It is unfair and discriminatory for Court staff, Judges, Barristers, Solicitors, and court users, particularly those with children. It will have a detrimental impact on well-being and diversity at the Bar and Judiciary. It is hard enough for parents at the Bar to make it work. It jeopardises work-life balance. It is impractical and fails to take account of the cab-rank rule, listing practices, and that lawyers need time to prepare their cases and travel to and from court. Overall, all those working in the courts deserve to have a good work/life balance, and the ability to see their children. This should not be forced upon lawyers, Judges and Court staff. This is a regressive step and a barrier to greater diversity in the profession and on the bench and in particular will be a further obstacle to the retention of women.

autistic people are a huge contribution to our society, in many ways they are superior to so-called normal people and they deserve our respect. Many of our brightest minds and our greatest achievers are autistic and autistic people need to be protected

It is abhorrent that in a country as wealthy as ours, a man has been allowed to die on the streets of Glasgow because he had nowhere to go. Glasgow City Council website states that: “As a minimum, the council will arrange for you to receive: Advice and Information Temporary Accommodation” We demand that Glasgow City Council acts immediately to fulfil it's duty to the people of Glasgow. Everyone who presents themselves at a Council facility as homeless, should immediately be provided with somewhere safe and warm to stay, until such times as they are able to find permanent accommodation. Furthermore, we demand an end to the policy of abandoning our friends who are deemed to have made themselves intentionally homeless. This unfairly punishes people unfamiliar with the law or who are victims of bullying by rogue landlords.

Equal worth of every human being

There is a climate of fear and insecurity in all areas of employment this, opportunistic, cynical attempt to off-set costs will add to that. Furthermore, workers should not be given a double penalty: lost wages plus the burden of paying for cover while they are sick. No businesses should feel this is an acceptable response. This is a chance for the government to demonstrate a modicum of support for struggling workers.

The homeless crisis in Brighton is shocking. With the rising cost of living and rent hikes in the area homelessness has visibly increased. There are people living in shop doorways on almost every street and alley way. They are begging for money for food with absolutely no way out of their situation. It is virtually impossible to get a job when you are homeless and in offering the homeless a home we give them a second chance at life. A chance to get a job and live with the dignity and respect we all deserve.

Last month our respected community elder, Ras Judah Adunbi, was tasered by two police constables while peacefully taking his dog on a Saturday morning walk through our neighbourhood (Easton, Bristol). The police stopped Judah near his home, demanded to know his name and address and when Judah politely refused, which is within his legal rights, they tasered him in the face and wrongfully arrested him. Judah did NOT break any laws or rules but was treated violently and with no respect. Judah felt like he was going to die and has since suffered from a number of health complications. The incident was covered my media outlets across the Globe, including Washington Post, New York Times, CNN and BBC World News. Avon and Somerset Police dropped the charges a couple of days later and are now being investigated by IPCC. ** Ras Judah wants everyone in the community to LEARN their legal rights! If a police officer stops you and starts to ask you questions you DO NOT have to stop or answer any questions. That’s the law. The Police should stick to it. ** Key facts: - There have been at least 17 taser-related deaths in Britain since 2003, including the death of Dalian Atkinson, the former Aston Villa footballer, who died after being Tasered by police officers in August 2016. - People of African descent are three times more likely to be tasered and six times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people. - According to government figures, use of Tasers has grown over recent years, with 1,921 Taser discharges recorded by police in England and Wales in 2015. - Judah was taken to the Bristol Royal infirmary in a Police car with the Taser still dangling from his face. After being discharged later that morning he spent 10 hours at Patchway police station (Bristol). He was allowed to leave just before midnight and had to make his own way home. - On Monday 23rd Jan, Bristol's police federation chairman said the police officers involved were 'doing what the public expect of them'.

BBC has stated that Nigeria, Yemen, Somalia and South Sudan are facing the greatest famine for over 60 years. Millions of people especially children are at risk. We are currently wasting huge amounts of food often through over buying as supermarkets encourage us through their 'buy one get one free' campaigns. We take more than we need.

Pensioner poverty is still a major issue for many older people across the UK and was one of the main reasons the Triple Lock system was first introduced. As it stands, 1 in 7 pensioners (equating to 1.6 million or 14% of all pensioners living in the UK) are still living in poverty with a further 1.2 million pensioners (just over 10% of UK pensioners) living just above the poverty line. The SPF feel it is necessary for policy makers to bear in mind the long struggle to establish a caring, supportive state pension in the first instance and to ensure a single tier pension for all pensioners. As changes to the conditions for receipt of a full state pension continue as well as the state pension age continuing to rise, it is time that the pensioners' voices are heard and that that the government take notice of the contribution older people made, and still make, to the economy and society as a whole.

I’m calling for a change in the rules so that people with dementia are specifically eligible to apply for a Blue Badge, which means easier trips to the shop, the doctor’s or the hospital for dementia patients if they choose to apply. “I hope the Government will consider this change.” The final decision on who is eligible is up to local councils. But Government provides guidance can prove crucial in earmarking badges - and dementia is not on the list of criteria. Charities say some local authorities give blue badges to people with dementia while others enforce much tighter rules. Although the person with dementia may be able to walk the required distance that exempts them from being issued a Blue Badge the person has to be helped in and out of their vehicle, and guided, they can be unsteady on their feet and suffer dizziness/confusion as to where they are because of their dementia. This means that, e.g. they cannot be dropped off while a driver goes to park, because they are in danger from wandering off or walking into the road. Campaigners say the disease can be as mentally and often physically debilitating as other illnesses. The number of people with dementia is set to rise from 850,000 this year to over two million by 2051. Alzheimer’s Society national campaigns manager Sam Gould said: “Many people with dementia gradually lose their ability to walk and perform simple tasks as their condition progresses. “This means activities that many of us take for granted, like visiting the shops or attending GP appointments, can become physically challenging and make some journeys daunting. “We support the call for people with dementia to be able to access the Blue Badge scheme, as this could mean that more people with dementia are able to continue doing the things they enjoy and maintain their independence for longer.”

I have facial disfigurement and I have encountered discrimination and hate crime throughout my life. Society judge by my disfigurement. I encounter staring, negative comments, and sniggering. I have failed employment interviews. I have encountered bullying. I have been stopped from driving due to new ruling with DVLA after 30 years of safe driving with a congenital defect.

Self employed people generally work over 50 hours a week - many work considerably longer hours. They get no job security or holiday allowance. Their salary is not paid if they are sick and yet they contribute hugely to the nation's wealth. Many self employed people manage all aspects of their business from the PR, to office admin, to ensuring that they keep up to date with H&S, keeping accounts etc as well as delivering the core nature of their business. A three monthly submission process of tax return would create an unacceptably huge administrative burden on self employed people. It would stifle our collective ability to deliver our core business. It would discourage entrepreneurialism. In terms of the arts and third sector self-employment - it would add further administrative duress to an already ailing and underfunded landscape.