No protection for Welsh NHS staff

NHS staff in Wales will not have the extended legal protection given to their English counterparts. The new law would give extra legal protection against violence and abuse, but the Welsh Assembly said it was developing its own laws.

More than 20 NHS staff in Wales complain each day about physical and mental abuse. The UK government is introducing a new law which will make it an offence to cause a disturbance or nuisance on NHS premises.

The Assembly said it did not want to extend the new law to Wales. It has instead set up its own policies.

More here.

Rolls Royce factory will close

The original Rolls Royce factory in Derby is to close, 100 years after it opened.

The factory on Nightingale Road closes its doors today, but staff have already moved to a new site at Sinfin.

The original site played a huge role in the motor industry but also produced Merlin aircraft engines in the Second World War.

Currently Rolls Royce employs more than 10,300 people in Derby.

The site may be used for community and educational facilities, according to the council.

Osprey returns to breed

A female osprey has returned to nest at Loch Garten after a 3,000 mile journey from Africa.

Last year, EJ incubated two clutches of eggs, to two rival males at the RSPB reserve near Aviemore, but none survived.

The RSPB hope that a male will join her, and from Monday images of the nest will be beamed out over the internet.

Last year one male called Henry kicked out the eggs sired by a rival male before his own clutch failed to survive. It is believed that he trampled on one, and the remaining two died a few days later.

Staff at the reserve are delighted to see EJ return, and hope that Henry arrives to join her soon. EJ has successfully reared young in two of her previous five seasons at the reserve.

Events in History – 28th March

King George I never mastered English

On 28th March 1660, King George I was born. He became King in 1714 but most of his reign was spent in Germany, as he had never mastered English.

On 28th March 1800, the Irish Parliament passed the Act of Union with England. This formed a single kingdom – the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

On 28th March 1912, both the Oxford and Cambridge boats sank in the annual boat race.

On 28th March 1942, British commandos destroyed the German U-boat base at St Nazaire. The destroyer Campbeltown rammed into the docks packed with five tons of explosives on board.

Paedophile hostel ban criticised

The ban on paedophiles being housed in bail hostels near schools has resulted in public protection being undermined, according to a report.

John Reid, Home Secretary at the time, introduced the ban in 2006, and it affected 14 of the 100 hostels in England and Wales.

However, the inspectorates of constabulary, probation and prisons said it led to a shortage of places for sex offenders. They claim that this has led to dangerous offenders being inadequately monitored in the community.

Many hostels have been private homes, and are therefore located in residential areas close to schools or nurseries.

If these offenders are potentially dangerous, then why are they not locked away? The rights of children to be protected from paedophiles must come before the welfare of the criminal.

More here.

Events in History – 27th March

Charles I who was executed by Parliament after losing English Civil War

On 27th March 1627, King James I of England died, and was succeeded by Charles I. King Charles was executed by Parliament after losing the English Civil War.

On 27th March 1863, Henry Royce, one half of the Rolls Royce company, was born.

On 27th March 1861, Scotland beat England in the first international rugby union match in Edinburgh.

On 27th March 1963, the Beeching Report on the future of the railways was published. It concluded that only half the networks carried enough traffic to cover the cost of their operation. This led to the butchering of the British railway network.

Baby killer jailed

A man who was found guilty of shaking his baby daughter to death has been jailed for six years.

Faisal Younas was found guilty of the culpable homicide of Alishba, who was nine months old. She was murdered in the family home in Pollokshields, Glasgow, in September 2005.

The judge recommended that Younas be deported on completion of his sentence. He arrived in Scotland in 2001 and claimed asylum.

More here.

Labour target crime and antisocial behaviour

Labour will target crime and anti social behaviour as they attempt to take control of more Welsh councils.

The campaign will be launched at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium. Labour says it has consulted communities across Wales and their main concern was crime and anti social behaviour.

Labour say they will use every available power to tackle the problems such as removing licences from shops selling alcohol to under 18s, closing pubs with a reputation for crime and drug dealing. They also pledge to increase neighbourhood policing teams.

Why haven’t Labour done anything to deal with crime since they came to power in 1997? Why are people more afraid than ever to leave their homes for fear of anti social louts? Why are those who apprehend criminals charged with assault? That is what Labour has done for crime (or should we say for criminals?)

More here.

Minister apologises to rape victim

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has apologised to a schoolgirl who was raped by a prisoner on the run from an open prison.

Robert Foye escaped from Castle Huntly open jail and carried out the attack in Cumbernauld last August.

Foye was serving a sentence for the attempted murder of a policeman when he absconded from the open prison near Dundee. He had run away before, but had been returned to an open prison despite the risk of him reoffending being high.

The open prisons are being used to help tackle to overcrowding in British jails, but if there were proper punishments available when sentencing criminals then there would be no such thing as jail overcrowding and those who have committed a violent crime would not be escaping and raping schoolgirls. Those who supported the abolition of the death penalty have alot to answer for.

Threat to Nimrod replacement

The Nimrod MRA aircraft – derived from the Comet airliner

The MOD has been urged to cancel its order for the replacement Nimrod fleet owing to the fact that it is eight years late and nearly £800million over budget.

The Nimrod MRA, which is based at RAF Kinloss, should have been retired in 2003, and there are claims that lives could be put at risk if the order for eight new aircraft is cancelled.

There have been concerns over the current Nimrod’s safety record after one crashed in Afghanistan in September 2006, killing 14 men, 12 of whom came from RAF Kinloss. The government says the aircraft is still safe to fly.

The Nimrod is a derivative of the Comet 4 airliner, which is itself derived from the Comet 1, the first ever jet powered aircraft to operate passenger services. More about the Comet 1 will appear on here in May.

More here.