Reform Media Summary

3 April 2008

Health

Ben Bradshaw, the Health Minister, will outline plans in a White Paper tomorrow to enable patients to get a range of treatments, including vaccinations and health checks, from high street pharmacists (Telegraph, p.1).

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has released draft guidance that reverses the decision to deny some people drugs to preserve their sight (Telegraph, p.4; Mail, p.6, p.14 [leader]; Express, p.2, p.12 [leader]).

Research for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows that councils and NHS bodies could save themselves £250,000 a year if teams of nurses and physiotherapists were sent regularly into residential care homes (Telegraph, p.12).

The prescription charge in England rose to £7.10 yesterday which is now £2.10 more than the prescription cost in Scotland (Telegraph, p.4; Mail, p.2; Express, p.2, p.12 [leader]).

Women who opt for a home birth are more likely to lose their baby than those who have them in hospital according to a study by the National Collaborating Centre for Women’s and Children’s Health (Telegraph, p.4).

Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat Health Spokesman, has uncovered figures that are raising concerns over the sexual health of England’s under 16s (Telegraph, p.4).

Harry Cayton, Chairman of the National Information Governance Board for the NHS, has supported proposals for stronger legal penalties for data theft. He said: “Public confidence in data protection is essential if the benefits of electronic patient records are to be realised” (Guardian, p.7).

Further coverage of health MoTs (Telegraph, p.4; Mail, p.19; Guardian, p.5; Independent, p.4).

Economy

Times leader: “Immigration has never been exclusively an economic good. It is a moral, political and social good too” (Times, p.14, p.15 [Daniel Finkelstein], p.26, p.27 [Peter Riddell]; Telegraph, p.12, p.22 [Simon Heffer]; Mail, p.2, p.14 [leader]; Guardian, p.16, p.32 [Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah], p.35 [leader]; Independent, p.8, p.26 [leader], p.27 [Deborah Orr]; FT, p.12).

Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, yesterday called for “discipline” in public sector salaries on grounds that it was vital to control inflation and to allow the Bank of England to cut interest rates (FT, p.2, p.5).

Business leaders have attacked MPs’ failure to scrutinise new tax laws, blaming the annual finance bill process “for much of the complexity and deficient legislation within the UK corporate tax system” (FT, p.2).

Director Deals, which monitors share transactions by directors, said there has been a significant increase in share sales before the end of the tax year, when the minimum Capital Gains Tax rate will rise from 10 per cent to 18 per cent (FT, p.3).

A poll commissioned by Agents4 Change reveals nearly half of British 16 to 24-year-olds worry about money …. Around 40 per cent are worried about not having a job (Sun, p.2).

First Direct has suspended new mortgage lending (FT, p.1; Telegraph, p.1; Mail, p.12; Guardian, p.1-2; Independent, p.10; Mirror, p.2).

The latest report by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing Supply has revealed British manufacturers are having to pay the highest prices for their raw materials in 13 years. The news further complicates the Bank of England’s decision over whether to change interest rates, due to be made next week (Guardian, p.29).

Nicholas Watt writes in the Guardian that Gordon Brown faces a “growing rebellion” over the abolition of the 10p starting rate of tax, with MPs fearing that natural supporters of the party would be badly hit by the reform (Guardian, p.10).

Education

NUT decides on strike action on 24 April following 32 per cent turn-out in ballot (Times, p.9; Telegraph, p.1, p.23 [leader]; Mail, p.10; Guardian, p.2; Independent, p.11; Mirror, p.4; Sun, p.8 [leader], p.27; Express, p.17).

IPPR report: only 7 per cent of nursery education workforce has university-level qualifications. In a Times commentary, Helen Rumbelow says that degree qualifications are not the best way to judge ability (Times, p.9, p.9 [Helen Rumbelow]; Telegraph, p.10).

A review of the system of school governors – outlined in the recent Children’s Plan – that will take place later this year is considering replacing the thousands of volunteers who run state schools with paid professionals (Telegraph, p.10).

Figures from the National College for School Leadership that were disclosed yesterday show that tens of millions of pounds have been spent training head teachers who never take control of schools (FT, p.4; Telegraph, p.10).

The Ministry of Defence today becomes the first public-sector employer to win the right to award its own nationally recognised qualifications to its personnel (FT, p.5).

Home Affairs

Gordon Brown calls for tougher punishments to be imposed on cannabis use describing consumption of the drug as “illegal and unacceptable” (Telegraph, p.17; Mail, p.20; Mirror, p.4).