Wales Approves Organ Donation Opt-Out Law

People in Wales will be presumed to have given consent for organ donations unless they opt out after a vote in favour of the law.

The current system, which operates across the UK, relies on people signing up to a voluntary scheme and carrying a donor card.

But Welsh ministers keen to drive up low transplant rates say the new scheme - set to come into force in 2015 - will save countless lives.

The new bill for Wales to adopt a system of presumed content passed its final stage in the Welsh Assembly, despite objections from religious groups on moral grounds as well as concerns about it adding to the distress of bereaved families.

Assembly Members voted in favour of the bill by 43 votes to eight, with two abstentions.

The Kidney Wales Foundation welcomed the vote, saying it "gives new hope for all those waiting for a transplant in Wales and will gladden the hearts of those in the UK who see this as a sign that other parts of the UK may follow this vote".

The organisation said one person dies every week in Wales - and three die every day in the UK - while waiting for an organ transplant.

Ministers insist the scheme will be implemented sensitively - saying they will launch a major publicity drive so people are fully informed about which choice to make.

The British Medical Association's spokesman in Wales said: "A few years ago, Wales was ready to lead the UK on banning smoking in public places, but we didn't have the necessary legal powers.

"This time we are delighted that our National Assembly has shown the rest of the UK the way forward and fully support its implementation."

The Welsh government said it hoped the new law would increase donors by a quarter. It will mean people would have to choose not to donate their organs and would apply to over-18s who died in Wales if they had lived in the country for more than a year.

Organs made available under the scheme could be used anywhere in the UK.

Despite five years in the making, the issue was still hotly contested for five hours before the vote with AMs from the Assembly's four parties mulling over more than 70 amendments.

Clwyd West AM Darren Millar voiced his objections saying: "I'm opposed in principle to a system where organ transplantation becomes a passive act, and consent for it is presumed, or as the Bill puts it deemed, by the state."

But his Tory colleague Angela Burns said she was still undecided right up until voting time.

Plaid Cymru's health spokeswoman Elin Jones said the Bill was an "important piece of legislation", but added it needed to be supported by an awareness campaign.

Lib Dem leader Kirsty Williams acknowledged the issue was an "incredibly emotive" one, but said the Bill would save lives.

Celebrity doctor and Embarrassing Bodies TV presenter Christian Jesser tweeted: "Having an opt out system for organ donation has not removed any rights from you. You can still opt out. That's the point!"

However, those views were not shared by campaign group Patient Concern, whose spokeswoman Joyce Robbins said: "This legislation will result in human bodies being treated like clapped-out cars. You strip them of parts for re-use, unless the owner prefers to scrap the whole vehicle."

The Christian Medical Fellowship branded the presumed consent model "unethical". Its chief executive Dr Peter Saunders said: "It should be encouraged as a gift, but this system lays the framework for the taking of organs as a right. That is a very dangerous precedent indeed."

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Health Tourism: Foreigners Face £200 NHS Levy

Foreigners face being charged around £200-a-year for using the NHS in an attempt to tackle so-called health tourism.

Ministers will outline plans to introduce the charge for foreign workers and students who come to the UK for more than half a year.

The Department of Health said it would make sure migrants contributed towards healthcare costs without adding to NHS red tape.

A public consultation will be launched about the move, which would form part of a raft of changes to immigration laws.

Foreigners could be given a temporary NHS number which flags up to the system that they should be paying for treatment.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told Sky News: "Hard-working British families pay their taxes for the NHS and we think that people coming from overseas should make some contribution as well.

"At the moment we don't track properly who should be paying and who shouldn't and the result is it is costing British taxpayers a lot of money."

Mr Hunt rejected claims the levy was too low, suggesting it could raise £100m, which would pay for 1,000 GPs.

He will say later: "We have been clear that we are a national health service - not an international health service - and I am determined to wipe out abuse in the system.

"The NHS is a national treasure and we need to work with the entire health system to develop plans and make sure it is sustainable for years to come."

Mr Huntwill also outline plans to end free access to GPs for short-term visitors and pledge to cut the bill for treating tourists, which currently stands at £200m.

But he has already made clear foreign patients would not be refused treatment in an emergency. In those cases, efforts to recoup the money would be made later.

The changes are part of a Government-wide push to cut down on abuse of British services, but doctors warned they feared becoming a "form of immigration control".

Clare Gerada, chair of the Council of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: "I don't think we should be turning the GP surgery into a border agency."

