Flag
Description
blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint
of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal
red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which
is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew
(patron saint of Scotland); properly known as the Union
Flag, but commonly called the Union Jack; the design and
colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis
for a number of other flags including other Commonwealth
countries and their constituent states or provinces, and
British overseas territories
Identity
for & of citizens
Compulsory identity cards were to be introduced under the
Identity Cards Act 2006. Initial cards, not yet compulsory,
were introduced for those who wanted them in 2009, but the
requirement and the cards were abolished by the Identity Documents
Act 2010 after a change of government, with no compensation
for those who had paid for them.When a formal identity document
is needed, a passport or a driving licence is used. For those
who do not have—or wish to carry—a passport or driving licence,
the UK Government has instituted the PASS scheme, which allows
private companies to issue proof of age cards to UK residents,
primarily for young people to prove age in the purchase of
age-restricted goods and services.
United
Kingdom plus British overseas territories and Crown dependencies)
Bordering
Countries
Cyprus, Ireland, Spain
National
Helplines
Police / Ambulance / Fire - 112 / 999
Non-emergency police - 101
Non-emergency health issues - 111 Deaf people and people who
are unable to speak can text 999 after registration by sending
a text message with the word 'Register' to 999. 911 redirects
to 999 on mobile phones
Child help-line - 116111
ENGLAND: National Domestic Violence Free phone Helpline - 0808
2000 247
NORTHERN IRELAND: Domestic Violence Helpline - 0800 917 14 14
SCOTLAND: Scottish Domestic Abuse Helpline - 0800 027 1234 /
080 88 01 03 02
WALES: All Wales Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence - 0800 8010
800
National
Language
English, Scottish Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
Welsh (about 20% of the population of Wales)
Irish (about 10% of the population of Northern Ireland)
Cornish (some 2,000 to 3,000 people in Cornwall)
