Make housing affordable for public sector workers, Brown told

Make housing affordable for public sector workers, Brown told
Prime minister-elect Gordon Brown will be told that making housing affordable for public sector workers should be among his top priorities for the forthcoming comprehensive spending review by unions this week. The issue will be included in a submission to the CSR by a group of unions, which follows anger over Brown’s decision to limit public sector pay increases for forthcoming years to below inflation.
Source:- Daily Mirror, Tuesday 29 May 2007, page 10

Deputy hopefuls chase equality vote
Three of the Labour deputy leadership candidates have sought to push equality higher up the party’s agenda in their pitch for the job. Justice minister Harriet Harman has called for equal pay audits to become mandatory for private sector employers, to tackle wage inequalities, while Northern Ireland secretary Peter Hain has called for a new employment commission to enforce employees’ rights and tackle “rising inequality in the workplace”.Meanwhile, backbencher Jon Cruddas used a pamphlet by leftwing group Compass to call on Labour to promote a pro-equality agenda without fear of the reaction of the popular press.
Source:- Financial Times, Tuesday 29 May 2007, page 2

Sex offender computer system hit by delay
The government has cancelled the launch of a national computer system to help police get instant details of offences committed by people working with children or vulnerable adults due to software failing in tests. The system was pledged after the Bichard Inquiry into the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman by school caretaker Ian Huntley, but the setback means that the government may not meet a target to set up the system by 2010.
Source:- The Independent, Tuesday 29 May 2007, page 4

European migrants who opt to stay her need more help, says survey
Eastern European migrants who have no plans to settle in Britain permanently when they arrive often change their minds within months of coming here, according to new research.
Source:- The Guardian, Tuesday 29 May 2007, page 7

Drink firms wary of health labels on alcohol
Plans to put detailed health warnings on bottles of alcohol have been undermined by disagreements between drinks companies and the Department of Health.
Source:- Daily Telegraph, Tuesday 29 May 2007, page 11

NHS cutbacks leave £500m unspent
Massive cutbacks have led to £500 million of the health service’s budget not being spent, an analysis of health authority figures has revealed.
Source:- The Guardian, Tuesday 29 May 2007, page 1

Babies ‘at risk from untrained workers acting as midwives’
NHS trusts could be risking the safety of mothers and babies by using maternity support workers to do the job of trained midwives, a report says.
Source:- The Times, Tuesday 29 May 2007, page 9

Parents give children Ritalin at exam time
Pushy parents are giving healthy children Ritalin bought on the Internet in an attempt to boost their exam performance, a leading psychologist claimed yesterday.
Source:- Daily Mail, Tuesday 29 May 2007, page 17
 
Dyslexia ‘used to stop pupils being called thick’
Middle-class parents are using dyslexia as a fig leaf to avoid their children being labelled as “lazy, thick or stupid”, an academic claims.
Source:- Daily Telegraph, Tuesday 29 May 2007, page 6

Pensioners stuck at top of house get bingo fix
A group of pensioners trapped on the top floor of their sheltered accommodation by a broken lift are still managing their daily dose of bingo by shouting from their windows.
Source:- Daily Telegraph, Tuesday 29 May 2007, page 9

Scilly Isles pensioners want free boat travel
Pensioners on the Isles of Scilly have protested that they will not benefit from free bus travel for elderly people from next April. The group are instead demanding free boat passes in an area that has no bus service. Andrew George, the local MP, is backing an amendment to the Concessionary Bus Travel Bill.
Source:- The Times, Tuesday 29 May 2007, page 4

Scottish news

Hidden costs put activities off-limits for poor children
Scottish children living in poverty are being denied access to basic services such as swimming pools and youth clubs, a report has shown.
Serving Children, published this week by Save the Children and the University of Glasgow, highlights the barriers that keep many of those in low-income households from taking part in activities most people would take for granted.
The charity called on the Scottish executive to ensure that services reached the children and families who needed them most.
Source:- The Scotsman, Tuesday 29 May 2007
 
Gay carer hounded out of jobs by bigots
A care worker at an older people’s care home has claimed he was forced out of his job because he was gay.
Kevin Reid told an employment tribunal how workmates accused him of performing an indecent act in front of patients and touching patients inappropriately. He said he suffered daily abuse from two colleagues at the Long-stone care home in Edinburgh.
Reid was suspended over the allegations, then cleared by bosses and offered his job back. But he quit, saying he could not work alongside his accusers, then sued his employers for unfair dismissal and sex discrimination.
Source:- The Record, Tuesday 29 May 2007

Welsh news

No social care news today.