Essential Homelessness Statistics

Essential Homelessness Statistics

by Richard Frazer

Attached are some essential real statistics from 2010 done by St Mungo (Homelss Charity - http://bit.ly/A6flsg) around UK Homelessness.

Some results from our 2010 survey are shown below:

•76% of clients were male
•24% of clients were female
•39% of clients were from BME communities
•64% of clients had issues with substance use (drugs and/or alcohol)
•64% had a physical health condition (medical condition, vision or hearing impaired and/or required regular medication)
•70% of clients had mental health issues (diagnosed, suspected, depression and/or self harming)
•54% of clients had educational needs (learning disabilities, difficulty reading, difficulty with numeracy, managing money and paying bills)
•8% had been in care
•48% of clients were ex-offenders or had been in prison
National statistics


•Government's Communities and Local Government statistics - http://bit.ly/AgVwZC

•Information from Homeless Link, the umbrella organisation for homelessness agencies -http://www.homeless.org.uk/

London statistics - http://homelesslondon.org/details.asp?id=LP82

•See figures from CHAIN, the Combined Homeless and Information Network -http://broadway.jamkit.com/Home

•Birmingham Homeless: St Basils (Birmingham Charity) - http://www.stbasils.org.uk/

•Manchester Homeless Review 2008 (Nothing more recent?) - http://bit.ly/yh8CxO

•Research Forum (Headed by Homeless Link) http://www.homeless.org.uk/research-forum

Lets get an understanding of this problem
RICHARD

Cable: I Rejected News Corp Meetings

Business Secretary Vince Cable has told how he rejected approaches by News Corporation to meet and discuss its attempts to take over BSkyB.

Giving evidence to the Leveson Inquiry, Mr Cable said he considered that a meeting with James Murdoch would have been "inappropriate".

He also told the probe into media ethics that he believed the Murdochs have a "disproportionate influence" on politicians and that the leaders of political parties had become too close to them.

In his written evidence , he said there was a "sense of being under siege from a well-organised operation" while he was handling the BSkyB bid.

He said the only conversation he had with anyone at News Corp was with James Murdoch on June 15 2010 when he called to say the bid was about to be announced.

He was invited to a News International drinks the next day but decided it would not be appropriate to go.

News Corp lobbyist Frederic Michel also contacted his office "on a number of occasions" but he refused to meet him after taking advice.

Mr Cable denied that he had met with other parties who were interested in preventing the acquisition and said he had instructed everyone to put their case in writing.

In his statement, he also explained his comment to undercover reporters in December 2010 that he would "declare war" against Rupert Murdoch.

This led to the Cabinet minister being stripped of his role in the quasi-judicial process looking at the takeover bid, which was then given to Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt .

Mr Cable said the declaration was an attempt to show that he could not be influenced or intimidated by News Corp.

Lib Dem colleagues had expressed alarm that the affair could lead to "retribution" against the party via News International's newspapers, he explained.

"My references to 'War on Murdoch' were making the point, no doubt rather hyperbolically, that I had no intention of being intimidated," his statement said.

"Clearly I should not have volunteered my unprompted opinion, even in a private, confidential conversation in a constituency surgery, I subsequently apologised."

Mr Cable also told the inquiry that politicians could still think independently even if they had their own views and opinions on issues they were having to handle.

"With an independent mind doesn't mean with a blank mind. Most people in public life have views, opinions," he said.

"Probably, if they are politicians, those views and opinions have been on the record and the requirement on me and people in this position is to set those on one side for the sake of making this decision, to consider representations, the evidence, the facts - and decide on that and only on that."

The Cabinet Minister said he followed the maxim: "If you can't ride two horses at once you shouldn't be in the circus."

He insisted his handling of the takeover bid had been conducted entirely fairly.

He said: "All the decisions in the department were subject to advice from officials (and) departmental lawyers, because they were conscious that if a decision was made with bias or perceived bias then legal action could be taken, in this case through the Competition Appeals Tribunal - equivalent to a judicial review."

News Corp had wanted to buy the remaining 39% of BSkyB, which owns Sky News, that it does not already hold but abandoned the bid last summer after the phone hacking row escalated.

Price warning to petrol companies

The Government is to take action to get petrol companies to pass on cuts in global oil prices to motorists at the pumps.

Transport Secretary Justine Greening has called on fuel retailers to set up their own code of practice so consumers can monitor daily petrol or diesel prices.

If the industry does not do it, then the Government plans to introduce legislation.

