1 February 2011 Last updated at 07:03Concern at Gwynedd student transport plan
Continue reading the main storyRelated stories
Plans to charge students aged over 16 in north Wales to travel to school or college have raised concerns.
From September all students who live further than three miles (4.8km) from secondary schools or colleges in Gwynedd will be affected.
They will pay either £60 or £100 a term, depending where they study, and the move will save Gwynedd's education department £330,000 over three years.
Objectors say it will cause hardship especially in more rural areas.
Those who chose the school or college closest to home will have to pay £60 per term, but those choosing to follow a course outside their catchment area will pay £100.
Continue reading the main story“Start Quote
End Quote Gareth Jones Machynlleth town councillorIt is a dreadful blow to the parents and students of the Dyfi Valley who are doing their utmost to gain qualifications and contribute further to society”
Machynlleth town councillor Gareth Jones said the move will affect people living in the Dyfi Valley who travel to college in Dolgellau.
"It is a dreadful blow to the parents and students of the Dyfi Valley who are doing their utmost to gain qualifications and contribute further to society," he said.
Students on the Lleyn peninsula could also be affected according to John Elfyn Gruffydd, a parent and governor at Ysgol Botwnnog secondary school.
It has no sixth form, so pupils have to travel to study for A levels.
"It concerns me that some students will also be affected by the lowering of the threshold for the EMAs (Education Maintenance Allowance)," he said.
"Currently they are eligible for £30 a week if the family earns less than £30,000 a year, but that will come down to just over £21,000.
No statutory obligation
"This will affect families, especially if there is more than one child. It will cause hardship, although it's difficult to assess what the result of this will be," he added.
Gwynedd council decided to adopt the new post-16 transport policy last Tuesday.
Dewi Jones, the council's head of education, said: "This forms part of the savings strategy adopted by the council in December 2009, to deliver £16m of efficiency savings between 2010/11 and 2012/13."
He added that although the policy would save the education department £330,000 over the next three years, school and college transport would still be subsidised by around 75%.
"Those in full-time education can receive £30 per week in education maintenance allowance, money which is intended to help with course related costs such as travel, books and equipment," he said.
While the council was committed to protecting the education of young people there would be no statutory obligation to provide transport for those in post-16 education, he added.
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
BBC News - Concern at Gwynedd student transport plan
BBC News - Early bowel cancer detected by dogs in Japan
1 February 2011 Last updated at 03:34Early bowel cancer detected by dogs in Japan
By James Gallagher Health reporter, BBC newsDogs sniffed out bowel cancer in more than nine out of 10 cases.
Continue reading the main storyRelated stories
A Labrador retriever has sniffed out bowel cancer in breath and stool samples during a study in Japan.
The research, in the journal Gut, showed the dog was able to identify early stages of the disease.
It has already been suggested that dogs can use their noses to detect skin, bladder, lung, ovarian and breast cancers.
Cancer Research UK said it would be extremely difficult to use dogs for routine cancer testing.
The biology of a tumour is thought to include a distinct smell and a series of studies have used dogs to try to detect it.
Notoriously difficultThe researchers at Kyushu University used Marine, an eight-year-old black Labrador.
She was asked to pick from five samples, one of which was from a cancer patient and four from healthy people.
In the breath tests she picked out the cancer sample 33 out of 36 times.
Continue reading the main story“Start Quote
End Quote Dr Hideto Sonoda Kyushu UniversityThe specific cancer scent indeed exists, but the chemical compounds are not clear. Only the dog knows the true answer”
She was even more successful with the stool samples, finding 37 out of 38 cancers.
Even early bowel cancers were detected, which is notoriously difficult.
The NHS screening programme tests for small amounts of blood in faeces, but the researchers believe it picks up only one in 10 early cases.
One in 20 people in the UK develop bowel cancer during their lifetime and more than 16,000 die each year.
Dr Hideto Sonoda, from Kyushu University, said: "It may be difficult to introduce canine scent judgement into clinical practice owing to the expense and time required for the dog trainer and dog education.
"Scent ability and concentration vary between dogs and also within the same dog on different days.
Electronic noseSome early research on developing an "electronic dog's nose" has taken place, which shows the potential for a cancer breath test.
Dr Sonoda told the BBC: "The specific cancer scent indeed exists, but the chemical compounds are not clear. Only the dog knows the true answer."
"It is therefore necessary to identify the cancer specific volatile organic compounds [smells] detected by dogs and to develop an early cancer detection sensor that can be substituted for canine scent judgement.
"To complete the sensor useful in clinical practice as a new diagnostic method is still expected to take some time."
Nell Barrie, science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: "Although some dogs seem to be able to smell cancer in certain situations, we're still a long way from understanding exactly what they are detecting and this small study in one dog doesn't give us any new clues.
"It would be extremely difficult to use dogs as part of routine testing for cancer, and that's why further research in this area is concentrating on finding out more about the molecules given out by tumours, to see if they could be detected in other ways."
