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House of Commons Committee Room 8 was abuzz with revelations after the Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency (UKBA), Rob Whiteman, gave evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee on the latest updates on the UKBA's work. From this meeting alone followed a slurry of news reports this morning:
"One in four young drivers are involved in a crash in their first six months on the road". That was the startling headline that greeted readers of the Daily Mirror on 20 July this year.
Today we learnt on the Daily Mirror that in 2010 155 patients died "from thirst".
Death by dehydration has been in the media eye since 22 year-old Kane Gorny’s death by dehydration due to neglect and poor care caused a stir and a public enquiry in 2009.
Back then, 130 people were reported to have died by dehydration. The latest figures show that the number rose to 155 in 2010.
The debate over 'Benefits Tourism' took a new twist today after the BBC reported the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) had changed its estimate on the cost of benefits tourism by a factor of 16.
'Benefits Tourism' refers to cases where people entering the UK from abroad start claiming domestic social security benefits. Since 2004 the access to some of these beneifts has been restricted by a 'Habitual Residence Test' which establishes a 'right to reside' in the UK as a requirement for receiveing support.
Today we were told by the Daily Express that there is a surge in crime thanks to the foreign nationals living here.
This is just months after it was reported that nation-wide, crime rates have actually declined.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) this morning caused a stir, by criticising one of the Government's flagship growth policies: the Regional Growth Fund.
The Fund is an initiative aimed at boosting jobs beyond London and the South East by investing public funds into job-creating projects alongside private sector partners. £1.4 billion has been allocated to be spent across 236 projects in the first two waves of the scheme, with a third wave set to allocate a further £1 billion.
Any claim without an obvious source should always trigger alarm bells in the discerning reader. A perfect example is a picture which recently went viral on social networking sites following Conservative MP Maria Miller's appointment as Culture Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities:
Thousands of children return to school this week as school holidays draw to a close. However, for some pupils, this new academic year signals more change as they will join one of the 55 new free schools opening this week.
In the past year, we have observed a heated debate over whether free schools affect certain social groups more than others.
As the results of today's Cabinet reshuffle were absorbed around Westminster, some Liberal Democrat malcontents have been speculating about a reshuffle at the top of their own party, with Business Secretary Vince Cable often touted as a popular replacement for current leader Nick Clegg.
So with the Lib Dem conference little over a fortnight away, Mr Clegg's camp might have been alarmed this morning by two polls which purported to show that Mr Cable would prove a more popular choice with the electorate.
Today this headline appeared in the Daily Mail:
“How raising a child up to the age of 11 costs more than £90,000: Average annual cost up 15% in five years.”
The same story also appeared in other publications, including the Daily Star.
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- Fewer criminals are being brought to justice. Fewer crime cases are being solved. Here's why: t.co/AGVH8PcQtt follow
- Police warnings about foreign rape/murder suspect numbers ignored by newspapers t.co/hBWWFkxS9D follow
- The #NHS isn't always "free at the point of use" t.co/WuP61R9nXL follow
- #Childcare: Are our nurseries the priciest in Europe? t.co/dTYzGdhZ67 #ratios follow
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- In the past two years, there have been fewer arrests and fewer cases solved. Is this bad news? t.co/rs1LZ76u2A follow
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