I have been plagued by children in a lane behind our house smoking, leaving rubbish about and making noise. The parents do nothing though we have tried to speak to them. Can I take the parents to court to get them to clear up the mess, and keep their kids in order?

Parents do not have civil liability for their offspring’s actions unless they somehow encouraged them. If looking at dramatic measures you could take the kids to court and seek an interdict - an order preventing them from entering the back court. but realistically, all you can do is to complain to the police and the local authority. If the behaviour got really bad there are powers to make parenting orders against people who wilfully avoid controlling their children, but they are more or less untried since being brought in.

I am separated and my wife says she wants the house sold and the proceeds divided between us. But it was my home before I met her, and is in my name alone.

If your home was not bought as a family home, your spouse has no financial claim on it. But even if she has a small claim on a share of its increase in value during the marriage, you should not have to sell, especially if you have children living there, or at least until they are grown up.

My wife and I own a house worth £320,000. We have both made wills leaving shares in it to our two children equally. Do we need to do anything to deal with death duties, inheritance tax or capital gains?

Where a married person dies, there is no inheritance tax for the surviving spouse. On the second death, the estate can be assessed for inheritance tax but as long as the net value ( i.e. after paying off debts) is under £650,000 at the current threshold, there is no inheritance tax payable. Capital Gains tax would only occur if there is a very substantial gain in value of the house between the children inheriting it and then selling it. Death duties is just another phrase for inheritance tax and is not a separate item.

I was on an insurance policy I took out for critical illness, and had to make a claim earlier this year. I was turned down as they said that in the past I had suffered from shortness of breath. I did not think this was relevant to a physical condition such as I have now.

Anyone taking out insurance should be careful to read the whole of the policy and conditions. If an insurance company can get away without paying, they will. Also insurance is a contract of the utmost good faith, and any applicant is obliged to answer all questions truthfully and completely. If you were asked about ANY previous illness, you had to reveal it. But if the policy only excludes previous illness relevant to the presenting condition, you should be covered.