THURSDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2006

Labour’s bulging client state now employs 44 per cent of people
Nearly one in two adults in Britain is now receiving at least half their income from the state, according to figures obtained by the Spectator. Forty four per cent of people work directly or indirectly for the public sector or depend on state benefits for much of their livelihood.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph, Thursday 23 February 2006, page 10

Chancellor urged to give council tax aid
Gordon Brown was challenged yesterday to protect pensioners against soaring council tax bills until the levy is reformed. The Local Government Association urged the Chancellor to repeat last year’s payment of £200 in council tax aid per pensioner household.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph, Thursday 23 February 2006, page 12 

Voice for victims
Victims’ advocates will make statements in some murder and manslaughter trials from April in a pilot project to give relatives a voice. The scheme will be tested for a year at crown courts in Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester, and Winchester. The advocate can be a family member or third party.
Source:- The Times, Thursday 23 February 2006, page 28

Faith school will teach all religions
Faith schools are to be instructed to teach pupils about other religions beside their own.
Source:- The Times, Thursday 23 February 2006, page 30

Charge women for needless NHS epidurals, say midwives
Women having babies in NHS hospitals should pay for epidural injections unless there is a medical need for them, the Royal College of Midwives said yesterday.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph, Thursday 23 February 2006, page 1

Stress triples threat of an early miscarriage
Women who are planning to become pregnant should avoid stress in the very early stages after conception, new research suggests. It found women who suffered stress were three times more likely to miscarry during the first three weeks of pregnancy than at other times.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph, Thursday 23 February 2006, page 6 

Academy improving but standards still very low, says Ofsted
Standards at a flagship city academy in Peckham, London are “exceptionally low”, school inspectors warned yesterday. An Ofsted report said too many students failed to make satisfactory progress.
Source:- The Guardian, Thursday 23 February 2006, page 8

Scottish news
No social care stories today.

Welsh news

No prescription fee could see GPs swamped
The abolition of prescription fees in Wales could lead to GPs being engulfed with requests for free medicines doctors have warned.
Doctors said that the policy could lead to a rise in patients trying to get appointments in order to avoid the paying for medicines over the counter.
The Assembly Government has pledged to abolish fees for everyone in Wales by 2007.
Source:- Western Mail, Thursday 23 February 2006

Benefits cheat found out
A benefits cheat was found out after his modified car was featured in a magazine. Llewellyn Luce, 28, claimed the dole but was still able to afford to soup up his car with a PlayStation and television.
Fraud investigators found that he was earning money illegally by modifying cars.
His scam was uncovered after a feature on his Citroen Saxo appeared in Revs magazine.
Source:- Western Mail, Thursday 23 February 2006

 

 


 

 

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