Social skills 'key to start school'

27 September 2013 Last updated at 19:02 ET By Hannah Richardson BBC News education reporter

Childcare workers are calling for more play in the early years after a survey suggested social rather than academic skills were key to school readiness.

The survey of more than 2,000 UK childcare workers, parents and teachers rated social skills and independence more highly than key academic skills.

Childcare group Pacey, which carried out the research, said formalising learning early could hamper success.

The government said "teacher-led" education benefitted young children.

The "early years" is a government definition for all education up to the age of five, which includes pre-school and the "reception" year at primary school.

This stage is meant to prepare children for school, and the report by Pacey (the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years) examined what it meant to be "school-ready".

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For parents the term 'school-ready' is not about how proficient their child's handwriting is or what stage reading book they are on"

End Quote Cathy Ranson Netmums.com

As part of its research it asked 1,474 parents, 500 childcare professionals and 160 teachers what skills and qualities children needed to be ready for school.

Overall, 75% of those surveyed said the most important things were confidence to be in school without their parents and strong social skills to interact with children and adults.

'Schoolification'

Many also cited curiosity and the desire to learn as essential qualities.

The least important elements were found to be basic academic skills such as reading, writing and arithmetic. A total of 26% - and just 4% of the teachers surveyed - rated these as essential.

Pacey chief executive Liz Bayram said its research showed there was growing concern about the "schoolification" of the early years.

"Whilst no-one would deny that supporting all children to achieve their full potential is critical, Pacey is concerned that educational attainment is becoming the dominant force in early years," she said.

"Our research shows that teachers and childcare professionals are concerned that the importance of play and how it supports children to be confident, communicative, sociable and curious individuals is being lost."

Greater focus

"We want policymakers in England to look to other countries, not just Nordic countries, but closer to home in Wales, to see how a truly play-based approach not only supports children to achieve in their early years but throughout their school life and beyond."

Cathy Ranson, editor-in-chief of parenting site Netmums.com, said: "For parents the term 'school-ready' is not about how proficient their child's handwriting is or what stage reading book they are on.

"It's more about the practical aspects such as whether they can do up their own coat, open their lunchbox easily, or simply have the maturity to be able to listen and understand instructions from teaching staff."

Ministers have published a draft primary curriculum under which subjects such as fractions and computer programming would be taught in primary schools from the age of five.

Liz Truss, the minister responsible for childcare, has also said she wants to see more formal learning in the early years, and has praised the French system where there is a greater focus on teacher-led activities than in England.

The Department for Education said parents should have a "choice of different approaches" include "free-flow play and structured learning".

A spokeswoman added: "The simple fact is that a third of children start school without basic language and communication skills. In poorer areas, this rises to more than a half.

"Good quality early years education, which is teacher-led, has been shown to be beneficial for children, especially those from low income backgrounds."

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Murder charges after Leicester fire

27 September 2013 Last updated at 19:37 ET

Four people have been charged with murdering four members of a family who died in a house fire in Leicester.

Shehnila Taufiq, who was in her 40s, her daughter Zainab, 19, and sons Jamal, 15, and Bilal, 17, died in the blaze in Wood Hill on 13 September.

A 16-year-old youth and three men - two aged 19 and one aged 24 - are due at Leicester Magistrates' Court later.

Two men, aged 19 and 20, remain in police custody and a 21-year-old man has been released without charge.

Kemo Porter, 18, of Browning Street, who was charged with four counts of murder on 19 September, is due to appear at Leicester Crown Court at a later date.

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Charities warn on ageing population

27 September 2013 Last updated at 21:54 ET

Ministers should do more to prepare for the impact of an ageing population, a group of leading charities has warned.

A poll by care provider Anchor of 2,200 adults found more than three quarters (77%) said the government was not ready to cope with changing UK demographics.

The survey results prompted the Ready for Ageing Alliance to say that action now was "crucial for a happier old age for future generations".

