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More nurses per hospital bed: what's the catch?
If the number of nurses has declined by 2%, but the nurse-to-bed ratio has increased, doesn't that just mean the number of beds has also declined?
Read more…Do a majority of Brits back an EU exit?
After fraught EU budget negotiations and even more fraught relations between the Conservatives and UKIP featuring in this week's news, is the Independent right to say that most Brits want …
Read more…Political correctness gone mad? The facts behind the Rotherham row
"Victims of the thought police" screamed one headline. "We want our foster children back", pleaded another. Over the weekend it was revealed that Rotherham Council had removed three children from …
Read more…Has progress on gender equality reversed?
"A combination of the cuts, female underemployment (draining the talent pool still further of women who might one day move into senior roles) and the scarcity of females of diverse …
Read more…Jobs for the girls? Can female employment and unemployment both be at historic highs?
Last week, Maria Miller, who besides being the Culture Secretary is also the Minister for Women and Equalities, praised encouraging figures for women in the jobs market. According to her: …
Read more…Is the cold weather costing the NHS £1.36 billion a year?
Winter can be fatal for some, but estimating its impact is more difficult than it may initially seem.
Read more…Does the EU spend 40% of its budget on farm subsidies?
In a speech earlier this week, Labour leader Ed Miliband claimed that while the EU spent 40% of its budget on the Common Agricultural Policy, agriculture accounts for only 1.5% …
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Is the report of the Children's Commissioner into child sex abuse "hysterical and half-baked"?
On the day that the Children's Commissioner published her findings on the prevalence of child sexual exploitation, Government sources described her report as "hysterical and half-baked". What is the basis …
Read more…Do shorter sentences lead to more reoffending?
After the Justice Secretary announced new reforms to supervision for those released after short sentences, do these lengths of sentence really produce the highest re-offending rates?
Read more…Will mental health patients now have equal rights to timely treatment?
After the Health Secretary announces a new NHS Mandate, Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats claim that mental health patients are now set to gain the same rights to timely …
Read more…Has there been a huge growth in the number of judicial reviews?
The government announced today a crack down on the huge growth in judicial reviews by reducing the time limit for bringing cases, and charging more for reviews. But what is …
Read more…EU budget: what's happening to the British rebate?
"OUTRAGE erupted last night after a secret European Union plot to grab £5.6billlion more from British taxpayers was exposed [...] The move would slash Britain's annual rebate from the European …
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