Dr Gerada also warned immigrants with highly infectious conditions could end up "wandering around for fear of being charged" or going to more expensive emergency units, which could cost more.

And she accused the Government of failing to "find the facts" about the actual cost of NHS use by immigrants and launching a "rushed consultation".

"We need to make sure that what comes out the other end is sensible, proportionate and fair and doesn't cost us all much more money and put us at much more risk than the current situation which is one that, even at the worst estimates, is a tiny proportion of NHS costs," she said.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister David Cameron said immigrants could not expect "something for nothing" in the UK.

But shadow health minister Liz Kendall said: "In its three years in power, the Government has a poor record on announcing policies that sound good, but prove to be completely unworkable.

"We will have many questions to ask about the details when they are published, but the key tests for their proposals are: can they be properly enforced and will they save more money than they cost to put in place?"

Shadow public health minister Diane Abbott suggested in a post on Twitter that the Government was being xenophobic.

"What price xenophobia? Stigmatising foreigners accessing NHS creates a public health risk," she said.

"Stigmatising foreigners accessing NHS will undermine years of work to encourage at-risk groups to access HIV testing."

She said she was "not against people paying who are not entitled to free healthcare" but added there were "obvious public health risks re communicable disease".

Downing Street said Mr Cameron "emphatically rejects" her claims. His official spokesman insisted: "This is about fairness" and pointed out the exemption on public health grounds.

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Pelka Case: Sibling Says Boy Had Head 'Bashed'

The sibling of Daniel Pelka, who died after allegedly being starved to death, has told a court how the four-year-old had his head "bashed" in the bathroom.

The jury at Birmingham Crown Court is being played a tape of evidence given by the child, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

The prosecution claims Daniel died of head injuries after being subjected to a campaign of "incomprehensible" cruelty at the hands of his mother and stepfather.

Magdelena Luczak and her partner Mariusz Krezolek deny murder and causing or allowing Daniel's death.

The child said the last time they saw Daniel he was "sleeping in my bedroom" and they "tried to wake him up ... I listened to his heart ... I couldn't hear his heart ... it couldn't beat".

The child said they used to hide and cook food to give to Daniel "because he's not allowed to come down the stairs".

The court heard that the boy's bedroom "smelled disgusting" and the sibling said they had seen bruises on his legs.

The child said: "I love him and I didn't want him to be hurt."

More follows...

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CQC Bosses Admit Errors Over NHS 'Cover-Up'

Bosses at the crisis-hit health regulator have admitted they should have named senior executives alleged to be involved in the cover-up of a critical report.

Appearing before the Health Select Committee, Care Quality Commission (CQC) chairman David Prior said he "regretted" the error, adding: "I got that call completely wrong. I accept that criticism."

Chief executive David Behan said: "I made the decision. I clearly got that wrong."

The CQC's latest report detailed how officials might have suppressed a damning internal review into its inspections at Furness General Hospital.

The critical report said the body failed to properly investigate University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital where a number of mothers and babies died.

Three senior executives - former chief executive Cynthia Bower, her deputy Jill Finney and media manager Anna Jefferson - have been accused of agreeing that the report should be deleted, which they have strenuously denied.

But when the independent report into the alleged cover-up was first published, the names of the trio were redacted - a move made after the CQC received legal advice suggesting that publishing the names could breach data protection laws.

Amid mounting pressure to name those involved, officials sought new legal advice and decided to publish the names.

Ms Bower and Ms Jefferson are alleged to have "verbally agreed" to cover up the internal report under the instruction of Ms Finney because it was "potentially damaging to the CQC's reputation".

More to follow...

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TA Overhaul: Army Reservists Given Benefits

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

Army reservists will receive military pensions and healthcare support as part of a major drive to increase numbers.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond unveiled a £1.8bn overhaul in the Commons aimed at boosting reserve numbers to 30,000 by 2018.

Under the plans, the Territorial Army will become the Army Reserve, with members given 10% more training and better equipment.

Smaller firms employing part-time soldiers will also receive an extra £500 a month when they are away and be given more notice about training and deployments.

Companies discriminating against people wanting to serve will also be more at risk of being sued, with possible new laws to ensure there is no disadvantage.

The package, outlined in the Reserve White Paper, is expected to cost around £1.8bn over the next decade with a £40m investment in kit brought forward.

Philip Hammond says employers will benefit from the changes

It comes nearly three years after the coalition said it would be reducing regular Army numbers from 100,000 to 80,000.