The government insisted it had an ambitious programme for the elderly.

Some 76% of those polled also said they wanted a cabinet minister appointed to address the issue.

Jane Ashcroft, chief executive of Anchor, said: "We ask government to prove to the public that they can future-proof policy. 137,000 people signed Anchor's petition for a minister for older people.

"Government cannot bury its head in the sand on the issue."

George McNamara, head of policy and public affairs at the Alzheimer's Society, added: "By failing to prepare for the effect of an ageing population, we could be preparing to fail.

"While the government needs to plan for the impact of an ageing society, the public also needs to give more consideration to planning for their own old age.

"We ignore the challenge of an ageing population at our peril."

The survey came as Office for National Statistics figures showed there were 12,320 people aged over 100 in England and Wales in 2012 compared with just 2,560 three decades ago.

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• 1982: 2,560
• 1992: 4,460
• 2002: 7,090
• 2012: 12,320

Source: ONS estimates

The number of people aged over 90 has tripled over a similar time.

The government said changes to pensions and public services meant people would be able to save for retirement and get excellent care when they needed it.

A spokesman said: "We want to make the UK one of the best places to grow old in and we have an ambitious programme to achieve this.

"We are making radical changes to our pension system so people can plan and save for a decent income in retirement.

"We are reforming our public services so that older people get excellent care and support when they need it and are enabled to live independently.

"It is vital to make the most of the skills and talents that everyone has to offer."

The Ready for Ageing Alliance comprises eight charities consisting of Age UK, Alzheimer's Society, Anchor, Carers UK, Centre for Policy on Ageing, Independent Age, International Longevity Centre UK and Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

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Cancer drugs fund 'to be extended'

28 September 2013 Last updated at 04:06 ET

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Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said cancer sufferers in Wales were renting homes in England to access drugs

A £200m-a-year fund for life-enhancing cancer drugs is to continue until 2016, the prime minister has announced.

The Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) was set up in 2011 to help patients in England access certain drugs before they get approval for widespread NHS use.

The scheme was due to end next year, but David Cameron has pledged £400m to keep it running.

Cancer charities have welcomed the move, but Labour accused the prime minister of "letting down" patients.

Head of policy at Cancer Research, Sara Osborne, praised the valuable role the fund would play in battling the disease and highlighted the tens of thousands of people who received treatment because of it.

She said: "There's about 30 drugs that are available on the Cancer Drugs Fund, and over the last three years about 34,000 patients have had treatment that they would not have otherwise had, had the fund not existed."

'Special case'

The aim of the CDF was to make it easier for medics to prescribe treatments even if they have not yet been approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice).

Continue reading the main story

It has also addressed some of the historic inequities that have existed for people with rarer cancers."

End Quote Andrew Wilson Chief executive of the Rarer Cancers Foundation

The scheme was set to run until 2014 and campaigners raised concerns about where patients would turn for help when the funding ceased.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said cancer was a special case.

He said: "We particularly make exceptions for rarer diseases which only affect small numbers of people, and the other area we make that exception for are these cancer drugs because we think it is the number one killer, and we do think that we had a particular problem with a lack of access to these drugs."

Andrew Wilson, chief executive of the Rarer Cancers Foundation, said: "The Cancer Drugs Fund has made a huge difference to cancer patients in England, significantly improving the quality of treatment available to people with advanced forms of cancer.

"It has also addressed some of the historic inequities that have existed for people with rarer cancers, ensuring that access to treatment is not denied simply because you are unlucky enough to have a rare form of cancer.

"This is a compassionate, common sense announcement which will be warmly welcomed by many thousands of cancer patients."

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An extension of the Cancer Drugs Fund in England means a radical overhaul in the NHS drugs pricing system is now unlikely.

Next year was meant to mark the start of value-based pricing, a system proposed by former Health Secretary Andrew Lansley to promote a closer link between the price the NHS pays and the value a medicine offers.

