Reform Media Summary

9 April 2008

Health

A Healthcare Commission survey disclosed that fewer than half of the staff in NHS trusts across England think caring for patients is the top priority at their place of work (Guardian, p.11; Times, p.21; Mail, p.14 [comment], p.20).

The Guardian reports that, on top of their NHS salary, GPs who work in Sir Richard Branson’s planned network of Virgin health centres will get a 10 per cent of the profits earned by their polyclinic’s private dentists, therapists and laser-eye surgeons (Guardian, p.6).

Figures obtained by the Nursing Standard show that a quarter of student nurses quit before the end of their course last year (Times, p.21; Telegraph, p.12; Sun, p.4).

According to a study by Dr Giovanni Apolone of the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, the benefits of new cancer drugs are being “exaggerated” because pharmaceutical companies are halting trials before shortly after receiving good interim reports (Mail, p.12; Independent, p.6; Guardian, p.14).

Economy

House prices fell by 2.5 per cent last month from February, the biggest monthly fall since the depths of the last housing market slump in the 1990s, Halifax reported yesterday. The International Monetary Fund has warned that house prices in Britain could fall by as much as 10 per cent in the next year. In an article for the FT, Tim Leunig, lecturer in economic history at the London School of Economics, argues that the current falls “will not increase affordability” (Times, p.1, p.6-7, p.14 [leader]; Telegraph, p.1, p.4, p.4, p.21 [leader]; FT, p.3, p.13; Independent, p.4, p.34; Guardian, p.3, p.30 [leader]; Mirror, p.10 [leader], p.15; Express, p.4; Sun, p.8; Mail, p.1, p.6, p.14 [comment], p.42).

In an article for the Mail Lucy Farndon describes the Prime Minister’s decision to discuss interest rate changes as “dangerous in the extreme”, as it jeopardises the independence of the Bank of England (Mail, p.73).

Peter Riddell: “David Cameron has promised to back any rebel Labour move and will oppose the abolition of the 10p rate …. If they want to reverse a tax change that has already taken effect, they have to say where they would raise the money. This may not matter in the short term since it is Mr Brown’s problem. But, in the longer term, we need to hear more alternatives from Mr Cameron and the Tories” (Times, p.26; FT, p.3).

According to the ONS’s annual review of social trends, modern Britons have enjoyed a huge increase in income since the early 1970s, but the extra money has done little to make them feel any happier with their standard of living (Independent, p.12).

New measures have been announced under the Government’s Open Market HomeBuy Scheme to help “key workers” such as nurses and teachers to get on the housing ladder (Telegraph, p.4).

The IMF warned yesterday that losses from the financial crisis could approach $1 trillion as the turmoil threatens global economic growth (Independent, p.4; Guardian, p.22; Telegraph, B.1; FT, p.1, p.9, p.12 [leader]; Mail, p.6, p.72).

Education

The Higher Education Funding Council for England has published a report showing that six universities have always appeared in the top 10 of the three national league tables studied since their inception. They were Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College London, LSE, University College London and Warwick (Telegraph, p.14).

John Denham, the Universities Secretary, has said that the Government will keep its target of sending half of all school-leavers to university despite conceding that the Government will miss its target for half of all young people to participate in higher education by 2010 (Telegraph, p.14).

There has been a 32 per cent increase in the number of students complaining about their degree mark, in figures to be outlined next week in an annual report by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (Mail, p.13).

In a comment piece for the Telegraph, Francis Gilbert writes: “To save our schools and our youngsters, we need root-and-branch reform of the results-driven philosophy that underpins much educational legislation” (Telegraph, p.20).

Jonathan Freedland comments on the Department for Children’s inquiry into violations of the school admissions code: “Ed Balls was not criticising these schools because they are good or because they are religious, but because their rules of entry are unfair” (Guardian, p.27).

Home Affairs

A survey by the British Chamber of Commerce reveals that the cost of business crime has reached £12.6 billion, around a sixth of the total cost of crime in the UK. The survey also revealed that businesses lack confidence in the police in dealing with crime (FT, p.4; Mail, p.39).

Politics

New, post-Budget polls give the Conservatives an increased margin over Labour. On an average of all the polls taken in March by Ipsos MORI, ICM, YouGov, Populus and ComRes, the Conservatives are on 40 per cent and Labour on 32 per cent (Independent, p.8).

Alice Miles: “Power is seeping away from the ineffectual Mr Brown” (Times, p.15).