Teenagers see Asbos as badge of honour

Teenagers see Asbos as badge of honour
Many youth justice professionals have serious reservations about
antisocial behaviour orders, given high levels of non-compliance by young people, research today finds.
The Youth Justice Board study also found that young people from ethnic minorities were disproporationately represented among Asbo figures.
Source:- The Guardian, Thursday 2 November 2006, page 1

MPs attack department that ‘left people hanging on the phone’
Almost half the telephone calls made by the public to seek advice on pensions, benefits and jobs went unanswered, after the government closed local offices which used to handle face-to-face visits.
A report by the public accounts committee said the telephone service replacing local offices, which were closed to help cut Department for Work and Pensions civil service numbers, were often unresponsive and over-complicated, with at least 55 different numbers to choose from.
Source:- The Financial Times,  Thursday 2 November 2006, page 5

Murderer monitored by probation service
An “obsessive loner” was jailed for life yesterday for killing his ex-girlfriend, her two young siblings and a man in a fire while under the supervision of the probation service.
Sourc:- The Times, Thursday 2 November 2006, page 5

Mother warned nursery, choke inquest told
The mother of a 10-month-old baby who died while at nursery after choking on a piece of apple told an inquest she had warned staff about her care there in the week leading up to her death.
Sharon Hollick told the inquest in Cambridge she had found her daughter Georgia sitting on the floor in the nursery feeding herself and informed the manager of the Just Learning nursery in Cambourne, Cambridgeshire.
Source:- The Guardian, Thursday 2 November 2006, page 5

Thousands rally to protest against ‘destruction’ of NHS
Thousands of health workers converged on parliament yesterday to warn that Labour’s reforms were dismantling the NHS through deficits and cuts.
Source:- The Guardian, Thursday 2 November 2006, page 6

The woman falsely labelled alcoholic by the NHS
A woman who was falsely registered as an alcoholic in NHS records has responded by removing herself from the NHS so that her records could be deleted.
Citing the Data Protection Act, Helen Wilkinson argued the NHS was causing her “unwarranted and substantial distress” by storing data on her.
A senior health official stressed that the deletion of her records was a special case and did not set a precedent.
Source:- The Guardian, Thursday 2 November 2006, page 12

Four million can’t afford winter heating
The government’s energy regulator warned that four million householders will struggle to pay energy bills this winter because of mounting prices.
Ofgem called on the government and energy companies to try and identify poorer households so they can be helped.
Source:- The Daily Mail, Thursday 2 November 2006, page 9

We’ll ditch public sector pension deal, say Tories
The Conservatives will, if elected, scrap a deal to allow NHS workers, teachers and civil servants to retire at 60 to ensure parity with the private sector.
Source:- The Daily Mail, Thursday 2 November 2006, page 12

Welsh news

Granddad dies after confronting youths
A grandfather has suffered a heart attack while confronting young people who are believed to have been behaving antisocially towards him it has emerged. Five teenagers aged 13-18 were arrested on suspicion of the manslaughter of Denis Kent, who lives near Bridgend following the alleged incident on Monday.
Source:- South Wales Echo, Thursday 2 November 2006