Q1 first of all i would like to ask if anyone knows if a us citizen married to a uk citizen is still permitted to travel to the uk for a holiday of up to 6 months without a visa. She has visited me in the past as a tourist but i have been told that the laws have changed since her last visit.

Update 01-07-10
i have obtained an answer to my first question (above) but not the others, i called immigration and my us wife can visit me for up to 6 months a year without a visa (as a tourist only). As for the rest of my questions they were unable to answer them for me so if anyone has any ideas, please help.

Let me shed a little more light on the whole situ before asking my next questions.

We met 1999 on the internet, married in the us in 2003, 1month later i returned to the us took some bad advice and applied for adjustment of status from the within us and after living together until jan 05 i was detained by the us then removed with 10yr bar on re-entry for overstaying my visa. We appealed this however the appeal is no further forward nearly five years on.
Our circumstances are not the best, my wife struggled on with our home paying rent and bills until she fell so far behind even with what little i could send to her, we lost our us rented apt, car and furniture. More recently my wife (us citizen) lost her job. This was very bad timing as she was also waiting for a colostomy reversal, now she has no medical insurance. Our money has been very tight and she visited me in 2005, 2006, 2007. We have not had the finances to get her here since, it has been over 33months since we have been together.
Q2 is it possible we could apply for my wife's spouse visa if we have not seen each other for so long?

Our plans are currently for her to visit the uk to see me soon, however this will be only a holiday as we are in doubt over our eligibility to apply for a spousal visa.

I am fully aware that as my wife has no current job or medical insurance, if she comes for a holiday she will require travel/medical insurance which we can sort. I am also aware that whilst she is here with me i have to pay 100% council tax

now the financial side worries me a lot, i'm in private accommodation (a studio flat) with own kitchen / bathroom, however the living room is the bedroom,and in unskilled employment providing a low income.
Salary is paid weekly net 230 gbp

accommodation (includes gas, electric, water) *** pcm
child maintainance paid to ex-wife *** pcm
council tax ** pcm (includes single discount)
i have other bills such as mobile, broadband etc they are all past their contract dates and can and will be cancelled before she arrives to reside,i also have no debts or arrears as they have been settled recently.

Q3 how do i represent the figures to immigration? Do i include food in my budget too? Shall i represent each bill as a weekly figure based on 52 weeks or calendar months and provide them my salary based on pcm. Do i do the calculation to include 100% council tax? If so do i show my budget at 10 months + 2 months as the payments are spread over 10 months for council tax, or do i show the average weekly payment over 12 months?

We have known each other 11.5 yrs, been married just over 7 years and apart for 5.5 years (excluding her previous visits)

i know this is complicated but i think we only may have one shot at it and getting it accurate is important.

I am hoping that she can stay with me for 5 months soon, then return to her parents whilst i save for her visa application so that she can come back and hopefully we can begin to live the life we should have been years ago.

I hope i can find some answers here, thanks in advance.