Motoring groups and fair fuel campaigners have long complained of the slowness of filling stations to lower pump prices if world prices fall.

Ms Greening told The Sun newspaper: "Petrol prices go up instantly when wholesale prices rise, but when wholesale prices fall, it can take weeks for them to come down again. It is indefensible that motorists should be ripped off. It's time the big companies started playing fair with the motorist, so I am giving them one last chance."

She went on: "I want companies to come up with their own plan as soon as possible - and I'm talking days and weeks, not months. That way we can get prices down faster, rather than having to pass time-consuming legislation. But we will certainly do that if we have to."

AA president Edmund King said: "Over the past seven years we have asked governments to act against the blurred world of UK pump prices, which every driver knows shoot up like a rocket and fall like a feather. MPs have joined the chorus of complaints against postcode lottery pricing where some towns charge up to 5p a litre more for their cheapest petrol compared to another town down the road. Yet nothing happened."

He went on: "At last, we have a Transport Secretary who is prepared to act to win a better deal on fuel prices for consumers.

"This month, the German government announced a move towards fuel price regulation. The Austrians have already implemented regulation and, even with a weaker euro, their pre-tax petrol prices remain cheaper than the UK's. The Danes already have a system of price reporting and transparency up and running. Clearly, patience is running out with record fuel prices across Europe and there is a will to act.

"The AA supports a move towards transparency on fuel prices. However, with record prices cutting sales by 5% last year and 76% of AA members cutting back on car use, other family spending or both, regulation has to remain an option."

Assange loses extradition fight

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has lost his Supreme Court fight against extradition to Sweden to face sex crime allegations.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange lost his Supreme Court extradition appeal on Wednesday, and an order to extradite him to Sweden to face sex crimes allegations was upheld.

But his lawyers were also granted a 14-stay on the judgement while they consider applying to re-open the case on a technicality. One of his attorneys asserted that the Vienna Convention on Law of Treaties had not been argued by attorneys in the case nor considered by the judges and therefore should be re-opened. The attorney asked the court for two weeks to prepare an application to re-open the case, which the court granted.

Assange, who has been under house arrest for a year and a half, asked the Supreme Court last February to overturn an order extraditing him to Sweden on grounds that the European arrest warrant issued against him by the Swedish Prosecuting Authority was invalid because the Swedish prosecutor behind it was “working for the executive” and was therefore not a proper judicial authority, as the law requires.

But the seven Supreme Court justices ruled 5-2 that the prosecutor was a valid authority.

Assange lost his initial fight against extradition last year, but appealed it before a High Court. That court rejected his appeal last November.

He then appealed to the Supreme Court earlier this year. In order to do so, his attorneys had to show that his case related to a matter of public importance that went beyond Assange. The case was viewed as significant because if the justices ruled that the Swedish prosecutor was not a valid authority for requesting an arrest warrant, it would have called into question other extradition cases in the U.K. and elsewhere in Europe.

Assange will be able to remain in he United Kingdom for the next two weeks while his attorneys work out the details of his application to reopen the case.

Assange has not been charged with any crime in Sweden. He is being sought for questioning in Sweden on rape and coercion allegations stemming from sexual relations he had with two women in that country in August 2010. One woman has claimed that Assange pinned her down to have sex with her and intentionally tore a condom he wore. The second woman claims that he had sex with her while she was initially asleep, failing to wear a condom despite repeated requests for him to do so. Assange has denied any wrongdoing, asserting that the sex in both cases was consensual.

Murder Inquiry After Beaten Grandmother Dies

Detectives are treating the "despicable" attack on 93-year-oldEmma Winnall as murder after she died of the injuries sustained when beaten in her own bed earlier this month.

The grandmother suffered a fractured skull, broken arm and severed finger in the attack that led to her family releasing a picture of her injuries in the hope it would persuade people with information to come forward.

Superintendent Richard Baker from West Midlands Police said: "This is desperately sad news... our condolences go out to Emma's family and friends.

"Clearly, this has now become a murder inquiry. But given the extent of Emma's injuries, combined with her age and vulnerability, this investigation has always been treated with the same level of seriousness as a murder investigation."

The attack appalled people living nearby on the quiet residential estate in Moseley, Birmingham. There were no obvious signs of anyone forcing their way into the elderly lady's ground floor flat.

In the days that followed the beating Mrs Winnall's children appealed for information .

Her daughter Joyce Blencoe told a news conference: "It's broken my heart to hear my frail and defenceless mum in hospital manage to say she was screaming for help and no one came.

