News
Nil Rate Band Inheritance Tax threshold - Frozen!
The Chancellor has announced that the Nil Rate Band Inheritance Tax threshold is to be frozen at £325,000 until 2014.
Elaine Theaker appears on BBC Wales to talk about top tips on making a Will
Elaine Theaker, director of Advantage Legal, was invited to appear on the BBC Wales consumer programme, X-Ray, to talk about making a Will. For more on this click here.
The Mental Capacity Act 2005
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 came into force in its entirety on 1st October 2007.
It is no longer possible to create any new Enduring Powers of Attorney but those created before 1st October 2007 will continue to be valid indefinitely, or until the donor cancels it.
The new Lasting Power of Attorney replaces the old Enduring Power of Attorney.
“Dangers of Not Making a Will” - BBC April 2006
“Half of all Britons have not made a Will”. A legal expert discusses with the BBC the pitfalls of not making a Will. For more on this click here.
New prescribed limits for Residential Care Charging Purposes 2011/12
The Welsh Assembly has confirmed a new single prescribed capital limit for the purposes of calculating a resident’s contribution to the cost of their residential care. The single limit is £22,500. The personal allowance figure is £23.00 per week.
The figures for England are £14,250 for the lower limit and £23,250 for the upper limit. The personal allowance figure is £22.30 per week.
“National Homes Swindle” – BBC's Panorama programmes
Panorama’s first programme in March 2006 and then second follow-up programme in July 2006 was a hard-hitting look at how the vulnerable and elderly are being forced to sell their homes to pay for nursing care which, legally, should have been paid for by the NHS.
The programmes highlighted how Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities were ignoring the Coughlan case which involves a lady disabled by a freak accident who took her Health Authority to court to claim free nursing care. Many high profile people were involved in the programmes including, Nicola MacIntosh, who acted for Pam Coughlan who said, "It's dishonest and it's quite astonishing that it's gone on for so long." David Hinchliffe MP Lab, the former Chair of the Commons Select Committee on Health said of the situation, "It's scandalous... it leaves you with a very bitter taste."
The picture that emerged was of relatives, already distressed by the severe illness of someone close to them, not being properly informed about their rights by the NHS.
To read more about these programmes, broadcast by the BBC in March and July 2006, click here.
Civil Partnership Act 2004
The Civil Partnership Act came into force on 5th December 2005, and puts a Civil Partnership, in inheritance terms, on a par with marriage
Same sex couples should be reminded that any Will made prior to a Civil Partnership will be revoked as soon as they enter into the Civil Partnership, in the same way that a Will is revoked on marriage. Couples considering a Civil Partnership should ensure they remake their Wills as soon as the Civil Partnership has been entered into
To read more about the Civil Partnership Act click here.
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