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WHAT HAPPENED ON 31st May 2006?
30th May 2006
Property 'no alternative pension'
Homeowners believing their property will generate enough money to provide for their retirement could be in for a shock economic experts have warned. One out of every five retired people living in poverty owns a property worth more than £100 000 the Institute for Public Policy Research says. But cashing in on property prices by moving into a smaller home could see them lose means-tested benefits. The IPPR wants free financial advice for OAPs & higher state pensions.
31st May 2006
More get tax credit overpayments
The number of families given tax credit overpayments rose during the 2004/05 financial year despite a fall in the money paid out. A total of £1.8bn was overpaid in 1.96 million claims compared to £2.2bn paid out in 1.88 million claims in 2003/04. But the government says once new measures are "fully implemented" it expects to reduce overpayments in future years by around a third. The new measures first take effect during the 2006/2007 tax year.
31st May 2006
Hospices 'face financial deficit'
A quarter of adult hospices in England face financial deficit a charity says. Help the Hospices is calling for a government review into the "urgent situation" which it says is due to rises in staff pay & care costs. Most hospices rely on fundraising for the majority of their income. The amount the NHS provides can vary greatly from 25% to 60% it says. A Department of Health spokesman said the NHS spent £97.8m on adult hospices in 2004 an increase of 50% since 2000.
30th May 2006
Convictions too few - Goldsmith
Conviction rates for serious offences such as wounding & rape are too low the Attorney General has admitted. Lord Goldsmith said victims had a right to be worried but the government was working to tackle the problem & more offenders were being taken to court. He was responding to an Observer study which claimed convictions for crimes such as rape & wounding had fallen below 10% since Labour came to power. The Tories said it showed ministers were losing control of violent crime.
31st May 2006
More get tax credit overpayments
The number of families given tax credit overpayments rose during the 2004/05 financial year despite a fall in the money paid out. A total of £1.8bn was overpaid in 1.96 million claims compared to £2.2bn paid out in 1.88 million claims in 2003/04. But the government says once new measures are "fully implemented" it expects to reduce overpayments in future years by around a third. The new measures first take effect during the 2006/2007 tax year.
31st May 2006
Police mergers facing legal test
The first legal challenge to the government's controversial plans to merge some of the 43 police forces in England & Wales has been launched. Cleveland Police Authority wants a judicial review of the plan to combine its force with Durham & Northumbria. Other police authorities & councils are poised to bring legal proceedings. The Home Office which believes larger forces are more effective said it was "premature" to seek a review as no decision has been taken by ministers.
30th May 2006
Lecturers boo education minister
Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell has been heckled & booed by university lecturers involved in a dispute over pay. Mr Rammell was jeered at the annual conference of the University & College Lecturers' union NATFHE as he urged them to end an exam boycott. He was heckled as he said he was proud of Labour's record on academic pay. Delegates shouted "shame" as he told them the government was investing "more than ever before".
31st May 2006
More get tax credit overpayments
The number of families given tax credit overpayments rose during the 2004/05 financial year despite a fall in the money paid out. A total of £1.8bn was overpaid in 1.96 million claims compared to £2.2bn paid out in 1.88 million claims in 2003/04. But the government says once new measures are "fully implemented" it expects to reduce overpayments in future years by around a third. The new measures first take effect during the 2006/2007 tax year.
31st May 2006
Lecturers reject latest pay offer
Academics have rejected a 13.1% pay rise proposal amid warnings that an exam-marking boycott could intensify into strike action. Lecturers' union Natfhe called the three-year offer "miserly" while the Association of University Teachers said it was "disappointing". Employers said they were "incredibly disappointed" at the rejection. Unions want a rise of 23% over three years. The marking boycott threatens to disrupt thousands of graduations.
30th May 2006
Fare costs defended by taxi firms
Taxi firms in Edinburgh have defended the cost of their fares saying they reflect the high standard of the city's fleet of black cabs. It follows a newspaper investigation which found catching a cab in Scotland was more expensive than in Paris Tokyo and New York. The research found a three-mile taxi journey on a Friday evening in the capital now costs £7 on average. Earlier this month fares rose by an extra 7% in Edinburgh.
31st May 2006
More get tax credit overpayments
The number of families given tax credit overpayments rose during the 2004/05 financial year despite a fall in the money paid out. A total of £1.8bn was overpaid in 1.96 million claims compared to £2.2bn paid out in 1.88 million claims in 2003/04. But the government says once new measures are "fully implemented" it expects to reduce overpayments in future years by around a third. The new measures first take effect during the 2006/2007 tax year.
31st May 2006
Tories warn against tax pledges
The Conservatives have given their strongest signal yet that they will not promise tax cuts at the next election. Shadow chancellor George Osborne said the state of the public finances meant up-front promises of tax cuts were "very unlikely to be on offer". In a speech in Manchester he said such promises could lead to doubts about Conservative economic competence. But Treasury Chief Secretary Stephen Timms said the speech showed Mr Osborne was "totally confused".