"To see your mum viciously beaten and covered in blood is the most horrific nightmare."

Mrs Winnall died in the early hours of Tuesday after spending a month in hospital. A post-mortem examination will now be carried out.

Supt Baker said: "We were able to speak to Mrs Winnall in hospital on two occasions in the days following her ordeal; the information she provided continues to form part of our investigation.

"No one capable of carrying out such a despicable attack deserves protecting - I'm asking people to look into their consciences and if they have any suspicions about who may be responsible to contact police."

A 56-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man from the Hall Green area were arrested in connection with the attack earlier this month but have since been released on police bail.

Woman Jailed For Racist Abuse On Tube Train

A woman whose racist abuse of fellow passengers on a packed Tube train became an internet hit has been jailed for 21 weeks.

Jacqueline Woodhouse, 42, from Romford in Essex was filmed ranting at passengers on a Central Line train in January.

The video, filmed by passenger Galbant Juttla, was uploaded ontoYouTube and has now been viewed 200,000 times.

Mr Juttla was returning from a funeral when the incident happened.

Woodhouse is seen in the seven-minute video carrying out an expletive-laden rant at passengers.

She repeatedly asks them: "Where are you from? Where are you from?"

One passenger is heard to say: "I'm British."

She pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to a charge of racially aggravated assault.

Woodhouse arrived at Westminster Magistrates Court with two friends, who shielded her from photographers with an umbrella.

Gove warns over new press laws

Michael Gove has clashed with the man leading the inquiry into media ethics and warned him against new laws regulating the press.

In robust exchanges at the Leveson Inquiry, the Education Secretary raised concerns about any restraints on journalists' "precious liberty" of freedom of speech.

He cautioned against fresh legislation, suggesting there had been a tendency for a "crisis, scandal or horror" to spark an inquiry, which would come up with recommendations that were "applied in a way that the cure is worse than the disease".

But, in an apparent slap down, inquiry chairman Lord Justice Leveson told him: "Mr Gove, I do not need to be told about the importance of freedom of speech, I really don't."

And he questioned Mr Gove's claim that "by definition" freedom of expression meant some people being offended, telling him some of the witnesses he has heard from, who include the parents of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, "can be characterised as rather more than, 'Some people are going to be offended some of the time'?".

Mr Gove said he was "unashamedly on the side of those who say we should think very carefully before legislation and regulation", adding: "The cry, 'Something must be done' often leads to people doing something which isn't always wise."

He added: "The experience we have of regulation over the last three decades is that sometimes good intentions can result in curtailment of individual freedom and they can also result in an unrealistic expectation of how individuals behave."

Lord Justice Leveson said he was considering a system that would allow complaints to be resolved "cheaply" out of court for newspapers who were signed up to the scheme. The Tory minister said "at first blush" the suggestion seemed fair but "the devil is in the detail".

The former Times journalist launched an impassioned defence of the newspaper's proprietor Rupert Murdoch. Agreeing he had commented the media mogul was a "great man", he added Mr Murdoch was "one of the most significant figures of the last 50 years".

But he conceded the relationship between the press and politicians is not always in the public interest, with some journalists and MPs ending up "relying upon each other for confidences which are not shared with the public at an appropriate time".

Derby Fire Deaths: Parents Arrested

The parents of six children killed in an arson attack on their home have been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Mick Philpott, 55, and his wife Mairead, 31, have been detained in connection with the attack on the house in Derby.

They are in custody and will be questioned by officers.

The fire broke out at the house, in Victory Road, Allenton, in the early hours of Friday, May 11.

Duwayne Philpott, 13, Jade Philpott, 10, and brothers John Philpott, nine, Jack Philpott, seven, Jessie Philpott, six, and Jayden Philpott, five, all died as a result of the fire.

At a news conference Derbyshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill asked people to come forward with any information about the fire.

"Please don't see these two arrests as the police inquiry coming to an end, this is not the case," he said.

He had earlier issued a statement in which he said: "I suspect there may still be people with crucial information who have not yet come forward to speak to us.

"They have my personal reassurance that we will deal with their information sensitively.

"We still need information to help us in this inquiry. The latest arrests are just one step further in the investigation.

"It is absolutely vital that if you know anything you think could help us, come forward now, do not wait any longer. It is important that we find justice for these six young children." 

He added that the investigation would be lengthy, and urged the local community to be patient.

"Although the fire happened more than two weeks ago, this is a complex inquiry and it will take time for us to piece together the events from that tragic evening.

