Life saving equipment such as automated defibrillators and electric chest compressors are already very expensive, but to have to pay VAT on top is making NHS services less able to provide these. In Rural areas where an ambulance can take a long time to reach a person who has suffered a cardiac arrest, an automated defibrillator can mean the difference between life and death. In the Scottish Borders we send patients to Edinburgh for heart surgery such as fitting of stents. If the person arrests in transit it is not possible for a paramedic to provide effective CPR for the entire journey, particularly in a moving vehicle. An electric chest compressor has been shown to increase survivial rate in this type of circumstance from zero (as it is not possible to physically continue effective CPR for long periods of time), to an amazing 50 percent survival rate. Sadly this piece of equipment is £10,000 plus VAT. Surely it cannot be right for the government to give a budget to the NHS and then claim a substantial part of it back in VAT.

The money paid into these pension funds has already been taxed. Now they want to tax it again. This is nothing short of highway robbery. Why should people who have scrimped and saved all their lives to try and provide themselves with a decent pension (which government fails to do) be penalised? Yet another example of rip-off government in rip-off Britain. There are enough pensioners, and people soon to reach retirement age, in this country to put a stop to this.

Having different levels of pension payment is discriminatory and contrary to the United Nations Social Protocol and the Commonwealth Charter, both of which the British government has signed People retiring overseas to be near their families for their final years each save the UK around four thousand pounds every year through non-access to the NHS and other pensioner benefits People retiring overseas release houses for other families so helping the housing crisis There are thousands of people in Britain who would like to emigrate but cannot afford to do so because of the frozen-pensions' policy. It would benefit the taxpayer to enable these people to emigrate and save the country the #4,000 a year detailed above It would meet the "fairness" criteria which is supposedly the foundation of every Conservative policy.

An estate agent in Bristol called CJ Hole has been sending out letters to its landlord clients asking "Are you getting enough rent?" and "How do you get more rent?" The letter they are sending to landlords explains that "with rents increasing every week in Bristol, it is highly likely your property is due a rent increase.” It goes on to say that “the demand from tenants is far exceeding the number of available properties and we have never seen such a buoyant rental market." It doesn't once mention the rights of tenants. The letter shows how some estate agents and landlords are seeking to cynically profit from the housing crisis in Bristol at a time when inflation has declined to 0.3% and deflation is predicted. I think there is no justification for increasing rents at a time when prices are actually going down. In addition, real average earnings have fallen by 8% since 2008. Such predatory rental practices are an attack on low income people and threaten the most basic of rights – the security of a home to live in. Bristol's housing supply has been described by an official report as "in crisis." In 2013 just 60 affordable homes were built across Bristol Please sign this petition if you want CJ Hole to stop sending these letters to its landlord clients and if you want your next MP to support rent controls, giving more rights to tenants and building more affordable homes. If you have experienced a rent rise you believe is unjustified please post the details below. I.e. how much was it, was it in response to improvements made by the landlord, and any other points you think are relevant. If you have seen similar letters from other estate agents, please contact me. We will compile a list of all responses and use these as the basis for a later action/petition. Read the full letter below: https://s.bsd.net/38degrees/main/page/-/11096902_10153147467450900_147746140_n.jpg

Lord Marlesford's litter bill is still working its way through Parliament, but if it is passed it will allow councils to fine the registered owner of a car for a littering incident. Until that is agreed though, the litter camera approach will only work if you can actually identify an individual, which makes it practically impossible. It will help to reduce the disgusting and very alarming amount of litter that is thrown onto our roads every day.

The Sri Lankan police has a long history of human rights abuses and vicious attacks. Amnesty International’s latest annual report into Sri Lanka alleged that unlawful detentions and torture by security forces were carried out routinely. Since 2007, the Scottish Police College has trained thousands of Sri Lankan officers - including some senior commanders. But training has failed to protect human rights in Sri Lanka. Siobhan Reardon, Amnesty International's programme director in Scotland, said: “Human rights campaigners and family members of people subjected to enforced disappearance were threatened and arrested, and fatal attacks on religious minorities went unpunished.” Also a UN report commissioned by secretary general Ban Ki-Moon found that as many as 40,000 Tamil civilians may have been killed in the last months of the civil war in May 2009, mostly through indiscriminate shelling by Sri Lankan security forces. The police training reform project is funded by the Foreign Office (FCO), was supposed to embed "international standards in police training." But a recent FCO report found instances of torture, deaths in police custody, police abductions and instances of suspects shot and killed as they attempted to flee. The current contract will end on 31 March 2015, but it could be renewed. Police Scotland should not enable human rights abuses in Sri Lanka. Please listen to the Scottish public, Tamil community and human rights campaigners. Please sign this petition and stop Police Scotland enabling human rights abuses in Sri Lanka. Tamil Solidarity and a number of diaspora campaigners support this petition.