Mr Hammond told MPs the changes were "key" to making sure that Britain has the military capability it needs in the future.

"The job we are asking our reservists to do is changing. The way we organise and train them will also have to change," he said.

Chief of the General Staff Sir Peter Wall told reporters at a briefing earlier that the reforms were "welcome and timely".

"The Territorial Army, as it has been called until now ... is ready for change. It has been waiting for this filip to its vibrance for some years now," he said.

The TA name was felt by senior military officers to have a Dad's Army connotation which would not suit the new, more integral organisation.

As part of the changes, 36 TA centres will be "vacated" - although this is far less than the 88 initially predicted - and used for other purposes.

A total of £80m will be spent refurbishing the remaining centres, with 68 major units for the reserve force.

Speaking to Sky News before his statement, Mr Hammond promised to listen to the concerns and views of businesses to ensure their co-operation.

Neil Carberry, the Confederation of British Industry's director of employment and skills, said small businesses were willing to work with the MoD, but fear being told what to do.

"What we want to see is not a 'thou shalt do this' when you employ a reservist from the MoD, but rather a 'let us tell you how we can work together' to make employing a reservist a really enjoyable experience," he said.

The total reserve force, made up of all three services, currently stands at around 22,000, of which around 19,000 are in the Army.

The aim is to expand it to 35,000 members, with 30,000 in the Army and a major marketing drive has been launched with recent adverts broadcast live from Camp Bastion in Afghanistan.

Sir Peter Wall admitted recruitment would be a challenge, but expressed confidence it would be achieved.

"We need to remember that historically we had a big reserve and when I joined the Army a few decades ago it was over 100,000 in the reserve," he told Sky News.

"We also need to remember that other nations make far more use of reserve manpower than we do, particularly the American army."

The Army Reserve will train alongside the regular troops and go on more overseas exercises.

Sergeant Gary Shepard, a lorry driver and a member of the Army Reserve, did not foresee a problem with a closer working relationship.

"I'm actually an ex-regular soldier, but when I joined 1 Para we integrated very easily and within a few weeks they actually forgot we were part-time," he told Sky News.

"What we do is 'beat-up' training prior to going and joining them (the regulars) so that we're on the same level as they are." 

The restructuring comes as the regular Army is being slashed to 82,000 troops - the lowest level for more than a century.

The Ministry of Defence escaped the worst of the budget cuts in last week's Spending Review but is still undergoing a major restructuring following the Strategic Defence and Security Review a few years ago.

There will be a fourth and final round of redundancies early next year which will largely affect the Army.

Dan Jarvis, a former soldier and now a Labour MP, has his doubts. He said: "Let's be clear, these decisions are being made not about capability, but about saving money.

"The Government has considerable challenges ahead to recruit the number of reservists it needs.

"We accept and understand that changes do have to be made, but it will be a difficult a process to make all those changes happen smoothly and effectively."

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Organ Donation: Wales Set To Approve Opt-Out

By Rhiannon Mills, Sky News Reporter

Wales is expected to become the first part of the UK to bring in an opt-out scheme for organ donation.

The Welsh Assembly will hold the final vote on the Human Transplantation (Wales) Bill later, which if enacted would bring in a system of "presumed consent" for organ donation.

Under the proposals, people in Wales will have to clearly indicate that they do not wish to give their organs when they die in order to be excluded from the donor register.

Kidney Wales Foundation (KWF) has campaigned for the proposed change in the law for the last five years and believes that donor organ availability could be boosted by up to 35% if it goes through and many more lives could be saved.

"The UK is one of the lowest donor rate countries in Europe," said Roy Thomas, KWF chief executive.

"The new Bill is new progressive law. We are proud to have led the debate in favour of this law.

"When introduced in Belgium only 2% opted out, currently only around a third of the Welsh population is on the organ donor register and this is around the same for the UK as a whole."

Those against the proposals claim it will cause extra distress for bereaved families and could put medical staff in a difficult position.

The UK currently has one of the lowest donor rates in Europe

Laura Raffour's four-year-old daughter Ava was born with a life-threatening liver condition and underwent heart surgery and two liver transplants before her first birthday. In total she has undergone over 60 operations.

Ms Raffour, who is now on the organ donor register, said: "Ava has been given a second chance at life and I want other people, young and old, to also have a better quality of life.

"For us, organ donation comes down to the premise that if you're willing to take, you should be willing to give. Simple as."

