Key Quotes for 2008

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Last update: Wednesday 25th March




Families are an average of £7 a week worse off than they were a year ago as rises in the cost of living continue to eat into their incomes, figures showed today. Households earned around £17 a week more before tax during February than they did a year earlier, but this increase was more than offset by a £24 jump in the weekly cost of essentials such as food, transport and fuel. As a result people had an average of just £133 a week left to spend on leisure and entertainment after meeting their essential outgoings, according to research carried out for Asda.
Money	The Sentinel - 27th March 2008



Teenagers are drinking 44 bottles of wine or 177 pints of beer a year each, a new study into under-age alcohol intake and violence shows. The figures relate to 15 to 16–year-olds in the North West of England and stem from a study of 9,833 youngsters. The report produced by the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University, Trading Standards North West and the Home Office, also states: of 190,000 15s-to-16s 57,000 binge-drink by taking five or more drinks in one session. Also, as many as 40 percent of teenagers in poor areas binge drink; just under half of those surveyed drank at least once a week, with 40 percent of girls and 42 per cent of boys later involved in violence.
Drugs/Alcohol/Addictions	The Sentinel - 28th March 2008



Recessionary fears saw consumer confidence sink for the seventh month in a row in March to stand at its lowest level for 15 years. The GFK NOP barometer of UK confidence scored minus 19 this month, down two points from February and the lowest level since February 1993. Researchers said fears of a recession in the US and a corresponding downturn in the UK, as well as wild swings in the stock market have created the gloomy feel.
Money	The Sentinel - 28th March 2008



Fraud on credit and debit cards soared by 25% last year to reach a record high despite the introduction of chip and pin. The cost of fraud on UK issued cards totalled £535.2 million during 2007, according to payments body Apacs. The rise was driven by a 77% jump in fraud carried out abroad, typically in countries that have not yet upgraded to chip and pin.
Crime	The Sentinel - March 12th 2008



New parents could be offered the opportunity to take leave for the first 6 months of there baby’s life, under proposals unveiled by Tory leader David Cameron. Mr Cameron said that a Conservative administration would extend the Governments current plans to reform maternity and paternity leave, in order to give new mothers and fathers more flexibility to decide how they will care for there child.
Family	The Sentinel - March 14th 2008



Many school children could be failing reading and writing tests because they are unaware they are dyslexic, new research suggests. A study by Hull University academics of 1,300 children said dyslexia was a major cause of failure. Over half those who did not achieve expected levels in SATS tests displayed all the signs of being dyslexic.
Education	The Sentinel - March 14th 2008



The equivalent of over 3 million more school days were lost this year due to truancy compared to 1997, according to Liberal Democrat analysis figures. An estimated 63,000 pupils truanted every day, equating to 1% of all school sessions missed without a valid reason. And more than 19,000 parenting contracts were agreed to improve attendance, ministers said.
Education	Youth Work Magazine - April 2008



Poorer parents are less likely to be able to exercise choice over their children’s schooling, it was claimed today. Official figures obtained by the Conservatives under the Freedom of Information Act showed approximately 100,000 parents missed out on their first choice of secondary school. Nearly one in five parents had to settle for a back-up option, according to data from more than 80 per cent of local authorities.
Education	The Sentinel - February 26th 08



Care services for older people could go “from bad to worse” over the next three years unless the Government delivers a large injection of cash, campaigners from Age Concern warned today. The charity branded the social care settlement in last year’s Comprehensive Spending Review as “dismal”, which set out the Government’s expenditure plans for 2011.
The Elderly	The Sentinel - February 26th 08



Early last year, a UNICEF report put the UK at the bottom of a league table for child well-being across 21 industrialised countries. According to one of the report’s authors, it was our ‘dog-eat-dog’ society that was in part to blame for the country’s poor performance. Meanwhile the government has taken up the challenge of making Britain ‘the best place for children to grow up’ through a ten-year children’s plan.
Social Issues	The Wey - March 08



Research has recently revealed that roughly 25 million people attend a church or chapel wedding each year – that is getting on for half the population.
Church	The Wey - March 08



Damilola Taylor’s father says his faith hasn’t been shaken despite the killing of his son. Richard Taylor says he and wife Gloria don’t blame God for their son’s death. He said “the tragedy never shook my faith, but it did get me asking questions. I often asked why should it happen to my family? There were challenges along those lines.” “I feel that if they go through the prison service they’ll be able to learn consideration and realise why they are there,” said Mr Taylor. “I hope by the time they are back in society, they will have repented”.
Religion/Spirituality	Joy - March 08



A Christian leader expects ‘huge national impact’ after the BBC announced a new series on Jesus this Easter. The Passion series, starting on Palm Sunday (March 16), will be scheduled on peak time on BBC1 and is likely to attract audiences in excess of ten million. ‘From time to time opportunities arise nationally that provide significant moments for the Christian faith to engage with our culture. One such opportunity will be the forthcoming BBC series The Passion,’ he said.
Entertainment	Joy - March 08



Many teachers are being bullied and harassed by pupils, but school heads are concealing the problem, says the The National Association of Head Teachers. A survey by the NASUWT teacher’s union found about half of the 5,000 teachers polled had been taunted, abused or attacked by their pupils. But the NAHT union said its members feared reporting ill-treatment would reflect badly on their school. The NAHT’s general secretary, Mick Brookes said “I think we’re quite right in asserting the under reporting of these sort of incidents because it’s not the sort of thing that schools and even teachers, will want to be shouting from the rooftops.
Education	The Sentinel - February 28th 08



Drug addicts who drop out of treatment programmes could have their benefits cut under new plans announced today. The Government’s new 10-year drug strategy will reveal proposals to shake-up the welfare system. In another radical move, grandparents will be encouraged to look after children whose parents are addicts, and social workers will intervene earlier when children are growing up around drug-users. Under the strategy, schools will also be encouraged to improve anti-drugs lessons.
Drugs/Alcohol/Addictions	The Sentinel - February 27th 08

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