Monday 29 November 2004

UN condemns Britain’s neglect of children’s
rights

The United Nations has expressed “grave concerns”
about the violation of children’s rights in Britain.

Jaap Doek, chairman of the UN committee on the rights of the
child, said “urgent” action was needed to remedy the
plight of 3,337 vulnerable children in custody. 

He commended a report by the Children’s Rights Alliance
for England which highlighted two recent deaths of young people in
custody, heavy use of restraint techniques and the jailing of
asylum seeker children.

Source:- The Guardian, Monday 29 November 2004, page
1

CBI fears industrial action among contracted-out health
workers

NHS pay reform could trigger a wave of strikes among private
contractors’ staff looking for similar increases in lower
paid positions, the Confederation of British Industry has
warned.

Agenda for Change is expected to deliver 15 to 17 per cent
increases for the lowest paid NHS staff.

Public sector union Unison has pledged to campaign for
contracted-out staff to prevent them falling behind.

Source:- Financial Times, Monday 29 November 2004, page
4

Healthcare Commission to scrap star ratings

NHS star ratings are to be replaced by more detailed information
to help patients evaluate their local trusts, the Healthcare
Commission has announced.

The new system will give the trust an overall rating and also
rate them on a range of measures such as safety and the use of
modern techniques.

There will be more self-assessment for good performers but more
unannounced inspections for those judged as poor.

Source:- Financial Times, Monday 29 November 2004, page
4

Blunkett faces inquiry over visa claims

Home Secretary David Blunkett has ordered an independent inquiry
following allegations that he abused his position to help his
lover’s nanny obtain a visa.

Shadow home secretary David Davis said a judge should lead the
inquiry and that Mr Blunkett should resign if any wrongdoing is
uncovered.

DNA tests have confirmed that Mr Blunkett is the father of a
child born to Spectator publisher Kimberly Quinn, who made the visa
allegations in an email.

Source:- Daily Mail, Monday 29 November 2004, page
1

Tories plan to expand pupil referral units

Conservative leader Michael Howard has said special schools for
excluded pupils will be expanded to take 24,000 students up from
4,000 today.

The Conservatives would scrap the current system of forcing
schools to take a quota of excluded pupils and send them instead to
“turnaround” schools, modelled on borstals.

The £200 million cost would be met by job cuts at the
DfES.

Source:- Daily Mail, Monday 29 November 2004, page
22

Baby dies in kitchen accident

A 16-week-old baby died after accidentally falling into a bin
full of bleach solution, an inquest heard last week.

The baby drowned while trying to retrieve a lost toy, heard the
inquest.

The child’s father wrote to Suffolk Social Services with
concerns about his son 19 days before the death, but the letter was
misdirected.

Source:- Daily Mail, Monday 29 November 2004, page
29

Welsh newspapers on MondayFathers group hold protest in
Wales

Campaign group Fathers 4 Justice held a short-lived protest on a
bridge over the M4 motorway last night.

The protest was timed to coincide with the opening of the new
arts venue Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, which was attended
by the Queen.

The protest, on a gantry on the Welsh side of the Severn bridge,
forced police to close the second Severn bridge crossing.

Source:- Western Mail, Monday 29 November 2004

English newspapers on Sunday

Price of illegal drugs is falling, says health
agency

The average street price of illegal drugs is at the lowest level
for a decade, according to the Independent Drugs Monitoring
Unit.

A line of cocaine costs as little as a glass of wine, according
to the report. And there has been a widespread fall in the prices
of heroin, ecstasy and cannabis.

Source:- The Independent on Sunday, Sunday 28 November
2004, page 1

Government to expand free nursery places

More two-year-old children will be offered free places in
nursery school. according to government plans to be unveiled this
week.

Ministers want to make integrated children’s centres — offering
both nursery education and health care — the centrepiece of their
plans for future child care.

Source:- The Independent on Sunday, Sunday 28 November
2004, page 2

Blair and minister clash in benefits row

Prime Minister Tony Blair has clashed with his work and pensions
minister over welfare payments to the sick and disabled.

Downing Street is considering setting a time limit on how long a
person, no matter how badly disabled, can claim incapacity benefit,
estimated to cost the government £7.7 billion pounds per
year.

Source:- The Independent on Sunday, Sunday 28 November
2004, page 2

Government plans child care overhaul

Mothers will win the right to have a year’s paid leave after
having a baby as part of an overhaul of childcare.

Prime Minister Tony Blair has promised an “expansion of
childcare to provide a better start for all our children, and to
help parents better balance work and family”.

The plans will be fleshed out in Chancellor Gordon Brown’s
pre-budget plans on Thursday.

Source:- The Observer, Sunday 28 November 2004, page
2

New cancer drugs to cost £50 million

The NHS faces a £50 million rise in its annual drugs bill
to pay for new generation anti-cancer drugs, which will help
millions mroe people to survive the disease.

Cancer specialists warned they would come under pressure to
prescribe these drugs and there so far no budget had been specified
for these new drugs.