In 2004, Gaynor Taylor from Barry, South Wales, lost her 23-year-old champion skater son Richard in a freak accident.

They had never talked about being an organ donor but Ms Taylor eventually agree to donation.

She only later found out that Richard put his name on the NHS Organ Donor Register without telling anybody.

"While we were in favour of organ donation, knowing his wishes made the whole process a lot easier to accept and meant we had done the right thing by him," she said.

"Making a decision on whether to allow donation is a very difficult decision at the most traumatic time.

"Six people's lives were saved as a result of donating Richard's organs and the recipient of Richard's heart went on to win gold at the Transplant Games which is an incredible story and proves something positive can sometimes come from tragedy."

If the legislation is passed, a two-year public information campaign will follow in Wales to ensure members of the public are fully informed on what the changes will mean and how to make their wishes known through a single organ and tissue donation register.

Yet a group of faith leaders and senior health professionals in Wales have issued a joint statement calling for a soft opt-out option, which would take into consideration the views of bereaved families.

The signatories, who include the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, and the Catholic Archbishop of Cardiff, George Stack, said: "The law must be amended in this way if it is not to be inhuman, unfeeling before the suffering of relatives, and a danger to the public trust and support which are necessary for the practice of organ donation to flourish.

"Without this there is a real danger that the law could backfire."

One person dies every week in Wales waiting for an organ transplant. The figure for the UK as a whole is three people a day.

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Status Quo Debut Fiji-Based Action Movie

Status Quo stars Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi have shown off their big screen debut - an action film set in Fiji.

The band, famous for hits such as Rockin' All Over the World, star in Bula Quo! where they go on the run with their manager after accidentally getting on the wrong side of a shady gangster.

Rossi, 64, said he was surprised that the film had got a cinema release.

"Normally bands just make documentaries but it's a real movie and that's what it had to be for us. And it's in 200 cinemas, we thought it would go straight to DVD," he said.

However, it is thought some cinemas will only play the film for one night.

Parfitt and Rossi, original members of the Quo five-piece, previously tried acting during a cameo on Coronation Street in 2005 when the band performed at Les Battersby's wedding.

"If I'm honest with you, I thought we were appalling," admitted Parfitt.

Rossi in a scene from the Fiji-based adventure

"But the stunt co-ordinator said we'd like to do a movie with you and we were highly surprised and highly delighted. And especially the fact we've now pulled it off."

The band have also recorded nine new songs especially for the film, as well as a "Fiji Style" version of their track Living On An Island.

Status Quo have not forgotten their on-stage roots, and will be embarking on a Bula Quo! arena tour in December.

Bula Quo! takes its name from the Fijian islanders' traditional greeting.

The film, which is on general release on July 5, also stars Lemon La Vida Loca actress Laura Aikman, US comedian John Lovitz and ex-EastEnder Craig Fairbrass.

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Sex Offenders To Face Lie Detector Tests

Compulsory lie detector tests are set be introduced to monitor convicted sex offenders under a change to the law due to be approved later.

MPs will debate the relevant legislation in the House of Commons and are expected to approve routine use of polygraph screening for the most serious offenders across England and Wales from next year.

If convicted rapists or other dangerous sex attackers are found to have lied about crucial matters or breached the terms of their licence after being released from jail they could be sent back to prison.

Justice Minister Jeremy Wright issued a statement saying: "Introducing lie detector tests, alongside the sex offenders register and close monitoring in the community, will give us one of the toughest approaches in the world to managing this group.

"We recently announced the creation of a new National Probation Service tasked with protecting the public from the most high-risk offenders.

"They will be able to call on this technology to help stop sex offenders from reoffending and leaving more innocent victims in their wake."

The Government aims to roll out the tests next spring, subject to the parliamentary timetable.

The move follows a successful pilot scheme in the Midlands. Trials in two areas found the tests made sex criminals more open with probation officers.

Polygraph tests measure blood pressure, heart rate, breathing and levels of perspiration.

These vital signs display subtle changes when someone is deliberately evasive and polygraph experts can usually determine if that person is lying.

Studies have shown that polygraphs are accurate around 85% of the time.

The method is widely used in the US, with 19 states using lie detector tests in criminal cases, including during court testimonies.

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School Summer Holiday: Six-Week Break Could Go

'Looking East' For Better Education

Updated: 12:04pm UK, Tuesday 02 July 2013

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

For some time now, Education Secretary Michael Gove has been "gazing east" as he grapples with what he sees as a British education system in need of much improvement.

