Government urged to reconsider law

Animal charities and pet lovers fear stray cats and dogs could end up in animal testing laboratories over plans to lift a ban on their use.

The Government plans to adopt the EU-wide law allowing stray dogs and cats to be used in limited circumstances.

Liberal Democrat MP Adrian Sanders has tabled an early day motion rallying opposition to the move.

He said: "I'm shocked that the Government is considering removing the current protection given to our stray cats and dogs from being used in experiments.

"Losing a pet is distressing, but the idea that the animal could potentially end up in a laboratory is ghastly and unacceptable, and I urge the Government to reconsider."

Mr Sanders is supported by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV)

It said: "If these new rules are imposed, the Government could allow the use of stray, lost or abandoned cats and dogs to be used in experiments and sentenced to a life in a UK laboratory."

A Home Office spokesman told the Sunday Times: "We can envisage no circumstances where a licence would be granted to test on strays."

©Press Association

No state financial aid for refinery

The Government will not apply to the European Commission for permission to use state funds to prop up an oil refinery.

The Department for Energy and Climate Change made the decision regarding the Coryton oil refinery in Essex, where several hundred jobs are at risk after Coryton's parent company went into liquidation.

Unions and refinery supporters had pushed ministers to consider putting up cash to keep the refinery going until administrators can find a buyer as its closure would drain £100 million from the economy, but ministers said overcapacity in the refining industry meant it would not be sustainable to provide government help.

Unite previously called on ministers to follow the example of the French government and give state aid to keep Coryton running until a buyer could be found.

Thurrock council commissioned an economic impact assessment on the closure or change of use of the site, which found it would cost £30 million in wages, £26 million in contractor costs, £6 million in locally sourced materials, £40 million spent on chemicals and utilities, and £5 million in business rates.

A Government spokesman said: "It is extremely disappointing that the administrators haven't been able to find a buyer who could provide investment required to keep Coryton operating as a refinery.

"Departments across Government have looked very carefully at whether or not state aid should be provided for Coryton. But we have come to the conclusion that the existing overcapacity in the refining industry and declining demand for petrol mean that it would not be sustainable.

"This would not be a long-term solution either for the taxpayer or for the industry, which will thrive best with open and fair competition. If Government did step in to help Coryton, this would be a short-term fix, and it could potentially lead to job losses at other refineries who would be at an unfair disadvantage to Coryton.

"This was a very difficult decision and it is particularly regrettable that people may lose their jobs. We are working with local agencies and Jobcentre Plus to ensure the right support is in place if it's required to help these skilled workers find new positions.

"The closure of Coryton as a refinery should not have any impact on supply of fuel to London and the South East. There are many other supply points and operational refineries which can be used."

©Press Association

New Powers To 'Snoop' on Emails And Calls

The Government will today announce legislation which will lead to a huge expansion of surveillance powers of communications on the internet and mobile phones.

The Communications and Data Bill will allow the police andsecurity services to keep track of who is calling whom on mobile phones, the email addresses of all correspondents, and the personal IDs of people chatting on social networking sites.

The bill is likely to provoke huge controversy and has already been attacked by privacy and civil liberty campaigners.

They have noted that its controversial publication comes on the day that much of the media is focussed on David Cameron's appearance at the Leveson Inquiry.

The new powers are seen by the government, the police and the security services as essential to keep pace with innovations on the internet.

These have allowed organised criminals and terrorists to evade traditional methods of phone interception and monitoring.

Communications Service Providers will have to store communications data, possibly to specially fitted "black boxes" - funded by the taxpayer.

Mobile phone operators will also be expected to provide the duration of calls, the time of day they were made and the location of the caller to police.

No warrant would be required for these surveillance operations, which would need to be authorised by a "senior officer", Whitehall sources said.

"There would have to be a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity to trigger this sort of data collection," an official said.

"And there will be no collection of data in real time," the official added. Local authorities will be excluded from collecting data.