It could have led to higher price thresholds for medicines for diseases with a greater burden of illness or in areas where there is un-met need, or if it could be demonstrated that there would be wider benefits, such as getting people back to work.

Some of these elements are to be incorporated into the work of the drugs advisory body the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence from January.

But this announcement effectively signals a light-touch version of what was first envisaged.

So far more than 34,000 patients have benefited from the fund and the charity estimates that 16,500 extra patients will benefit each year as a result of the extension.

Mr Cameron said: "When I became prime minister three years ago many patients with rare cancers were being denied life-saving treatments.

"That is why we created the Cancer Drugs Fund, it is why we are extending it, and it is why we are partnering with Cancer Research UK to conduct new research into the effectiveness of cancer drugs.

"It is only because we have protected health spending that we can afford these life saving treatments."

Dr Andrew Protheroe, consultant in medical oncology at The Churchill Hospital in Oxford, also backed the extension of the scheme.

He said: "The more treatment options that are available to me, the better job I feel I can do for my patients.

"There is nothing more frustrating than knowing there is an effective, licensed, evidence-based treatment available which I am not allowed to use.

"It is like trying to do your job with one hand tied behind your back.

"Before the Cancer Drugs Fund, doctors were not able to use a whole range of drugs which were part of standard practice in other countries.

"This fantastic announcement means we won't have to go back to those days."

Networks scrapped

However, BBC health correspondent Nick Triggle said the move does raise questions about the introduction of a new way of assessing drugs that had been expected to start next year.

Next year was meant to mark the start of value-based pricing, a system proposed by previous health secretary Andrew Lansley to ensure there is a closer link between the price the NHS pays and the value that a medicine offers.

There will now be no full blown overhaul although drug advisory body NICE will be looking to make some changes to improve the assessment process from January.

Shadow health minister Liz Kendall said the government was "letting down cancer patients".

She highlighted the fact that expert cancer networks - set up to improve access to high quality services - were scrapped during the reorganisation of the NHS earlier this year.

She added: "David Cameron should also stand up to the tobacco lobby rather than caving in to them over standardised cigarette packaging, which experts say would be a powerful weapon in the long-term fight against cancer."

Alongside plans to extend the fund, Mr Cameron also announced that Genomics England - a government-owned organisation tasked with mapping the DNA of 100,000 patients with cancer and rare diseases - will begin a partnership with Cancer Research UK.

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PM unveils marriage tax breaks plan

28 September 2013 Last updated at 04:31 ET

Plans for some married couples to get tax breaks worth up to £200 a year have been announced by David Cameron.

The prime minister said four million couples would benefit from a £1,000 transferable tax allowance from 2015.

The move, announced ahead of the Tory conference, comes after a deal with the Liberal Democrats to introduce free school meals for children under eight.

Labour said Mr Cameron was "out of touch" if he thought the people would get married "for £3.85 a week".

The tax break would apply if couples are both basic rate tax payers and would also include 15,000 couples in civil partnerships, from April 2015.

The basic tax rate of 20% is currently in place for up to £32,010 of taxable income. That means that - including a personal allowance - at current rates people would have to earn less than £41,451 a year to be eligible.

'Happiest day'

Benefits from the scheme would come through initially at the end of the tax year in 2016.

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Jeremy Hunt: "Marriage is special.. it is the institution that particularly helps to strengthen commitment in our society"

Writing in the Daily Mail, Mr Cameron said: "I believe in marriage. Alongside the birth of my children, my wedding was the happiest day of my life.

"Since then, Samantha and I have been a team. Nothing I've done since - becoming a Member of Parliament, leader of my party or prime minister - would have been possible without her.

"There is something special about marriage: it's a declaration of commitment, responsibility and stability that helps to bind families.

"The values of marriage are give and take, support and sacrifice - values that we need more of in this country."

