Claims management companies are companies which act as intermediaries for people claiming compensation: they often approach people who may want to make a claim, sometimes offering ‘no win, no fee’ agreements. The Government has recognised that many people have not always had a fair deal when using the services of these companies, and so has passed the Compensation Act. The Act covers compensation claims for personal injury, criminal injuries compensation, employment matters, housing disrepair, financial products and industrial injury disablement benefits.From April 2007 it will be an offence to provide claims management services without authorisation, or exemption. Claims management companies will be regulated and they must have a formal complaints procedure. The Department for Constitutional Affairs is acting as regulator to claims management companies. You can now search on the claims management website, www.claimsregulation.gov.uk to make sure a company who approaches you or who you are thinking of using are authorised, as well as funding further information. You can also access information at www.adviceguide.org.uk or contact your local CAB.

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You are right - maternity leave and pay are changing from 1 April 2007. If your baby is due on or after this date you will have the right to take up to 52 weeks maternity leave, regardless of how long you have worked for your employer. The important thing to remember is that your rights depend on when your baby is due, not when it is born, so if your baby arrives early the rights still apply.The first 26 weeks of maternity leave are called Ordinary Maternity Leave (OML) and you will still get all the same rights under your contract of employment as if you were still at work, for example, you will get any pay increases and you will still build up your holiday entitlement. The only exception is that you will not get your normal pay unless your contract allows for this. After OML, your leave becomes Additional Maternity Leave; you can take up to a further 26 weeks off but there must be no gap between the two. You may need advice from a CAB about which employment rights still apply.Most women whose babies are due on or after 1 April 2007 are entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance, which is paid for up to 39 weeks. You are also allowed to work and be paid for up to 10 days during your maternity leave without it affecting your maternity pay. For more information visit www.adviceguide.org.uk

From mid-2007 all first-time adult passport applicants will be called to a face-to-face interview. The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) says this is being done in order to combat the growing problem of identity fraud. Applications can still be made by post, but all those aged 16 or over who have never held a passport before will be interviewed after preliminary background checks have been completed.Interviews should last between 10 and 20 minutes and in them people will be asked some basic information about themselves. IPS says this should not be deeply private information, but it will need to be information that can be checked.IPS says it is aiming that 95 per cent of the population will be within an hour's travel of an office where interviews will take place, and over half within 15 minutes. They also promise that the offices should be easy to find, with good parking and public transport access. For those in more remote areas, they will conduct interviews over a secure webcam link.Applicants will be asked to provide information before interview (for example, their national insurance number and previous addresses) which will be checked against government and private sector databases. These changes to the application process will mean an increase in the passport fee, but IPS has not yet announced how much the new charge will be. For more information go to the IPS website: www.passport.gov.ukFor free, independent, confidential advice go to the Citizens Advice website www.adviceguide.org.uk or consult your local CAB.

You don’t say how much your pension is, but if you are on a low income and don’t have much in savings you could be entitled to Council Tax Benefit. This is a benefit to help towards council tax, paid by your local council. If you qualify, it means that your bill will be reduced. Thousands of people who should be getting Council Tax Benefit are missing out, just because they don’t know about it or how to claim.First check you are getting any discounts you may be entitled to – for example if you live alone you automatically qualify for a 25 per cent reduction in your bill. If you are eligible for Council Tax Benefit the amount you get will depend on how much money you have coming in. In some cases it will mean you do not have to pay any council tax at all.You should make a claim direct to your local council’s Council Tax Benefit office, using the form they provide. Or if you prefer, you may be able to make your claim by phone or online. Ask for the claim to be dated from the day you asked for the form. If you are over 60 and you think you would have qualified for Council Tax Benefit before you made your claim, you may be able to get payment backdated for up to a year.Your local Citizens Advice Bureau will be able to check to make sure you are getting all the help you are entitled to and help you make a claim. For more information go to the Citizens Advice website www.adviceguide.org.uk or look under ‘C’ in your local phone book.

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