Mark Flannagan, chief executive of Beating Bowel Cancer, said: "This study looks interesting but it is for the scientists to verify whether these findings could lead to future developments for screening.
"The clear message is that screening saves lives and we encourage everyone eligible to take part in the existing NHS bowel cancer screening programme."
BBC News - Make child protection 'less tick-box'
1 February 2011 Last updated at 06:33Make child protection 'less tick-box'
By Hannah Richardson BBC News education reporterProf Munro wants social workers to spend more time with children
Continue reading the main storyRelated stories
Child protection should be less about red tape, targets and form-filling and more about looking after the child, an official report says.
Professor Eileen Munro says bureaucracy is preventing social workers from doing the job they have trained for.
And she stresses the importance of having a range of services based in the community to help keep children safe.
She was asked to review England's child protection system by the government.
In her interim report, Prof Munro says regulations, inspections and procedures have thrown the system out of balance.
She says: "Too often questions are asked if rules and procedures have been met but not whether this has helped children.
"Everyone in the profession can think of meetings and forms that don't actually make a child safer.
"Whilst some regulation is needed, we need to reduce it to a small, manageable size."
'Distracting targets'There was an increase in the amount of form-filling required of social workers in the wake of the Lord Laming's report into the tragic death of Victoria Climbie.
Some say the unintended consequences of this was that too much time is spent completing forms and meeting targets, and not enough with children and their families.
Prof Munro also says that too much time is being spent preparing for inspections and meeting the requirements of Ofsted inspectors.
She adds: "Professionals should be spending more time with children, asking how they feel, whether they understand why the social worker is involved in their family, and finding out what they want to happen."
Having a formal time scale for form-filling can distract the social worker from making the right decision, she says.
"We now have more knowledge about the kind of parenting that really harms children.
"Assessments should be skilled enough to distinguish between the families most in need and the parents who are struggling and just need a bit of help, possibly not from social workers," she adds.
She also stressed the need for closer working in multi-disciplinary teams in the community
In some areas this could mean social workers sitting next to police officers or it may just mean creating clearer lines of contact.
BarriersFamilies who simply need help and advice are often referred to social services unnecessarily, leading to a whole raft of paperwork and procedures, when perhaps an informal conversation may be all that is needed.
Not only does this create unnecessary work, the family can often end up falling through the cracks in the system and not getting the lower level of help that they do need.
But she also wants to see more effective working between agencies when there is an serious issue which requires social worker involvement. It is hoped that cutting unnecessary bureaucracy will help with this.
Prof Munro also wants to see the volume of statutory guidance reduced so it is clear what is a strict rule and what is just guidance.
The Education Secretary is considering using his powers to grant five local authorities temporary suspension of certain aspects of statutory guidance, subject to conditions as a trial.
TargetsSocial workers in Cumbria, Knowsley, Westminster, Hackney and Gateshead would be able to complete certain assessments and hold child protection conferences within timescales that they think would best meet children's needs.
The trials would be rigorously monitored to ensure the safety and welfare of children and to minimise delays, the Department for Education added.
Children's Minister Tim Loughton said Professor Munro had identified areas where professionals' time is being wasted and children's needs are not being properly identified.
"I welcome her approach to getting help to the neediest children and families as early as possible, and recognising that child protection is not just the responsibility of social workers."
Prof Munro also wants Serious Case Reviews, which are the inquiries held into the death or serious injury of abused or neglected children, to be evaluated by a national team of experts - rather than Ofsted.
She is also considering whether there needs to be a national panel of experts from a range of backgrounds to advise the government
Prof Munro was asked by Education Secretary Michael Gove to review England's child protection system.
He specifically asked her to look at how interaction between social work teams and those working with children could be improved and how barriers to good practice could be overcome.
She was also asked to look at how bureaucracy and how targets have got in the way of effective working.
BBC News - Silent calls face threat of £2m fine, says Ofcom
1 February 2011 Last updated at 01:29Silent calls face threat of £2m fine, says Ofcom
Ofcom received thousands of complaints about silent calls last year
Continue reading the main storyRelated stories
Companies that use automated telephone calls that leave householders hearing nothing can now be fined up to £2m.
So-called silent calls often occur when firms dial several numbers at once but then fail to have a staff member lined up to speak when a call is answered.
Ofcom has fined nine businesses for making such calls, with Barclaycard receiving the biggest penalty allowed under the old rules of £50,000.
Ofcom said more than 9,000 complaints were made about silent calls last year.
More than 70% of victims told Ofcom they received two or more calls in a day from the same company.
Ofcom said it would not hesitate to impose the new £2m maximum fine, which was approved by Parliament last September.
'Significant distress'Modern call centres use automated dialling equipment to make dozens of calls at once.
Ofcom said many cases of silent calls were a result of the technology used to detect answer machines failing to recognise a "live" consumer and cutting off the call before a representative of the company is connected to speak to them.
Although the use of automated systems will not be banned, companies have been told to employ such practices more carefully.
