Wednesday 22 June 2005

By Simeon Brody, Mithran Samuel and Derren Hayes

Call for junk food advert ban

The British Medical Association will call today for a ban on junk
food advertising during children’s programmes, believing it
responsible for the rise in obesity among young people.

The call comes on the same day as a private member’s bill is
introduced to achieve the same aim.

Source:- Daily Mail Wednesday 22 June page 2

£80,000 for a family break-up

A right-wing think-tank has calculated that the average family
breakup costs the taxpayer £80,000 in benefits and lost
taxes.

The Centre for Policy Studies, which used figures from the
Department for Work and Pensions, called for the government to
subsidise two-parent families.

Source:- Daily Mail Wednesday 22 June page 18

Haunted to my grave

The man convicted of raping and murdering 13-year-old Caroline
Dickinson on a school trip is appealing against his conviction,
nine years after she was killed.

Francisco Arce Montes has admitted the rape but says
Caroline’s death was an accident.

Source:- Daily Mail Wednesday 22 June page 25

Lunch parties help anorexics

Lunch parties are significantly cutting treatment times for
anorexics, the Royal College of Psychiatrists heard
yesterday.

The treatment, pioneered by Maudsley Hospital, London, claims a 70
per cent success rate.

Source:- Daily Telegraph Wednesday 22 June page 2

Tax credit millions should be written off, Brown is
told

Gordon Brown has been told to write off millions of pounds
mistakenly paid out in tax credits to low paid families.

Two new reports, by the parliamentary ombudsman and Citizens Advice
Bureau, call on the chancellor to overhaul the entire tax credit
system.

Source:- The Times Wednesday 22 June 2005 page 2

Cot-death expert gave murder trial jury misleading
evidence

Professor Sir Roy Meadow misled a murder jury by giving naïve
and grossly misleading evidence as an expert witness, the General
Medical Council was told yesterday.

The retired paediatrician who has convinced courts that at least 81
infant deaths were murders told jurors that the chances of two cot
deaths in a family were as unlikely as an 80-1 horse winning four
consecutive Grand Nationals. Professor Meadow contests a charge of
gross professional misconduct.

Source:- The Times Wednesday 22 June 2005 page 4

Religious hate bill evades rebellion

The Racial and Religious Hatred Bill was passed by a majority of 55
as a threatened rebellion by Labour MPs failed to
materialise.

Charles Clarke said he was willing to consider amendments to the
measure at a later stage and said it would not be used against
people who questioned or poked fun at religion but against nasty
and extreme behaviour.

Source:- The Times Wednesday 22 June 2005 page 10

Subsidies unfair, says watchdog

Council house tenants in some parts of England are subsidising
those in other areas by up to £14 a week each, according to
the Audit Commission.

About 82 per cent of councils that own housing stock receive no
subsidy, the report says, but they contribute £630 million to
a central fund to provide subsidies for other councils.

Source:- The Times Wednesday 22 June 2005 page 22

Unison warns of general strike

The leader of Unison warned Tony Blair that he faces strike action
across the public sector if key demands over privatisation of
public services, pensions and low pay are not met.

Source:- The Times Wednesday 22 June 2005 page 22

Lifeline that failed victim of system

Special investigation into the life and death of a troubled
offender which sees how Tony Blair’s pledge to be tough on
the causes of crime was sabotaged.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 22 June 2005 page 1

“Pensioner parents” need help says MP

Tens of thousands of grandparents who undergo financial and
physical strain to bring up their grandchildren should receive
greater recognition and support, according to a study by Labour MP
Frank Field.

With many receiving minimal or no financial help from social
services, some are forced to postpone retirement while others fall
into debt.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 22 June 2005 page 9

Childhood ambition

If the childcare workforce can be modernised, then they will have a
case for receiving more money, Estelle Morris, chair of the
Children’s Workforce Development Council for England said in
an interview.

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 22 June 2005 page
8

Scottish news

Health board to overspend by £20m

NHS Grampian is predicted to overspend its annual budget by
£20m this year, figures have revealed, but the health board
dismissed fears that measures to save the cash would lead to care
being affected.

In Aberdeen, health board officials said projected spending for
this year would be £770 million, with the allocated budget
only £750 million.

Alan Gall, finance director of NHS Grampian, said efficiency
measures to be introduced to meet targets would improve care and
provide a lead for other health authorities in Scotland.

Source:- The Herald Wednesday 22 June

Children hearings shake-up aims to get tough on crime

Plans to overhaul Scotland’s children’s hearings system to try to
ensure early action to tackle youth crime prompted a mixed reaction
from opposition politicians and council leaders.

Under the planned shake-up, persistent and serious youth offenders
face more meetings in front of the children’s panel and, for the
first time, could be made to explain their behaviour to victims of
crime.

The proposals announced by the Scottish executive could also see
social workers, police and teachers facing the ultimate sanction of
jail if they failed to meet new legal requirements.

Source:- The Herald Wednesday 22 June

McConnell’s aim to attract 8,000 people a year under
fire

A senior civil servant has thrown Scotland’s policy of
attracting 8,000 new immigrants to the country every year until
2009 into doubt after stating it was not a definite target.

First minister Jack McConnell told MSPs in February that to avoid
Scotland’s population falling below five million, “we need an
additional 8,000 people living in Scotland each year between now
and 2009”. But Lorna Clark, the civil servant in charge of the
policy, told Holyrood’s European and external relations committee
that the 8,000 figure was only “indicative” of what was
needed.

Source:-The Herald  Wednesday 22 June