A warrant, issued by the Home Secretary, would be needed to access the content of communications.

Oversight of the surveillance is likely to be a major issue. Britain is already the most snooped upon country in the world by Closed Circuit Televisions (CCTV).

The London borough of Wandsworth has more CCTV cameras than the cities of Johannesburg, Paris and Boston - combined, recent research has shown.

Officials said that judicial oversight of surveillance was not possible because "there simply aren't enough magistrates".

"If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear," said one.

Civil liberties campaigners and many MPs are uncomfortable with the expanded powers.

In 2008, senior Conservative figures like David Davis and Liberal Democrats led by Chris Huhne successfully campaigned against the then Labour government's efforts to introduce a similar bill.

"This policy will track every email we send, every Facebook message and log every website we visit in a way that no other democratic country does," said Nick Pickles, director of Big Brother Watch .

"It is not for innocent people to justify why the Government should not spy on them.

"All we have heard from the Home Office is scaremongering and cheap rhetoric that has wholly failed to address the serious civil liberties concerns, feasibility questions or even say how much it will cost."

But Gary Beautridge, assistant chief constable of Kent and Essex police and director of the force's serious crime unit, said that criminals were rapidly opening the technology gap with police.

He said that many organised groups were communicating over the internet and the storage of data would accelerate investigations.

Mr Beautridge said that a recent successful prosecution on a paedophile recently convicted of 32 counts of abuse of children, including rape, would have been much quicker had the police been able to access his communications data which, under the new legislation, would be stored by a service provider.

"His last text was to another paedophile saying that he wanted to take and rape another child and eat it. I dread to think what could happen if we cannot move fast against these sorts of people," Mr Beautridge said.

'Dither and delay' warning on HS2

High speed rail between London and Birmingham might not be achieved in the 2020s because of "endless dither and delay" by the Government, former transport secretary Lord Adonis has warned.

The Labour peer said plans to get HS2 on to the statute book by the end of this parliament could fall victim to wrangling between the coalition parties ahead of the next general election, scheduled for 2015.

The highly-controversial £33 billion network was given the go ahead in January, with a line between London and Birmingham expected to open by 2026.

Urging Prime Minister David Cameron to get a grip on the issue, Lord Adonis said: "If infrastructure projects are going to happen they need someone who is going to drive them forward, and that simply isn't present.

"We are already on the second transport secretary since the election, the Transport Department has had three permanent secretaries in the last two years. There has been endless dither and delay."

Lord Adonis, an architect of the high speed rail plan in the last Labour government, said there were delays to the consultation on compensation for householders affected by the project and in publishing the route north of Birmingham.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think there is now a very good chance that the legislation won't pass in this parliament. It could well get caught up in all the politics leading up to the next election, which I think given the state of the coalition could lead to a very significant further delay and it means that we may not see HS2 now in the 2020s."

Transport Minister Theresa Villiers insisted the project would be delivered "as swiftly as possible" but the Government would "not be rushed".

"This is a major project which will have a significant impact on the future of the country and it is imperative that we get it right.

"We will ensure it is delivered as swiftly as possible but we will not be rushed - all relevant evidence needs to be properly considered, including the views of communities potentially affected by the line, and we will be doing this within the timeframe we set out soon after the Coalition entered Government."

©Press Association

Cameron Running Government Of 'Chums', Finds Mail On Sunday Poll

Most voters believe David Cameron is running a "government of chums", according to a new poll.

Nearly two thirds of adults think members of the Prime Minister's inner circle are there because of who, rather than what, they know, research for the Mail on Sunday found.

David Cameron Leads A Government Of
'Chums' According To A Poll On Sunday

The accusation Mr Cameron packs his Government with "chums", a claim backed by Conservative former Cabinet minister

Norman Tebbit earlier this week, has also struck a chord with the public, according to polling firm Survation.

It found six out of 10 people believed it to be an accurate description.

