Official figures show that genetic information taken from nearly 1.1 million children is now stored on the national DNA database, and campaigners believe that as many as half of them have no criminal convictions.

The figure fuels the row about retention of personal information on the DNA register and on the police national computer for years after it ceases to be relevant.

The figures, which were revealed in a parliamentary answer to the Liberal Democrats, show that 1.09 million DNA profiles of people aged under 18 were held on the database with 337,000 of them under 16.

The Lib Dems’ home affairs spokesman, Chris Huhne, said: “We already know that guilt and innocence are of no concern to ministers, but clearly neither is the negative effect the database has on children.

“It is unacceptable to keep the DNA of children on record in perpetuity for the most minor of offences. Unless convicted of a sexual or violent offence, under-16s should not have their DNA stored on the database.”

Around 570,000 child profiles have been added in the last five years. Campaigners blame changes in police tactics to meet targets for the rise in the number of children on the register.

Terri Dowty, of Action on Rights for Children, said: “Many children get arrested, have their DNA taken and there is no further action against them or they get a reprimand or final warning. We are collecting massive amounts of data on children, including how likely they are to be criminals, and it runs the risk that we will prejudge them.”

 Earlier today I received the following message from Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary which I thought you might like to read:

 I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough.

Restriction of our fundamental rights and freedoms has gone too far. ID cards, more CCTV cameras per head than any country in the world, a database of children’s fingerprints, a government that wants to conceal its own record on the disastrous war in Iraq – it’s the stuff of fiction.

We need to put a stop to this. The Liberal Democrats are proposing the Freedom Bill: freedom.libdems.org.uk.

I need you to look at the bill and comment to tell me how to improve it. What’s missing? What’s wrong? Is your civil liberties “hobby-horse” not on our list? If you haven’t time to comment, you can sign our petition in support of the bill instead.

Here’s a selection of the measures incorporated in our first draft:

• Scrap ID cards for everyone.
• Restore the right to protest in Parliament Square.
• Scrap the ContactPoint database of all children in Britain.
• Remove innocent people from the DNA database.
• Reduce the maximum period of pre-charge detention to 14 days.

You can read the full set on the website.

I need your contribution to make this bill as robust as possible – because it’s not going to be easy getting this on the parliamentary agenda. The other two parties won’t like it, we can depend upon that.

I want to take forward a bill we can all be proud of. I hope you will join me in making it clear to the government that Orwell’s nightmarish 1984 was a warning, not an instruction manual.

Best wishes,

Chris Huhne
Shadow Home Secretary, Liberal Democrats

Mr Cable described the Treasury’s asset protection scheme as a “disgrace” and called for greater public control of bailed-out banks.

Speaking of ”arm’s length” ownership of banks, he said:

 ”We know from what’s happening in the banking system generally, responsibility has been diffused… We cannot throw more money at these banks without more public control.”

He added:

“The asset protection scheme is an absolute disgrace… Indeed, taxpayers money is going down the drain.

“The Government has agreed to insure the bad debts of these banks – it’s an enormous open-ended commitment… with nothing in return.”

He said it was “a complete betrayal of the taxpayer’s interest”.

Mr Cable also described it as a “disgrace” and a “fraud”, likening the government to “zombies”.

He also said the Government was scared of being labelled with the ” term nationalisation”.

Commenting on the Government’s plans to modernise the Royal Mail, published today, Liberal Democrat Shadow Business Secretary, John Thurso said: “Reform of the Royal Mail and the Post Office has been necessary for some time. That is why three years ago the Liberal Democrats published detailed plans to modernise Royal Mail and safeguard post offices up and down the country.”

“While the Government has listened to some of our ideas, these plans are by no means perfect.

“The Government must commit to reinvesting money from any share sale back into maintaining the Post Office network.

“Ministers should also agree to an employee shared ownership trust, which would give staff a real stake, creating the trust between staff and management that is vital for the future.”

Commenting on today’s teenage pregnancy figures, Liberal Democrat Children Spokesperson, Annette Brooke said: “The Government has failed to treat this country’s scandalously high teenage pregnancy rate with the urgency it needs. It looks like the progress that had been made is being reversed.”

“If ministers had got their act together and introduced quality relationship and sex education into the curriculum we would not be in this dismal situation today.
 
“Instead of endless reviews and leaflets for parents, ministers need to ensure that all of our young people are getting the relationship and sex education they need

The equivalent of over two million more school days were lost this year due to truancy compared to 1997, Liberal Democrat analysis of official figures released today has revealed.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Schools Secretary, David Laws said:

“The truancy rate has rocketed under this Government and is continuing to rise.
 
“It is totally unacceptable that almost one in 10 pupils in their crucial GCSE year are regularly skipping school.  These figures undermine any success the Government is claiming on truancy.
 
