Monday 5 January 2004

By Natashi Salari, Amy Taylor, Clare Jerrom and Alex
Dobson.
Care man jailed

A care worker who seduced a 16-year-old girl in a council-run care
home has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Plymouth crown court jailed Nicholas Hewings, from Paignton in
Devon, for having sex with a girl under 18 while in a position of
trust.
The judge added that the girl’s behavioural problems had
worsened as a result.
Source:- The Times, Saturday 3 January page 2.
Jobless who lack maths and English skills will have their
benefits cut

Unemployed people with poor English and maths ability risk having
their benefits cut unless they take courses to improve their
skills.
Claimants, including disabled people and single mothers, will be
‘screened’ for basic numeracy and literacy from April.
Unemployed people in test areas will be singled out for courses if
they are unable to express themselves properly or read and write.
Their benefits will be reduced if they fail to complete
training.
Source:- The Independent Saturday 3 January page 1.
Huntley will never be freed
New legislation announced by home secretary David Blunkett will
ensure that Ian Huntley spends the rest of his life in jail,
according to the ‘Mail on Sunday’.
Huntley was jailed for 30 years for the murders of Holly Wells and
Jessica Chapman, but it was feared he would escape a ‘life
means life’ sentence because the new rules allowing judges to
impose such jail terms would only apply to those convicted from 18
December last year – the day after he was found guilty.
A high court judge will now be given the power to make sure that
Huntley will spend the rest of his life in jail and never be
eligible for parole, and the change to his sentence will come at
any time.
Source:- The Mail on Sunday January 4 page 11.
Doctors to charge foreigners to end ‘NHS
tourism’

For the first time ever GPs will be able to charge foreigners for
treatment in moves to crack down on NHS tourism.
Next month the government will publish proposals for primary care
trusts, including GPs, to introduce charges.
Plans to introduce charges for hospital services for foreigners
were announced last month.
The charges for hospital services are aimed to stop failed asylum
seekers, overseas businessmen and pregnant visitors getting free
treatment.
Source:- The Sunday Telegraph January 4 page 2
Give new mothers a pay rise, says Byers
Maternity pay should be greatly increased to allow mothers to stay
at home with their children for longer, former cabinet minister
Stephen Byers is set to argue this week.
Current rates of maternity pay are 90 per cent of the woman’s
salary for the first six weeks and then £100 a week for the
rest of their six months’ maternity leave.
Source:- The Observer Sunday 4 January page 7
‘They told me to let my child die’
Gaby Hinsliff on a landmark case sparked by the battle between
parents and doctors over the rights of disabled people.
Source:- The Observer Sunday 4 January page 12
Mobile phones and video games ‘depriving children of
sleep’

Mobile phones and computer games in the bedroom are seriously
disrupting the sleeping patterns of a growing number of children, a
study has found.
A survey of more than 2,500 teenagers found that many of them were
losing sleep, particularly as a result of the increase in
‘texting’ with mobile phones.
Source:- The Independent Monday 5 January page 17
£2m for projects to combat childhood
obesity

A £2 million drive to tackle childhood obesity in England was
launched by the government yesterday.
Projects being piloted in 500 schools include a crackdown on
unhealthy food sold in tuck shops and educating parents about how
to make their children’s lunches healthier.
Source:- The Independent Monday 5 January page 17
Six million on sick list
Six million people are officially too sick to work at any one time,
it has been revealed.
A record 5.9 million people are now on the sick list on any given
day and the number of long-term incapacity claimants of working age
has risen from half a million in 1980 to two million today.
Source:- The Daily Mail Monday 5 January page 1
The myth of how migrants ‘boost’ our economy by
£2.5 billion a year

The claim that immigrants contribute billions of pounds to the
economy is false, a think-tank said yesterday.
The government has previously quoted a figure of £2.5 billion
a year, but Migrationwatch UK claimed that this fails to include
the bills for health care, education, housing and benefits.
Source:- The Daily Mail, Monday 5 January, page 19.
One in four teenagers commits a crime
More than one in four teenagers has committed a crime in the last
12 months according to new research from the Audit
Commission.
The report on youth justice found that the number of known juvenile
offenders had decreased since peaking in 1992, but that the level
cautioned or convicted of violence, drug offences and robbery had
increased.
Source:- The Guardian Monday 5 January page 1
Jails fail to help alcohol abusers
A recognised alcohol abuse programme is provided in only one prison
out of the 138 in England and Wales, according to a new
report.
The research, by the Prison Reform Trust, on alcohol and
re-offending was produced using Prison Service Statistics.
It calls for the government to make alcohol-related offences a
priority.
Source:- The Guardian Monday 5 January page 7
Doctors to charge foreigners to end ‘NHS
tourism’

For the first time ever GPs will be able to charge foreigners for
treatment in moves to crack down on NHS tourism.
Next month the government will publish proposals for primary care
trusts, including GPs, to introduce charges.
Plans to introduce charges for hospital services for foreigners
were announced last month.
The charges for hospital services are aimed to stop failed asylum
seekers, overseas businessmen and pregnant visitors getting free
treatment.
Source:- The Sunday Telegraph 4 January page 2
‘They told me to let my child die’
Gaby Hinsliff on a landmark case sparked by the battle between
parents and doctors over the rights of disabled people.
Source:- The Observer Sunday 4 January page 12
Scottish newspapers
Death in cell

An inmate at Perth jail was found dead in his cell on New
Year’s Eve.
Prison chiefs refused to name the prisoner or reveal how he had
died until the man’s family had been informed.
Source:- Daily Record Saturday 3 January
GP claims: ‘Women encourage culture of
violence’

A Glasgow doctor has claimed that mothers and wives should be held
accountable for perpetuating violence in society.
Dr Des Spence, a GP at Maryhill Health Centre, claimed he has
female patients who admit to him that they batter their husbands in
front of their children. He said police were called but no charges
made.
While Spence accepted that the majority of domestic violence is
carried out by men, he argued that some women encourage the
stereotypical image of the macho, and often violent, male. Unless
society faces up to the fact that women also play a part, then the
high levels of violence will not be tackled, he added.
Source:- Sunday Herald 4 January
Bishop attacks child detention
The detention of the children of asylum seekers in Dungavel
detention centre has been criticised by a Catholic bishop.
Holding children in prison-like conditions “shamed the people
of this country” and was contrary to international law, said
Bishop John Mone. He called on home secretary David Blunkett to
find more humane ways of dealing with families of asylum
seekers.
Source:- Scotland on Sunday 4 January
Police chiefs call for freedom from
executive

Scottish executive ministers have been warned by senior police
chiefs not to interfere with the way they carry out their
duties.
The Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland claimed proposed
legislation on antisocial behaviour could impinge on the
operational accountability of chief constables, in a written
submission to the Scottish parliament.
David Strang, chairperson of ACPOS general policy committee, warned
the independence of chief constables could be threatened by the
implementation of additional measures to allow police to disperse
groups of young people in the executive’s planned Antisocial
Behaviour Bill.
Strang will give evidence to the Justice 2 Committee
tomorrow.
Source:- The Scotsman Monday 5 January
Welsh newspapers
Choice-based letting scheme a success

A scheme that allows council tenants to choose where they would
like to live has helped save many properties from demolition.
The choice-based letting scheme was piloted in areas of Neath Port
Talbot last July, and has been so successful that the
council’s director of social services and housing Colin
Preece is now recommending that the scheme should be
extended.
He said that tenants respond well to being offered choice and have
found the system easy to use.
Source:- Western Mail Monday 5 January page 9

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