Rochdale MP Paul Rowen is leading calls for an urgent Parliamentary enquiry after NPower revealed a huge increase in fuel bills. Last week, the company announced an increase of 12.7% for electricity and 17.2% for gas bills. The company announced the dramatic rise on the rising cost of fuel and other bills including rising Government 'efficiency guidelines.'
In what has been described a cyncical ploy, the Government has postponed controversial post office closure plans until after the local elections in May.
Most people would be happy to contribute to the costs of long-term care for the elderly but want a fairer system, a report suggests. A consultation of 700 people showed high levels of dissatisfaction with means testing and the "postcode lottery" over social care entitlements.
The switch to energy-saving light bulbs may put thousands at risk of painful skin reactions, health charities warn. Fluorescent bulbs can exacerbate skin rashes in people with photosensitive skin conditions, experts said. The government is planning to prevent the sale of conventional bulbs by 2011 to cut carbon dioxide emissions.
People with Down's syndrome are less likely to get some cancers - and scientists hope to exploit this to help other people at risk. Most cases of Down's happen because the baby is carrying an extra chromosome packed with genetic information.
At least ?100m of NHS money and almost ?2bn worldwide is being wasted each year on indigestion drugs, doctors say. In 2006 alone, expenditure on proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) was ?425m in England and ?7bn globally.