“The top-down, draconian, measures pursued by ministers have failed.  A more effective local approach is needed, involving parents, schools and the police. 

“The Government needs to replace the national curriculum and give schools much more freedom to decide what they teach so they can motivate and stretch all of their pupils.”

Commenting on the Government’s plans to underwrite RBS’ debts and the banking group’s announcement of £24bn losses, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said: “This proposal is a disgrace and a total betrayal of the British taxpayer. Ministers have completely lost the plot.”

“The Government is underwriting the banks’ worst assets, nationalising the losses and privatising the profits. This elaborate scheme is concealing a very large and long-term taxpayer subsidy.

“The Government is continuing to pour money into zombie banks purely to avoid taking these failed companies into full public ownership, which they could easily do by buying shares with full voting rights.

“At a time when even apostles of the free market such as Alan Greenspan are urging the Government to lose its fear of nationalisation, ministers still will not face reality. They must take responsibility for directly maintaining new lending to sound British businesses while curbing the bonus culture.”

Commenting on the announcement that former RBS chair, Sir Fred Goodwin is to get a pension of £650,000 a year, Vince Cable said:

“This revelation is an absolute outrage. Although he was not solely responsible for the disaster at RBS, he is primarily accountable for the wave of irresponsible lending and acquisitions which destroyed the bank, leaving taxpayers to pick up the bill.

“The Treasury must come clean on how much tax relief was given on this pension and others like it. It is a continued scandal that while many pensioners struggle to survive on the basic state pension, the Government gives top rate tax relief to large pension pots. This must end.”

Commenting on today’s [Thursday] Public Account Select Committee’s report on widening participation in higher education, Liberal Democrat Shadow Innovations, University and Skills Secretary, Stephen Williams said: “Ministers have made very little progress in widening participation, making a mockery of the Government’s supposed commitment to social mobility.”

“It is scandalous that significant amounts of public money have been ploughed into the system, but the Government has no idea how it has been spent.
 
“Improving performance in schools is key to widening participation.  The vast majority of young people who achieve good A-levels go on to university.  The link between social background and performance at school must be broken.
 
“All young people need to have access to good quality advice and guidance from an earlier age.  Poverty of aspiration in our most disadvantaged communities means that too many bright youngsters don’t even consider university as an option.”

The Liberal Democrats have published their Freedom Bill, detailing how the party plans to roll back the authoritarian laws passed by both Labour and Conservative governments which have undermined civil liberties.

The legislation is the first time a major political party has collated all of the laws which have undermined civil liberties into one Bill, so that they can be easily repealed.

The 20 measures contained in the draft legislation will:

• Cut the maximum pre-charge detention period from 28 to 14 days
• Abolish the veto in the Freedom of Information Act that allows ministers to keep information secret
• Scrap the ID card scheme
• Remove all innocent people from the DNA database, except for those tried for a violent or sexual offence
• Stop councils and others snooping by restricting the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) to serious and terrorist offences
• Regulate CCTV to protect privacy following a Royal Commission on the use of cameras

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said:

“With one small change after another over the last 20 years, the cumulative loss of civil liberties is huge.

“The Government has presided over the slow death by a thousand cuts of our hard-won British freedoms.

“Our forebears who fought so hard to establish our rights under the law would be shocked at what we have lost.

“The Freedom Bill we are publishing today will repeal 20 years of attacks on our civil liberties from both Labour and Tory governments.”

A piece of land in central Grimsby could be turned into into a public nature reserve.

A study is being carried out into converting two-thirds of the site next to the Saltings allotments, which is close to Littlefield Lane, into a nature reserve

The remaining part of the site could be turned into a state-of-the-art medical practice, to replace the existing Birkwood Surgery, on Laceby Road

The new practice would form part of North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus’s 10-year estates strategy to relocate 32 doctors’ practices in the area into 13 new primary care premises

Seven new medical centres have already opened, with two more centres which are located in the Yarborough Ward, in Cromwell Road and Freshney Green, expected to be completed by the end of 2009

Mike Tofton, principal asset surveyor at North East Lincolnshire Council, explained that the site was originally allocated for use as allotments, but poor drainage and regular to flooding have rendered the land unsuitable for this purpose, but it was ideal for the proposed wetland habitat.

He said: “We had to get approval from the Secretary of State to remove the land from its statutory allotment use. Six acres of the site would hopefully become the wetland and the other three, which back onto Westward Ho, would be used for non-residential development.

The CTP is currently consulting the Birkwood Surgery GPs in a to examine suitable sites – including three acres of the Saltings site for the new medical centre

A CTP spokesman said:

The project group is considering a number of options within the locality bordered by Hereford Avenue and Westward Ho

“The proposed project would help to deliver a very exciting opportunity to improve both medical services and sporting amenities within the local community.

Although the proposals are in the very early stags, the CTP has suggested that the medical centre development may generate money to help the council support local sporting facilities.