Government
- The fiasco surrounding junior doctor training deepened yesterday after it emerged that parts of the discredited application process are still in place. The online Modern Training Application Service was dropped in April after complaints that it did not take experience into account. Patricia Hewitt, the then Health Secretary, promised that those applying in the second round of interviews would be able to provide CVs. But Jo Hilborne, of the British Medical Association, said that in some areas doctors were still unable to submit them. A Health Department spokesman said it had issued directions that CVs should be taken into account. "If there are cases where these things are not being adhered to by deaneries, we would be grateful if the BMA could provide us with examples, which we will follow up." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/29/ndocs129.xml
- The first 2,000 prisoners to be released early to ease pressure on overcrowded jails will walk free today - with more than £200 in their pockets. They will get out 18 days earlier than would have been the case under emergency measures triggered by a record number of inmates. Each is receiving a cash payout of up to £173 to compensate them for loss of bed and board for the time they would have been in prison because they cannot receive benefits. In addition, they will receive a normal discharge grant of £46 and allowances will be paid to landlords to meet housing costs in some cases. Up to 25,000 non-violent offenders could be freed early in any one year, which means the scheme will cost about £4.5 million this year. The prison population will fall by 1,200. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/29/njail129.xml
- Traditional A-levels are about to return under a new name to stretch the brightest candidates, it was announced yesterday. The Government's curriculum advisers are expected to give the go-ahead for the new "Pre-U" qualification over the next few weeks providing schools with an alternative to the A-level which has become an exam it is almost impossible to fail. The news comes as education ministers brace themselves for a fresh round of "dumbing down" allegations when this year's results are announced in August. Nearly a quarter of entries were awarded the top "A" grade last year and the pass rate rose to 96.6 per cent. The new qualification is based on the traditional A-level before it was divided into six "bite sized" modules which candidates can re-sit to improve their grades. Candidates will sit examinations at the end of the two-year course and there will be a return to essay-based questions. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/29/nedu129.xml
- Buckingham Palace officials yesterday claimed that the Queen needs an extra £1m from the government to stop bits dropping off the palace's crumbling facade. But they have been told by ministers that they are unlikely to get the money because of the amounts being set aside to fund the 2012 Olympics. The officials warned that the state of the stonework in the palace's inner courtyard, built in the mid-19th century from Caen stone and since preserved with 19 layers of paint, is now so bad that 20 pieces have dropped off, one narrowly missing Princess Anne's parked car. The upkeep of Buckingham Palace, along with Windsor Castle, Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and a number of other palaces, falls to the government as they are classed as occupied royal palaces, as opposed to the monarch's private homes at Balmoral and Sandringham. Officials insisted that the annual property budget of £14.5m, originally fixed in 1991, represented a 69% real-terms reduction over the period. A senior official said: "The frustration is because we feel we have managed the situation extremely well for a long number of years and we are paying the price for that efficiency. The government has the Olympics to run and we understand that, but we feel we are asking for a very small sum. We may have to close certain aspects of the building." http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/news/story/0,,2114763,00.html