Mr Cameron's privileged upbringing also remains steadfast in the minds of voters.

When asked to pick from two photographs - one showing the PM in his Oxford University Bullingdon Club days and another of him dressed in jeans drinking a pint of beer in a pub - which identified the "real David Cameron" the student picture was selected by 63% of those surveyed.

Four out of 10 believe Mr Cameron is a "snob" while nearly three quarters of adults believe the Conservative Party is out of touch.

Three times as many voters would rather have dinner with Mayor of London Boris Johnson than Mr Cameron.

More than a quarter of voters backed shadow chancellor Ed Balls as the man who would get the best bargain at a car boot sale while just 13% backed Chancellor George Osborne.

But the results are also disappointing for Labour, which sees it on 35, reducing its eight-point margin over the Tories from two weeks ago.

©Huffington Post

GPs 'losing faith' in NHS reforms

Confidence among GPs that the Government's NHS reforms will improve patient care has almost halved since they were first proposed, an opinion poll has shown.

Only around one in eight (12%) now expects health service users to be better off as a result compared with nearly a quarter (23%) two months after the blueprint was published in July 2010.

More than half (55%) said care would not improve, with 33% not expressing an opinion either way in the survey by ComRes by the BBC.

Just 12 per cent of GPs expect health
service users to be better off as a result of
NHS reforms proposed by Andrew Lansley, says poll

Legislation putting the shake-up into effect finally became law last week after a turbulent passage through parliament that saw it significantly rewritten amid hostility from many health professionals.

But ministers are braced for a continued battle as the measures - which include putting control of up to £80 billion of commissioning into the hands of local consortia of GPs from April 2013 - are put into effect.

The poll of 814 GPs showed 83% also feared financial pressures will lead to more rationing of care.

Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the British Medical Association's GPs committee, said: "If those who will have to deliver the latest health reforms are unconvinced and reluctant, the Government should take notice of what they say," he said.

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said: "Any hopes he had that the concerns of NHS professionals would now subside are blown out of the water by this. Instead, GPs are clearly worried about the future of the NHS, warning of longer waits, service rationing and creeping privatisation.

"Many will lay responsibility for these things directly at the Prime Minister's door."

The poll interviews were carried out between March 21-30.

©Press Assosiation

Clegg pledges surveillance controls

Nick Clegg has insisted the "highest possible safeguards" will be built into any new surveillance powers introduced by the Government but said new technology meant the debate was needed.

Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 World at One programme, the Deputy Prime Minister refused to elaborate on what the safeguards might be, insisting it was appropriate for the plans to be published first.

But the Liberal Democrat leader said what was being discussed was a case of updating existing powers to take account of new technology - such as internet telephone service Skype - which he said criminals and terrorists could use to subvert surveillance laws already on the books.

News of the proposals has sparked fierce opposition from civil liberties campaigners, including Tory MP David Davis.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has said any new
surveillance powers will come
with the 'highest possible safeguards'

Mr Clegg told the programme: "I think it is very important people hold off making their judgement until they see the proposals.

"There has been a lot of speculation, some of it inaccurate, over the last couple of days. I happen to think it is right to have a debate about what we do as a society as criminals exploit new technologies.

"People should be reassured were are not going to ram something through Parliament. All along we will be guided by some very simple principles."

Mr Clegg said this will mean ensuring there is no new Government database and consulting widely - not just on new powers but on whether existing powers are already sufficient.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the police would not be given new powers to look at people's emails but said powers may need to be updated to "keep pace with the use of new technology".

He added: "Anything in this area is highly sensitive and it is good we are having this kind of wider debate."


©Press Association

Police chiefs: New Government powers to ban legal highs will not work.

Drug campaigners have backed a warning from police chiefs that new Government powers to ban legal highs will not work.

The UK Drug Policy Commission (UKDPC), which analyses drug laws, said simply adding to the long list of substances already banned "won't make much difference".

