1001
Dangerous Dogs
People
remember John Major's Dangerous Dogs' Act as a singularly useless and bossy
law.
To give John Major his due, it was just one silly law.
There's
nothing singular about New Labour's useless and bossy laws. New Labour has
created more than 1,000 new criminal offences since 1997.
The
Home Office has made 367 new crimes, the Department of Trade and Industry
123, and the Department of Transport with 113 - and other departments have
not held back.
We
present here only a tiny portion of New Labour's 1001 'Dangerous Dogs'.
Dangerous Pigeon
Shooters
General shooting licence, number WLF 18.
From March 2005 it
is necessary to demonstrate that you have tried
to scare away a pigeon before you shoot it. You must keep a
record of the non-lethal method used in your attempt to frighten off the
most common agricultural pest in Britain before you open fire.
Telegraph:
Only shoot woodpigeon if you can't scare it off
County
Land & Business Association slams new pest rules
Dangerous
Horses
Horse Passports (England) Regulations 2004
You must obtain a passport for each horse you own. This includes ponies,
donkeys, and other equidae but excludes zebras.
A vet must
draw up a 20-page document that must include a description or your horse.
Failure to
get the "passport'' will mean a £5,000 fine or three months imprisonment,
or both.
Defra
Horse Passports Page
Dangerous
Addresses
The Identity Cards Bill
Identity cards are to be phased in after 2008.
If you have one, and you fail to inform the authorities when you change
address, you can be fined £1000.
Scary, huh?
More on Identity Cards
Dangerous
Snogs
The Sexual Offences Act 2003
The Act forbids
under-16s from engaging in any sexual activity, including kissing and fondling,
in case they mutually 'abuse' each other.
Naturalists may also find themselves put on the sexual offenders register
for exposing their genitals in public.
The
Sexual Offences Act 2003
Dangerous
Bangers
The Fireworks Act 2003
From November
2004 (in time for Guy Faulks) it has been an offence, punishable by a £5,000
fine or six months' jail, to set off a firework after 11pm
DTI
Fact Sheet
Dangerous
Vits
Food Standards Directive
After August
2005, as a result of an EU directive forced through by New Labour, an estimated
5,000 vitamin and mineral supplements become illegal. Any shopkeeper who
continues to sell them will be committing a criminal offence.
The regulations
currently list 112 substances for use as vitamin and mineral sources. From
1 August 2005 any vitamin or mineral source that is not on the list may
no longer be sold.
Six MPs were
removed from the House of Commons Standing Committee for the Food Standards
Directive (FSD) the night before the vote on this matter took place, and
replaced with MPs who voted in favour of the FSD.
Details
of how this was railroaded through parliament
Food
Standards Agency on supplement regulations
Dangerous
Hot Dogs
Selling or advertising goods without a licence in the Royal Parks
£500 fine
The
Royal Parks Trading Act (2000)
Dangerous
Daffs
Providing misleading information to the Controller of Plant Varieties
£1000
fine
The
Plant Varieties Act (1997)
Dangerous
Moves
Home Sellers' Information Packs
The Housing
Act (2004) makes it an offence from 2007 to place your own home on the market
without first spending £600 or more on a home information pack.
Home
Sellers Information Packs fact sheet
Dangerous
'Vehicle Immobilizers'
(Private Security Industry Act 2001)
From 28 February
2005 it is illegal for wheel-campers (also know as vehicle immobilisers)
to work on private land without a Security Industry Authority (SIA) licence.
.
The
Security Industry Authority was set up in March 2003 under the Private
Security Industry Act 2001 to regulate the private security sector.
Ethical Immobolisers
will need to undertake and pass a five-day training course, an identity
check and a criminal records check.
There is now
VI Holders' Registry.
Under the same
Act, bouncers (Door Attendants) are also licensed.
Handsard
written answer on wheel clamping
Private
Industry Security Act (2001)
Dangerous
Homes
Leaving your home empty for more than six months
It's not a
crime (yet) but it carries a big penalty - you could lose your house.
Local Authorities
have powers under the Housing Act (2004) to issue orders to confiscate your
home and rent it out.
You will be
able to state your case for keeping your own house before a tribunal. The
first aim of the legislation is to force you to let out your empty home,
and only then, if you do not comply, will you lose it.
Empty
Dwelling Management Orders
Dangerous
Wires
Electrical Works at Home (Jan 2005)
You are banned from doing all but the most basic wiring jobs unless they
are independently inspected.
Under new rules,
only "authorised competent electricians" are allowed to add new
circuits, or move kitchen sockets and lights, without approval from planning
officials.
ODPM
Building Regulation
Dangerous
Vets
Selling Pet Insurance
From January
2005 you need a licence from the The Financial Services Authority to sell
any type of insurance.
This means
that a vet needs authorisation to hand you a leaflet about pet insurance.
All firms applying
for authorisation must pay a fee, and the total cost of regulation has been
estimated at £215m
The
Guardian
Dangerous
Phones (and Apples)
Since December
1st 2003, it is a specific offence to use a handheld device, when driving
a vehicle.
A court has
upheld a fixed penalty notice against a woman holding an apple. The police
used a helicopter and a spotter plane to secure the conviction against a
nurse as she turned left with a handheld device (an apple) in her hand.
Phone
Regulations Explained
Dangerous
Parents
Smacking (Jan 2005)
Parents in England and Wales who smack children so as to leave mark will
face up to five years in jail.
Originally New Labour wanted to ban all smacking.
Children's
Bill
Dangerous
Windows
Windows and Doors Regulations (2002)
From February
2002 any new window in your own home must be double glazed and meet strict
thermal standards. You must get either :
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a certificate
showing that the work has been done by an installer who is registered under
the Fenestration Self-Assessment Scheme (FENSA)
or
a certificate from the local council's window inspector showing that the
window has approval under the Building Regulations.
Not exactly
a crime, but you will find it hard to sell your home if you don't have the
right certificates.
FENSA
Building
Regulation
Dangerous
Toffs
Fox Hunting
You commit
an offence if you hunt a wild mammal with a dog after February 18, 2005.
This issue
has taken up many, many days of Parliamentary time.
The
Countryside Alliance
Defra
- -Hunting with dogs – a promise fulfilled
The
Hunting Act (2004)
Dangerous
Habits
Smoking
Smoking in
bars and restaurants where food is served is to be made a crime
LATEST:
More New Labour crimes reported by Mark Oaten of the LibDems
Meddling
with vehicle clamp £1000 fine
Attending
woman in childbirth if not a doctor or midwife £2,500 fine
Devising
a tobacco advert which is published, two years jail (tobacco
advertising and promotion act 2002)
Staging
a church hall concert without a licence £20,000 and six months in
jail
Evasion
of dental or eye treatment fees, £2,500
Perhaps
John Major's Bill was not that bad. After all, some dogs really are dangerous