He is said to admire the education systems in Singapore and Hong Kong, and his advisers have looked at the systems in China, South Korea and Japan as well.

SINGAPORE

In Singapore there are four annual holidays. The first in March lasts a week. The second in June lasts the whole month.

The third in September lasts a week and the last one begins on November 16 and lasts until the end of December - a full six weeks - making an annual total of 12 weeks' holiday.

The length of the school day is determined by each school, but the Singapore government issues guidelines.

For secondary schools, the curriculum time guidelines stipulate 40 periods of 40 minutes each per week.

This works out at six hours a day including break time. Primary schools have slightly shorter classes and a one-hour shorter day.

HONG KONG

In Hong Kong, part of China but with an independent education system, students are given two weeks in the spring for the Chinese New Year holiday.

In the summer, they have six weeks off and, in December, they are given a further 10 days. That totals about nine weeks.

Hong Kong students begin their day at about 8.30am (depending on the school) and finish their classroom time at about 3.30pm.

They then stay for a further two hours for extra-curricular activities.

CHINA

In mainland China, the holiday periods and lengths differ from province to province.

On average though, students are given two main holidays. The first is seven weeks in July and August. The second - two weeks on average - is over the Chinese New Year.

The length of the Chinese school day varies. On average though, they tend to start work at 7.30am and end at 5pm but many offer evening activities too.

In Beijing, after pressure from parents that the school day was too long, the local education ministry introduced a compulsory regulation that required schools to reduce their working hours.

It stated that schools must not begin before 7.30am and must end by 3.30pm.

SOUTH KOREA

In South Korea, the holiday periods are entirely at individual schools' discretion.

There is an optional one-to-two week holiday in February.

For two weeks in the summer, there is a holiday of sorts, but students are still required to go to school for half a day.

In December there is a further holiday for up to one month.

South Korean school classes begin at 8am. Again, the working day is at the discretion of individual school management teams.

Thirteen to 16 year-olds must do 33 hours a week and 160 study days a year.

In reality, they will often do much more, such are the pressures to succeed.

High school students - aged 16-19 - must do 42 hours a week but again, they will often stay in school for up to 18 hours a day.

The South Korean education system is known to be one of the world's most strict in terms of hours, curriculum and competition to succeed.

Results are good - South Korea was second only to Finland in a recent global education report, but the pressures can be extreme.

According to the South Korean teachers' union,11.2% of children expressed a wish to commit suicide and of those, almost half said it was because of pressure at school.

Broadly, the ethos which drives the Asian education systems puts significant emphasis on the "fear of failing".

The ultimate goal set for students is their final examination which, they are told, will determine their destiny.

In some cases, experts argue, the "fear of failing" outweighs the pleasure of succeeding.

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Abu Qatada Deportation Moves A Step Closer

By Mark White, Home Affairs Correspondent

A legal treaty between the UK and Jordan has been fully ratified, bringing the deportation of radical cleric Abu Qatada a step closer.

The treaty was passed by parliaments in both countries last month but not fully ratified until it was published in the Jordanian government's legal gazette.

It guarantees that the Jordanians will not use evidence which might have been obtained through torture in any future trial against Qatada,

The cleric's legal team have already said that once that guarantee is in place, he would be willing to return to Jordan of his own volition.

Security Minister James Brokenshire has welcomed the latest development.

He said: "The publication of the treaty in the Jordanian Official Gazette is welcome.

Theresa May signing the treaty with Jordan earlier this year

"Whilst further steps remain, our focus is on seeing Abu Qatada on a plane to Jordan at the earliest opportunity."

Sky News understands there still has to be an exchange of letters between the two countries, allowing the Jordanians 14 days to confirm they are still seeking deportation.

However, a delay is not expected and confirmation from the Jordanians could come within days, allowing Home Secretary Theresa May to issue a new deportation order.

The cleric's legal team would have three days to appeal. If he does not, he will deported at the earliest opportunity.

The Home Office recently revealed the eight-year legal fight to deport Qatada has cost taxpayers more than £1.7m.

He claimed asylum in the UK 20 years ago but was convicted on terrorism charges in his absence in Jordan in 1999 and sentenced to life in prison.

He now faces a retrial on those charges, but his lawyers have said some of the evidence may have come from people who were tortured to testify against him.

His legal team believe the new treaty gives the cleric a key guarantee that any retrial in Jordan would be fair.

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