Roger Howard, the UKDPC's chief executive, said: "We are deluding ourselves if we think that the temporary ban will solve the problem."

It comes after the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) said the solution to tackling legal highs does not lie in "adding inexorably to the list of illicit substances". The police chiefs questioned "the extent to which legislation can realistically be used to address active choices being made by (predominantly young) people".

Police chiefs warned that adding to the
 list of controlled substances will
'not make much difference' in the fight against legal highs

Mr Howard said: "It's right for the Government to react quickly when a worrying new drug emerges. But as Acpo have said, just adding the drug to the long list already controlled won't make much difference.

"The police and forensics are under too much pressure already to be able to offer much deterrent to potential users. We are deluding ourselves if we think that the temporary ban will solve the problem."

He went on: "We should think instead about what other powers we can use. Trading standards controls could provide a boosted first line of defence. We should encourage retailers to work with the authorities to reduce the damage that drug use can cause, and allow us to bring some discipline to an unregulated market."

Even the Government's own drugs advisers have concerns over the new powers, saying they hope a better way of tackling legal highs could be found.

Professor Les Iversen, chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), said: "Picking them off one by one is not necessarily very productive." As one substance is banned, another one is produced which has similar effects but which is designed to avoid the scope of the ban, he said.

"That happens all the time. Hopefully we can find a better way of addressing the problem, rather than just hitting the compounds one by one."

Poll: Voters 'Blame Government For Fuel Panic'

Four out of five voters blame the Government for the panic-buying of fuel that prompted disruption across the UK, according to an opinion poll.

The ComRes poll for The Independent on Sunday and Sunday Mirror also found 72% of the 1,127 adults questioned online said the coalition was "out of touch with ordinary people".

News of the poll emerged as receding fears of fuel shortages saw queues shortening on the country's petrol station forecourts.

Poll: Voters 'Blame
Government For Fuel Panic'

Motoring organisations and petrol retailers said demand had eased after the Government reversed its advice that drivers fill up if their tanks drop below two-thirds full.

The new recommendation that motorists should not queue at petrol stations came after Unite , the union representing 2,000 fuel tanker drivers, ruled out the threat of strikes over Easter.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change said: "There is no urgency to top up your tank, a strike will not happen over Easter."

The AA said demand had fallen dramatically since the new advice was issued.

"Panic buying has dramatically dropped," a spokesman said.

"I think where there has been a problem, it has been waiting for petrol stations to be replenished and some drivers have interpreted that as a continued problem."

A spokeswoman for BP also reported a fall in demand following the new Government advice.

"There is less demand on forecourts," she said.

"However there is still above normal demand. We are making deliveries as quickly as possible to sites and are working 24/7 to get fuel to sites that are running or have run out."


©SKY NEWS

Fuel strike postponed while union sits down for talks

Fuel tanker drivers will not strike next week or over Easter.

Britain’s motorists breathed a collective sigh of relief after union Unite issued a statement confirming that they will instead focus on substantive talks to establish minimum standards in the fuel oil distribution industry rather than engage in industrial action.

The union insists that its demands for standards to be introduced for portable sector pensions, independently accredited training, and health and safety were not unreasonable and in line with standards already in place elsewhere in the oil industry.

“We will not be calling Easter strike action as we focus on substantive talks through ACAS [employment rights and conciliation service],” said Diana Holland, Unite’s Assistant General Secretary.

She warned that strike action could still be a possibility if talks broke down and that the dispute was not political but industrial.

“The Government’s recent rhetoric will not help us achieve a negotiated settlement. [It] must set aside its political objectives and work with us, the employers, retailers and oil companies to achieve an outcome that is good for the industry and the country.

“It should be stressed that what we are seeking is reasonable and no more than what is in place elsewhere in the industry. There have been minimum standards governing the offshore oil industry since 2000 covering health and safety, training and terms and conditions.”

Unite is keen to get the talks under way as soon as possible but it is understood that they will not take place before Easter.