Following the publication of today's parliamentary report on bulling, the BBC reports that the government will stop short of forcing schools to actually do anything and will merely issue "guidance". DELGA Chair Jen Yockney responded, "in the schools where this is a problem mere guidance can be ignored and so the force of real regulations is actually needed - like schools where a blind eye is turned to homophobic bullying due to the prejudices of the staff."
The number of children living in relative poverty in the UK rose by 200,000 last year, government figures have revealed. The first increase in nearly a decade casts doubt on Labour's target of halving child poverty by 2010. In 2005-6, 3.8m children were in relative poverty - defined as homes on less than 60% of average income net of housing costs. The figures represent an increase from 3.6 million in the previous year.
Dundee Liberal Democrats today (Tuesday 27th March) welcomed the launch of a new website from North East Scotland leading regional list candidate for the Scottish Parliament, Alison McInnes.
Commenting on today's Education and Skills Committee report into bullying, which he initiated, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson and committee member, Stephen Williams MP said: "Anti-bullying programmes have taken a back seat to political rhetoric about stamping down on discipline and raising standards. But if we cracked bullying, we would see benefits in a lot of other areas too.
Commenting on the Royal Academy of Engineering report into privacy and surveillance, which warns that biometric details could be compromised by terrorists and criminals, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Nick Clegg MP said: "This report confirms that the Government's fascination with big centralised databases carries long-term dangers. There is little merit in pouring huge amounts of taxpayers' money into creating these databases if they not only threaten our privacy but also, as this report predicts, remain vulnerable to being used by terrorists and organised criminals. The Government must now pause in the construction of the surveillance state, which is happening behind the backs of the British people, and ensure a proper public debate before they proceed further."
A national inquiry into the scale of bullying should be undertaken by ministers because of fears that the problem is being downplayed by schools seeking to protect their reputations, a report demands today. New guidance is also needed to ensure that victims who dare to fight back are not suspended or expelled.
