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