Wednesday 22 January 2003

By David Callaghan, Nicola Barry and Alex
Dobson.

Cannabis use by children ‘raises risk of using
hard drugs later’

Children aged under 17 who smoke cannabis are much more likely
to try harder drugs than people who experiment with soft drugs when
they are older.

A study of twins carried out in Australia found drink and drug
addiction was more likely in youngsters who tried soft drugs when
they were young.

More than 311 twins of the same sex were studied where only one
twin had had used cannabis before the age of 17, in the research,
which was published in the Journal of the American Medical
Association.

Source:- The Independent Wednesday 22 January page
5

Celebrated Irish chef convicted over child
pornography

Famous Irish chef Tim Allen has been convicted over child
pornography charges as part of Operation Ore.

Allen, who founded the internationally renowned Ballymaloe
Cookery School in County Cork with his wife Darina, was caught with
hundreds of images of children on his computers.

The sentence of 240 hours of community service and a fine of
£27,000 has been condemned as being too lenient.

Source:- The Indepenent Wednesday 22 January 2003 page
5

Soldiers’ partners likely to get widow’s
pension

Partners of soldiers killed in action who are not married may
soon be entitled to a war widow’s pension.

Defence secretary Geoff Hoon is considering the change for
partners of people serving in the Gulf, and whether to make the
change for other war widows.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 22 January page 12

Guardian Society

Split screen

Alongside film studios and Britain’s most affluent council
ward, social problems are rife on dingy estates. Eve-Ann Prentice
on contrasting fortunes in Hertfordshire’s commuter
country.

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 22 January page
2-3

Rights move

All-clear for disabled people’s assembly

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 22 January page
4

Council calls time

Community social club axed for housing development

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 22 January page
4

Rich picking

Social enterprises are reaping the benefits of selling shares as
growing numbers of investors seek feelgood as well as financial
rewards.

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 22 January page
10-11

Policy vacuum

Jason Andrews relates his first hand experience of his
prosepective adopters are seen – but not heard

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 22 January page
136-135

Goodwill by the book

Proceeds of manual to help homeless ex-psychiatric patients

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 22 January page
135

Society facts: Young people in prison

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 22 January page
135

Scottish newspapers

Glasgow has overtaken Edinburgh as the HIV capital of
Scotland for the first time since testing began

Figures have revealed that the number of new cases in Glasgow
has doubled over the past year.

The increase – from 41 to 82 – is due, in
significant part, to an influx of asylum seekers who were infected
before being given refuge in the city.

Source:- The Herald Wednesday 22 January page 9

Prostitution zones ‘could lead to a drop in crime
rate’

The setting up of tolerance zones for street prostitutes could
lead to a drop in crime, a businesswoman has claimed.

Annie Rhodes, a businesswoman in Leith, Edinburgh, told a
parliamentary committee that tolerance zones provided benefits such
as a reduction in vandalism and burglary due to regular police
patrols.

Source:- The Herald Wednesday 22 January page 6

Family background, not bad habits, may be why fewer poor
people survive cancer

Poor people are less likely than the rich to survive cancer
regardless of whether they live a healthy lifestyle, according to
research by the department of public health, Greater Glasgow NHS
Board.

Bad habits like smoking, drinking and poor diet do not account
for higher death rates among people who live in deprivation.

Source:- The Herald Wednesday 22 January page 1

Minorities suffer worst poverty

About a third of all children in Britain live in poverty, with
disadvantage deeper among those in ethnic minority groups,
according to a new report from the Child Poverty Action Group.

Some 73 per cent of Bangladeshi and Pakistani children, 63 per
cent of black African children and 40 per cent of Caribbean
children live in poverty.

The report concludes that discrimination and racism have a role
to play.

Source:- The Scotsman Wednesday 22 January page 6

Welsh newspapers

Woman paid in gift vouchers is looking for
work

A woman with learning disabilities who was paid in gift vouchers
by a major high street newsagent’s is looking for a new
job.

Karen Godfrey, from Monmouth, was told just before Christmas
that she would no longer be able to work for a WH Smith branch in
the town because of insurance problems.

She had worked for the shop since 1996 and for much of that time
had been paid in £5 gift vouchers.

Following the intervention of Monmouth MP Huw Edwards, she was
offered her old job back with full pay and conditions, but she
declined the offer.

Now the Mencap administered scheme, Pathways is helping Godfrey
find another job.

Source:- South Wales Argus Tuesday 21 January page
6

Urgent review call

Welsh assembly members from Gwent are calling for an urgent
review of the way victims of sex crimes are compensated, following
the case of a rape victim who was offered £8,250 after a
terrifying ordeal.

There has been widespread condemnation of the sum, which has
been offered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board to a woman
who was kidnapped and repeatedly raped during a 15-hour ordeal. Her
attacker is now serving a 15- year sentence.

Conservative AM for south Wales east, William Graham, said that
there should be a range of compensation levels to draw on where
victims had suffered significant trauma.

Source:- South Wales Argus Tuesday 21 January page
6

Targets to help boys ‘missed’

Ambitious targets to cut the academic under achievement of boys
have failed to materialise, according to new figures.

By 2002 the Welsh assembly had set itself the task of cutting
the level of under achievement by boys against girls when compared
to 1996.

But new figures show that out of targets set in 21 areas across
all four key stages no fewer than 17 have been missed, with girls
continuing to perform substantially better than boys.

Source:- Western Mail Wednesday 22 January page 2