In Today's Papers

By Maria Ahmed, Mithran Samuel, Amy Taylor and Derren Hayes

Public services index planned

The government plans to introduce an index of consumer satisfaction with public services, Cabinet Office minister John Hutton said yesterday.

At a speech to the Social Market Foundation, Hutton said it would help drive improvement of services.

Source:- Financial Times Thursday 25 August 2005 page 4

Police turn their guns on ‘greed of alcohol industry’

The Association of Chief Police Officers has called on the government to get tougher with parts of the drinks industry unwilling to tackle excessive drinking.

ACPO said the voluntary regulation favoured by the government has not had much of an impact on drinks promotions and the targeting of particular drinks at young people.

Source:- The Times Thursday 25 August 2005 page 4

Tory leadership hopeful sets out security agenda

A Tory leadership contender has accused councils who give out information in community languages of damaging racial integration.

In a speech to think-tank the Foreign Policy Centre, David Cameron said the practice encouraged the belief that learning English was not necessary.

Cameron cited statistics showing 26 per cent of Pakistani and Bangladeshi people living in Britain were fluent in English.

Source:- The Times Thursday 25 August 2005 page 8

Divorced women risk poverty in retirement

Many women are facing poverty in retirement because they divorced before rules entitling them to a share of their ex-partner’s pension were introduced in 2000.

About 45 per cent of women over 50 expect to rely on their partner’s income in retirement but nearly one in seven of this group get divorced before they retire.

Source:- The Times Thursday 25 August 2005 page 14

Expulsions illegal, UN tells Clarke

A senior UN representative last night threatened to cite the British government for violation of human rights over its planned deportation of alleged terrorist sympathisers.

Manfred Novak, the UN human rights commissioner’s special investigator on torture, is seeking permission through the Foreign Office to visit Britain to discuss the issue with the home secretary, Charles Clarke.

Source:- The Guardian Thursday 25 August 2005 page 1

Boost for teenage cancer units hailed

Specialist cancer units for teenagers, complete with pool tables, widescreen satellite TVs, games consoles and internet access, are needed to help fight the disease, government advisers said yesterday.

The guidance was issued yesterday by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

Source:- The Guardian Thursday 25 August 2005 page 7

Chlamydia screening

Boots the chemists are to offer free Chlamydia screening for young people.

Source:- The Guardian Thursday 25 August 2005 page 11

Teacher in court over sexy cards

Teacher Mark Walsh, 28, will appear at Bolton court tomorrow, after sexually explicit Christmas cards were sent to pupils.

Source:- The Guardian Thursday 25 August 2005 page 11

Teenager dies after binge drinking on the eve of 18th birthday

A teenager died after he drank three pints of lager, five double shots of liqueur in less than 40 minutes as he celebrated on the eve of 18th birthday, an inquest has heard. Mark Shields was found dead in bed by his father the following morning at his home in Prudhoe, Northumberland.

Source:- The Guardian Thursday 25 August 2005 page 12

Cameron’s answer to terror threat

Children from different religious and social backgrounds should take part in pupil exchanges, with teenagers visiting neighbouring schools to improve social cohesion, the Conservative education spokesman, David Cameron, said yesterday.


The Tory leadership contender also said government bodies and councils should limit the use of minority languages on official documents to encourage immigrants to learn English.

Source:- The Guardian Thursday 25 August 2005 page 12

Rory: Bid to trace a blonde

Police are trying to trace a blonde woman who may have been the last person to see murdered 11-year-old Rory Blackhall.

The woman is believed to have been waiting at a bus stop on a road Rory is known to have walked down.

Rory, from Livingston, West Lothian, disappeared after his mum dropped him at school and was later found strangled in woods.

Source:- The Sun Thursday 25 August page 2

The bogus handicap

A man who claimed he couldn’t walk more than 20 yards without being crippled in pain has been spotted playing golf.

David Graham, 58, has been claiming disability living allowance and incapacity benefit for the past 12 years.

Source:- Daily Mail Thursday 25 August page 41

Scottish news

Woods a haunt for homeless

The woods in which Rory Blackhall's body was found are known as a regular haunt for young people playing truant from school and a hangout for homeless men.

Locals claimed the men, who were known to talk to children, smoked drugs and had defied police attempts to move them on.

Former pupils of Deans High School said they regularly hid in the woods when playing truant.

Source:- The Scotsman Thursday 25 August

NHS 24 still failing to meet its targets, admits minister

The national health helpline NHS 24 has not yet "turned the corner", Scotland's health minister Andy Kerr has warned.

He has launched an action plan to save the service, including the setting up of new call centres and an internet site. NHS 24 has come under sustained criticism from doctors and patients' groups over the length of time it takes to respond to patients' calls.

Source:- The Scotsman Thursday 25 August

Welsh news

Mormon jailed after abusing girls

Cardiff Crown Court heard yesterday how a self-styled Mormon priest abused two girls aged under 10 while taking them out on trips.

Michael Davies, 38, admitted abusing the girls for a four month period. He was jailed indefinitely with a recommendation that he serves at least three years before being considered for parole.

Source:- Western Mail Thursday 25 August

Man who groomed girl has sentence cut

A man who groomed a 12-year-old girl after her friend borrowed her phone and accidentally rang him has had his jail sentence cut.

Christopher Puxley returned the call and began a relationship with the girl. He knew the girl was under 16 but they arranged to meet and drove round in his car chatting.

Earlier this week Puxley was sentenced to three and half years imprisonment and ordered to serve an extended term of three and a half years on licence after his release. However, after a legal argument yesterday his sentence was reduced to 27 months.

Source:- IcWales Thursday 25 August