We cannot just build our way out of prison crowding, says Straw

We cannot just build our way out of prison crowding, says Straw
The government will not be able to build its way out of the prison crisis, Jack Straw suggested yesterday. He indicated that the only way the pressure could be relieved was by sending fewer people to jail and using more non-custodial sentences.
Source:- The Times, Thursday 12 July 2007, page 2
 
Ofsted’s ‘light touch’ inspections are seriously flawed, MPs claim
School inspectors are observing too few lessons and relying too heavily on heads and teachers to evaluate their own performance, MPs will say today.
Source:- The Times, Thursday 12 July 2007, page 22
 
 
Free fruit at school ‘has little benefit’
A scheme to give out free fruit in schools does not encourage children to eat more healthily, researchers say.
Source:- The Times, Thursday 12 July 2007, page 22
 
Autism: the truth
As the leaked and incomplete results of a study on autism again raise fears among parents, the scientist leading the research says that the new reports are alarmist and wrong.
Source:- The Times2, Thursday 12 July 2007, pages 4-5

Alcoholic aid group honoured
One North East, a group that helps the children of alcoholics, has won the Maxie Richards Award. The award, sponsored by the Telegraph Media Group, is handed out to a cause which has had success in eliminating poverty within a particular area of the UK.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph, Thursday 12 July 2007, page 2

Jamie may have spelled the end of school meals
The school meals service in England is facing collapse because children are shunning healthy menus, caterers will warn today.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph, Thursday 12 July 2007, page 8

Scottish news

Target for numbers of young offenders scrapped
Ministers have pledged to introduce new ways of recording and dealing with Scotland’s young offenders after the numbers caught regularly engaging in criminal behaviour reached a record high.
New figures reveal there were 1,429 persistent young offenders recorded last year, a figure which has increased significantly year on year since ministers pledged to cut the numbers by 10% in 2002.
As the figures were released, Fergus Ewing, Minister for Community Safety, announced plans to scrap the previous executive’s target. Instead of simply recording the numbers caught offending, future figures are expected to include data about the needs of the children involved and the types of criminal behaviour in which they have been involved.
Source:- The Herald, Thursday 12 July

Welsh news

Ethnic minority women the most likely to be on poverty wages
Women from ethnic minorities in Wales are far more likely to be on low wages than other women according to new research from the Equal Opportunities Commission.
The findings show that although the women wanted to get into employment at a young age they were more likely than anyone else to be unemployed or on poverty level pay.
Source:- Western Mail, Thursday, July 12 2007