By David Callaghan, Nicola Barry and Alex Dobson.
Rise in total of child inmates blamed on Bulger case
A new report from crime reduction charity Nacro shows that there has been a sharp rise in the number of teenagers being held in custody. The effect of the James Bulger case had been to persuade politicians to pass draconian laws, it says.
The number of under-15s placed in custody had leapt eight-fold from 100 to 800 in the last 10 years, the report says, which threatens to put the government in breach of United Nations conventions.
Juveniles locked up in England and Wales now totalled 7,600 rising from 4,000 in 1992. Only Germany among western European countries has more under-18s in custody, according to the report 'A Failure of Justice - Reducing Child Imprisonment'.
Source:- The Independent Thursday 10 April page 16
Fad dieters put unborn children at risk
A leading expert in epidemiology has warned that mothers who diet when they are pregnant could put their children at risk of diabetes later in life.
Professor David Barker, head of the medical research council's epidemiology unit at Southampton University, also warned that children who eat fatty foods could store up health problems for themselves when they are older.
Barker said heart diseases could begin for the child in the womb, if the mother has a low carbohydrate diet. A full diet could prevent heart attack risks, stroke or diabetes for the child later in life.
Source:- The Guardian Thursday 10 April page 12
Pensioner prisoners are 'left to vegetate'
Chief inspector of prisons Anne Owers has found older prisoners "vegetating" at the only prison unit for over 55s in the country.
She said conditions in the E-wing at Kingston prison in Portsmouth, which holds 28 older male offenders, were degrading.
The Victorian prison holds 200 prisoners in small cells, with some of the inmates having to leave their belongings in boxes outside their room.
Owers said the cells were too small, poorly lit, with poor ventiliation, and staff were not trained in how to deal with older prisoners.
Source:- The Times Thursday 10 April page 26
Judge urges changes to stop asylum seekers 'playing system'
A high court judges wants an overhaul of court rules to prevent asylum seekers "playing the system" to delay their deportation. Mr Justice Munby made his comments as he considered the case of an Algerian man who arrived in this country in the back of a lorry.
The man, Mohammed Dahmani, has tried four times to gain a judicial review into his case, and the judge said it was the clearest case of abuse of the system he had seen. He dismissed the appeal and said that should be the end of the matter.
Source:- The Times Thursday 10 April page 26
Scottish newspapers
Hotel charges for pensioners in hospital abolished
‘Hotel’ charges imposed on pensioners for meals and accommodation in hospital were scrapped yesterday by Gordon Brown. Older patients have been losing almost £30 from their weekly pensions for stays in hospital of more than six weeks.
Liz Duncan, of Help the Aged in Scotland, while welcoming the reform, said it was “long overdue”. She went on to criticise the winter fuel payment increase of less than £2.
“It appears the government’s approach to financial security for pensioners is to cross its fingers,” she said.
Source: The Herald Thursday 10 April (Budget supplement) page 2
War against child poverty
Gordon Brown yesterday announced he had commissioned a report into how the government can best meet its target of halving child poverty by 2010.
Danny Phillips, manager of the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, welcomed the call for a report. But, he warned that without further increases in cash support for children, the government will miss its first milestone target to reduce child poverty by a quarter over the next two years.
The charity called for an increase in child tax credit of at least £3 per week per child.
Source: The Herald Thursday 10 April (Budget supplement) page 3
Welsh newspapers
60,000 missed appointments
Hospital patients are failing to turn up for appointments and causing massive wastage in the NHS.
The missed appointments have led to a new drive by the University Hospital of Wales and Llandough Hospital in Cardiff to try new methods of encouraging patients to keep appointments.
The hospitals will be using a telephone booking scheme that will allow patients - within reason - to negotiate the best time for their appointment. Currently around one in eight appointments are missed, and patient watchdogs have welcomed the new system.
Source:- South Wales Echo Wednesday 9 April page 10
Too poor to be healthy
A half-page feature in the run-up to the Welsh assembly elections next month that looks at the plight of the many people in Wales who are currently suffering the effects of poverty and deprivation.
The story focuses on the links between poverty and ill health, and there are contributions from experts in the field on how best to tackle the problem.
Source:- Western Mail Thursday 10 April page 10
