Alcohol-related illness doubles

Alcohol-related illness doubles
Drinking is  causing more hospital admissions in England than it has ever done, a new compilation of statistics by the Information Centre for Health and Social Care shows.
Source:- The Times, Saturday 1 July 2006, page 4

£175K payout for officer in Mubarek report
The governor of Feltham prison in 2000, Niall Clifford, criticised in an official report into the death of an Asian inmate at the hands of his racist cellmate has retired early from his job and received a payment of £175,000.
Source:- The Guardian, Saturday 1 July 2006, page 4
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Labour red tape hits free nursery places
Nursery education is facing a crisis that could leave thousands of parents unable to find free places for their children after the summer, pre-school associations say.
Source:- Daily Telegraph, Saturday 1 July 2006, page 1
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Girl spared custody for school razor attack
A girl who slashed a classmate’s face with a razor blade has avoided a custodial sentence after being cleared of wounding with intent but convicted of unlawful wounding.
Source:- The Guardian, Saturday 1 July 2006, page 4
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Unions urged to gear up against privatising of primary care trusts
The big health unions were mobilised yesterday by TUC general secretary Brendan Barber for a fightback against the government’s plans for the private sector to manage a tier of the NHS with a budget of £6.4 billion.
Source:- The Guardian, Saturday 1 July 2006, page 9
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Are ministers doing all they can to prevent another Feltham?
Lord Ramsbotham, former chief inspector of prisons, on the Mubarek inquiry.
Source:- Independent on Sunday, 2 July 2006, page 33
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Special needs education condemned
Children with special educational needs are not getting the services they need MPs will warn this week.
The Commons Education and Skills select committee will make the claim in a report out this week.
Source:- The Observer, Sunday, page 5, 2 July 2006
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Ex-prisons chief urges probe into sick boy’s cell suicide
The former prison service director is due to back calls for an official inquiry into the suicide of mentally ill 16-year-old boy in a young offenders’ institution.
In his old job Martin Narey, who is now head of children’s charity Barnardo’s, rejected calls for an inquiry into the death of Joseph Scholes.
Source:- The Observer, Sunday, page 17, 2 July 2006
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Government turns charities into multimillion-pound businesses
Thegovernment is creating a new generation of multimillionaires and turning charities into multimillion-pound businesses by contracting out services provided by the state, a report commissioned by the Public and Commercial Services Union reveals.
Source:- The Guardian, Monday 3 July 2006, page 8
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Teenage networking websites face anti-paedophile investigation
Networking websites that have attracted millions of young users are to come under scrutiny from anti-paedophile investigators amid growing concerns that children are unwittingly providing material for potential abusers.
Source:- The Guardian, Monday 3 July 2006, page 3
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Kelly to reduce number of Whitehall targets for councils
Whitehall interference in local councils is to be hacked back by the new local government secretary Ruth Kelly after she released figures showing that the government and its agencies demand that councils report on 566 separate performance criteria.
Source:- The Guardian, Monday 3 July 2006, page 10
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Family of war hero Cheshire try to halt charity name change
The charity founded by war hero Leonard Cheshire VC is planning to change its name because it “can be a barrier to achieving the organisation’s goals”.
Source:- Daily Mail, Monday 3 July 2006, page 3
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Teachers will have power to search all pupils for knives
Teachers will be authorised to search every pupil in their school if they suspect there is a knife on the premises.
Source:- The Times, Monday 3 July 2006, page 2
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Scottish news

Public sector workforce swells by 10,000 in a year
Scotland’s public sector workforce has grown by 10,000 in the past year.
The figures, released by the Scottish executive, also revealed that the number of people employed by quangos jumped by 200 in just one year. The new posts mean that the public sector has grown by 60,000 employees since devolution.
The executive has recently announced a drive to tackle “bureaucracy” in the public sector, but insisted the increase in numbers underlined its success in recruiting more staff.
Source: The Scotsman, Saturday 1 July 2006
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Welsh news

Man facing sex charges involving children
A man has been remanded in custody accused of 11 sex charges against children including a baby.
Edward Bernard Collins, of Rhyl, North Wales, appeared in court in Llandudno.
Source:- Wales on Sunday, 2 July 2006
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We don’t need to know
Parents should not be informed of the whereabouts of paedophiles according to a survey carried out by Wales on Sunday.
The research found that 71 per cent of respondents did not support the introduction of a so-called Sarah’s law.
Source:- Wales on Sunday, 2 July 2006
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Two years after Clywch, rules still to be placed
At least 10 of the recommendations of a major inquiry into sex abuse at a Welsh school have not yet been taken up, it was revealed yesterday.
Wales’ children’s commissioner Peter Clarke made the recommendations two years ago to try to prevent sex abuse in schools.
Source:- Western Mail, Monday 3 July 2006
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