C of I Bishops warn on education cuts; Crime gangs ‘broke the soul’ of young woman; Two-thirds of benefit claimants fit for work; Teachers feel snubbed at lack of consultation on special needs changes; 23% have now paid Household Charge – Council staff to collect rest
C of I Bishops warn on education cuts
Irish Times – Ireland’s commitment to pluralism, tolerance and its religious minorities will be tested by the manner in which proposed education cuts are implemented, Church of Ireland bishops have said. They claimed the cuts could have a dramatically negative …
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0326/breaking40.html
RTE – http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0326/education.html
Crime gangs ‘broke the soul’ of young woman
News Letter – Human traffickers in Northern Ireland “broke the soul” of a “stunning” young woman to such an extent that she gave up all hope of a normal life and disappeared, it has been reported. That was the story related to delegates at a conference on human trafficking in Dungannon last week, organised by the South Tyrone Empowerment Programme. The PSNI told delegates that trafficking foreign women into Northern Ireland brothels is a “high yield, low-risk” activity by crime gangs that include former paramilitaries. Marie Brown of Women’s Aid told how human traffickers had “broken the soul of a beautiful and absolutely stunning young woman”.
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/crime-gangs-broke-the-soul-of-young-woman-1-3666243
Two-thirds of benefit claimants fit for work
News Letter – A leading economist has welcomed new Government figures showing thousands of Northern Ireland’s Incapacity Benefit (IB) claimants are fit to work. John Simpson described the series of reassessements taking place as a move towards a more logical social security system. Around 76,000 recipients are currently undergoing assessments to gauge their ability to return to the workplace.
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/two-thirds-of-benefit-claimants-fit-for-work-1-3666279
Teachers feel snubbed at lack of consultation on special needs changes
Belfast Telegraph – Around 95% of teachers are coping with special needs children in their classes, yet they feel snubbed by the lack of consultation over changes to the ‘statementing’ process for these pupils, according to a local teaching union. “A recent survey by the General Teaching Council showed that 95% of teachers had special needs children in their classes,” said Gillian Dunlop, President of the Ulster Teachers’ Union and a teacher at Donaghadee Primary School, Co Down. She addressed the issue in her Presidential speech at the recent UTU annual conference in Newcastle, Co Down.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/education/teachers-feel-snubbed-at-lack-of-consultation-on-special-needs-changes-16136298.html
23% have now paid Household Charge – Council staff to collect rest