"I know this case has deeply affected the local community and residents want answers as to what happened and why.

"But I would ask them to be patient and to continue to show the excellent support they have given us to date. Our investigations are detailed and painstaking and they will take time."

A 38-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman, who were arrested on suspicion of murder shortly after the fire, were released without charge the following day.

Mr Philpott and his wife faced the media at a news conference five days after the fire.

He repeatedly wiped away tears as he thanked those who tried to rescue his children and members of the local community for their support.

Talking to reporters for about two and a half minutes, Mr Philpott repeatedly paused to compose himself and said he and his wife had decided to donate Duwayne's organs for transplant.

Tributes and gifts, which remain outside the house more than two weeks after the fire, are being moved with the family's agreement. They will be put into a nearby church because of the likelihood of rain.

BoE's Broadbent sees inflation near 3 pct for most of 2012

UK inflation is falling more slowly than expected and is likely to stay around its current 3 percent level for most of 2012, Bank's policymaker Ben Broadbent said in an interview broadcast on Tuesday.

"Our forecast ... is for (inflation) to bobble around close to this level for much of the rest of the year," Broadbent told Bloomberg TV.

"We still anticipate a decline ... but it looks to be taking slightly longer than we had first thought."

In a speech at Bloomberg's London office, Broadbent rejected calls from the International Monetary Fund for the Bank to further cut its record low interest rates, and said the Bank's capacity to respond to any deepening of the euro zone crisis had limits.

Broadbent, like all but one of the Bank's nine-member Monetary Policy Committee, voted not to extend the central bank's 325 billion pound asset purchase scheme this month.

The knock-on impact on Britain's struggling economy from the financial turmoil in the euro zone means some economists expect the Bank to restart its quantitative easing programme later this year.

Broadbent said he had no reason to suspect any second round of QE would be less effective than the bank's first.

(Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by John Stonestreet)

Craig Oliver(Head of Communications at No10) does his best to intimidate the BBC's Norman Smith.

Letter from Baroness Warsi to Standards Commissioner

Dear Mr Kernaghan

You will be aware of allegations in a number of newspapers this weekend that I made improper claims for overnight subsistence allowance in 2008 when staying in a property occupied by Naweed Khan, a member of Conservative Party staff, and owned by Dr Wafik Moustafa.

I strongly reject any suggestion that my claims for House of Lords allowances were in any way improper. My claims reflected the fact that as a peer whose main home was outside London, I incurred costs when staying in London overnight to attend the House of Lords. These included payments to Naweed Khan for the inconvenience and additional expense to which he was put when I stayed with him.

Nonetheless, in order to provide reassurance to the public that this matter has been considered dispassionately and independently, I would like to invite you to examine the substance of the allegations.

I assure you that I, my staff and the Conservative Party will co-operate fully with any investigation.

Yours sincerely,

Baroness Warsi of Dewsbury

Tony Blair To Appear Before Leveson Inquiry

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair will be asked whether he struck a deal with Rupert Murdoch for the media tycoon's support, when he testifies at the Leveson inquiry into media ethics later.

Mr Murdoch, who appeared before the hearing on April 25, denied there was ever a deal between the pair.

He told the inquiry : "I, in 10 years of his power, never asked Mr Blair for anything. Nor indeed did I receive any favours."

A growing number of those who served in the Blair government have conceded the relationship was too close at times.

In his evidence to Lord Justice Leveson, the former Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said the relationship had "arguably" become "closer than wise" but dismissed claims of a "Faustian pact" involving commercial concessions for News Corp in return for support from its newspapers.

There is no doubt though that the former Prime Minister and Rupert Murdoch were close. Mr Blair is godfather to the media tycoon's daughter Grace.

He met Mr Murdoch on around 40 occasions during his time at the top of British politics and Mr Blair secured something no other Labour leader had ever managed, a decade of support from Mr Murdoch's UK newspaper titles.

Under Tony Blair's leadership, New Labour actively chased that support. He personally travelled to Hayman Island in Australia to address News Corp executives in 1995, as part of the party's strategy to communicate with newspapers that had unfavourably portrayed previous leaders Michael Foot and Neil Kinnock.

Phil Hall, who was the News Of The World's editor at the time Mr Blair came to power told Sky Newshe did not buy into the theory there was any deal between New Labour and News Corporation.

He said: "There's been all this talk of a Faustian pact, I don't believe that actually existed. I think what Murdoch saw in Tony Blair was a future Prime Minister who was more conservative than the Conservatives. He was young, he had flair and the two men became very close."

