Media Roundup

Daily Telegraph 10 April - 'I am terrified by the current political targets. The situation is dangerous and intolerable'
"A series of emails and documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act graphically display how, under Labour, political interference has reached unprecedented and, in many cases, unacceptable levels, particularly in the past few months as an election loomed"

Daily Telegraph 10th April - Revealed: the memos that prove No 10 puts NHS targets before the safety of patients

Sunday Herald 10th April - Walkers and Tunnock’s make £790,000 in EU food subsidies
"Two of Scotland’s most successful food companies were given more than £790,000 of taxpayers’ money in government hand-outs. Walkers Shortbread received £748,000 and Thomas Tunnock was given £44,100 during 2003-2004 under a scheme to compensate companies for the high cost of sugar and butter imposed by the European Union. The payments were just two of 24,000 given out in the UK during the financial year under the controversial EU Common Agricultural Policy, which costs the British taxpayer almost £4 billion a year. The figures have now been released through the Freedom of Information Act."


Sunday Times 10th April - Hidden infant toll of MRSA
"FOUR children aged three or under have died after suffering MRSA infections at Britain’s most famous children’s hospital, figures released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal."

Scotland on Sunday 10th April - Hospital admits abortion at 34 weeks
"as late as 34 weeks, an investigation by Scotland on Sunday has revealed. One hospital conducted an abortion just six weeks short of the baby’s due date after the mother refused an earlier offer to terminate 17 weeks into the pregnancy. Although abortions are permitted beyond the 24-week limit if the baby is abnormal, this newspaper’s investigation has revealed for the first time just how late some of the procedures are being carried out. Pro-life groups have reacted to the disclosures - obtained under the Freedom of Information Act - with horror."

Your Right to Know - FOI request: Minutes from BBC Governor’s meetings post-Hutton
"a request to the BBC for all minutes from meetings held by the BBC Board of Governors during the time period January 16-31, 2004. This was the period after the Hutton report when the chairman, Gavin Davis and Greg Dyke, the director general of the BBC, resigned"

Scotsman 8th April - SNP accuses No 10 of secret plan to cut Scottish spending
"The SNP revealed 10 Downing Street had turned down a request from a Nationalist MP for information on any government plans to change the Barnett Formula, the mechanism that sets Scotland’s share of annual UK public spending."

IC South London -Cop call-out pubs named and shamed
"THE 10 pubs with the highest number of call-outs to the police for public order offences have been named and shamed by a councillor.The 2004 figures were released by the Met after Tooting councillor Stuart King asked for the facts under the Freedom of Information Act."

Evening Times (Glasgow) - NHS bosses say sorry for blocking information
"Health chiefs in Glasgow have apologised to the Evening Times for withholding information which should be available to the public."