Speaking on BBC News, Francis Maude MP, Minister for the cabinet office that dismissed the Daily Telegraph’s claims about new chief secretary to the treasury Danny Alexander as a “non-story.”

The paper claims Alexander has avoided paying capital gains tax on his second home sale, but Mr Maude said Alexander simply wasn’t liable for the tax.

He said:

“I don’t know all the details, I can’t possibly, but my understanding is that it’s not a question of there being a loop-hole. Simply, when he sold his second home, under the tax laws as they are existing for everybody, that was simply not taxable.

“That’s what I understand to be the case. It’s not a question of seeking out a loop-hole or anything like that. This is a bit of a non-story as far as I can see.”

Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said last night that he hopes that there’s will be an opportunity for David Laws to rejoin the government when the investigation into his expenses by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner is over.

Nick Clegg said:

“His decision was his alone. I have a great respect for the dignity he has shown. I’ve always admired his sense of public duty and intelligence. That admiration has only grown over the pressure he has faced over the last 24 hrs.

“There are questions to be answered over expenses which is why it was right for him to refer himself to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner. When those are answered I hope there’s an opportunity for him to rejoin the government.

“This has come about by an intense desire to keep his private life private… I hope he will now be granted that privacy.”

Speaking this morning on Sky News, Liberal Democrat Business Secretary, Vince Cable said that the ex-chief secretary to the treasury David Laws could have remained in his government role despite the row over his expenses claims.

When asked whether if Mr Laws could have continued in his position, Mr Cable said:

“Well, he could have done because he hadn’t done anything wrong.

“And the mistake that was made, as David set out very clearly, was to protect privacy rather than for personal gain,”

Mr Cable continued by saying that Mr Laws wanted the matter “cleared up” and felt that his “personal upheaval” would have made continuing in the position difficult.

Mr Cable denied that the scandal had damaged the government in any way.

“It hasn’t damaged the coalition government. The coalition government will continue, we’ve got a good programme, we’ve got good people and David is being replaced.

“It certainly hasn’t damaged our party, and I don’t think it’s damaged politics as a whole.”

Mr Cable added that he would like to see Mr Laws return to government in the future.

The Liberal Democrat/ Conservative coalition has suffered a blow as David Laws has resigned over allegations that he has improperly claimed expenses.

The Treasury Chief Secretary became the new Government’s first casualty after it was revealed that he has claimed tens of thousands of pounds in public money which have been paid to his long-term partner.

In a statement at the Treasury, Mr Laws said:

“I do not see how I can carry out my crucial work on the Budget and spending review while I have to deal with the private and public implications of recent revelations.”

In his resignation letter to Prime Minister David Cameron, Mr Laws wrote:

“The last 24 hours have been very difficult and distressing for me, and I have been thinking carefully about what action I should take in the interests of the Government, my constituents and – most important of all – those whom I love.

“I am grateful for the strong support which I have received from my friends, family, and from you, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chancellor. This support has been incredibly important, but nonetheless, I have decided that it is right to tender my resignation as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.”

Responding to the resignation letter, Mr Cameron wrote:

“The last 24 hours must have been extraordinarily difficult and painful for you.

“You are a good and honourable man. I am sure that, throughout, you have been motivated by wanting to protect your privacy rather than anything else. Your decision to resign from the Government demonstrates the importance you attach to your integrity.

“In your short lime at the Treasury, you have made a real difference, setting the Government on the right path to tackle the deficit which poses such a risk to our economy.”

Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg insisted he has great respect for the way Mr Laws has handled himself since the revelations emerged, and said his privacy has been shattered.

Downing Street has announced that Liberal Democrat Danny Alexander will take over from Mr Laws as George Osborne’s deputy at the Treasury, while Michael Moore will replace Mr Alexander as Scottish Secretary.

Victims of the Equitable Life collapse can finally expect compensation as Liberal Democrat MPs push forward new legislation.

Liberal Democrat MPs have described the announcement as a “massive relief” for the millions of people who lost up to half their pensions in the collapse. 

The Equitable Life Bill, which was outlined to the House of Commons yesterday, will give the Treasury the authority to make payments to policyholders or dependents who have been fighting the Labour Government for compensation since 2000.