He later tweeted: "The £1000 marriage tax allowance will apply to straight and gay couples, as well as civil partners. Love is love, commitment is commitment."

Election pledge

Mr Cameron said stay-at-home mothers and women who worked part-time would be the main winners.

He promised tax breaks for married couples when he ran for the leadership of his party in 2005, and it was also part of the Conservative election manifesto in 2010.

The Liberal Democrats are opposed to the measure but under the coalition agreement they would not be able to vote against it in any parliamentary vote but could abstain.

It has been suggested the Lib Dems were able to announce plans for every child in England between reception and year two to get free school lunches in exchange for the Conservative's proposed tax break.

The free school meals policy will begin in September next year and will be worth about £437 per child.

Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies said: "Each party at their conference has launched a policy that costs about the same - somewhere between half a billion and a billion pounds.

"So the Liberal Democrats had something on free school meals, Labour had something on childcare, the Conservatives have got something on tax allowances.

"Each one is a small lollipop in the context of £25bn of cuts being expected over the following two years - none of them have said much about how they're going to do that."

'All families'

For Labour, shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Rachel Reeves said: "David Cameron's so-called marriage tax break won't even help two-thirds of married couples, let alone millions of people who are separated, widowed or divorced.

"He's so out of touch he thinks people will get married for £3.85 a week.

"And even for the minority who might benefit, it will be far outweighed by what David Cameron's government has already taken away in higher VAT and cuts to child benefit and tax credits."

But Conservative Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "This is a measure that's going to help four million hardworking couples where life is pretty tough. This is going to go to lower earning couples, incidentally, it's not going to go to everyone.

"And I hope it will make a small difference but also send a signal that even though marriage is not for everyone, and there are many different shapes and sizes, different types of families, we recognise the value of this institution to our society."

'Promoting a fantasy'

Tim Yeo, the Conservative MP for Suffolk, told BBC Radio Suffolk that while he welcomed any institutions that support stability in society, in 2013 marriage "is not the only model for a family".

"I don't see why, for example, someone who has been widowed, whether it's a man or a woman, at a young age, and is trying to being up children perhaps on a relatively low income, I regret the fact that the current proposal may exclude those people," he said.

Campaign group Don't Judge My Family criticised the move.

It said the scheme was about "promoting a fantasy 1950s family" and would not benefit many of the families who needed most support.

Dr Samantha Callan, the director of families at the think tank Centre for Social Justice that seeks to address poverty and its causes, welcomed the announcement.

"We've been calling for this since 2007," she said.

"We did a report into the state of the nation and why family breakdown is such a problem in the UK today. Half of all children born today will not still be with both their parents by the time they're 15 and marriage is a more durable relationship."

She added: "Ninety-three percent of all couples still together by the time the child is 15 are married."

The Conservative Party conference takes place in Manchester from Sunday. Mr Cameron will close the conference with his keynote speech on Wednesday.

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Father speaks of fire deaths tragedy

26 September 2013 Last updated at 19:39 ET By Tom Bateman BBC Radio 4 Today Reporter

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Dr Muhammad Taufiq Al Sattar: "We all know that we are going to die one day"

A man whose wife and three children were killed in a house fire in Leicester has spoken of his upset that their funerals have not taken place two weeks on from the tragedy.

Dr Muhammad Taufiq Al Sattar, who is currently staying with friends in the city, says he does not know when he will be able to bury his loved ones due to the investigation into their deaths.

Shehnila Taufiq, 47, her daughter Zainab, 19, and two sons, Bilal, 17, and 15-year-old Jamal, died after their home was set alight on 13 September.

In his first interview in the UK, the 52-year-old neurosurgeon told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that second post-mortem examinations on members of the family had been delayed until at least 8 October.

He said the last fortnight had been "extremely difficult" for him, but added his faith in Islam had given him "strength".

"It was God's plan to take the life," he said.

