Read another articles about .
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which is investigating the east London shooting, was set up to replace the Police Complaints Authority.

That body had been criticised for allowing police to check allegations about one another. The integrity and accountability of such investigations was questioned.

The 1993 Macpherson Inquiry into the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence and Lord Scarman’s inquiry into the Brixton riots both recommended the establishment of an independent body to investigate police complaints.

Menezes probe

The IPCC, which was created under the Police Reform Act in 2002, has 100 investigators to look into claims of police misconduct and deaths in custody.

It looks at serious incidents involving death or serious injury, and allegations including those of serious or organised corruption, racism or perverting the course of justice.

It investigated the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes by police at Stockwell Tube station, the day after the failed 21 July bombings.

While many of its first senior investigators did have a police background, others had experience in banking, insurance and social work.

According to its website, the IPCC’s 17 regional commissioners “guarantee its independence and by law can never have served as police officers”.

‘Cut delays’

The IPCC had a budget of 23m in its first year (2004/5) and 29.1m its second (2005/6). It has begun work on 83 independent and 314 managed investigations into the most serious complaints.

In 2004/5 it upheld 239 public appeals - out of 768 considered to be valid - about the way complaints were dealt with by local police.

At the end of an investigation commissioners can decide whether it should be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service. The file will also go to the coroner’s office.

IPCC chairman Nick Hardwick, former head of the Refugee Council, said: “We aim to increase confidence in the police complaints system by transforming the way forces handle complaints from the public.”

Originaly from:

Read source of it on the site

Fraud and official errors in pension and benefit payments totalled 53m in Northern Ireland last year, according to a report.

The report by the National Audit Office revealed that in just two years, losses through error and fraud had doubled, despite a series of counter-measures introduced by the government.

The Department for Social Development is responsible for administering the money which it gets from National Insurance contributions.

Most of the money was lost from retirement pensions and bereavement benefit.

An estimated 39.3m was overpaid in retirement pensions and bereavement
benefits to people who did not qualify for the cash in 2002/03, compared to 7.9m in 2000/01.

The head of the National Audit Office, Sir John Bourn, said that as part of the next audit he will also examine the measures brought in to try and combat fraud and error.

Sir John said: “I have qualified this account because of high
levels of estimated fraud and official error in the payment of benefits from
the Northern Ireland National Insurance Fund.

“I note the measures being taken by the department to reduce fraud and error
and will review progress as part of the my audit of the 2003/04 account to see
whether the desired outcomes are being achieved.”

Strategy introduced

The figures revealed that including
Incapacity Benefit and Jobseeker’s Allowance, the total losses due to fraud and
error for the year were 53.2m - more than 20m up on the previous year.

This represents 4% of the total expenditure on benefits of 1,457m.

Incapacity Benefit accounted for 12.6m of the overpayment while Jobseeker’s
Allowance was just 0.1m.

The Department of Social Development introduced a strategy to prevent fraud
and error in 2000/01.

The plan included measures to improve detection of fraud and sanctions imposed
on deliberate offenders.

An internal review carried out two years later, confirmed that the Social
Security Agency was not always applying it effectively.

The NAO report also revealed the levels of underpayment in benefits for the
year 2002/03.

There was a total of 1.8m underpayment in Retirement Pension and Bereavement
Benefit and 3.7m in Incapacity Benefit.

A statement from the department confirmed the Social Security agency was reviewing its processes.

It said the agency had already improved its ability to identify inaccuracies in the system and improvements were also being made to its systems,
procedures and training as part of a major modernisation programme.

The statement added: “While the 53m stated by the National Audit Office is a very significant figure, it should also be noted that the overall accuracy
for processing the benefits referred to in the report is around 96%.”

Read more about .

Read source of it on the site

Hundreds of jobs are to be created by the 2.8m expansion of a contact centre in Glasgow.

The move is bucking the recent trend in the industry to switch call centre work to India, where costs are lower.

RHL - which is owned by entreprenuer and Rangers FC honorary chairman David Murray - said it planned to create 450 new jobs.

The posts will be split between the existing Edmiston Road centre in Ibrox and a new centre in Clydebank.

The new jobs will bring the total workforce at RHL, which started in 1991, to more than 12,000.

Its clients include BSkyB, ScottishPower and the Student Loans Company.

The company’s executive chairman, John McLelland, said: “The jobs will range from sales to customer services.

Extension plan

“Workers will be highly skilled, which needs a good education level, they will also be articulate and flexible. We’ve found that in Glasgow and I am sure we will find it in Clydebank.

“We have grown by 45% and we expect to grow again this coming year and this announcement is part of the extension plan.”

The jobs boost is good news for the call centre industry in the face of a recent rush of firms taking advantage of the lower paid but well educated workforce overseas.