In her evidence to the Leveson inquiry on May 21, Mr Blair's former Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said when she took over the role in 2002 she sought assurances from the then Prime Minister that there had been no backdoor deal with Rupert Murdoch.

She told the hearing: "I asked him whether or not any deal had been done on the cross-media ownership rules. He gave me an absolute assurance, which I completely accepted, that there had been no prior agreement."

Lance Price, who was part of Tony Blair's Downing Street communications team told Sky News: "The truth of the matter is that the Murdoch empire did have a closer relationship with Number 10 than the other organisations did.

"It was a two-way process, they both could see that there were benefits to them from it and it was a relationship that from both sides had its benefits and its downsides."

Mr Blair 's testimony will mark the beginning of a week of evidence from political heavyweights.

On Tuesday, the Education Secretary and friend of the Murdochs Michael Gove will give evidence, as will Home Secretary Theresa May.

She is likely to be asked about claims that former News International Chief Executive Rebekah Brooks threatened her with sustained negative headlines in The Sun newspaper, if she refused to order a renewed investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

On Wednesday, the Business Secretary Vince Cable will appear. He will face some awkward questions over comments he made "declaring war on Rupert Murdoch". He lost his responsibility for overseeing News Corporation's bid for BSkyB after those revelations were made public.

That responsibility was handed to Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who is now fighting for his political survival, after evidence at the Leveson inquiry revealed close communications between his department and News Corporation during that bidding process.

His Special Adviser, Adam Smith, resigned last month after the email evidence between him and News Corp lobbyist Fred Michel was released.

Jeremy Hunt will have his day before Leveson on Thursday.

Unions: Govt Reforms Could Cost 20,000 Rail Jobs

More than 20,000 railway jobs could be axed under Government reforms of the industry, unions have warned.

Officials said surveys have consistently revealed that lack of staffing is a major concern of passengers, but they voiced fears cuts will be made as a result of the recent "value for money" review bySir Roy McNulty.

The unions claim the cuts would see job losses among guards, ticket office and station staff, maintenance workers and catering employees.

The TUC, Aslef, Rail Maritime and Transport union, Transport Salaried Staffs Association and Unite have launched a campaign aimed at opposing any cuts.

They will be handing out postcards to rail users across the country.

TUC deputy general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "The Government vision of a rail industry with deserted stations, closed ticket offices and trains with no staff is one that appeals to train operators seeking to cut costs and maximise profits - but train passengers are appalled."

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: "In Victorian times we had three classes of coaches on the railways - first, second and third. These Government proposals would make the whole railway third class."

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "This Government, using the McNulty Rail Review as cover, is hell-bent on a policy of vandalising and de-staffing the railways regardless of the consequences for both staff and the travelling public."

Rail Performance Minister Norman Baker said: "Our plans are to reduce the cost of running the railway by £3.5bn per annum by 2019.

"If we can do this, we can reduce the burden on taxpayers and put an end to the era of above-inflation increases, as we are determined to do."

©SkyNews 2012

Terror suspect Qatada bail bid due

Jordanian terror suspect Abu Qatada could be freed as his bid for bail is heard.

Qatada, described by a judge as Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe, will have his application for bail heard by a senior immigration judge in London. The radical cleric is being held in a high-security prison while he fights deportation to Jordan over terror charges.

The hearing will be held before Mr Justice Mitting at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac).

Qatada's 10-year battle against deportation is in the hands of the British courts after the 51-year-old lost his attempt to make a final appeal to Europe's human rights judges earlier this month.

His lawyers immediately applied for him to be released on bail as it looks likely that deportation proceedings will still take many months.

The political situation in Jordan has also worsened in recent months, casting fresh doubt on the UK's ability to deport him, they claim.

Repeated failed attempts by UK governments over the last 10 years to deport the radical cleric have cost nearly £1 million in legal fees, Government figures show.

No figures have been given for how much Qatada has received in legal aid and some estimates put the cost of keeping Qatada in the UK, either in a high-security jail or closely monitored under strict conditions in the community, along with the legal costs of the fight to deport him, at more than £3 million.

Qatada, who is said to have wide and high-level support among extremists, was convicted in his absence in Jordan of involvement with terror attacks in 1998 and faces a retrial in his home country. He also featured in hate sermons found on videos in the flat of one of the September 11 bombers.

Since 2001, when fears of the domestic terror threat rose in the aftermath of the attacks, he has challenged, and ultimately thwarted, every attempt by the Government to detain and deport him.

