In your own words, this £2,000 payment was to "suitably reward our staff for the transitions they have and continue to make". May we respectively remind you that we are also your staff and we equally contribute and adapt to change. Such a contemptuous approach only serves to undermine our contribution. This would be difficult to accept at any time but on the back of year on year pay cuts, additional unnecessary pension contributions and in the middle of our campaign for fair pay makes it even more disdainful. Non-Operational staff have equally shown continued commitment, flexibility, adaptability and drive over many many years but regardless will not receive this payment. Surely this cannot be right. The importance and value we place on teamwork within the Scottish Prison Service is steeped in history yet it would appear you are now prepared to cast this aside in favour of a divisive, fragmented and financially motivated approach. Inevitably this cannot be good for the long term future of the SPS. We cannot underestimate our strength of feeling and injustice. What we are asking for is simply Fair Pay for All;- Mr Mathieson, it is in your gift to make this happen, your recent actions have clearly shown that you are not constrained by Westminster. Mr McConnel, your early messages showed an acknowledgement of unity, togetherness, shared values and goals. Please don't lose sight of this now.

There are hundreds of acres of brownfield sites in the Stroud District which could be used to build the new housing required for the people of the Stroud District. However, developers don't want to build on these sites because it costs them more money than building on green fields.We should not allow the greed of developers to dictate local housing policy. If we still need more land for housing, once the brown field sites have been developed, we can then consider building on green field sites. The Government have said development should be on brownfield sites first so why aren't Stroud District council enforcing this policy? The Government have also said its a bottom up policy with local people deciding where houses should be built. This is our opportunity to tell Stroud District council.

The people most vulnerable people in society are being used for political gain. The measures being taken are punitive, uncaring and causing untold misery. People who are patently very ill are being told they are fit for work and are having all financial support removed. This has lead to suicides, hardship and suffering so great that even the United Nations are investigating human rights breaches by the UK Government. Living with a debilitating illness is hard enough without the fear of sanctions by an uncaring government churning your stomach every day of your existence. It causes mental anguish that is hard to explain to those who do not experience it and badly affects the general health of those in the firing line. The majority of claimants would give anything to be free of their illnesses and, unlike the portrayal by the minister that they are all freeloaders, have paid their NI contributions and are therefore entitled to the insurance they have paid for. There have been far too many mistakes made and far too many deaths associated with the war being waged on those in receipt of benefits.

The court can only order exemption, if satisfied that the dog is not a danger to public safety; the court must now look at the temperament and past behaviour of the dog, whether the applicant is a ‘fit and proper’ person to be in charge of the dog and any other relevant circumstances. The changes will affect and be a death sentence to exempted dogs, much loved family members and companions - dogs which have already been found by a court of law, not to be a danger to public safety. The changes are draconian and do nothing to protect public safety. A family canine member may need to be appointed a new person to care for it, for a variety of reasons, including, housing issues, accident/injury, employment/work commitments, family commitments, divorce/separation. Due to the changes, someone can ONLY apply via a court application, which will be a complicated process for the average person to follow, to be the keeper if the previous person in charge of the dog is either dead or seriously ill. A non-legal person i.e. a rescue/animal welfare charity/company/local authority already registered or about to be registered as the owner on the exemption certificate should be able to re-home their exempted dog via a keepership change without restriction and appoint another registered keeper to the one appointed for any reason deemed necessary, thus saving the dog’s life. If the person to whom the exemption certificate has been issued is away and at a different address to their dog for more than 30 days over the course of a year, according to the new rules set out under SI 138, the dog must die; However, anyone for example who is regularly working away from home, visiting family, undergoing medical treatment/hospitalisation, travelling/working overseas, could be affected and their dog destroyed. This cannot be fair nor just, it is not necessary

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) currently compensate 'blameless victims of crimes'. However, they also state 'We may refuse or reduce a payment if you have a criminal record, even though you may have been blameless in the incident which resulted in your injury'. As somebody who works in the legal profession representing victims of abuse, I have witnessed victims of abuse (whose abuser has been convicted) refused compensation on the basis that they have unspent criminal convictions. Some victims were drugged, laced with alcohol and forced to commit crimes by their abusers - they too have been refused compensation because they have 'unspent convictions'. These people were CHILDREN who were abused and put in that situation and CICA are punishing them for their abuse. Common symptoms of those who were or are being abused are anger, use of drugs and alcohol, committing crimes and lashing out because they want to be heard and helped. Their experiences will be with them for the rest of their lives and they will never be able to regain their childhood or live a normal live. These issues were submitted to the government last Autumn but to date they have failed to acknowledge the correspondence sent to them. Is this being swept under the carpet too? These victims need help to rebuild their lives, not to feel they are being punished by CICA: A government run organisation!

Most of those who have the option will always be tempted to avoid paying their fair contribution to support the old, the sick, the disabled and those trapped in poverty. This way those who enjoy the benefits of better housing have to pay more than those who don't.

