Rights & Law
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the UK’s independent authority set up to uphold information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals. The ICO is an independent public body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice.
If you need help accessing your personal data, want to get information from a public authority, are receiving nuisance calls or spam texts, want to report a security breach or require advice on any Civil Rights issue you can contact the ICO at this link.
Rights & Law categories
- All
- Civil Rights
- Government
- Honours, Birthdays & Anniversaries
- Immigration
- Legal System
- All
- Civil Rights
- Government
- Honours, Birthdays & Anniversaries
- Immigration
- Legal System
VISAS AND IMMIGRATION
Before travelling to the UK you may need to obtain a visa. This will depend on your nationality and the reason you want to travel here. The UK Border Agency is the government department responsible for handling visa applications to come to the UK.
THE HONOURS SYSTEM
The aim of the Honours System is to ensure that the large numbers of people not in the public eye who give valuable service are recognised and they could be charity volunteers, members of the emergency services or Armed Forces, industrial pioneers or specialists in various professions.
GOVERNMENT AND PARLIAMENT
Parliament and government both play a part in forming the laws of the United Kingdom. They are separate institutions that work closely together.
ENGLISH LAW AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM
English law and the legal system of England and Wales covers how all civil and criminal laws are made, used and enforced and is the basis of many ‘common law’ legal systems throughout the world.
HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS
Human rights are rights and freedoms that belong to all individuals regardless of their nationality and citizenship. In the UK, human rights are protected by the Human Rights Act 1998.
EUROPEAN NATIONALS
All citizens from European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland are eligible to live and study or work in the UK, provided they have a valid passport or national identity card.
MESSAGES FROM THE QUEEN
H.M. The Queen sends congratulatory messages for 100th, 105th birthdays and every year thereafter and also for Diamond (60th), 65th and Platinum (70th) wedding anniversaries and every year thereafter.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
The electoral register is a list of the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote. You are not automatically registered even if you pay council tax.
UNDERSTANDING THE LEGAL SYSTEM
The UK does not have a single unified legal system— seperate sytems exist for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Her Majesty’s Courts of Justice of England and Wales are the civil and criminal courts responsible for the administration of justice in England and Wales.
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that provides public access to information held by public authorities.
BRITISH NATIONALITY
British citizenship is one of the six different forms of British nationality. You must have British nationality to apply for or hold a British passport.
THE EUROPEAN UNION
The European Union (EU) is an economic and political union of member states that are located primarily in Europe.
LEGAL HELP AND ADVICE
Dealing with the courts can be a difficult and costly exercise. Help and assistance with representation and costs is available from a number of sources depending on your circumstances.
DATA PROTECTION AND GDPR
The Data Protection Act 2018 controls how your personal information is used by organisations, businesses or the government. Everyone responsible for using data has to follow strict rules called ‘data protection principles’.
HABITUAL RESIDENCE TEST AND BENEFITS
The Habitual Residence Test is applied to all people (unless they fall into one of the exempt categories), including returning British nationals, who have recently arrived in the country and want to claim certain means-tested social security benefits, or seek housing assistance from a local authority.
ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION FOR CONSUMERS (ADR)
Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) refers to ways of resolving disputes between consumers and traders that don’t involve going to court.
CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S RIGHTS
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is an international human rights treaty which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children.
REFUGEES & ASYLUM
Asylum is protection given by a country to someone who is fleeing persecution in their own country. To be recognised as a refugee, you must have left your country and be unable to go back because you have a well-founded fear of persecution.
THE OMBUDSMAN
An ombudsman is a person who has been appointed to look into complaints of maladministration or a violation of rights by companies and organisations. They are independent, free of charge and impartial.
DISCRIMINATION
Discrimination means treating people differently, negatively or adversely without a good reason because of who they are. You are legally protected from discrimination by the Equality Act 2010.