Tuesday 4 March 2003

By Amy Taylor, Nicola Barry and Alex
Dobson.

Asylum judge made error in law, says
attorney-general

The attorney-general yesterday launched an attack on the high
court judge who ruled against a cut in benefits for asylum seekers
who do not put in their claim as soon as they arrive, saying he had
made errors in law.

The attorney-general made the comments as he launched an appeal
against the ruling on behalf of home secretary David Blunkett.

Lord Goldsmith said the role of parliament is to enact law while
the role of the courts is to interpret, apply and enforce it. He
added that when interpreting an act of parliament it’s the court’s
role to seek to give effect to the intention of parliament, not to
make it “unworkable”.

Source: The Times Tuesday 4 March page 2

Chiefs ‘disrupting police race training’

Attempts to improve awareness of race and diversity in the
police force are being held back by some chief police officers
behaving “disruptively” in training sessions, according to a report
published yesterday.

The officers were also found to use sexist and other
inappropriate language at internal and public meetings.

‘Diversity Matters’ said that their actions are
having “a seriously detrimental effect” on attempts to introduce
training, called for in the wake of the Macpherson inquiry, into
the death of Stephen Lawrence.

Source: The Guardian Tuesday 4 March page 13

Health staff to help cut domestic violence

Social workers, nurses and health visitors are to be given
guidance from the Lord Chancellor’s department asking them to tell
victims of domestic violence how they can use the law against
violent partners.

Previously these workers have been told not to stay out of
domestic disputes.

Rosie Winterton, a minister at the Lord Chancellor’s department,
has published the guidance after concerns that many women are
unaware of the range of legal options available to them.

The government is currently working on a white paper that will
include stronger penalties for abusive partners.

Source: The Independent Tuesday 4 March page 8

Businessman ‘smashed in the skull of his
baby’

A wealthy businessman murdered his 10-month-old baby girl while
feeding her, Winchester crown court heard yesterday.

Mark Latta is alleged to have smashed his daughter’s skull while
the rest of the family ate lunch downstairs at his home.

Latta is also accused of attacking the baby at least twice
previously to her death, leaving 33 separate fractures.

Source:- Daily Mail Tuesday 4 March page 25

Scottish newspapers

Refugees benefit from £30,000 job
scheme

Asylum seekers and refugees are being encouraged to get back
into the jobs market under a £30,000 scheme being piloted in
Glasgow.

The Bridges Project was launched last October and has recently
secured funding from the European Social Fund and Scottish
Enterprise Glasgow.

Source:- The Herald Tuesday 4 March page 4

Man charged with murder of baby girl

A man appeared in court yesterday charged with the murder of a
20-month-old baby girl.

Harry Caldwell of Paisley, near Glasgow was charged with
murdering the child and with assaulting her mother and a
policeman.

Caldwell was accused of repeatedly stabbing the baby. He made no
plea or declaration and was remanded in custody.

Source:- The Herald Tuesday 4 March page 4

Welsh newspapers

Canal baby boy will get ‘proper
funeral’

A baby found dead next to a south Wales canal five months ago is
to be given a funeral later this week, after an inquest into his
death.

The body of the stillborn baby boy was found by a passer-by
inside a green bag near the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal last
October.

Despite widespread inquiries by the police the mother of the
child has never been found.

Source:- South Wales Argus Monday 3 March page 7

Wanted: People who care

This is a two-page feature looking at the role of social workers
in south Wales.

There are interviews with practitioners who describe their
working lives and the effect that negative media coverage has on
the profession.

The article also focuses on the difficulties of recruiting and
retaining staff in the area.

Source:- South Wales Argus Monday 3 March pages
14-15

A third of Welsh nurses to quit early

One in three Welsh nurses will quit their jobs before they reach
retirement age because of growing concerns about pay and
conditions.

The results of the first survey into working conditions in Wales
by the Royal College of Nursing paints a picture of disillusioned
nurses struggling to care for patients in the face of bureaucratic
and administrative pressures in the NHS.

Source:- Western Mail Tuesday 4 March page 1