©Press Association

Hague 'sickened' by Syrian massace

Foreign Secretary William Hague has said he was "absolutely sickened" by the massacre of more than 100 civilians, including dozens of children, in Syria.

Dismissing the the claims of President Bashar Assad's regime that it was not responsible for the slaughter, he called for international action to prevent Syria descending into a full civil war.

The Syrian charge d'affaires is to be summoned to the Foreign Office on Sunday to receive a dressing-down over the attacks on Houla, central Syria, which have provoked international uproar and condemnation.

"It is a familiar tactic of the Assad regime to blame others for what's happening in their country to try to get out of responsibility for the scale of the destruction," Mr Hague said.

"We are absolutely sickened in the British Government and across the international community by what we've seen over the last few days, in particular about the deaths of more than 100 unarmed men, women and children."

He said they were "more statistics" to add to a "huge total" that demonstrate the "brutality" of the regime, adding that the deaths "illuminate the type of tyranny that the people in Syria have been experiencing".

The UN Security Council was expected to convene this evening to discuss the massacre and Mr Hague was travelling to Moscow for talks with Russia's foreign minister. Russia and China have been the principal opponents of stronger action against the Syrian regime by the UN.

"It isn't in the interests of Russia, it's not in anyone's interests, for Syria to descend into an even bloodier situation and into a full-scale civil war and that's now the danger," Mr Hague added.

His comments came after the Syrian government flatly denied claims that its forces were responsible for the slaughter. Foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said that Syria was being subjected to a "tsunami of lies" and claimed that anti-government gunmen carried out the attack.

After what was one of bloodiest episodes in the country's 14-month-old uprising, gruesome video footage emerged showing rows of dead Syrian children lying in a mosque with gaping head wounds. UN observers said the dead included 32 children under the age of 10.

©Press Association

Scottish drink-drive plans welcomed

Plans to lower the drink-drive limit in Scotland "as a priority" have been given a cautious welcome by road safety campaigners.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said proposals to lower the limit from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg will be brought forward later this year, "with a view to the change taking effect as soon as possible".

Campaigners hailed the plan as a step in the right direction, but said that a zero-tolerance approach remains their ultimate aim.

Sarah Fatica, general manager at Brake, the road safety charity, said: "We're pleased that the Scottish Government is taking heed of the warning that road safety charities and the EU are sending out about the current drink-drive limit.

"It's certainly a step in the right direction and one that we commend, and we would like to see the British Government also lowering the drink-drive limit. However, a 50mg limit does still leave some level of confusion for the general public about what is safe."

Ms Fatica said she would ultimately welcome a limit of 20mg or less, saying the "best message" to send out was one of zero tolerance for driving after drinking.

"Whilst 50mg is a step in the right direction, what we really need to see is a strong message from our Governments in Scotland and Westminster to say that not a drop is acceptable if you are behind the wheel.

"Far too many lives are lost on UK roads annually because of drink drivers. If we could have a zero-tolerance approach to drink driving, lives would obviously be saved."

Scottish Labour's justice spokesman, Lewis Macdonald, said: "This a welcome development and something I called for several weeks ago, so I am delighted that the Scottish Government are in listening mode.

"We need to get the details right, but the SNP will have our support on the issue as the Scottish Parliament works through the fine print."


©Press Association 2012

Scots Reveal Mixed Mood About Queen's Jubilee

Politics and history have helped shape a different relationship between Scotland and the monarchy than exists south of the border - creating a mixed mood for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

It is often said that republican sentiment and geographical distance disconnect Scots from the Monarch so often described as the "Queen of England".

A recent YouGov survey found that more Scots took national pride from comedian Billy Connolly than from the Queen.

Only 41% said the Queen made them proud to be Scottish while a total of 58% took national pride from Billy Connolly.

South of the border, 80% of people questioned said the Queen made them feel proud to be English.

To gauge a Scottish view of the Queen Elizabeth II, and all things Diamond Jubilee, I took a walk down, where else, Queen Street - one in Aberdeen, the other in Edinburgh.

Here's who I met, and here's what they told me.

Councillor George Adam, Lord Provost of Aberdeen, who has his office in the council buildings on Queen Street:
"My view is that it's a tremendous opportunity for a bit of fun and a bit of entertainment, as well as recognising the fabulous service that the Queen has given to our country.

"It is an opportunity for the people across the UK, across the world, and in Aberdeen to celebrate that occasion.

