Tuesday 27 January 2004

By Amy Taylor, Clare Jerrom and Alex
Dobson.

Disabled migrants have more right to homes than
Britons
Disabled asylum seekers are more entitled to council housing than
British citizens, the House of Lords ruled yesterday.
Some MPs said the lords’ ruling was ‘dangerous’ as it could
create resentment towards asylum seekers.
A legal loophole means that disabled asylum seekers are entitled to
a higher level of support from local authorities than British
citizens.
Source:- The Daily Mail Tuesday 27 January page 15
Mental health fears over IVF babies ‘stored’ in lab
IVF babies who begin life as fertilised embryos stored in
labs could suffer from mental health and behavioural problems later
in life, researchers have warned.
They say that the storing of such embryos may cause genetic
abnormalities that can lead to these problems.
The researchers warned IVF clinics not to keep fertilised embryos
for longer than necessary.
Source:- The Daily Mail Tuesday 27 January page 35
Mayor’s pledge on children’s chances
An annual play day will take place in Trafalgar Square, London,
under plans to improve young Londoners’ lives announced by
the mayor Ken Livingstone today.
The measure is a part of the first regional strategy for children
living in London that focuses on issues identified by them as
important.
These included more spaces to play and safer parks.
Source:- The Guardian Tuesday 27 January page 4
Delay conceded in report on patient’s death
The publication of a report on the death of a black mental health
patient that was due out today has been delayed after his family
accused the government of trying to bury it under other news.
The report into David “Rocky” Bennett is expected to confirm that
some mental health services are institutionally racist and the
government is preparing itself for criticism.
Bennett stopped breathing after being restrained by six nurses at
the Norvic clinic regional secure unit, run by the Norfolk mental
health care trust in October 1998.
Source:- The Guardian Tuesday 27 January page 10
Scottish newspapers
Child panel system ‘must be retained’
Scotland was warned against following England and Wales back to
Victorian models of punishment for youth crime yesterday by a
leading children’s charity. The social, human and financial costs
of the courts and punishments system south of the border should
deter ministers from doing the same, NCH Scotland claimed. Although
Scotland’s children’s hearing system had been neglected in recent
years, it should remain at the heart of tackling youth offending,
the charity added as it published the results of an inquiry into
the system.
Source:- The Herald Tuesday 27 January
14 months’ mental health delays for children in panel
system
The children’s hearing system is being hampered because children
with mental health problems are having to wait up to 14 months for
vital consultations with psychiatrists and psychologists. Without
treatment, mental health problems could affect children’s offending
behaviour or they could harm themselves, experts warned. The
warning came as NCH Scotland published the results of an inquiry
into children’s hearings and warned Scotland against following
England and Wales back to Victorian models of punishment for youth
crime.
Source:- The Herald Tuesday 27 January
Welsh newspapers
Fees for Tribal are not trivial
A councillor has questioned a £500,000 bill for employing a
firm of consultants to advise Cardiff Council in the wake of a
damming joint review.
The council’s deputy leader Paul Cubitt, responding to
questions from Conservative councillor Jayne Cowan said that the
firm, Tribal, had provided a range of services to support the
day-to-day work of the authority in key areas.
Source:- South Wales Echo Monday 26 January page 16
Kick did not cause death
A nursing home resident with mental health problems who assaulted a
fellow patient, was not responsible for his death, a court
heard.
Brinley Davies died six days after being kicked by Robert Twigg,
but Cardiff crown court was told that the injury did not cause his
death.
The court was told that Twigg was initially arrested on suspicion
of murder, but following a post mortem examination it was decided
to charge him with actual bodily harm.
Source:- South Wales Argus Monday 26 January page 11
Mum to sue headmaster over cruelty claim
A mother is suing a south Wales headteacher after finding her son
cleaning school toilets, in his underwear.
Cath Owen claims that the headteacher, Maurice Flyn forced her
haemophiliac four-year-old son Daniel, to mop up flooded toilets
after he had left the water running.
Flyn has appeared in court twice in relation to the incident, but
the cruelty case against him was dropped by the crown prosecution
service because of lack of independent evidence.
Owen said she will take out a civil action because of the distress
caused to her son.
Source:- Western Mail Tuesday 27 January page 1
£19.5m to ease NHS bed crisis
The problem of large scale ‘bed-blocking’ in Wales is
costing the NHS up to £100 million a year, it has been
claimed.
Conservative assembly member Jonathan Morgan has calculated that
the lack of action to address the growing problem is costing up to
£300,000 a day.
The Welsh assembly is due to divert £19.5 million from a
Treasury grant that was intended to cushion council tax, in an
effort to tackle the problem.
Source:- Western Mail Tuesday 27 January page 3