Without warning, the 2014 Immigration Act imposed upon long-term, legal UK migrants the requirement of a No Time Limit Document, to present as legal proof of their Indefinite Leave to Remain, when seeking employment, (in some cases, housing) or access to benefits, for which some have been paying for decades. The postal application for an NTL Document costs £104.00 and takes and unacceptable SIX MONTHS to process. (There is a Premium One-Day Service which costs a casual £504.00 for the privilege of jumping the queue.) Without the NTL Document, long-term, legal, migrants (In my case - as a Canadian national, I have lived in the UK 34 years, payed taxes and NIC, and I am on the electoral-roll.) are held in a limbo where we can not take up new employment, nor access benefits such as job-seekers' allowance (despite funding NIC for decades) In a bid to see that we law-abiding, non-threatening people can be allowed to carry-on taking part and contributing to UK society, (as we were doing, unmolested, before May 14, 2014), I have contacted all parties at Westminster regarding this issue, and I have even spoken with the Deputy Prime-Minister about this. After months of having this life-affecting issue treated with indifference, or trivialised, it is apparent to me that to put right this collateral damage, caused by the 2014 Immigration Act, the government would have to 'spend money', a notion anathema to it's ethos. (particularly where 'people on the pavement' are concerned.) Additionally, this is an IMMIGRATION issue which is the Coalition Government's Achilles-heel. Those of us thrust into poverty or financial-hardship by this sloppy-legislation are battling with an ideologically-obdurate government, committed to BURYING this embarrassing issue. Through this legislation, Theresa May's headline-grabbing "hostile environment" is penalising innocent people! There are thousands of us affected by this (Some ILR holders won't be aware of this issue until they apply for their next job) I invite anyone, adversely affected by the 2014 Immigration Act, to join me in plying pressure on this government, and the government elected in May, to do the decent thing, and treat legal, law-abiding immigrants fairly.

Because solely the 85% of the UK's voters in England are denied the same degree of self-determination enjoyed by voters in Scotland. Consequently, there is no England voice. Nor do the people of England have their own separate Bill drafting facilities, nor Executive, nor Budget to administer devolved matters including NHS, Education, Social Care, Housing, Transport, Sport and local government as counterparts to those in Scotland. Equality and fairness dictate that England should be accorded a referendum. Wales was given a second referendum in 1997 despite having previously rejected a Welsh Assembly [80% voted 'No' on a turnout of 60%.], but England has never had her own referendum. Consequently, the British Parliamentary system is seriously flawed, indefensible, unrepresentative of England's interests and, ultimately, unsustainable.

Malcolm Burge set fire to himself in Cheddar Gorge, after being told he was subject to court action for £800 by Newham Borough Council, after his Housing Benefit was cut in half. Malcolm had written often to Newham Borough Council to tell them that he couldn't pay, he had never had that amount of money, and that he was suicidal. Also, David Clapson, who died after his benefits were stopped. He then had no money for food, had no money for electric to keep the fridge going that had his insulin in. The coroner stated that David had no food in his stomach and £3.44 in the bank. Esther McVey (The previous Employment Minister) stated to MPs that there is no link between the deaths and the sanctioning policy and that 'we ensured that all of our processes correctly'. If there is no link between the stopping of benefits and the deaths of 49 benefit recipients, why won't the DWP release the reviews? The sanctioning policy needs to reviewed when used in relation to vulnerable people, not used as a blanket policy.

Many timeshare contracts are for 54 years without exit clauses. The contacts pass on to children and grandchildren irrespective of ability to pay or ability to use the holidays even in cases of ill health. An example of a 80 year old lady having to pay almost a £1,000, pa for holidays which she could not physically use nor afford. Timeshare providers are now offering vacations to the general public at rates which are less than members pay, and at all times of the year using exactly the same facilities. Initially timeshares were sold as exclusive deals. However, it is still not possible to exit timeshare contracts. Timeshare clubs use the excuse, 'by letting it to non members use the facilities it keeps the maintenance charges down'. Latest scams/deals request exiting timeshare holders to pay in excess of £10,000 to change their current contracts to 15 year contracts again unrealistic if elderly, ill or with no ability to pay crippling costs

disabled are bearing the Brunt of the Cuts to Public Services and Benefits which is wholly Unaccepatable and Unfair in Society that shouldlcare for the less fortunate that are afflicted by serious health conditions ,not of their Choosing. Poverty caused by illness People using Foodbanks to feed themselves and families access to Medical Treatment limited by cuts to NHS front line services. a Disable treated Unfairly given Sanctions and left to Struggle .Equality and Parity of Esteem accorded to. Social Wage given instead of a cluster of Benefits Opportunities for Educational Advancement,Retrainingtion g and Rehabilitation,. Building Social Housing that is Adapted for Disabled Usage and equipping Public Amenities for Acess ie Day Centres ,. The application of Human Rights Laws efficacy when denied Support by Social Care and successful appeals to European Courts where there has been a breach of the statutory "Duty Of Councils and Health Departments..

Please sign the petition to stop this government rushing through legislation that has the power to impact on all our lives not just the Muslim community. This year is the 800 year anniversary of the Magna Carta, this bill seeks to undo the very principles signed 800 Years ago. In the guise of fear mongering and scaring the wider community about Islamist extremist and criminalising the whole of the Muslim community, this bill will erode the civil liberty of all people and all communities. For further details please see www.stopthebill.co.uk or sign this petition It is an erosion of civil liberty, fair trial, the freedom to travel and justice for all.