Earlier this week hundreds of British jobs were transferred to India by AXA insurance and the Abbey bank.

Where there is an opportunity to create a truly world class business in Scotland, such as RHL, we should do everything in our power to ensure we deliver it David Murray

At the same time Abbey announced that 900 Edinburgh posts would be moved to Glasgow.

Mr McLelland said the company looked at India as a possible base for its call centre.

But he added: “We found with a competitive workforce here and good financial backing from the Murray group and also support from Scottish Enterprise, Dunbartonshire, Scottish Development International and the Scottish Executive, Scotland was as competitive.

“You always recognise competition whether nation or international, we have to keep comparing and benchmarking ourselves, nevertheless we hope to continue expanding in Scotland.”

Mr Murray said: “It is clear to me that where there is an opportunity to create a truly world class business in Scotland, such as RHL, we should do everything in our power to ensure we deliver it.

“In turn, the country and its people benefit through the jobs and related social improvements that such businesses create.”

And some information of .

A Scottish National Party MSP has said the closure of a shipyard would cost the country more than 5m each year in state benefits.

The claim by Bruce McFee comes amid a row about the awarding of a vital shipbuilding contract.

The Scottish Executive could give the deal for two vessels to a Polish yard instead of Ferguson in Port Glasgow.

The Clyde business has already begun a programme of lay-offs and may close if it fails to win the executive contract.

Ferguson management have said the yard in Gdansk has been given an unfair advantage in the bidding process.

Long-term savings

Along with a number of politicians, Ferguson chiefs have urged the European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes to investigate how the Polish bidder was able to undercut Ferguson.

However, Scotland’s Fisheries Minister Ross Finnie has maintained that he has no grounds on which to exclude the overseas yard.

He said that the situation surrounding the EU investigation into the competition claims was far from clear.

This yard is slowly bleeding to death Bruce McFee SNP MSP

On Monday, Mr McFee, MSP for the West of Scotland, said in the long-term savings would be realised if the contract was kept on the Clyde.

Mr McFee said: “The closure of this yard would have a devastating impact on Port Glasgow and the wider community.

“Last Friday, another 20 members of staff, including the design team, received their P45s while Jack McConnell and his Liberal stooge, Ross Finnie, stand idly by.

“This yard is slowly bleeding to death.”

It is projected that there will be a 3m saving on each vessel if the contract is awarded to the Polish yard.

But Mr McFee said that if the Ferguson yard closed it would result in a 5m benefits bill and a fall in income tax receipts, national insurance contributions and VAT receipts.

Legal challenge

The executive’s argument about following clear bidding rules need not apply in this case, he went on.

He has cited a European Union ruling which allows for governments to provide “positive actions or positive discrimination in particular with a view to combating unemployment and social exclusion” .

Mr McFee said: “The door is wide open for Jack McConnell and Ross Finnie to award the Scottish fisheries protection vessels to the Ferguson yard.”

However, a Scottish Executive spokesman said that it was aware of the implications of the contract to the economy, but the rules were clear.

He added: “We are continuing to explore every possible way of assisting Ferguson Shipbuilders within the constraints of the law.

“It is not in the executive’s gift to award high value public contracts on an arbitrary basis.

“To do so would risk legal challenge by aggrieved bidders and the European Commission and could have implications for other Scottish companies engaged in exports.”

Original article
Read another articles about .
See related site about national lloyds insurance.

Germany’s grand coalition has reached a deal on funding the country’s health service, which has a budget shortfall of $10bn (8bn euros; 5.3bn) a year.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) reached the deal with their Social Democrat (SPD) partners in a seven-hour negotiating session.

Up to now, German healthcare has been funded by compulsory public and private insurance schemes.

A new centralised fund will now receive money from employees and their bosses.

The new system of deducting contributions automatically from the payroll will not be introduced until 2009.

Funding pressure

The deal followed weeks of acrimonious argument in the coalition.

It has been viewed as a test of Ms Merkel’s leadership and her government’s stability.

Critics say it is a fudge and it still will not be enough to make up the shortfall in health funds.

Correspondents say the funding problem will get worse because Germany’s population is ageing. They say it is only recently that the introduction of prescription charges and consultation fees have begun to discourage frivolous visits to the doctor.

Germany has the third most expensive healthcare system in the world, after the United States and Switzerland.

Under the new system, Germany’s health insurers will receive a fixed sum out of the centralised fund for each policyholder. They will get an extra amount if they insure a large number of elderly and chronically ill people.

One controversial issue was a cap on additional health insurance premiums. The SPD emerged from the talks claiming victory on this point. In the future, if health insurers want to impose an extra premium on policyholders, it will be capped at 1% of household income.

Originaly from