TUESDAY 11 APRIL 2006

Care homes accused of failing the dying
Fewer than one per cent of care homes have revised their procedures for looking after dying people despite new guidelines issued a year ago to give the terminally ill greater control over their lives. A government evaluation concludes today that people dying in care homes are missing out because the homes operate largely outside NHS control.
Source:- The Guardian, Tuesday 11 April 2006, page 12

Rapists let off with a caution stay on the sex register for only two years
Rapists who are cautioned are being put on the sex offender register for a maximum of two years after the government relaxed registration rules three years ago.
Source:- The Times, Tuesday 11 April 2006, page 4

Fee for marriage unfair to migrants
The government unfairly discriminated against immigrants by bringing in a law requiring them to pay £135 to get married, the High Court has ruled. The law breached their human rights and went beyond its intended aim of stopping “sham marriages” the judge ruled.
Source:- Financial Times, Tuesday 11 April 2006, page 4

Tories back goal to end child poverty by 2020
The Tory leadership has signed up to Labour’s ambitious target of ending child poverty by 2020, ensuring that deprivation is placed at the heart of the political debate in coming months.
Source:- The Guardian, Tuesday 11 April 2006, page 4

Lesbian refugee can stay in Britain
An illegal immigrant was allowed by the Court of Appeal to stay in Britain yesterday because deporting her would breach her right to a family life with another woman. She can now remain in the country while the refugee status of her partner is decided.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph, Tuesday 11 April 2006, page 4

Pupils use mobile phones to bully teachers in classroom
Teachers are becoming the victims of “psychological assault” as pupils use their mobile phones to bully them.
Source:- The Times, Tuesday 11 April 2006, page 11

Stab vest lag loses
A prisoner’s bid to the right to wear a stab-proof vest in jail was thrown out yesterday. John Shelley said the Prison Service’s refusal to let him protect himself from attack violated his human rights.
Source:- The Sun, Tuesday 11 April 2006, page 19

Union wants national curriculum scrapped
The national curriculum should be scrapped because children can get many of the raw facts they need from the internet, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers said yesterday.
Source:- Financial Times, Tuesday 11 April 2006, page 4

Cathy comes home to BBC on drama’s 40th anniversary
The BBC is to reinterpret powerful homelessness drama Cathy Come Home, which launched the charity Shelter, for the 21st century in a new production with Colin Firth. It will be aired in November.
Source:- The Independent, Tuesday 11 April 2006, page 5

Scottish news

Council’s plea over £2 million shortfall in asylum funds
Scottish ministers have been asked to find £2 million extra to support asylum seekers after funding for a raft of key services was withdrawn by the Home Office.
The shortfall covers education and healthcare for more than 5000 people dispersed to Scotland, and would threaten 65 specialist teaching posts designed to help children integrate into Scottish schools.
It comes after months of negotiations between Glasgow Council, the only Scottish authority which has agreed to house asylum seekers, and the National Asylum Support Service, which is responsible for the dispersal scheme, broke down.
Source:- The Herald, Tuesday 11 April 2006

Drop in prosecution rates for under-age drink sales
The number of people punished for selling alcohol to children in Scotland has fallen, despite the Scottish executive’s drive to tackle under-age drinking. Figures released by Cathy Jamieson, the justice minister, showed 50 people were caught by police or council officers in 2003, compared with 58 in 1999. Critics said the figures masked a huge problem of under-age drinking in Scotland, and merely showed that the law was not working.
Source:- The Scotsman, Tuesday 11 April 2006

Welsh news

Justice for our Ben
The mother of a murdered sixth-form student Ben Bellamy spoke of her anger over the lack of remorse shown by her son’s killers last night.
Tracy Gwynn, 39, said while she welcomed justice for Ben the three teenagers convicted of killing him had shown no remorse for their “evil actions”.
Ben’s body was found on a Swansea beach last September. Swansea crown court found 18-year-old Joel Taylor and 16-year-old Joshua Thomas guilty of murder while 18-year-old Andrew Rafferty was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter.
Source:- Western Mail, Tuesday 11 April 2006