NI Assembly Set For Recall Over Bomb Ruling

Hyde Park Bombing Victims' Families 'Angry'

Updated: 7:51pm UK, Tuesday 25 February 2014

The families of the soldiers killed in the Hyde Park IRA bomb blast have criticised Northern Ireland police's "monumental blunder" after an attempt to prosescute suspect John Downey failed.

Downey, 62, of County Donegal, will not face trial at the Old Bailey because he received a "letter of assurance" that he would not face a criminal court.

He had been wanted by the Metropolitan Police for more than 30 years, but officers were unaware Mr Downey - who denies involvement - and dozens of other terrorist suspects had been promised they would not be arrested because of the Northern Ireland peace process.

Police in Northern Ireland have now said they were wrong to make those assurances.

After the ruling by a judge that the prosecution could not go ahead, relatives of the four soldiers killed in the 1982 attack, said in a statement: "It is with great sadness and bitter disappointment that we have received the full and detailed judgment and that a trial will now not take place.

"This news has left us all feeling devastatingly let down, even more so when the monumental blunder behind this judgment lies at the feet of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)."

Career soldier Lieutenant Anthony Daly, then 23, died alongside three other members of his regiment the Blues and Royals, part of the Household Cavalry, when a bomb packed with wire nails and hidden in a parked car was detonated as they passed along South Carriage Drive in London.

Chris Daly - former major in the Blues and Royals - spoke angrily about being "let down" by the authorities, adding there was evidence to suggest the PSNI discovered its error but twice failed to rectify the problem, or inform the province's director of public prosecutions.

He said: "It stems very directly to the issuing of the letter Downey has in his possession where the Government has given him assurance he will not be prosecuted.

"And therefore how did Downey come into possession of this letter?

"It transpires the PSNI issued this letter to Downey in July 2007, thinking that he was not wanted either in Northern Ireland or by any other police force in the United Kingdom.

"This is despite the fact that three months earlier in April the same team within PSNI knew that Downey was wanted by the Metropolitan Police, on the police national computer, so the letter was issued in error.

"A year later this error was flagged up by the PSNI but nothing was done about it.

"Why wasn't something done about it?

"Then a year later, in 2009, again the error of the issuing of the letter was recognised but nothing was done about it."

Mr Daly, who was 18 when his brother died, is now asking for an apology for the victims' families from the police force and a full investigation into what went wrong.

He said the fact Downey would be returning to a normal life was "a torment" for the families left behind, for whom the grief of loss would never end.

The PSNI apologised and accepted "full responsibility" for the botched prosecution.

Northern Ireland Chief Constable Matt Baggott apologised to the families, saying: "I deeply regret these failings, which should not have happened."

Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers said the PSNI should reflect on "the serious error".

President of the Association of Chief Police Officers Sir Hugh Orde, who was chief constable of Northern Ireland at the time of the error, said: "It is a matter of great personal regret that a crucial oversight was made by a senior officer which resulted in erroneous information being sent to Mr Downey by the Northern Ireland Office and thus prejudicing the current indictment."

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Pre-Nups Should Be Legally Binding, Says Report

By Afua Hirsch, Social Affairs Editor

Pre-nuptial agreements should become legally binding in court, according to an influential report.

The body which reviews law in England and Wales wants them to have contractual force, and is calling on parliament to change the law.

"Pre and post-nuptial agreements are becoming more commonplace but the courts will not always follow them and lawyers are therefore not able to give clear advice about their effect," said Professor Elizabeth Cooke, Law Commissioner for property, family and trust law.

"(Our recommendations) would give couples autonomy and control, and make the financial outcome of separation more predictable.

"We have built in safeguards to ensure that they cannot be used to impose hardship on either party, nor to escape responsibility for children or to burden the state."

Pre-nups have traditionally been treated with suspicion by English courts, but have gradually become more and more influential after a series of rulings recognising their terms.

In 2010 the Supreme Court upheld the terms of German heiress Katrin Radmacher's pre-nup in a landmark ruling that lawyers say has made the agreements more popular.

Divorce lawyer Vanessa Lloyd Platt said: "We have seen an increase in pre-nups since Radmacher.

"And what we have especially noticed is an increase in demand for pre-nups from women. They have a property that they have acquired before a marriage, which they want to protect.

"Pre-nups are legal in the US, Australia, and many European countries. But some say that aspects of British culture are unique and make their use more difficult.

"For many English women, money is a dirty word, whereas in America for example, women are comfortable discussing money openly. 90% of the women I see don't have a clue what their husbands are earning and what assets they have.

"I worry that if pre-nups are enforced by the courts, women will be put in a position where they won't want to spoil the wedding by suddenly saying its off because the terms of the pre-nup are unreasonable."

Yet divorce in England and Wales is on the rise. Some 42% of marriages are now expected to end in divorce.

In 2012 the number of couples divorcing increased to 118,140, up from 117,558 the previous year.

The prevalence of divorce has led to more calls for pre-nups to be recognised, provided they are not unfair.

The Law Commission said its recommendations did include the necessary safeguards, and that pre-nups would only be enforced if both parties were provided for.

Prof Cooke said: "We believe that married couples and civil partners should have the power to decide their own financial arrangements, but should not be able to contract out of their responsibilities for each other's financial needs, or for their children."

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RBS Reaches Deal To Award £550m Bonus Pot

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is to pay approximately £550m in staff bonuses for 2013 after securing the agreement of the Treasury agency that is its biggest shareholder.

Sky News has learnt that the taxpayer-backed bank will disclose the sum - which is higher than previous reports had suggested - alongside its annual results on Thursday.

The bonus pot for 2013 is certain to reignite a row over pay at RBS because it will also announce a loss for the year estimated at £8bn, the biggest since its bail-out by the Government in 2008.

