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Regulate the Probate Services IndustryCurrently the probate services industry handles in excess of £1 billion of assets every year. Yet there is no regulatory body to watch over the companies that provide probate services. In fact, anyone who is reading this could quite legitimately become a provider of probate services and handle £100,000's of assets left to others in the wills of deceased people, including cash, savings and property without being answerable to any authority. Because of this incredible lack of regulation, many companies who offer complete probate service packages can quite literally do as they please with the assets of a deceased person whilst working under the guise of the probate process, often taking literally years to complete fairly basic cases. Many companies in this industry use delaying tactics to ensure interest is earned on estate assets, without passing it on to beneficiaries. There are many reported cases of companies over-charging, lying and deceiving customers, often to cover up mis-handling of cases. Many firms have deals with high street banks which give them automatic access to the bank's deceased customers' personal details and account information and work to convince relatives or executors of the deceased that the probate process is a very difficult system to negotiate. These companies often use leaflets placed at Registry Offices which falsely appear to be provided by charities officially endorsed by Local Governments. The probate industry must be regulated by an official body who can effectively ensure that the companies which deal with the financial assets and properties left to beneficiaries pass the assets over to them speedily, accurately and without causing any undue extra stress on bereaved people. What other industry could handle such high value personal financial assets without coming under regulation in the UK? None, so it is imperative that the Probate Services Industry is brought into line to eradicate the deep-seated 'cowboy' companies, some of whom are currently the largest providers of these services in the UK.251 of 300 SignaturesCreated by Mark Burden
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Arrest Tony Blair for war crimesThis important to restore justice and honesty in to British politics. _________________________________________________________________________ This petition has been started by a member of public and not 38 Degrees. If there's a campaign that you'd like to run why not start your own petition here: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petition/new4,616 of 5,000 SignaturesCreated by keith Bennett
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Justice for Tinker the Beloved CatIt is important because on Tuesday 11th of August 2015 our beloved 'Tinker' 'Stevie Wonder' was taken from us in a serious incident involving an old lady in a 4X4 car running over him in front of my own eyes severely injuring him and then after a few seconds killing him. I then confronted the suspect to them fleeing away in their vehicle. Then being confronted by the husband with a lot of bad mouth. Went to give a statement to the police and they said they can't do anything about the cat incident or the fact that she was well over the speed limit in a tight spaced quiet street. I find this very disgusting by the service of the Scottish police and changes should be made and made urgently !! The family was very disgusted by and heartbroken by what had happened HELP US MAKE CHANGE AND MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE !!! Thank you very much for your support !!414 of 500 SignaturesCreated by Kieran McDowall
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End the airport "sunscreen scam"Passengers are being misled and left out of pocket while the biggest retailers in the country exploit a loophole to pay even less tax. Every time one of us buys a £6 bottle of sunscreen at Boots we’re asked to show our boarding pass. Now we know that we’re not getting the £1 VAT, but neither does the Treasury. In fact airport retailers are reclaiming VAT we paid and POCKETING the money. Many passengers think they’ve been misled by airport shop staff who told them presenting a boarding card was obligatory – and even required for security purposes. It’s time to end the “sunscreen scam.” As the busiest holiday weekend of the year approaches, the “sunscreen scam” could add up to millions of pounds for retailers like Boots, WH Smith and World Duty Free. But this is not the first time some of these retailers have been accused of dodging tax. In 2013 Boots was accused of using a legal loophole to avoid paying £1.1BILLION in tax. The situation is so bad that even the minister in charge is angry with the shops. David Gauke MP told the Independent: “The VAT relief at airports is intended to reduce prices for travellers, not as a windfall gain for shops.” Join the revolt against the the shameless “sunscreen scam” by signing this petition.2,665 of 3,000 SignaturesCreated by The Big Deal
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Escaping responsibilityJustice and plain commonsense.118 of 200 SignaturesCreated by Eric Evans
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Extend Discrimination/Hate Crime Laws - STOP THE MEDIA'S WELFARE SCAPEGOATINGWe already have laws in place intended to protect mainly ethnic minorities within society at large, while other often-disadvantaged groups of people can take comfort in there being rules by which prospective employers must abide. The question of gender equality and the LGBT movement also continue to be major talking points, as campaigns such as those seen on this very site and others enjoy increasing momentum. However, one thing that does appear not to have penetrated the public consciousness - quite the opposite - is the situation pertaining to, in particular, many unemployed and disabled people, beyond merely the legislation being passed. Compounding the present climate of savage spending cuts, workplace ambivalence to rights and key government departments' cruel dehumanisation of their core services' users, is the growing groundswell of opinion - perpetuated by small-scale local news sources [1] and internationally-renowned public service broadcasters [2] alike, alongside everything in-between [3] - whereby anyone out of work or known to be claiming any sort of social security is instantly not only marginalised, but in fact openly vilified [4], and blamed for all manner of perceived problems blighting the country. Some writers even set up websites for the sole purpose of baiting those on welfare. [5] Worse still, the overriding premise around which the whole hysteria was intended to revolve, thanks to the 'free' British media, is a purely sensationalist, propaganda-fuelled one that ultimately rings hollow when scrutinised on the grounds of accuracy. [6] From domestic charities [7] to medal-winning athletes [8], bloggers [9] to the research teams of esteemed Universities [10] the length and breadth of the country [11], online publications [12] and even some mainstream news outlets [13], the message is clear: this is irresponsible, vindictive journalism. Of course, even in light of the recent revelations in relation to the practices of the press and the resulting Leveson Inquiry, it seems that the nature of the stories' content itself is something largely being forgotten about, and so the attacks go ahead. Such is the public's apparent willingness to serve as a channel for the outrage emanating primarily from reports peddled by the likes of the Daily Mail, the Sun and the Daily Express, that we are now seeing innocent claimants abused [14], harassed [15] and even driven to death [16] by those who feel compelled to do their bidding. All this because a tiny minority (less than 1%!) of the DWP's bill are understood to be 'scrounging' off taxpayers' money. Taking vital funding away from those with little else to hold onto is one thing; sitting idly by while the institutions we depend on to inform us fairly and comprehensively instead choose to make these people's lives a complete misery - if not aiding them in doing so - is quite another. The media has no right and no mandate to wilfully turn citizens against each other (regardless of whether the victims can defend themselves any better than is the case here), especially on the basis of misinformation and spin. The buck for the crimes committed against these people (and no doubt many others hounded for a variety of reasons) falls squarely at the feet of those who are moulding ordinary people into vehicles of unfounded hate. This societal cancer needs to be removed at the source. By extending what we already have written in Acts of Parliament, to encompass anyone at risk of being the subject of incitement to ill intent, we can achieve this. [1] http://goo.gl/Sp3YQn [2] http://goo.gl/bMvbz [3] http://goo.gl/ar7Hgh (various links, including top of page 1) [4] http://goo.gl/SO8DPm [5] https://goo.gl/Ti1EK5 [6] http://goo.gl/hKFRrs [7] http://goo.gl/owGMal [8] http://goo.gl/4SwXGH [9] https://goo.gl/c9doFM [10] http://goo.gl/rNbdhv [11] http://goo.gl/9vpRQb [12] http://goo.gl/argS0d [13] http://goo.gl/FfpmZA [14] http://goo.gl/2XgLMn [15] http://goo.gl/EHOxz [16] http://goo.gl/ZHgNhP311 of 400 SignaturesCreated by Brian Cocozza
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Hold the Financial Conduct Authority to account for its actionsAt the moment that Financial Conduct Authority is able to make statements or take action with absolute impunity and if clients lose money or advisers lose money as a result, then there is no effective remedy to claim compensation . For example, in the EEA Life Settlements Funds case mentioned above, the Financial Conduct Authority issued a guidance consultation into their proposals for ensuring that the investment was not marketed to unsuitable clients. There were several ways in which this could have been resolved, unfortunately when issuing the consultation guidance the Financial Services Authority (at the time) issued a statement that described the investment in inaccurate, emotive and pejorative terms. This led to an immediate run on the fund and consequent closure, trapping many clients in the fund and creating large scale immediate losses to existing clients. The Financial Conduct Authority has since then been highly active in trying to encourage any client to seek compensation from advisers in order to distract investors from the part it played. Whilst I am wholly supportive of clients making claims against advisers where poor advice has been given, it is not feasible to suggest that all clients were poorly advised, whereas all investors have been adversely affected by the Financial Conduct Authority statement and subsequent refusal to accept any responsibility. The status of immunity against prosecution for damages simply cannot be justified. Any person or body with the ability to affect third parties by its actions, whether verbal, written or by dint of action must be capable of being held responsible for any disadvantage caused to those third party (ies)98 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Ian Coley
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Give Animal killers the same sentances as human killers!Rapidly dwindling numbers, ever growing numbers of rich people killing for fun. IT IS COMPLETELY INSANE.348 of 400 SignaturesCreated by Iain morley
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Put the brakes on A10 racersIllegal A10 racing, where car enthusiasts race at speeds of up to 180mph on the A10, puts lives at risk and unsettles local residents. Many Mercury readers have complained about the noise affecting their sleep and of being scared of using the road after midnight.190 of 200 SignaturesCreated by Sam Meadows
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removal of titles and knighthoodsThis will ensure that those committing these crimes do not get away with it even in death and will show the Government is acting fairly and correctly in this matter. We feel that information that was readily available showing the activities of these people were withheld until their death. This was wrong169 of 200 SignaturesCreated by Gordon Downard
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To get all energy companies to repay the money overpaid by prepayment energy customersAround 5.9 million people in the UK have a prepayment energy meter. According to citizens advice these customers have overpaid for their electricity and gas by £226 a year! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-33369672 Many of the people who prepay their energy are families struggling to make ends meet, or elderly people - while people have had to choose between light or heat companies have racked in massive profits that have not fed back to lower the prices - in fact EDF declared an "operating loss" on their prepayment statement this year! http://www.mirror.co.uk/money/energy-giant-raked-massive-profit-3143336 Customers who have overpaid their energy through prepaid meters have been doing so for a number of years and is an industry wide practise. Customers who prefer to prepay for their gas and electric should not be penalised for doing so. It is not enough to tell customers to switch companies, customers who have been with a provider a period of time and who been overcharged as a matter of routine should receive a refund on any over payment, and tell customers before they sign up if they are being overcharged.272 of 300 SignaturesCreated by Michael Turner
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Save the beagles, Say no to animal testing!It's important because David Cameron wouldn't let us use his dog for animal testing, so why bread animals to be so cruel!269 of 300 SignaturesCreated by Lauren Anderson
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