Liberal Democrat motion to get compensation for the millions of people involved was defeated in October 2009.

Liberal Democrat MP for East Dunbartonshire, Jo Swinson said:

“The previous Government continually ignored the millions of people who lost their savings.

“Over the past five years I have been contacted by a great many people in East Dunbartonshire who lost up to half of their pensions in the fiasco. They are angry that the Labour Government failed to act, ignoring Liberal Democrat advice, ignoring the High Court and ignoring an Ombudsman’s report.

“This Bill is a massive relief to thousands of pensioners and is long overdue.

“I am delighted that something the Liberal Democrats have been calling for can now finally happen. We are using our position in Government to give policyholders the money they deserve.”

Liberal Democrat MP for Inverness Nairn Badenoch Strathspey and Secretary of State for Scotland Danny Alexande said:

“The previous Government repeatedly chose to turn a deaf ear to the millions of people who lost their savings.”

“People in the Highlands lost up to half their pensions in the fiasco yet Labour failed to act, ignoring Liberal Democrat advice, ignoring the High Court and ignoring an Ombudsman report which exposed major regulatory failure.

“This Bill will come as a massive relief to thousands of pensioners and is long overdue.”

 Lifestyle is your chance to team up with your friends during the summer holidays and make a difference to your community, you could also win an amazing holiday to Florida! 

Learn more about Lifestyle from this short video:

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If you want to enter Lifestyle 2010 you can download a Lifestle application form from http://tinyurl.com/32m7f9u 

Members of Humberside Police Authority have noted the significant increase in public confidence and satisfaction in local policing announced this month.

Figures to the end of December 2009 show the percentage of people in the Humberside police area who have confidence in the way the police and local councils are dealing with anti-social behaviour and crime issues has now risen to 50.8%.

This figure means that the Force has already surpassed the target set by the Police Authority for March 2011 and is well on its way to meeting the 2012 target of 55.7%. This result makes Humberside one of the most improved forces in the country.

Overall satisfaction in the service provided by Humberside Police also continued to rise, this time by 4.5% to 83%. The results, up to December 2009, are the best since these figures were first collected in 2006.

Vice Chair of the Police Authority, David Rudd said:

“These improvements are significant and demonstrate the force has listened and worked hard to meet the improvements the Police Authority has been looking for on behalf of local people.”

Members were also provided with other performance highlights. Serious Acquisitive Crime, which includes burglary, vehicle crime and robbery, showed a fall of 22.4% across the whole force – which equates to a drop of 3389 crimes compared to the previous year.

Other local priorities, set by the Police Authority after consultation with local people, also showed very positive results. Shoplifting has dropped across the force by 829 offences (11.2%) and the number of commercial burglaries has fallen by 310 (16.5%).

Criminal damage showed a fall of 1340 offences (7.1%) and anti-social behaviour a fall of 4807 incidents (13.9%). These successes are down to the Neighbourhood Policing Teams who have listened carefully to their communities and worked really hard to tackling these issues.

Mr Rudd concluded:

“These reductions mean that there are now fewer victims of crime across the Humberside Police area, which is good news for everyone. We are particularly pleased to see that the Force has addressed issues that really matter to local residents.”

“However, we won’t stop there; we will keep up our work to see further improvements, thereby ensuring that local people receive outstanding policing. That’s what the Police Authority is here to do.”

Simon Hughes is making a bid to become Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Liberal Democrat Party in the House of Commons. On launching his bid, Simon stressed the importance of the role of Deputy Leader in helping to retain the party’s distinctive and independent voice in parliament and in the country. Simon pledged to use his experience inside and outside parliament to help the party through this period of great change as Liberal Democrats enter national government for the first time in generations.

Simon’s bid is supported by the Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable MP Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills, and other colleagues from Scotland and Wales.

Making his announcement, Simon Hughes said:

“After campaigning for three decades for liberal democracy, in Bermondsey and Old Southwark, London and around the country, it would be a great honour to serve my party as Deputy Leader.

“Our party is at the beginning of an exciting journey in difficult and challenging times. We are now in government and implementing Liberal Democrat policies for the first time in generations. The first coalition for 65 years will mean great changes and challenges for Liberal Democrat MPs and our party around the country.

