While thanking all those people who voted for her and her three colleagues, Merlene said she was delighted to see that Liberal Democrat policies will shape Britain for good.
Surrey County Council, NHS Surrey and Friends of the Elderly have teamed up to launch a pioneering project to support people affected by dementia.
Some learning disability patients in long-stay disability hospitals have been waiting up to 15 years to be resettled, a new report has said. According to a NI Assembly Public Accounts Committee report, this is despite being assessed as fit to leave and keen to move into the community. It found that 250 patients were still in hospitals, many of whom were keen to be resettled. The report examined Muckamore Abbey, Longstone and Lakeview hospitals.
Researchers have shed new light on the mechanism behind epilepsy attacks in the brain, revealing a potential new target for drug treatment. Around half a million people in the UK have some form of epilepsy. Until recently the focus of research has been on cells called neurons, but a US study points to a completely different cell.
This document sets out agreements reached between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats on a range of issues. These are the issues that needed to be resolved between us in order for us to work together as a strong and stable government. It will be followed in due course by a final Coalition Agreement, covering the full range of policy and including foreign, defence and domestic policy issues not covered in this document.
A leading Shropshire Liberal Democrat today appealed to party members to trust their national leaders despite the "serious doubts and questions" that remain over the coalition.