The reason removing the three feathers is important is because it's traced back to Edward the Black Prince; oldest son and heir to Edward III of England and therefore no connection to the native land. Having the feathers is a statement of English oppression and ownership - I find it offensive that it's being used instead of daffodils, leeks, the Red dragon or the Saint David's cross. Y rheswm mae'n bwysig cael gwared o'r tair pluen yw oherwydd ei fod yn olrhain yn ôl i Edward y Tywysog Du ; mab hynaf ac aer i Edward y trydydd o Loegr ac felly tydi o ddim yn cysylltu efo'r wlad enedigol . Mae cael y tair pluen yn ddatganiad o ormes a pherchnogaeth Saeson - Dwi'n gweld hi'n sarhaus i ei ddefnyddio yn lle gennin Pedr, cennin, y ddraig Goch neu y groes Dewi Sant .

Fracking causes devastating effects, affecting every sector of public life, from health to agriculture, to tourism and the environment. Places such as the USA, or Australia where Fracking has already happened have seen a complete degradation of normal life; taking a shower brings your whole body out in a painful red rash, you can light your water on fire, you can't sleep for the noise of the machines and worse, the division of communities due to the manipulation of the Fracking companies. The effects of Fracking are truly endless, with long term effects still being uncovered. We want a ban on Fracking because we love our families, our friends and where we live. Many people have become seriously ill when Fracking companies have started drilling near them. There are many stories of heartache, from someone's wife who has cancer to a mother's young son with severe asthma. Under no circumstances is it acceptable to put communities through the ordeal of Fracking for the sole reason of extracting fossil fuel from the ground. With the effects of the Climate Change becoming worse, this is not the time to invest in Fossil Fuels. If we do not change our habits the repercussions of Climate Change will affect every single person on this earth. We should therefore be investing in renewable energy, not in polluting practises such as Fracking. By signing this petition we make it the duty of our politicians to ensure that Climate change is curbed and Fracking never happens in Northern Ireland.

The forthcoming Leaders' Debate presents a vital opportunity for the voting public to hear how the different political parties would act in government over the next five years, if given the power to do so. Among the millions of children and young people who are affected by government policies every day, one group in particular rely more directly on government than any other – the 68,000 children in care*. For these children and young people, too-often invisible in political debates and without a vote of their own, the state has a special responsibility. Anyone seeking government office, not least hoping to be Prime Minister, takes on a ‘corporate’ responsibility for all children in care. We believe it is our duty as voters to hold our politicians to democratic account for their role as corporate parents to these children. If we don’t, who will? This General Election should be the first in which the nation publicly asks its politicians how they will live up to their responsibility to be good parents for our most vulnerable children. We call for the Leaders' Debate on 2nd April (and other leadership interviews) to include one simple question to all parties: ‘What will you do for children in care?’ *There are 68,000 children in care in England.

David Coburn is a sitting MEP representing Scotland. He has brought shame to his country and his party. These racist comments are unacceptable and should not be tolerated.

Scotland's economy has lost out since 1999 when Tony Blair and Donald Dewar moved the continental plate to take in 7 of Scotland's oil platforms. This was done the night before the Scottish parliament was resumed after 300 years. It did not get debated on, it was done underhandedly though we do not get the taxes directly to Scotland the revenues from these 7 oil fields should count towards Scotland's taxes. Instead Westminster is claiming them towards their tax revenue and undermines what Scotland is actually contributing.

In April this year Mr Riley plans on moving to America whilst still retaining his seat on the council and collecting the £10,273.74 a year it pays, although Mr Riley plans on travelling back every six or seven weeks to deal with council work. He is quoted as saying " he did not feel it would be possible to remain a member of a district or parish council while living abroad because they deal with “nitty-gritty” issues." “But as a county councillor my role is more strategic and I don’t think it will be a problem doing my work from Raleigh.” I personally wholeheartedly disagree with Mr Riley, I do not see how he can serve the Hadleigh Community at best while some 3,966 miles away. What we need is someone on our door step that is easily contactable when they're needed, yes there is skype and what not, but there are many people in Hadleigh that do not have internet access, and/or prefer to have face to face talks in person. I think the actions of Mr Riley are detrimental to the local community of Hadleigh. Mr Riley should resign by March 20th to allow a by-election to happen the same time as the general election, otherwise he will keep that position until 2017. Its about doing whats right for the people of Hadleigh, and staying on whilst living in America does not meet that criteria.