"With the Royal connections in this area, there is just a love of the Queen in this area.

"So people are very supportive and I think they look at the tremendous service she's given the country and they see that it's something worth celebrating. 

"If you've been in a job that long, it's worth throwing a party."

Alison Blair, Aberdeen tax specialist:
"I'm not a supporter of the Royal Family, I'm afraid, so it doesn't interest me. I couldn't tell you what day it is or anything about it and I don't think a lot of people in Scotland are.

"I think there's a lot of disinterest in the Royal Family, particularly in Scotland, because they're so far away. 

"It doesn't with meet peoples' realistic ideas and goals and, especially with the recession and everything, I think it's the last thing on people's minds - they've got more to worry about."

Gordon McKay is the owner of McKay's outdoor wear shop, which has had a presence on Aberdeen's Queen Street for more than a century. 

His shop front is decorated with Union flags and he fondly remembers the day of the Queen's coronation in 1953: "Being at school, at that age, you got very excited about things and it brought a bit of colour into what was a very drab Britain at that particular time.

"It gave the whole country quite a lift. I recall that we all got a small blue Bible and a tin of chocolates which in itself, for a child, was a good thing.

"After that we went to the local cinema to see it on the screen, which was magnificent as well, to see all the colour and pageantry at that particular time."

Newton Faulkner, musician, is a native of Kent. I found him sound-checking for a gig later that night in the Lemon Tree venue on Aberdeen's Queen Street:
"I'm not unsupportive, it's just not something I think about very often. I know that sounds bad, it's probably a generational thing.

"It's definitely not a bad thing and it's obviously a huge part of our heritage but, beyond that, it doesn't take up a huge amount of brain space for me."

Jim Fairgrieve, a cobbler on Queen Street, Edinburgh: "I'm a supporter of the Queen but not so much the other people involved, the hangers-on.

"She brings revenue into the country but they cost the country money. She's the Queen not only of this country but also of Australia and places like that and she's got a good reputation.

"She's achieved a lot and she's been good for the country."

Susan Mitchell, a shopper on Queen Street, Edinburgh: "I've absolutely nothing against the Queen and I appreciate that she works hard for the country. However, I don't have any interest in the celebrations.

"In fact, I couldn't even tell you when it is. I hope everyone planning to take part has a good day, though, and enjoys the occasion - the Queen and her family included!"

Comedian Des Clarke, performing at The Stand comedy club, just off Edinburgh's Queen Street: "The Queen? I think most people, generally, quite like the Queen. She gets to go out in public and wave jewellery - she is, sort of, like Britain's Mr T.

"She's done it for quite a long time and I think that anyone, in this current economic climate, who can stay in a job for 60 years - she must be doing well for herself.

"The relationship between Scotland and the Queen is quite interesting. 

"Will we be having lots of street parties? No. Are we glad we're getting a couple of days off work? Yes. 

"So I think anybody who can get us time off and have an extra couple of days drinking is always going to go down well in Scotland."

©SkyNews 2012

Jubilee: Britons Set For Big Spending Spree

Britons are expected to spend more than £800m celebrating the Queen's Jubilee, according to new research.

The figures is almost twice as much as the country spent during last year's Royal wedding festivities, said moneysupermarket.com.

The online price comparison site survey estimates that people celebrating next week's event plan to spend an average of £40 on Jubilee-related items.

"Our research has shown the British public is gripped by Jubilee fever with almost half of us keen to mark the 60th anniversary of the country's longest reigning monarch," said Clare Francis from the website.

"With an extra day off work for most, it makes sense that people want to mark the occasion with a celebration of their own and that many plan to buy a keepsake."

The findings are in stark contrast to warnings from senior economists that the extra bank holiday will have a negative effect on the British economy.

"The greatest areas of disruption may be in areas like manufacturing because you might have at that time more extended shutdowns at plants," said Ross Walker, chief economist for Royal Bank of Scotland.

"You may get disruptions to the supply chain which could hit production industries more than other sectors so manufacturing seems particularly vulnerable but I think it will be quite broad-based."

But some manufacturers are rubbing their hands with glee as the Jubilee creates a surge in orders.

The Emma Bridgewater pottery at Stoke-on-Trent is set to double its predicted sales - with £1.5m worth of commemorative products.

Demand has far outstripped Royal wedding sales with major retailers increasing orders up to sevenfold.

The company expects to make more than 200,000 pieces of Diamond Jubilee ware. 

One item - a crown-shaped dish with lid priced at £100 - was predicted to sell 300 and more than a thousand have already been sold.

