy elements of Gordon Brown's speech at Mansion House.
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December 2007 edition
The Bills Gordon hopes will keep him on his throne - A Queen's speech special edition, covering the Bills from Channel Tunnel Rail Link to Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions.