Child sight loss 'on the increase'

27 May 2014 Last updated at 00:14

Increasing numbers of British children are being registered as blind or partially sighted, say campaigners.

Blind Children UK says much of the rise is down to more very premature babies surviving, with one in 20 of these now likely to be born blind.

It estimates the number of babies born with sight difficulties as a result of being premature has risen 22% over the past decade to more than 1,800 a year.

It says delays in diagnosis are leaving children unnecessarily impaired.

Blind Children UK is aiming to raise awareness of the warning signs that parents should watch for.

The organisation highlights signs such as red or cloudy eyes and babies or children reacting badly to bright light, and says parents should seek medical help if they are evident.

Continue reading the main story

• Red, inflamed, watery or cloudy eyes
• Excessive rubbing or poking of the eyes
• Puffy or swollen eyelids
• Moving or "wobbling" eyes
• Unusual posture when looking at something
• Bright light causing discomfort

Source: Blind Children UK

To evaluate the extent of sight problems, the charity looked at data from NHS England, the Welsh Assembly, the Scottish government, the Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Trusts and the Office for National Statistics.

It found that since 2006, there had been a 9% rise in the number of children registered blind or partially sighted.

The biggest increase has been among those aged under five, according to the charity formerly known as the National Blind Children's Society.

'Affects development'

The earlier children are born the greater the risk they will have a visual impairment.

The survey of 130 parents of children with sight problems found a quarter said that they had to wait longer than a year to have their child diagnosed.

Half of those questioned said the delay they experienced in diagnosis had had a "negative" effect.

Richard Leaman, chief executive of Blind Children UK, said: "Every day a child with sight loss goes without support, it dramatically affects their development.

"As much as 80% of a sighted child's learning takes place using vision. Without this, it's impossible for a young boy or girl to develop fully and make sense of the world around them.

"We help children and their families tackle all the challenges of sight loss, so that they can enjoy their childhood and fully realise their potential as adults."

Do you have a registered blind or partially sighted child? What has been your experience? Email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk adding 'blind children' in the heading, and including your contact details.

15.37 | 0 komentar | Read More

Scotland 'becoming more diverse'

27 May 2014 Last updated at 00:22

One in six households in Scotland is of mixed ethnicity, a study has found.

Researchers found that ethnic diversity is increasing throughout Scottish society, as immigrants have settled in new areas and the mix of ethnic groups has grown.

By 2011, the number of people living in Scotland who identified as being other than "white Scottish" reached 850,000.

The largest minority group was those who described themselves as "white: other British".

Numbers in that category had increased by 10% to 417,000 in the decade to 2011, with about three-quarters born in England.

Other minority groups have seen "considerable increases" in size, according to researchers, including the African, Chinese, Pakistani and Indian populations.

Continue reading the main story

Ethnicity is not a matter of colour, but might be used to describe different aspects of our background and sense of who we are"

End Quote Dr Andrew Smith Researcher

The researchers at the Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity, co-hosted by the universities of Glasgow and Manchester, analysed recent censuses held in Scotland.

They said the populations of some minority groups have increased "significantly faster" in Scotland than in England, but from a much lower starting point.

The African, Indian and Caribbean populations were examples of groups in this category.

Overall, experts found that diversity had increased in every local authority across Scotland.

In Glasgow and Edinburgh, every council ward saw an increase in diversity, the study found.

'Diversity spread'

Dr Andrew Smith, senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Glasgow, said: "What our research in the Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity reveals is a picture of growing diversity within Scotland, and of diversity spread across different areas of the country.

"The presence of the large 'other British' minority reminds us that ethnicity is not a matter of colour, but might be used to describe different aspects of our background and sense of who we are.

"What the analysis also reveals is that Scotland's growing diversity is not producing 'polarised islands of different groups' but a 'mosaic of differently mixed areas."

The Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.

The analysis is produced as part of a series prepared at the universities of Glasgow and Manchester with support from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

15.37 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lloyds Bank announces TSB flotation

27 May 2014 Last updated at 09:03

Lloyds Banking Group is to float a 25% stake in its TSB business on the London stock market.

The sale is set to take place next month and there will be an opening for ordinary investors to buy shares.

The bank will reward ordinary investors with free shares for longer-term investments.

TSB is being floated to meet European Commission competition rules regarding state aid. Lloyds was bailed out by the UK taxpayer in 2008.

The Co-operative Bank was set to buy TSB but did not go ahead after a £1.5bn black hole emerged at the Co-op Bank.

Lloyds must sell its remaining stake in TSB before the end of 2015.

'Important step'

Shares will be offered to institutional investors and to intermediaries for ordinary investors. The bank will give ordinary investors one free share for every 20 shares they buy (up to the value of £2,000) and hold for a period of one year after the float.

Continue reading the main story

You wait for one challenger bank to come along and suddenly you are swatting them away like flies.

After government and opposition demands that there should be more banks on the High Street, TSB will join Metro Bank and Virgin Money as players in the retail market. Royal Bank of Scotland's Williams and Glyn branch network with 1.7 million customers is also being prepared for European Commission-enforced independence.

TSB will need to show that this competition means something for customers. Chasing market share with "innovative" products often leads to problems as banks have found with payment protection insurance. "Packaged accounts" - which come complete with insurance products and special offers - could be next.

There is something of a contradiction here. The government wants boring "vanilla" banks which don't do anything too racy. It also wants a competitive market. The two tend to pull in opposite directions.

António Horta-Osório, Lloyds Banking Group chief executive, said: "The decision to proceed with an initial public offering of TSB is an important further step for the group as we act to meet our commitments to the European Commission.

"TSB has a national network of branches, a strong balance sheet and significant economic protection against legacy issues," he added.

The bank has 631 branches and 4.5 million retail customers, making it the seventh largest retail bank in the UK.

TSB will continue to use Lloyds banking operations and computer systems, the bank said.

Banking analyst Chris Skinner told the BBC that TSB - which is expected to be valued at about £1.5bn - was "really a new brand but on an old horse".

The rationale behind spinning-off TSB rather than selling off its assets is to create a "challenger bank" to make UK retail banking more competitive, Mr Skinner said.

"There are new challenger banks - there's Aldermore, Shawbrook, Handelsbanken, Metro, Tesco - there are a lot of banks actually launched into the UK economy.

"Over time we'll end up probably again with just a few that actually succeed, and I'm waiting to see which are the few that succeed," he added.

15.37 | 0 komentar | Read More

Leaders to offer response to UKIP win

27 May 2014 Last updated at 09:10

Party leaders are due to set out their response to the UK Independence Party's victory in the European elections.

Prime Minister David Cameron will travel to Brussels for an informal dinner with other EU leaders where the election results will be discussed.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Ed Miliband will set out his approach to rebuilding trust in politics in a speech in Essex.

Senior Liberal Democrat Vince Cable said "there is no leadership issue" after calls for Nick Clegg to resign.

Following the elections, Mr Cameron has pushed the case for changes in the relationship between Brussels and EU member states in a series of phone calls to other heads of government.

Meanwhile, two Labour former cabinet ministers have warned Mr Miliband against any "knee-jerk" reaction on immigration.

Seize initiative

BBC political correspondent Iain Watson says Mr Cameron will attempt to seize the initiative following the Conservatives' first-ever third place in the European elections.

The prime minister telephoned fellow EU leaders, including Germany's Angela Merkel, ahead of Tuesday evening's meeting in Brussels to emphasise that the results of the European elections, and the low turnout, have underlined the need for reform.

But supporters of Eurosceptic campaign group Business for Britain have written to the Daily Telegraph calling for Mr Cameron to spell out more clearly which powers should be taken back to Britain from Brussels.

Continue reading the main story

Mr Cameron has received conflicting advice from two former Conservative cabinet members on how to handle UKIP at the next election.

Lord Tebbit told the BBC he would support informal pacts that could see Conservatives backing those UKIP candidates who had the best chance of defeating Labour or the Lib Dems.

Lord Tebbit also said Mr Cameron needed to publish this year the bill for a referendum on Europe in 2017, and set out soon the areas in which he wanted to renegotiate powers back from Brussels.

He said about UKIP's success in the elections: "I don't think we'll see them sweep to power at the next election but unless the government can come up with answers to which UKIP are asking, lord knows what will happen."

Lord Heseltine said any pacts would split the party and there should not be a deal with UKIP "under any circumstances".

"If you say to me, 'Are they going to be a major force in the next general election?' the answer is no," he said.

"It was the place to go to protest about certain things that have been happening which they associate with Europe, but the real problem is the recession.

"Whenever you get a recession of this sort, mid-term election results find a protest point. It used to be the Lib Dems."

Leadership call

Mr Miliband received advice from Labour former cabinet ministers Lord Hutton and Alan Milburn, who wrote to the Times urging him to avoid a "Dutch auction of... ever tighter immigration controls" and instead argue for managed migration.

They called on the party leader to "have the courage of his convictions and come out fighting".

Meanwhile, more than 300 Lib Dem activists have signed an online petition advising Mr Clegg to resign.

John Pugh, the Liberal Democrat MP for Southport, called for a review of the party's leadership and strategy after it lost all but one of its 12 MEPs.

He said: "If we carry on as usual, we are like the generals at the Somme, because these losses are horrendous."

But Mr Cable said: "Now is not the time for in-fighting and introspection. The party must hold its nerve."

Mr Clegg said he wanted to "finish the job" and insisted it had not crossed his mind to resign.

"At the point when our big decisions, our big judgements are being vindicated, we are not going to buckle, we are not going to lose our nerve, we are not going to walk away," he said.

The European elections result is the first time a party other than the Conservatives or Labour has won a UK national election for 100 years.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage said the party was a truly national force and had "momentum" behind it.

UKIP won 27.5% of the vote and had 24 MEPs elected. Labour, on 25.4%, narrowly beat the Tories into third place while the Lib Dems came sixth behind the Greens. The SNP won two seats in Scotland.

Northern Ireland has yet to declare its results.

Far-right anti-EU parties, including the Front National in France, made gains across Europe as did anti-austerity groups from the left.

Mr Farage said UKIP was aiming to win the Newark by-election next week, to try to "turn the heat" up on Mr Cameron.

It would target a dozen or more seats in next year's general election, he added.

15.37 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tax crackdown yields record £23.9bn

27 May 2014 Last updated at 09:21

The government has raised a record £23.9bn in additional tax for the year to the end of March as a result of a crackdown on tax avoidance.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said it had secured the money - the highest amount since records began - as a result of its investigations.

The figure is almost £1bn higher than the target set by Chancellor George Osborne in the Autumn Statement.

The extra money raised is in addition to regular tax receipts.

HMRC credited "increased activity" on unpaid tax for the figure.

"HMRC will pursue those seeking to avoid their responsibilities and will collect the taxes that are due," said Treasury minister David Gauke.

"The government is determined to tackle the minority that seek to avoid paying the taxes they owe," he added.

HMRC said that of the total amount it had raised, more than £8bn came from large businesses, £1bn from criminals and £2.7bn from tackling avoidance schemes in courts.

In total, HMRC has said it expects to secure £100bn between May 2010 and March 2015 as a result of its investigations into unpaid tax.

The "tax gap" - the difference between the amount of tax due and that collected - was 7% for the 2011-2012 financial year, the most recent figure available.

15.37 | 0 komentar | Read More

Manchester United's brand 'devalued'

26 May 2014 Last updated at 00:01

The value of the Manchester United brand has been damaged by a disappointing season according to a study by consultancy Brand Finance.

They say United's brand is worth $739m (£439m), down $98m on last year.

That makes it the third most valuable football brand after Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

Real Madrid's victory in the Champions League final on Saturday helped boost its brand value. The club already has the biggest sales of any football club.

'Solid footing'

The authors say an improvement in the Spanish economy could help the club retain the top brand spot.

And they add that "with arguably the finest player in the world in the shape of Ronaldo" and now a first Champions League title since 2002, "Real's brand is back on a solid footing".

Gareth Bale helped Real Madrid win their 10th European Cup as they finally overcame neighbours Atletico Madrid in a compelling Champions League final in Lisbon.

But despite Real's strong season, Bayern Munich has the most valuable brand in football for the second year running according to the report.

The authors point to the Bavarian club's record points haul in winning the Bundesliga title in the 2013-14 season.

English clubs Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are placed from fifth to eighth most valuable.

United revival?

Manchester United will be hoping the appointment of Louis van Gaal will reverse its fortunes both on and off the pitch next season.

Speaking on Dutch TV station RTL last week, Mr Van Gaal said his immediate objectives were to return United to "number one spot" as soon as possible, and that fans "will think they are champions of England again within a year".

The Brand Finance report said that "shrewd commercial management" has shielded Manchester United's brand from more serious damage.

"However, another season in the wilderness, outside the Champions League, will see brand value truly plunge, and leave few sponsors willing to do a deal with the [Red] Devils," the report said.

For the three months to the end of March, Manchester United reported profits of £11m, up from £3.6m a year ago. The club also posted record revenues of £115.5m for the period.

Brand Finance defines brand value as the cost another party would have to pay to license the use of a brand.

To calculate that cost the consultancy looked at a range of factors, including the mix of revenue, value of squad, and club heritage.

15.37 | 0 komentar | Read More

Farage hails 'historic' Euro win

26 May 2014 Last updated at 08:36

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Live BBC News coverage of the European election results

Nigel Farage has said his "dream has become a reality" and UKIP is now the "third force" in British politics after it topped the European polls.

With only Scotland left to declare, UKIP has 27.5% of the vote and 23 MEPs.

Labour, on 25%, is narrowly beating the Tories into second place while the Lib Dems lost all but one of their seats and came behind the Greens.

David Cameron said the public was "disillusioned" with the EU and their message was "received and understood".

The full Scottish result will be known at noon on Monday, as the Western Isles does not count votes on a Sunday.

The BBC is predicting that the result in Scotland will be SNP on two seats, Labour on two seats and the Conservatives and UKIP with one seat each - meaning Mr Farage's anti-EU party is expected to win at least one seat in every part of Great Britain.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Nigel Farage: "The people's army of UKIP have spoken tonight"

It will be the first time a national election has not been won by the Conservatives or Labour in 100 years - and the first time a party with no MPs at Westminster has achieved such a result.

Counting in Northern Ireland begins later on Monday.

• UKIP topped the poll in six of the 10 regions to declare, with its strongest performance coming in the East Midlands, where its vote was up 16.5% to 33%
• Labour topped the poll in Wales, the North-West of England, the North-East of England and London where it increased its share of the vote by 15% to 36.7%
• Ed Miliband's party has 18 MEPs so far, an increase of seven on 2009, which was a record low point for the party
• UKIP came third in London with 16.9% of the vote
• The Conservatives have so far secured 24% of the vote nationally and lost seven seats
• The Lib Dems have lost nine MEPs but avoided a humiliating wipe-out by winning a single seat in the South-East of England
• The Green Party has got three MEPs - one more than it achieved in 2009
• Coverage is on the BBC News Channel and BBC World. You can follow all the latest news, reaction and results on bbc.co.uk/vote2014

In his victory speech at the South East of England count, UKIP leader Mr Farage said: "The people's army of UKIP have spoken tonight and have delivered just about the most extraordinary result in British politics for 100 years."

Continue reading the main story

It is over 100 years since a national election has been won by a party other than the Conservatives and Labour"

End Quote

He said the three main parties in Britain had led the country into the Common Market but had "twisted and turned" over an in/out referendum on EU membership.

"The penny's really dropped that as members of this union we cannot run our own country and crucially, we cannot control our own borders," said the UKIP leader.

He later told the BBC that he was "over the moon" about his party's performance and he was more confident than ever that it would make a breakthrough at Westminster next year.

The result had "serious consequences" for the three main party leaders and he believed Nick Clegg's position as Lib Dem leader was now "untenable".

Mr Clegg faced calls to stand down ahead of Sunday night's results - something firmly rejected by senior party figures.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander (R) rejects calls from federal executive member Martin Tod (L) for a new party leader

A member of the party's federal executive, Martin Tod, reiterated his call for Mr Clegg to quit because voters were "not prepared" to listen to him.

He said any new leader should "prove themselves in a democratic party election".

Mr Tod, a councillor in Winchester, branded his party's results in the European elections a "disaster" and the party's response "complacent".

But Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander, who has been touted as a future leader himself, insisted Mr Clegg was "by far the best spokesman" for the Lib Dems and said "plunging the party into a period of introspection" was not the right response to the results.

Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps said the results were acting as "a command for Britain to get a better deal" in Europe - but he rejected calls by Tory grandee David Davis to bring forward the in/out EU referendum to 2016, saying negotiations on this could not be rushed.

The Tory leadership faced further calls for an electoral pact with UKIP to avoid a split in the right of British politics at next year's general election.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Foreign Secretary William Hague: "We can fix the relationship between Britain and Europe"

Daniel Hannan, who was returned as a Tory MEP in the South East region, said: "It would be very sad if the two right-of-centre Eurosceptic parties at the general election were not able to find some way, at least in marginal seats, of reaching an accommodation so that anti-referendum candidates don't get in with a minority of votes."

Grant Shapps has repeatedly ruled out any formal pact or local deals with UKIP.

Labour was looking at one stage as if it might be beaten into third place by the Tories - a potentially disastrous result for Ed Miliband as he seeks to show he can win next year's general election.

But the party was rescued by another strong showing in London - and it took heart from local election results in battleground seats, which party spokesmen suggested were a better guide to general election performance.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Natalie Bennett: "What people are saying... is that [they're] not happy with politics as it is now"

Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman said UKIP had tapped into people's disaffection with politics.

She told BBC people have said they are voting UKIP, even if they are a Labour supporter, because, they said: "I think you need a shake-up."

BNP leader Nick Griffin lost his seat and saw his party's vote collapse by 6% in the North-West of England.

The BNP has seen a similar slump in support across the UK and seems certain to have no representation in the next European Parliament.

Across the channel, the far right anti-EU National Front has topped the poll in France, according to exit polls.

Anti-EU parties from the left and right are expected to gain significant numbers of MEPs across all 28 member states in the wake of the eurozone crisis and severe financial squeeze.

But pro-EU parties are still expected to hold the majority in parliament.

Turnout across the EU is up slightly at 43.1%, according to estimates. Turnout in the UK was 33.8%, down slightly on last time.

In the European elections five years ago, the Conservatives got 27.7% of the total vote, ahead of UKIP on 16.5%, Labour on 15.7%, the Lib Dems on 13.7%, the Green Party on 8.6% and the BNP on 6.2%.

15.37 | 0 komentar | Read More

Five men held over suspected bomb

26 May 2014 Last updated at 08:37

Five men have been arrested after a suspected bomb was discovered by police in County Louth.

The device was found in Kilcurry, north of Dundalk, near the border with Northern Ireland as part of an investigation into dissident republican activity.

The five who were arrested on Sunday are between 50 and 70, are known to police and have links to dissidents.

They have been detained at Drogheda and Dundalk garda stations.

The device is being examined by the Irish army.

John Mooney, the Sunday Times security correspondent, said he understood Sunday's arrests and interception followed a "long-running surveillance operation".

"There was a similar-type device seized in Lucan, outside Dublin last week," he told the BBC.

"It was understood, at that time, that device was one of four devices. I suspect that this is probably the second one.

"The gardai (Irish police) had been engaged in a wide-spread investigation, following dissidents who are thought to be active.

"I understand the seizure last night followed on from that."

He said the intended target was not known, but said some intelligence suggested it was a tactic to "embarrass Sinn Féin" following its European and local government election success.

15.37 | 0 komentar | Read More

Number in council tax debt 'rocketed'

26 May 2014 Last updated at 09:07

The number of people seeking help for council tax arrears has "rocketed" to become the most common type of debt problem, a charity has said.

Between January and March 2014 Citizens Advice helped 27,000 people who had fallen into council tax arrears - a 17% increase on the same period in 2013.

It comes after council tax benefit changes were introduced in April 2013.

Local government minister Brandon Lewis said they formed a "vital part" of cutting the deficit.

As part of the government's welfare changes, council tax benefit was replaced by a council tax support scheme, run by local authorities instead of Whitehall.

The government also cut the budget for the scheme by 10%, or £414m. It said the benefit had been costing taxpayers £4bn a year.

Local authorities set up their own council tax support schemes using the reduced pot of money.

'Most in need'

However, Citizens Advice said the levels of support offered to people now varied "from one council to the next" and said council tax arrears were now "the number one debt problem" for people.

It said one in five people who had reported debt problems to the charity in 2014 had a council tax arrears issue and that the number of people struggling with council tax payments had "rocketed" since the changes were made.

The charity called for local councils to ensure council tax support schemes were focused on families and households who were "most in need".

"For some households council tax bills can be the tipping point that plunges them into debt," Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice said.

"Consumer debts like credit cards and personal loans have traditionally been the most common debt problems that come through our doors, but since the end of council tax benefit we've seen council tax arrears problems go through the roof.

"As their budgets shrink local authorities are increasingly stretched, but they must ensure that the resources available for their local council tax support scheme are focused on those who are most in need."

'Stronger incentives'

However, local government minister Brandon Lewis said Downing Street had delivered an 11% real-terms cut to council tax bills.

He said the latest official annual figures showed arrears were falling and that collection rates across the country now stood at 97.4% - up by almost 4% on last year.

"Council tax benefit doubled under the last administration costing every household £180 a year so welfare reform is a vital part of reducing the inherited deficit.

"Locally-designed council tax support gives councils stronger incentives to cut fraud and support people to get back into work," he said.

Citizens Advice said 42% of people who asked it for help between January and March with council tax arrears were employed, compared with 28% who were unemployed and 30% not working due to ill health, caring responsibilities or retirement.

Earlier this year the debt charity StepChange said it had seen a 77% rise in the number of households needing advice on council tax arrears over the last year.

15.37 | 0 komentar | Read More

New Scots bodies 'could cost £1.5bn'

26 May 2014 Last updated at 09:16

The cost of setting up all the bodies needed in an independent Scotland could be £1.5bn, the UK Treasury has claimed.

It based the figure on research into the costs of setting up an independent state in Quebec, which have been estimated at 1% of GDP.

The Treasury also said that the costs could be nearly twice as much, if based on London School of Economics research.

The Scottish government said the analysis was "deeply flawed" as much of the infrastructure already exists.

The Treasury claimed Scottish ministers wanted to create 180 public bodies, which led the LSE to a figure of £2.7bn.

Its research estimated the cost of setting up each new department at £15m.

The Treasury said that, while it had used a more conservative figure in its own analysis, the £2.7bn costing was "reasonable".

It called on the Scottish government to publish its own estimates for how much it would cost to set up the organisations needed to run a country.

Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander said: "The Scottish government is trying to leave the UK but it won't tell anyone how much the set-up surcharge is for an independent Scotland."

Pensions and passports

The Scottish government said it had never suggested that 180 public bodies would be needed.

Ministers also argued that start-up costs would be lower because they were planning to run a slimmed-down system.

A spokesman for Scotland's Finance Secretary John Swinney said: "Scotland is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, more prosperous per head than the UK, France and Japan - but we need the powers of independence to ensure that wealth properly benefits everyone in our society.

"This is deeply flawed analysis, underlined by the ludicrous and palpably false claim that an independent Scotland would need 180 government departments - something we have never claimed.

"Much of the infrastructure needed for an independent country already exists, and Scottish taxpayers already pay their fair share for all devolved and reserved services - while Scotland also stands to inherit a fair share of joint assets, valued at around $1.3 trillion."

If Scotland votes for independence, a number of current UK-wide bodies would need to be created in Scotland, including Scottish tax, pensions, passports, benefits, transport and regulatory bodies.

15.37 | 0 komentar | Read More