“The Home Secretary should stop being an American poodle and start being a British bulldog”, said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne.

Commenting on Alan Johnson’s refusal to block the extradition of Gary McKinnon to the US on medical grounds, Chris Huhne said:

“It is appalling that this Government places a higher value on a deeply unfair extradition agreement than it does on the welfare of a British citizen.

“Alan Johnson has shamefully turned down the opportunity to demonstrate his faith in British justice and save a vulnerable man from a lifetime in prison or worse.

“The Home Secretary must now step in and ensure that this sorry saga is ended once and for all by trying Gary McKinnon in this country.

“The Home Secretary should stop being an American poodle and start being a British bulldog.”

“This is a pathetic climb-down in the face of a feeble report by a City insider”, said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable.

Commenting on the Government’s response to the Walker report, Vince Cable said:

“Government ministers appear to be at sixes and sevens on bankers remuneration. Today Alastair Darling confirmed that he supports the Walker Report and is opposed to disclosing remuneration details of individuals.

“Lord Myners as City Minister took a different view, since several months ago he called for individuals to be named. Now he appears to have done a U-turn on this issue.

“This is a pathetic climb-down in the face of a feeble report by a City insider who has fallen over backwards to do nothing to tackle the most Neanderthal elements in the banking community.
 
“Only the Liberal Democrats have been absolutely clear and consistent in calling for full disclosure of bankers remuneration above that of the Prime Minister.”

Notes to Editors
1. In an interview on the Daily Politics on 26 November 2009 Lord Myners stated that following the Interim report produced by David Walker earlier this year, one of the suggestions which he submitted included ‘naming names’ (See Here)

“With cuts expected after the next election, local government will be expected to do more and more, but with the one key component missing that would allow them to cope – money”, said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, Julia Goldsworthy.

Commenting on today’s announcement of the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement for 2010-11, Julia Goldsworthy said:

“It is all well and good the Government sticking to the agreed funding package for local authorities, but they are ducking the debate about future grants by not releasing this statement in Parliament and allowing MPs to hold them to account.

“The situation next year will be very different and my biggest concern is that councils will have to pick up the pieces from the economic mess Whitehall has created.

“With cuts expected after the next election, local government will be expected to do more and more, but with the one key component missing that would allow them to cope – money.

“People have a right to know how on earth a hospital can be rated ‘good’ a few weeks before such serious failings come to light.”, said the Liberal Democrats Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb.

Commenting on reports that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has raised serious concerns about the standards of care at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Norman Lamb said:

“If these reports are accurate then it appears there has been a shocking failure in the standards of care at this hospital.

“People have a right to know how on earth a hospital can be rated ‘good’ a few weeks before such serious failings come to light.

“This Government has set up a labyrinth of bodies and inspectors which are meant to ensure high quality standards in our hospitals but it simply isn’t working. This is yet another case where a hospital has passed the test on paper but where real patient safety has clearly been compromised.”

“Ministers must commit to programmes outside the criminal justice system for dealing with children, like restorative justice.”, said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Justice Secretary, David Howarth.

Commenting on Government figures showing a 20% fall in the number of first time entrants into the criminal justice system, David Howarth said:

“The drop in children entering the criminal justice system for the first time is long overdue.

“When you consider that Labour convicted a million kids in their first decade in power and cautioned a million more, you have to wonder how many more kids there are to criminalise.

“Ministers must commit to programmes outside the criminal justice system for dealing with children, like restorative justice.”

The number of young people in England who receivrd a reprimand, warning or conviction for the first time has dropped by 21.6%

Government statistics show that the number of offenders aged 10-17 entering the criminal justice system for the first time fell from 94,481 in 2007/08 to 74,033 in 2008/09.

John Drew, chief executive of the Youth Justice Board (YJB) said the fall is mainly due to the work of youth offending teams (YOTs), children’s trusts and police forces across the country.

He said it is essential that funding for prevention work from central government is maintained at a decent level:

“We are saying to all the political parties that it’s really important to recognise just how significant this money is to fighting youth crime.”

“A new generation of nuclear plants is too dangerous, too costly and won’t meet our immediate energy needs,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Simon Hughes.Commenting on today’s Pugwash report into the storage and security of Britain’s nuclear stockpiles, Simon Hughes said:

“This report is yet more evidence of how irresponsible the Government is being in rushing ahead with a new generation of nuclear power stations.
 
“For so eminent a group of experts to have such little confidence in the Government’s policy on storing nuclear waste is truly terrifying.
 
“A new generation of nuclear plants is too dangerous, too costly and won’t meet our immediate energy needs.

“New nuclear should unthinkable while the Government is without a long-term solution for the waste that has already built up.”

“By reducing indiscriminate and excessive use of stop and search, we can reach out to the communities we rely on most for intelligence,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne.

Commenting on today’s figures from the Government on the use of stop and search powers under the Terrorism Act, Chris Huhne said:

“The welcome dip in stop and searches under Section 44 is evidence of how indiscriminately the powers were being used previously.

“There is scope for them to be cut back even further as the fear remains that Section 44 searches are being used for reasons other than they were intended for.

“By reducing indiscriminate and excessive use of stop and search, we can reach out to the communities we rely on most for intelligence, which is a far more crucial tool in the fight against terrorism.”

An independent assessment of the pilot family intervention projects shows positive outcomes among many of the families with a record of antisocial behaviour problems who had been targeted.

Among the 699 families that had completed the project, two-thirds were no longer involved in antisocial behaviour and the number of families facing eviction because of their behaviour had reduced from 47 per cent to 15 per cent.
 
Reports of truancy, exclusion and bad behaviour fell from 56% to 25% of those completing the project. Concerns over child protection among this group also fell by 23% to 13%.
 
Drug and alcohol problems and reports of domestic abuse were also reduced.
 
The government has released guidance for housing associations and children’s services to bid to run an expansion of the projects.
 
Earlier this month, the government announced its £15m Challenge Fund, which includes £7.5m from housing providers and the same amount from government to extend existing FIPs and run new projects.
 
Clare Tickell, Action for Children chief executive, said:

“We are delighted that Government is investing extra funding into Family Intervention Projects in recognition that this model works. However, it’s crucial that  services are  rolled out  in a way that is true to its original form and builds on best practice. Family Intervention is most effective when all agencies work together at a local level - this is key to providing the best possible support to the UK’s most vulnerable families.”

A report released today states that private tenants are the forgotten victims of the recession and reveals that 90% of lower-income renters are finding it difficult to cope financially.

The research by Shelter and the Money Advice Trust says that media and government attention has concentrated on saving homeowners from repossession, but financial problems are building up for private tenants.

More than one in three lower-income private tenants who have a household income lower than £20,000 (or £25,000 in London ) have fallen behind with at least one major bill, including their rent, including many tenants whose rent is meant to be covered by the local housing allowance.  

Of the 52% of tenants receiving housing allowance, more than 60% found it did not cover their full rent.  Almost a quarter of benefit recipients were making up a shortfall of £49 or more per week.

While homeowners (and landlords) have benefited from record low interest rates and a range of other help, little has been done to help private tenants – and unlike housing association tenants they will not receive a cut in rent next year, and while the campaign is continuing to prevent the Government from taking up to £15 a week from private tenants on local housing allowance who had shopped around for a cheaper rent, the survey is a reminder that rent shortfalls are an even bigger issue.