Co-owner Matthew Rice said: "We have never seen demand such as this. When people are happy, they spend money. When people are sad they don't. It's as simple as that. 

"These are happy, brilliant events and they will stimulate trade. It's good for the country - as is a day off."

He has harsh words to those who say the Jubilee is bad for business.

"I think 'bah humbug!' is the phrase for that. Get a grip! Shut the doors! Get out and have a good time. If you are so sold on your business that you can't enjoy a few days of bank holiday, then something has gone very wrong with your life," he said.

North Yorkshire flag making firm 'Flying Colours' agrees. Owner Andy Ormrod said the firm had received orders for Union flags from ex-pats in Australia, Europe, America and it started snowballing from there.

"Since January it has just been amazing. The orders are coming from British business, Councils, corporations, theme parks... You name it."

Analysts will have to wait until the economic figures are out for the second quarter for an accurate reflection of the Jubilee effect.

©SkyNews 2012

Hunt's Ex-Special Adviser: I Was Told To Quit

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt's former special adviser has told the Leveson Inquiry he was told to resign after damaging emails revealing the close relationship between his department and the Murdoch empire were released.

Ex-aide Adam Smith said the Secretary of State had reassured him that he had only been doing his job and not to worry on the evening the documents were published.

But the following day Mr Hunt spent the morning in meetings before calling in Mr Smith and telling him "everyone here thinks you need to go", he told the inquiry.

Mr Smith, 30, resigned last month after admitting his contacts with News Corporation lobbyist Fred Michel had got too close.

Mr Smith told the inquiry into media ethics that Mr Michel"bombarded" him with information about the BSkyB bid, but said he ignored much of that correspondence.

The inquiry heard yesterday that Mr Michel exchanged 191 telephone calls, 158 emails and 799 texts with Mr Hunt's team between June 2010, when News Corpannounced its bid, and last July, when it abandoned the plan amid outrage over the News Of The World phone-hacking scandal.

Of these, more than 90% were exchanged with Mr Smith, who sent 257 texts to Mr Michel between November 2010 and last July.

Mr Smith insisted he had not been given any specific instructions by Mr Hunt or civil servants on his role in the decision on BSkyB, owner of Sky News.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that the embattled Culture Secretary will be grilled over his links with News Corp on Thursday.

Mr Hunt is under intense pressure following the publication by the inquiry yesterday of a memo in which he made private representations to the Prime Minister supporting News Corp's bid just weeks before he was given the role in the quasi-judicial decision.

But David Cameron has sprung to his defence, saying Mr Hunt acted "impartially" once he was made responsible for overseeing the BSkyB takeover bid.

"I don't regret giving the job to Jeremy Hunt, it was the right thing to do in the circumstances, which were not of my making," Mr Cameron told ITV's This Morning.

"The crucial point, the really crucial point, is did Jeremy Hunt carry out his role properly with respect to BSkyB and I believe that he did."

Mr Hunt was given the role after Business Secretary Vince Cable was stripped of the responsibility over comments made to undercover journalists.

The memo, dated November 19, 2010, warned that News Corp's James Murdoch was "furious" about Mr Cable 's handling of the matter.

It also expressed concerns that referring the bid to Ofcom could leave the Government "on the wrong side of media policy".

As well as Mr Hunt, other key witnesses to appear before Lord Justice Leveson next week include former prime minister Tony Blair, Education Secretary Michael Gove, Home Secretary Theresa May, Mr Cable and Justice Secretary Ken Clarke.

Jonathan Stephens, the top civil servant in Mr Hunt's department, is now giving evidence to the inquiry.

Mr Stephens, permanent secretary at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, has admitted that the correspondence between Mr Smith and News Corp was a "calamity" for the department.

He added that although Mr Smith was "young, able and well-intentioned" he had been "drawn into a web of manipulation".

Mr Hunt is now facing renewed calls from Labour MPs to resign following the publication of yesterday's memo.

Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman told Sky News: "Mr Hunt said he would act impartially but he wasn't impartial because he had already made up his mind.

"Yesterday, it became clear the Prime Minister should have never given Mr Hunt the responsibility to make this decision because he himself knew that Mr Hunt was not impartial and he was already backing the bid.

"Even prior to the memo Mr Hunt had been warned by his civil servants that he had to stop meeting with the Murdochs because he was meddling with the bid."

But Downing Street has played down its significance, pointing out that Mr Hunt had already made supportive comments about the bid in press interviews earlier that year.