Friday 22 November 2002

By Lauren Revans, David Callaghan, Nicola Barry and Alex
Dobson.

Private bill winners hedge bets

Mark Todd, the Labour MP for Derbyshire South, who came top of
the private members bill list in the annual ballot for
parliamentary time, has said he would like a children’s
commissioner for England.

Source:- The Guardian  Friday 22 November page 12

NHS scholarships to be offered to youngsters from poor
homes

Health minister John Hutton has announced plans to offer 14 to
16-year-olds from “social exclusion areas” NHS scholarships to
encourage them to consider a career in the health service.

Pupils would join the scheme post GCSEs, combining an NHS salary
with courses to gain qualifications. The government has also
published a consultation paper on setting up an NHS university to
improve the qualifications of 1.2 million health service
employees.

Source:- The Guardian Friday 22 November page 7

Cannabis linked to mental illness

Cannabis can increase the risk of a person suffering from
schizophrenia, new studies published in the British Medical Journal
show.

Research done in Sweden, New Zealand and Australia shows that
using the drug 50 times increases the risk seven-fold, and 10 per
cent of people who used cannabis by the age of 16 developed the
illness, compared with 3 per cent of non-users.

Depressions and anxiety particularly in girls was also linked to
the use of cannabis.

Marjorie Wallace, the chief executive of Sane, said: Recent
research papers are increasingly confirming Sane’s extreme concers
about the use of of cannabis and its relation to mental
illness.”

Source:- The Times Friday 22 November page 13

Councillor stole from charity

A former deputy leader of Rotherham council has admitted
defrauding a charity for the poor of more than £170,000 to pay
for a lifestyle of hotels, sporting events, drink and
prostitutes.

Garvin Reed posed as a millionaire businessman and financed his
extravagance using funds from the National Local Government Forum
Against Poverty. Reed from Rawmarsh is appearing for sentencing
with the forum’s national co-ordinator Bob Bone, from Wakefield,
who also admitted conspiracy to steal.

Source:- The Times Friday 22 November page 15

BNP wins seat in by-election

The British National Party won a seat on Blackburn with Darwen
council in a by-election taking the position from the Liberal
Democrats. The far right party already has three councillors in
nearby Burnley, after election victories in May.

Source:- Daily Telegraph Friday 22 November page 2

Self harm by girls ‘linked to alcohol’

Girls are four times more likely to harm themselves than boys, a
new study reveals.

Alcohol is linked to many incidents of self-harm usually
involving drug overdoses.

Researchers from the department of psychiatry at Warneford
Hospital in Oxford surveyed more than 6,000 pupils aged 15 and
16.

Source:- Daily Telegraph Friday 22 November page 6

Commons clerk on porn charges

A senior clerk at the House of Commons will stand trial at
Southwark crown court, London, in March on 12 counts relating to
internet porn. Philip Lyon, from Basildon, Essex, denies all the
charges.

Source:- The Guardian Friday 22 November page 5