Police have charged a man with murder over the fire, which began shortly after midnight in Leicester's Wood Hill.

Kemo Porter, 18, of Browning Street, Leicester, was remanded in custody at Leicester Magistrates' Court.

A number of further arrests have also been made.

At the time of the fire, Dr Taufiq was in Dublin, from where he travelled at weekends to see his wife and children who were studying in Leicester for an Islamic education.

He spoke in detail about the moment he was told that the family home was on fire.

"One of my friends from Leicester, he rang me at 03:10 BST. He said to me 'have you heard anything?' I said 'no'."

"He said: 'Your house (is) on fire'."

'God testing me'

"The police had blocked the road, they were helpless," said Dr Taufiq.

"What I thought was God was going to test me with this big difficulty and calamity."

It was not until he got to Dublin airport that he was told by police that his wife and three children had died in the fire.

"As a neurosurgeon I know we deal with life and death every day - so it was in my mind, something which is beyond your control."

Dr Taufiq said it had been too distressing for him to step foot in the family home, which was gutted by the fire.

He also paid tribute to Leicestershire Police and described their investigation as "very wide".

The neurosurgeon said he was "delighted" that community relations had remained peaceful in Leicester since the fire.

He said his "aim" was that similar incidents should "not happen to any other family".

Dr Taufiq plans for his wife and children to be buried in Ireland, where he said he will continue to live and practice his faith.

You can listen again to the full interview on the Today programme website, and BBC iPlayer.

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Pound rises after Carney rejects QE

27 September 2013 Last updated at 03:39 ET

The pound has jumped against the dollar after Bank of England governor Mark Carney said that he saw no need for further quantitative easing (QE).

Under QE, the bank has added £375bn to the economy by buying financial assets.

In an interview with the Yorkshire Post, Mr Carney said the Bank would consider the case for raising that spending, if the recovery faltered.

But in his view, the recovery had "strengthened and broadened" and he did not support the case for more QE.

Those comments boosted the pound. It hit 1.6121 against the dollar in early trading before falling back to trade half a cent higher at $1.6098.

In the interview with the Yorkshire Post, Mr Carney said: "The advanced economies as a whole are doing a bit better. That's going to help the UK as a whole. These are more traditional export markets, so that matters.

"Within the UK, we are probably leading the pack of the major advanced economies as we speak right now."

New style

Analysts say that the markets are still getting used to Mr Carney, who took over at the Bank of England in July.

"Governor Carney's comments were unusually candid for a central bank governor," said Jane Foley, senior foreign exchange strategist at Rabobank in London.

"His comments were in tune with the minutes of the last MPC [monetary policy committee] meeting, but the markets are unaccustomed to hearing a governor be so straightforward."

Minutes from September's meeting of the MPC said that recent economic data and business surveys "provided further evidence" that growth was picking up.

Not only would the economy be stronger than first thought in the July-to-September quarter, but the likelihood was that growth would continue to strengthen for the rest of the year, the minutes said.

Two MPC policymakers who had previously suggested that an expansion of QE might be required to aid the economy further have now revised their views, according to the minutes.

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Bank given wider Help to Buy role

27 September 2013 Last updated at 04:01 ET

Chancellor George Osborne has asked the Bank of England to take a bigger role in ensuring his Help to Buy housing scheme does not fuel a property boom.

The Bank's Financial Policy Committee (FPC) will make annual reviews of the scheme, starting next September.

The committee had been due to make an assessment of Help to Buy only after its first three years of operation.

But the recent recovery in parts of the housing market has raised questions about the impact of the scheme.

Figures from the Nationwide Building Society, published on Friday, suggested year-on-year house price increases in all regions of the UK in the third quarter of 2013 - the first rise across the board for nearly six years.

However, there were significant regional differences. London recorded a 10% annual change, but the North of England saw a 0.2% rise over the same period.

Greater control

Help to Buy was originally launched to help buyers of new properties. A second, potentially much bigger phase of the scheme is due to begin in January to assist buyers who might otherwise be unable to afford a down payment on a home.

The scheme provides taxpayer insurance for up to 15% of a mortgage on houses worth up to £600,000, allowing banks to provide up to 95% mortgages at a reduced risk.

Continue reading the main story

A Treasury source said that the chancellor would implement whatever recommendations were made by the FPC"

End Quote

The Bank of England's FPC will be able to modify parts of the scheme to keep it in check.

It will be allowed to review the scheme and could reduce the £600,000 cap, so fewer homes are affected.

The FPC could also also make loans less attractive by recommending that the Treasury raises the fees paid by lenders for the guarantees.

BBC business editor Robert Peston said the chancellor had responded to criticism that his Help to Buy scheme could cause a dangerous housing market boom.

'Vigilance'

"Earlier this week, the FPC put out a statement saying that it sees signs of recovery in the housing market, that these did not yet look like over-heating, but that it would be vigilant and pre-empt and prevent a recurrence of the bubble that formed in the boom years before the 2007-8 crash," our business editor says.

Up to £12bn of government guarantees will be on offer to help people get mortgages.

But since the second stage of the plan was announced in March, the housing market, particularly in London, has improved.

Business Minister Vince Cable is among those to have expressed his concerns about Help to Buy.

Earlier this month, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) said that a 5% annual rise in prices should trigger caps on how much people could borrow relative to their incomes or the value of the property.

'Broadening recovery'

The Treasury said in a statement: "Now that the FPC have set out their latest assessment of the housing market... we are setting out more detail on how its role will work.

"The FPC's assessment this week - in line with that of the chancellor and the [Bank of England] governor - is that recent developments in the housing market represent a broadening recovery from low levels of activity, but that we must remain vigilant as that recovery progresses.

"The chancellor has asked the FPC to work with him every September, starting next year, to assess the ongoing impact of the Help to Buy scheme. Following that annual assessment, he has proposed that the FPC advise him on whether the key parameters of the scheme - the price cap and the fees charged to lenders - remain appropriate."

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Ban threat for car parking cameras

27 September 2013 Last updated at 04:19 ET

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Roy Tunstall, from Liverpool City Council, says CCTV vans act as a "high-visibility deterrent"

Fixed cameras and what critics call spy cars used to catch people parking illegally could be banned in England.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said he wanted to "rein in over-zealous and unfair rules", and that traffic wardens with cameras could do the job instead.

Static and car mounted cameras have been used to issue more than 10 million fines, totalling £301m, in the past five years, the Conservatives say.

Councils say the cameras help to keep roads safe, especially near schools.

The law could be changed "well before Easter", Mr Pickles told the BBC.

Continue reading the main story

Camera cars have been instrumental in keeping children from being hurt or killed on the way to school"

End Quote Tony Ball Local Government Association

Some 75 councils currently have permission to use CCTV cameras or "approved devices" to enforce parking restrictions, under Labour's 2004 Traffic Management Act.

In these areas, a third of all parking fines are now issued via CCTV rather than by parking wardens, case studies suggest.

Meanwhile, a study by the Audit Commission found one in three councils was earning more money through parking charges and school meals than council tax.

Mr Pickles and Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, speaking ahead the Tories' annual conference, which starts on Sunday, said restrictions were damaging town centres and being enforced unfairly.

They announced a series of proposals including:

• Banning static CCTV parking cameras and car mounted cameras, instead allowing only visible traffic wardens to film vehicles
• Publishing "open data" on parking
• Updating guidelines to help people use local shops more easily
• Improving people's "rights of redress" when fined inappropriately
• Stopping "unacceptable and aggressive parking fine collection practices"
• Reviewing "unnecessary" yellow lines

A Conservative Party briefing says using CCTV for parking enforcement "is detrimental to natural justice", as penalty notices are received in the post "with no opportunity for the driver to examine the parking location as it was at the time of the alleged contravention".