Ofcom said silent calls could cause "significant distress" to consumers, which could be made worse by receiving such calls repeatedly.
Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards said: "Silent and abandoned calls can cause significant consumer harm.
"Ofcom has given sufficient warnings to companies about silent calls and is ready to take appropriate action against those companies who continue to break the rules."
The maximum fine was raised to £50,000 in 2006.
Police.uk - Local crime and policing information for England and Wales
Welcome to your local crime and policing website for England and Wales.
This website provides you with helpful information about crime and policing in your area.
Enter your postcode, town, village or street into the search box below, and get instant access to street-level crime maps and data, as well as details of your local policing team and beat meetings.
BBC News - Street-level crime maps launched online
1 February 2011 Last updated at 09:29Street-level crime maps launched online
The maps will record reports of different categories of crime and anti-social behaviour
New online crime maps for England and Wales have been launched, allowing users to see which offences have been reported in their local streets.
Home Secretary Theresa May said the maps would give real facts and make police more accountable.
The public can search for information on crime and anti-social behaviour by entering a street name or postcode.
Some users could not access the website, www.police.uk, but a minister suggested this was due to heavy use.
A spokesman for charity Victim Support said it was important that victims of crime had consented to whether information about their crime was released.
Meanwhile Mrs May said she expected the public reaction to be "positive" and denied the information could increase fear or drive down house prices in some areas.
Visitors to the website, which cost £300,000 to develop, will be able to find out which crimes have taken place on or near their street within the past month and which officers are responsible for their area.
Continue reading the main story“Start Quote
End Quote Mark Easton BBC Home EditorSeeing the dots relating to 1,672 incidents a mile from my north London front door was quite sobering”
Information on crime is broken down into six categories - burglary, robbery, vehicle crime, violence, other crime and anti-social behaviour. Sex crimes have been included in the "other" category, along with crimes such as theft and shoplifting, to help prevent victims from being identified.
Local police appeals and details of police community meetings will also be published alongside the maps.
The website provides more detail, down to street-level, than existing online crime maps provided by forces in England and Wales.
Crime trends will also be established as the site develops and could be extended to include details on the outcomes of court cases, or a system for individual victims to track the progress of their case online.
The government said the site was an important part of its "transparency agenda", making the data available in an open format so that communities could use it to "help people engage with the police in a meaningful way".
Mrs May said: "I think people are going to welcome the fact they can really see what's happening with crime in their area, not just on their street but in their neighbourhood.
"I think they will feel a greater connection with the police, with much more information about where they can go to, and who they can work with."
She said the project would help tackle crime "over time".
System 'confusing'On house prices the home secretary said they were not affected by "the existence of a map on a website".
"This is giving people a real tool, real power to see that something is being done about crime in their area. This doesn't make them frightened, it actually makes them feel a part of what is happening.
"This will give them the real facts and figures. This will make the police more accountable. It gives people a real tool to hold the police to account."
Policing Minister Nick Herbert also insisted that the more detailed information would not increase the fear of crime, adding: "We can't sweep crime under the carpet."
Streets with fewer than 12 houses will only be included in a wider geographic area to prevent identification of victims.
Victim Support said victims' privacy should be protected, but that enough information should be given to the public "for them to be able to hold the police and criminal justice system to account".
"Victims and witnesses of crime often tell us that the criminal justice system can be confusing and unwieldy. This recommendation to publish fuller information has the potential to bring greater transparency to the workings of the criminal justice system for victims, witnesses and the public."
BBC News programmes would like to speak to victims of crime about these maps, if you are interested in speaking to us about this please complete the form below remembering to leave your phone number.
Comments
- 111. johnwere
1 Hour AgoTechnical glitches aside this is fantastic forward thinking conservative government at it's best. San Francisco, the heart of innovation and liberal thinking, has done something similar and it's to be applauded that we are doing the same. Information is power and I'd rather the public had free access to it rather than restricting that access to the police.
- 110. simon
1 Hour AgoNot really sure I wanted to know this! I thought my street was nice and quiet and now I found out there were two burglaries in December!
- 58. spangular
2 Hours AgoApparently Brixton is an area without a policing area!!! Well that is a concern within it self. Interesting idea shame the website clearly does not work!!
- 56. Lucitex
2 Hours AgoOne of the newspapers in Copenhagen, Denmark, where I live makes these maps and I always look at them. Our police force has a web page where they post some of the crimes, but the map makes it easier to see and understand.
Our police force has been thorough drastic cuts and all the small local stations were closed. These maps help ordinary citizens to keep up with what is going on.- 44. Alan Hammond
2 Hours AgoI cannot see this doing ANY good apart from letting the residents in THAT particular area know and I expect that THEY already know the situation so WHATS the point
If the Police know then that is all that is wanted the residents cannot do anything ,Anyway from what I have experienced by the time the Police get to the trouble it is all over and gone away
Comments 5 of 8
BBC News - Egypt unrest
No need to reload page, content updates automatically.