In Today's Papers

By Amy Taylor, Clare Jerrom and Alex Dobson.

Home Office grants amnesty to 50,000 asylum seekers
Up to 50,000 asylum seekers have been granted permission to stay in Britain yesterday in a one off amnesty before the government introduces laws designed to force failed applicants to return to their homeland.
An asylum bill, being introduced by David Blunkett, the home secretary, in the autumn, will include a measure to enable failed asylum seekers who refuse to leave Britain voluntarily on a free flight home, to have their benefits payments stopped.

Asylum seekers with families could have their children taken into care.
Source:- The Independent Saturday 25 October page 10
Council criticised over death
Social workers at Hackney social services were criticised by a judge yesterday after hearing that a baby died six days after being taken off an "at risk" register.
Tyrell Rowe, who was 19-months old, died from brain damage after being repeatedly punched in the face, the Old Bailey was told.
An examination of the baby's body after his death revealed other broken bones that had been caused in the previous two months.
The judges criticisms came after being told that baby had been supervised by Hackney social services, East London, since birth and had not been examined in that period.
Source:- The Guardian Saturday 25 October page 12
Big Issue claims victory after ban
The Big Issue in the North is claiming a victory after its vendors went back on the streets of Liverpool to sell the magazine after a week-long ban imposed by Liverpool Council and Merseyside police.
The Big Issue in the North said the officials behind an "illegal" ban on sales of the magazine on the streets of the city backed by the threat of an injunction, had now been forced to step down.
Merseyside police arrested most of the magazine's vendors in the city last week on suspicion of drug dealing while using the magazine to shield their criminal activity.
Liverpool Council denied that there ever was a ban.
Source:- The Guardian Saturday 25 October page 14
NHS condemned over tragedy of mentally ill doctor
A psychiatrist with mental health problems who killed herself and her baby daughter after hiding her illness from colleagues for years due to fears of being stigmatised, was systematically failed by the NHS, an inquiry found yesterday.
Daksha Emson, aged 34, worked at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London in the mid-1990s, but did not tell anyone she worked with that she suffered from manic depression.
The report, commissioned by the North East London Strategic Health Authority, found that Dr Emson had been failed by the NHS and that her death was partly caused by deep prejudices towards mental health problems within the organisation.
Source:- The Times Saturday 25 October page 9
Blunkett plans new hardline asylum laws for Queen's speech
Asylum seekers who do not provide written proof of their identities, are to be jailed in a raft of new laws designed to curb the influx of asylum seekers.
An asylum bill in the forthcoming Queen's speech containing the measures comes after Home Office research found that nearly one in 10 asylum seekers claiming to be from war-torn countries is lying.
Many asylum seekers destroy their documents while travelling to Britain.
Source:- The Sunday Times 26 October page 2
Care children strip searched admits minister
Children at secure council care homes are commonly being forcibly strip searched, a practice condemned by charities.
Most of the 420 children aged between 12 and 15 held in secure homes in Britain have been convicted of crimes and given custodial sentences, but are too young to go to young offenders institutions or prison. Other children are held at the homes while they are awaiting trial.
Source:- The Sunday Telegraph 26 October page 2
Hospitals in battle to halt invasion of drug dealers
Mental health managers have started to call in the police due to the increases of drug-dealing on wards.
It is thought that around half the mental health trusts in the country are effected by local drug dealers who operate in and around the hospital.
The use of drugs, particularly cannabis, has dramatically increased over the past decade. Many schizophrenics use cannabis as a relaxant.
Source:- The Observer Sunday 26 October page 15
Suicide of head on sex charge brings plea from widow
The wife of a headmaster who killed himself after being charged with sexually assaulting a pupil, has called for those charged with sex offences to be granted anonymity.
The body of Alastair Wilbee, aged 47, was found hanging from a tree near his home in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight by police on Saturday.
He disappeared in August before allegations that he molested a student were due to be printed in a local newspaper.
Source:- The Times Monday 27 October page 7
Cambridge aims to clear beggars off streets by running donor scheme
The public will be encouraged to put money in collection boxes for homeless people rather than giving money to beggars, under a scheme being launched in Cambridge this week.
The "alternative giving" scheme involves the installation of 10 blue donation boxes in prominent places, such as Marks & Spencer, and not only urges residents to give generously to homeless charities but also to discourage them from giving directly to beggars.
Source:- The Independent Monday 27 October page 8
Truants are offered flexitime lessons
A new government backed plan will allow truants to attend school on a flexitime basis in an effort to stop them missing out on lessons.
The scheme will enable truants to make up for lessons that they miss by attending classes before and after normal hours or during lunchtime. The hours they put in outside of normal lesson time will be added up and counted towards their total attendance.
The scheme was created by Southend Council, where a six-week pilot study is taking place.
Source:- Daily Mail Monday 27 October page 5
'Months of chaos over amnesty by Blunkett'
The Conservatives claimed that the home secretary's plan to allow 50,000 asylum seekers to stay in Britain is surrounded by 'utter confusion' last night.
The party said ministers have 'no idea' about who will be allowed to stay and who must leave under the plan.