Mr Pickles added: "We want to rein in these over-zealous and unfair rules on parking enforcement, so it focuses on supporting high streets and motorists, not raising money.

"Parking spy cars are just one example of this and a step too far. Public confidence is strengthened in CCTV if it is used to tackle crime, not to raise money for council coffers."

Mr McLoughlin added: "Labour's ill thought-out policies have led to an increase in congestion and parking problems on our streets.

"By making sensible changes such as providing more parking spaces for local shoppers we can help ease traffic flow whilst supporting our vibrant high streets.

"Arbitrary parking rules force shoppers online or to out of town stores, causing lasting damage to local firms and small shops."

'Law is clear'

But Tony Ball, of the Local Government Association, which represents councils, said parking controls were "not about revenue raising" but were "absolutely essential" for allowing people to leave their cars near shops or their homes.

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He added: "Camera cars have been instrumental in keeping children from being hurt or killed on the way to school, and CCTV plays an important role elsewhere in monitoring traffic flow and keeping cars moving.

"Nobody likes getting a parking fine but the fact that less than 1% go to adjudication shows that in the vast majority of cases councils get it right.

"Income from on-street parking fines and charges is spent on parking services with any money left over spent on services like fixing potholes and providing subsidised bus travel to children and the elderly."

In response, Mr Pickles told BBC Breakfast: "It's okay for local authorities to say 'oh, it's all to save the children'. No it isn't. What this is about is raking in pretty large sums of money to fill the councils' coffers.

"The law's pretty clear. It says you're not allowed to do that. What we're going to do is enforce the law."

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Royal Mail 'worth up to £3.3bn'

27 September 2013 Last updated at 04:29 ET

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Business minister Michael Fallon: "This is a huge day for Royal Mail"

Royal Mail is to be valued at between £2.6bn and £3.3bn, the government says.

The Department for Business said on Friday that Royal Mail would list on the London Stock Exchange next month. BBC business editor Robert Peston says that the privatisation should be completed by 15 October.

He adds that this is "long before" a possible strike could happen.

Postal workers will on Friday begin voting on whether to take industrial action to oppose the plan.

In a statement the government said that 10% of the shares, which will be priced between 260p and 330p, will be given to around 150,000 "eligible UK-based Royal Mail employees".

The government will also sell between 40.1% and 52.2% of the Royal Mail under its privatisation proposal.

Continue reading the main story

There is perhaps a Thatcherite confrontational tint to the whole exercise, unusual for a government led by David Cameron, whose own ideological roots seem more Blairite than Iron Lady."

End Quote

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: "This will give Royal Mail access to the private capital it needs to modernise, as envisaged under successive governments and enshrined in law by Parliament two years ago. "

Moya Greene, chief executive of Royal Mail, said that the company would "not change".

"We will now be better able to compete in what is a fast changing and intensely competitive market," she added.

Strikes?

Members of the public can apply for Royal Mail shares online until 8 October.

The minimum application for the public wishing to purchase shares is £750, and £500 for eligible Royal Mail employees.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is balloting 100,000 of its members on a nationwide strike over the privatisation, as well as on changes to salary and pensions.

The CWU on Friday sent a statement to its members which said: "Those who want to sell off the Royal Mail Group are motivated purely by short-term gain and vested interests."

Voting in the strike ballot will close on 16 October.

Our business editor adds that this is a "very big moment" in the history of the 500-year-old postal service, describing the government's programme as "ambitious".

He adds: "Remember that industrial relations are pretty terrible at the moment, and the government's timetable for this means it is now impossible for there to be a strike before the privatisation is done. It will be in the private sector before there can be a strike."

Business minister Michael Fallon told the BBC that the six-day-a-week delivery, or "universal service", was "completely protected," but private investment would help the Royal Mail improve that service.

"It's a business that needs access to private capital," he added.

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