Source:- The Observer, Sunday 28 November 2004, page
2

Government to end forced retirement

Compulsory retirement ages are to be abolished to allow people
to work beyond 65 years if they choose, the government has
decided.

The move comes in the wake of a directive from Brussels, which
will outlaw age discrimination from 2006.

Ministers expact a backlash from business leaders burdened with
older workers they cannot force to leave.

Source:- The Sunday Times, Sunday 28 November 2004,
page 1

English newspapers on Saturday

Hodge speaks on nanny state

Children’s minister Margaret Hodge has defended government
intervention in family life in a speech to the Institute of Public
Policy Research.

She announced a plans for a national helpline for parents and
said she wanted to expand parenting programmes.

Source:- Daily Mail, Saturday 27 November 2004, page
24

Custody killing verdict quashed

The family of a black man who died in police custody reacted
furiously after eight police officers were cleared of being
responsible for his death.

The High Court quashed a verdict of the unlawful killing of
Roger Sylvester, who died after being restrained in 1999 in north
London.

Source:- Daily Mail, Saturday 27 November 2004, page
41

Survey finds girls drink more than boys

Teenage girls are binge drinking more than boys for the first
time, according to new research.

Nearly one third of 15 and 16-year-old girls admitted at least
one heavy drinking session in the past month compared with a
quarter of boys.

Source:- Daily Mail, Saturday 27 November 2004, page
47

Experts can’t explain IT chaos at government
department

Computer experts have failed to explain why computer systems at
the Department for Work and Pensions crashed last week.

Experts know the crash was triggered by an attempt to upgrade
screens, senior sources said they had failed to ‘get to the
bottom’ of the problem.

Source:- The Independent, Saturday 27 November 2004,
page 9

Bill will improve rights for people with
disabilities

All private landlords will be required to allow blind tenants to
keep guide dogs, under the Disability Discrimination Bill, even if
pets are prohibited under leases.

Source:- The Independent, Saturday 27 November 2004,
page 6

British teenagers have traditional views, says
survey

A survey of of British teenagers show they have traditional
views on love, marriage and politics.

Three quarters of the 500 16 year olds polled said they believed
in marriage, and most girls said love should come before sex.

Source:- The Guardian, Saturday 27 November 2004, page
1

Welsh newspapers on Sunday

Drug bus to help addicts

A  bus that will allow heroin addicts to safely inject drugs
will be among plans presented by drug workers to the National
Assembly this week.

The bus will save lives by providing addicts with a clean
environment and new needles, said the workers.

Bruce Diggins, regional manager for homeless organisation
Wallich Clifford Community, one of the agencies behind the plans,
is part of a group going to the Assembly on Tuesday.

Source:- Wales on Sunday, Sunday 28 November 2004

‘Wicked’ con pair are jailed

A carer and her husband who stole a pensioner’s life savings
were jailed by Caenarfon crown court yesterday.

Sharon Draper was sent to prison for 12 months. Her husband
Martin, from whom she is now separated, was jailed for 8
months.

The pensioner Florence Shakeshaft from Cheshire died on November
16.

Source:- Wales on Sunday, Sunday 28 November 2004

Scottish newspapers on Saturday and Sunday

Deaf class assistant wins landmark case

Deaf classroom assistant Elizabeth Simpson won an employment
tribunal case against West Lothian Council after claiming she felt
“isolated and excluded” at work.

Simpson said other members of staff didn’t alter the way
they worked after she lost her hearing and she resigned in
2001.

The tribunal backed Unison arguments that the council should
have retrained staff to deal with a deaf colleague.

Source:- The Scotsman, Saturday 27 November 2004

Head teacher attacked by 8-year-old

Police are investigating claims that an attack by an 8-year-old
Glasgow schoolboy on his head teacher in a class put the teacher in
hospital.

Teaching unions and politicians have demanded the Scottish
Executive take urgent action to protect teachers.

Source:- Sunday Herald, Sunday 28 November 2004

Major surgery needed if Scotland’s NHS is to
survive

The Scottish health minister’s plans to use more private
health providers is an act of desperation, according to the
Sunday Herald.

The newspaper examines the state of the health service in
Scotland following new figures this week showing that waiting times
had reached record levels.

Source:- Sunday Herald, Sunday 28 November 2004

Conservatives would close controversial detention
centre

Conservative leader Michael Howard is drawing up plans to close
the controversial Dungavel detention centre for asylum seekers once
the appeals of all of its current inhabitants are resolved, the
newspaper claims.

Dungavel would be scrapped under a Tory-government because the
party would introduce a quota system for those seeking asylum in
the UK.

Source:- Sunday Herald, Sunday 28 November 2004

ID cards will make private lives impossible

Identity cards will not help prevent such atrocities as the
Soham murders, instead they will make the lives of law-abiding
people a nightmare, columnist Muriel Gray argues.

Source:- Sunday Herald, Sunday 28 November 2004