The Home Office has admitted that it could take six months to decide which families are eligible.
Source:- Daily Mail Monday 27 October page 16
Church receives 150 sex abuse complaints
The Roman Catholic Church received nearly 150 complaints about priests and church workers after introducing guidelines 18 months ago, a new report shows.
In recent years about four priests a year have been convicted of abuse. The report is the first of its kind from the Catholic Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults.
The office was set up after a committee headed up by Lord Nolan recommended a child protection officer be appointed in each parish.
There were 148 complaints of incidents ranging from criminal assaults to inappropriate behaviour.
Source:- The Guardian Monday 27 October 2003
Scottish newspapers
Network for parents will PiPe up over child issues
Issues affecting families in Edinburgh will be given a voice through a new campaigning parents action group.
Parents in Partnership will be an umbrella group aimed at supporting people with children and campaigning on issues affecting them, such as bullying.
Organisers hope that by joining forces, they will improve the services offered to parents in the capital.
Source:- The Scotsman Saturday 25 October
Bed blocking hits surgery at new ERI
Dozens of operations at the flagship new ERI (Edinburgh Royal Infirmary) have been cancelled by hospital chiefs because of a shortage of beds.
Around 40 operations including hip and knee surgery have been cancelled in the past month. The move has been blamed on “bed-blocking” problems, sparking fears of a winter beds crisis over coming months.
Around 14 orthopaedic operations are believed to have been cancelled because there were no beds available at Astley Ainslie Hospital, where orthopaedic patients recuperate after undergoing hip and knee replacements.
Source:- The Scotsman Saturday 25 October
McConnell calls for more immigrants
First minister Jack McConnell says he wants more people from overseas to settle in Scotland in a bid to halt the country’s population decline.
McConnell will make an appeal during a top-level meeting of Commonwealth education ministers in Edinburgh next week to promote Scotland as a destination for overseas students and professionals.
Source:-Scotland on Sunday 26 October
Human rights body dismissed as ‘too weak’
Human rights groups, lawyers and police forces have branded the Scottish executive’s plans for a human rights commission as too weak.
In a series of submissions to ministers, the organisations have urged the Scottish commission to be able to back human rights court cases and to be able to oversee human rights issues in areas covered by the Scottish parliament and issues currently reserved for Westminster.
In addition, the commission’s current budget of £1 million per year should be boosted to £4 million each year.
Source:- Scotland on Sunday 26 October
Charities watchdog ‘need powers to probe firms’
The new charities watchdog should be given powers to probe professional fundraising firms which make millions of pounds by soliciting donations for good causes, the head of Scotland’s voluntary bodies has urged.
Martin Sime, the chief executive of the Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations, said such a move would help to heal the wounds inflicted on the charity sector by recent scandals involving fundraisers.
He plans to raise the issue at the Institute of Fundraising’s annual Scottish conference in Dunblane this week.
Source:- Scotland on Sunday 26 October
Youths tell Jack: stop stereotyping us as criminals and troublemakers
Young people have accused ministers of vilifying them and promoting the criminalisation and stereotyping of youth in response to the Scottish executive’s plans to tackle antisocial behaviour.
Responding to the proposals in the antisocial behaviour bill, young Scots were opposed to almost every element of the government’s plans.
The report by Glasgow University researchers found that measures such as electronic tagging, breaking up groups of young people and parenting orders were seen not just as heavy handed, but impractical and unworkable.
Source:- Sunday Herald Sunday 26 October
Welsh newspapers
Anonymity call after death of teacher accused of abuse
The leader of a teaching union has called for anonymity to be granted to people accused of sex crimes, until legal proceedings have been completed.
David Hart, general secretary of the National Association of Headteachers, called for a change in the law following the death of headteacher, Alastair Wilbee.
Wilbee is believed to have committed suicide after being accused of indecently assaulting a boy, while on a school trip. He went missing just one day before the allegations were due to appear in a local newspaper on the Isle of Wight.
Source:- Western Mail Monday 27 October page 5
OAP targets Assembly health policy
A woman threatening legal action over her long wait for a hip replacement operation could torpedo the health strategy of the Welsh assembly.
Solicitors acting for Eleanor Court of Cardiff who was first referred for hip treatment in 2001 have issued the local health board with a 14-day ultimatum.
Her legal team want the health board’s chief executive, Sian Richards, to confirm that they will pay for Court’s, travel, accommodation and treatment in northern France, where she could have the operation performed at short notice.
If Court was successful in her attempt to have her treatment paid for abroad, the decision could have serious implications for the assembly health policy as Wales has long waiting lists for such treatment.
Source:- Western Mail Monday 27 October page 6