Friday 13 June 2003

By Amy Taylor, Clare Jerrom and Alex Dobson

Resignation of Milburn proves biggest surprise
Westminster was taken by surprise last night when Alan
Milburn, the health secretary, unexpectedly resigned from the
cabinet. Milburn said he was leaving the post to spend more time
with his family.
His departure was announced in the midst of a mid-term cabinet
reshuffle in which the Prime Minister has changed the shape of
several departments.
John Reid, previously leader of the House of Commons, replaced
Milburn.
Former Welsh secretary Peter Hain took up Reid’s position,
following the scrapping of Whitehall’s departments for Scotland and
Wales.
Source:- Financial Times Friday June 13 page 1
Irvine goes as Blair overhauls judiciary
Yesterday’s cabinet reshuffle saw the Prime Minister
abolish the role of Lord Chancellor, putting Britain in line for a
US-style supreme court.
By removing the post of Lord Chancellor, which has been in
existence for 800-years, Tony Blair signalled an overhaul of the
constitution, separating the head of the judiciary from
politics.
A huge row was underway last night from opposition politicians,
furious that such great constitutional change had taken place
without any consultation either in parliament or with the
judiciary.
Lord Irvine, the Lord Chancellor, retired from the government
amidst the reshuffle.
Constitutional experts welcomed the change, arguing that separating
the Lord Chancellor’s potentially conflicting roles of head of the
judiciary, cabinet minister and speaker in the Lords was long over
due.
A new Department for Constitutional Affairs headed by Lord Falconer
will take on most of the work of the Lord Chancellor’s
department.
Source:- Financial Times Friday June 13 page 1
Children in care may get boarding school place
Hundreds of children in care will be sent to private
boarding schools under new proposals from the education secretary
Charles Clarke . 
The move would be the biggest partnership between the government
and independent schools since Labour abolished assisted places in
1997.
Clarke believes boarding schools would provide more cost-effective
pastoral care than local authorities and a more enriching
experience.
Source:- The Times Friday June 13 page 10
Girl who ran off with a rapist is found safe and well
A 16-year-old girl, who ran off with a convicted rapist,
has been found after a helicopter police chase.
Kayleigh Quinn was chased across fields by officers after her
mother spotted her returning home for supplies.
She reported the sighting to police who followed Quinn back to a
woodland lane where Steve Barton was waiting for her.
Barton, who has a previous conviction for raping a 92-year-old
widow, was placed in custody last night for breaching bail
conditions.
Quinn was being interviewed by police to check she was
unharmed.
Source:- Daily Mail Friday 13 June page 43
Scottish newspapers
Cannabis campaigner to take own life
A cannabis campaigner, who is a wheelchair user, plans to
commit suicide next week with an overdose of paracetomals and
champagne, after putting her case to legalise the drug to the
courts next week.
Biz Ivol, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, desperately wants to
end her own life because the crippling pain makes her feel like a
prisoner in her own body.
However she has pledged that she will fight her charges of
possessing and supplying the drug, which she believes alleviates
the pain.
Source:- The Scotsman  Friday 13 June page 6
Plea over booze link to wife beating
A leading charity yesterday called for the link between
alcohol and domestic abuse to be investigated.
According to statistics, 44 per cent of domestic violence victims
in 2000 claimed their attacker was under the influence of alcohol.
An Alcohol Concern conference in London yesterday heard that the
figures were just the tip of the iceberg.
Strathclyde Police chief constable Willie Rae also called for
special courts to be set up to tackle violence in the home.
Source:- Daily Record  Friday 13 June
Welsh newspapers
Care worker loses claim
A former care worker has had his claim for unfair
dismissal turned down by an employment tribunal.
Neil Boyer, a former residential services officer at a resource
centre in Monmouth claimed that his early retirement was
stress-related and amounted to unfair dismissal.
The tribunal was told that Boyer had blown the whistle on a
practice where residents were taken through a communal area in a
state of undress. Boyer also claimed that he had been harassed and
victimised.
Source:- South Wales Argus Thursday 12 June page 10
NHS complaints service
A new service has been launched to help people who want to
make complaints against the National Health Service.
The Complaints Advocacy Service will provide advice and assistance
for anyone who has a grievance with the service.
Welsh Assembly minister Jane Hutt attended the first meeting of the
new body and said that people often found it difficult to pursue
claims when things went wrong but that the service would help to
provide support for complainants.
Source:- Western Mail Friday 13 June page 9