Thursday 16 January 2003

By Amy Taylor, Nicola Barry and Alex
Dobson.

Brown to keep squeezing public sector pay

Gordon Brown gave a warning to public sector workers last night
that the squeeze on their pay will have to continue.

The Chancellor hinted at low single figure rises for hundreds of
thousands of teachers, members of the armed forces and civil
servants, showing his determination to prevent the firefighters’
dispute provoking a wave of inflationary pay deals.

Source:- The Times Thursday 16 January page 1

Tougher curbs urged for asylum seekers

David Blunkett came under pressure yesterday to impose tougher
checks on asylum seekers in an attempt to stop terrorists
exploiting the immigration system.

The disclosure that one of the men arrested in Manchester was an
Algerian asylum applicant fuelled calls from the Opposition for
security checks on refugees.

The news came less than a fortnight after police detained two
asylum seekers after traces of the poison ricin were found during a
raid on a flat in Wood Green, north London.

Source:- The Times Thursday 16 January page 4

Cardinal found job for another sex case
priest

A Roman Catholic priest, who was convicted of taking indecent
pictures of young boys, was appointed to a new parish by the
Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor.

The cardinal, who had admitted making a grave mistake in the
handling of previous sex abuse case involving a priest, also
supported father Timothy Garratt when he moved overseas where he
worked with children.

Garratt has now returned to Britain where is he being nursed by
nuns after suffering from a nervous illness.

Source:- The Times Thursday 16 January page 12

Matthew Kelly held in child abuse inquiry

The presenter Matthew Kelly was arrested yesterday evening in
connection with allegations of sexual abuse of young boys.

A second man in his late 50s was also arrested as part of an
operation linked to “historic allegations of sexual abuse”, police
said.

Kelly was being held overnight at Surrey police station,
Guildford, pending police interviews this morning. Three men claim
that Kelly, who has a son and a daughter, abused them more than 20
years ago.

Police are also searching other addresses as part of their
enquiry.

Source:- The Times Thursday 16 January page 12

Labour considers community courts

Labour is to consider setting up community courts as a people’s
alternative to magistrates courts, in what it describes as an
attempt to “renew the contract between the citizen and the
state”.

Community courts would be designed to bring the court closer to
people. They might become arbiters in disputes between neighbours
or deal with anti social behaviour such as littering or
graffiti.

Source:-The Guardian Thursday 16 January page 15

Row over bill for ID cards

David Blunkett yesterday admitted a disagreement with Gordon
Brown over the cost of introducing identity cards.

He said the Chancellor wants the benefit of a national system,
but had refused to fund it through the Treasury.

He also revealed that other ministers were also opposed to the
cards for reasons other than just financial ones. The disagreements
could mean plans to introduce the so-called ‘entitlement’ cards are
put on hold for years or even shelved.

MigrationWatch UK, the independent think tank, believes national
identity cards should be issued straight away to crack down on
illegal working.

Source:- Daily Mail Thursday 16 January page 6

Scottish newspapers

Council rejects adoption appeal

A nurse who claims to have been told by social workers she was
too fat to adopt a child has lost her appeal to become a foster
parent, it emerged yesterday.

Margaret Kyme, who weighs 22 stone, had her original application
thrown out by Glasgow council last year. Afterwards she claimed
social workers had told her she was too heavy and might die
prematurely.

Kyme plans to take legal action with her partner Bill
O’Neill, claiming they have been discriminated against.

Source:- The Scotsman Thursday 16 January page 13

Woman “was asked for sex” before car hit
her

A woman told yesterday how she was knocked down after spurning
advances in a prostitution tolerance zone.

The high court in Edinburgh heard that Elaine Simpson was
returning home from a night out, when a man approached in a car and
asked her whether she wanted ‘business’.

She told him twice she was not a prostitute. Colin Kelly, now a
prisoner, retreated but then returned, drove his car onto the
pavement, causing a van to collide with Simpson causing her serious
injury and permanent disfigurement.

Source:- The Herald Thursday 16 January page 11

Watchdog is scrapped without a whimper

A performance monitoring unit set up by the executive to improve
public services was scrapped months ago before it even got off the
ground, it emerged yesterday.

The revelation came just a day after the first minister warned
poorly performing public services they would be monitored more
closely, forcing them to improve.

Source:- The Herald Thursday 16 January page 6

Welsh newspapers

Health visitor’s ‘shock’

A health visitor told a jury she was shocked when she visited a
Newport couple’s home after their baby son died.

Helen Vickery was given evidence to Cardiff crown court in the
case of a 35-year-old man charged with seven counts of child
cruelty and charges of grievous bodily harm with intent.

The court has been told that the father, who cannot be named to
protect the identity of the children, failed to call for medical
assistance when two children of the family became ill.

When the baby who subsequently died was taken to hospital he was
found to have a fractured skull and two fractures of the right
leg.

Source:- South Wales Argus Wednesday 15 January page
15

Helpline for battered husbands

The first UK-wide helpline for battered husbands has been
launched by the charity ManKind Initiative.

The organisation decided to launch the helpline after receiving
hundreds of calls to regional pilot schemes, one of which was in
south Wales.

The charity also has plans to set up safe houses for men and a
set of lawyers to represent fathers in divorce and family
courts.

Source:- Western Mail Thursday 16 January page 8

Protecting the children

A feature article looking at the threat of paedophiles and the
way that organisations like the Urdd Eisteddfod are seeking to
protect children by introducing stringent new measures.

The article explores the restrictions now placed on
photographing children in activities like school nativity plays and
sports events.

Source:- Western Mail Thursday 16 January page 12