“I believe that I have the strength and breadth of experience to make sure that our party is a strong, supportive but independent voice within and around the coalition. We must hold fast to our ambition to grow our party and expand the number and diversity of elected representatives at all levels of government in the five years ahead.”

Backing Simon’s bid to succeed him, Vince Cable MP said:

“Simon has given the most phenomenal service to the party over his 27 years as an

“He represents the best traditions of the Liberal Democrats

“Simon is the person best placed to follow me as Deputy Leader and uphold the values of our party”

A scheme to help deliver faster, safer health care is being rolled out in North East Lincolnshire. The new Summary Care Record (SCR) means vital information about a patient’s health, such as allergies, current prescriptions or previous bad reactions to medicines, will eventually be available to people providing them with care anywhere in England. 

The Summary Care Record is a secure electronic record of patients’ vital health information that can be shared between healthcare staff involved in their care, ensuring that vital information is at hand during treatment even when the patient is away from home.  

The NHS is transforming how information about patients is stored in England, including the introduction of the Summary Care Records, in order to reduce errors, save lives and improve health outcomes for many people. Modernising the NHS brings with it new safeguards to ensure information in a patient’s record is held more securely than in the past. The scheme is being introduced across England over the next year. 

Most GP practices already store their patients’ medical records electronically and this is known as their Detailed Care Record. This is what a patient’s own GP uses when dealing with their treatment. The new Summary Care Record takes vital information from this record (such as their allergies and what medication they are currently taking) to help healthcare professionals treating the patient at venues other than their own doctor’s such as hospitals, health centres and minor injury units. A Summary Care Record is only accessible by staff directly involved in a patient’s treatment.  It can only be accessed with the patient’s permission and patients can opt out of having a Summary Record created. 

North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus is only uploading core patient details such as information regarding allergies, current prescriptions and any previous adverse reactions to medicines.  

Patients aged 16 and over who are registered with GP practices in North East Lincolnshire have been receiving letters over the past few weeks detailing how the Summary Care Records work.  

They are also being offered the choice not to have one and the letters include information on how to opt out. If a patient is happy to have a Summary Care Record then they don’t need to do anything and the NHS will go ahead and set up the record. Patients will have 12 weeks from receipt of the letter to decide what to do. If a patient does not opt out it is assumed they are happy to have an NHS Summary Care Record and the process of creating a record will begin.

For more information about Summary Care Records please contact the NHS Care Records Service information line on 0845 603 8510 or visit www.nhscarerecords.nhs.uk

Opt out forms can be obtained from GP surgeries or by contacting the PALS service at North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus on (01472) 625222 or online at  www.nelctp.nhs.uk

As part of National Carers Week (June 14 – 21), North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus and North East Lincolnshire Council in partnership with the North East Lincolnshire Carers Centre, part of The George Hardwick Foundation, are offering carers throughout North East Lincolnshire a free day trip to York.  

The trip will take place on Wednesday, June 16. Join the team for a day at The National Railway Museum in York or feel free to branch off in smaller groups and explore the beautiful city. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. 

The coach will depart from the Carers Centre, Victoria Street, Grimsby at 9.30am and will return at 4pm. Places are limited so to book a place please call the Carers Centre on 0845 3025525. 

Nicola Pullman, carers development manager for the Care Trust Plus, said: “We hope that carers will take the opportunity to join us for the trip to York. 

“There are 1.25 million people in the UK who care for more than 50 hours a week, carers week gives us the opportunity to recognise the contribution that these individuals make and give them the opportunity to do things that most of us take for granted.” 

Caring is something which affects the lives of many people – one in eight adults in the UK is a carer. This year, the theme for Carers Week is ‘A life of my own’; carers will highlight what they need to have a life of their own. 

There are a range of services available to support carers in North East Lincolnshire to meet needs identified by a carers assessment (subject to eligibility). These include advice and information, support groups, holistic therapies, training, counselling, professional support, carers breaks, respite services, day care and direct payments.    

A full programme of events can be found by visiting the George Hardwick Foundation website at www.georgehardwickfoundation.org or for further details please call the North East Lincolnshire Carers Centre on 0845 3025525.