UK Financial Investments (UKFI), the body which manages taxpayers' stake in the bank, is understood to have signed off on the payments in recent days.

The sum of around £550m will represent a fall on the 2012 bonus pot of £679m of just under 20%, which Chancellor George Osborne is expected to cite as evidence that RBS is exhibiting restraint on bonus payments.

Last year's figure was further reduced by £72m to £607m because of the clawback of previous years' deferred bonuses, undertaken as a consequence of RBS's £390m fine for its role in the Libor-rigging scandal.

RBS is expected to have reduced the 2013 bonus pool by at least £25m under a commitment it gave 12 months ago to reduce bonuses in subsequent years.

It is unclear whether RBS will also announce a plan on Thursday to seek shareholder approval at its annual general meeting in May to allow it to pay bonuses worth double the value of senior employees' basic salaries.

Other UK banks are planning to do so, but RBS found itself at the centre of another political row last month when Labour leader Ed Miliband urged David Cameron to use the Government's stake to block any such request.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mr Cameron told Sky News: "With our particular responsibility for RBS, I can tell you that I don't only want to see the level of pay and bonuses come down overall, I want to see it come down per-person, per-capita as well."

The Prime Minister said last month that new European rules on bankers' pay, which the Government is challenging, could exacerbate the riskiness of banks.

He said: "This European directive... in some ways might make things worse, because you could see rates of pay go up.

"You can claw back a bonus, the taxpayer can get the money back. You can't claw back [basic] pay."

Thursday's bonus announcement will come as Ross McEwan, RBS's new chief executive, unveils a plan that will mean the bank's 120,000-strong workforce shrinking to barely two-thirds of that number following the sale and closure of several business units.

RBS and UKFI declined to comment.

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Nursing Staff Cuts Linked To Higher Death Rates

Hospitals are experiencing higher patient death rates as a direct result of nursing cutbacks, according to a study of hospitals in England and eight other countries.

Data from 300 European hospitals shows that every extra patient added to a nurse's workload increases the risk of death within a month of surgery by 7%.

The level of training the nurse had undergone also had an impact, the study said, with university degrees going a long way towards making up for reduced staffing levels.

A 10% increase in the proportion of nurses holding a bachelor degree was associated with 7% lower surgical death rates, the findings published in The Lancet journal revealed.

Since September last year, every newly qualified nurse in the UK has had to possess a university degree.

Figures for 30 English hospitals showed that on average every one of their nurses looked after around nine patients, which is one more than professional bodies would like.

Spain appeared to have the most overworked staff, with an average 12.7 patients per nurse. But in Spain every nurse had a bachelor degree, compared with only 28% in England at the time the data were collected in 2009-10.

In some other countries the patient-to-nurse ratio was significantly smaller. Norway had a ratio of 5.2 to one, the Irish Republic 6.9, the Netherlands seven and Finland and Sweden 7.6.

Lead researcher Professor Linda Aiken, said: "Our findings emphasise the risk to patients that could emerge in response to nurse staffing cuts under recent austerity measures, and suggest that an increased emphasis on bachelor's education for nurses could reduce hospital deaths."

The study analysed information on more than 420,000 patients admitted to hospitals in Belgium, England, Finland, the Irish Republic, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Researchers compared nurse workload and education and patient outcomes, taking into account the age and sex of patients, types of surgical procedure, chronic conditions, and the kind of technology available in a hospital.

The overall percentage of surgical patients who died within 30 days of admission was low, ranging between 1% and 1.5% per country. In England, the average rate was 1.4%.

Peter Carter, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said: "It is worrying to see that researchers found the mean ratio of patients to nurses in England is above eight, as we know that this can compromise patient safety.

"The RCN has also expressed concern at the skills mix in UK hospitals as trusts get rid of more senior nurses to save money, meaning there is far less experience on many wards, and the full extent of this will be revealed in our upcoming Frontline First report."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said the Government would not introduce a legal minimum because staff requirements were a "different number for different wards".

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Teachers Told To 'Get Tough' On Bad Behaviour

Misbehaving pupils face a return to the days of writing out lines hundreds of times or being told to pick up litter under a major overhaul of school discipline.

Education Secretary Michael Gove says he wants a return to traditional classroom discipline and is urging teachers not be afraid of "getting tough" on bad behaviour in schools.

He will set out a list of new guidelines for teachers, to be issued this week, that will say "tough but proportionate" punishments such as writing lines "are just as crucial to an effective education as praising and rewarding good behaviour".

The "community service" sanctions could include picking up litter in the playgrounds, weeding, mopping dirty floors and removing graffiti.

Pupils could also be ordered to report to school early, attend weekend detentions, or forfeit privileges such as joining in a non-uniform day.

Mr Gove, who has been critical of "trendy" teaching methods, told The Mail on Sunday: "Writing lines is tedious, monotonous, boring - and a perfect punishment for bad behaviour. Children need to learn the importance of strong discipline and to understand that misbehaving at school has consequences."

Mr Gove blames Labour for 'decline in education standards'

"We are making crystal clear to teachers that telling children to write lines is an entirely appropriate punishment.

"These new guidelines will give teachers the confidence to be tougher on bad behaviour and ensure every child has the chance to learn in a controlled, orderly environment."

Sky's chief political correspondent Jon Craig said: "Mr Gove has blamed Labour for a decline in standards and says the party left office with '600 pages of confusing, dense, contradictory guidance for teachers on how to manage behaviour'.

"He calls it 'mind-numbing waffle' and says the new Tory guidance will be a handy 50 pages."

He added: "Labour have already hit back. Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt has said Cameron and Gove have dropped the ball on discipline, and their decision to allow unqualified teachers into the classroom on a permanent basis means we have teachers who lack the training required to keep order."

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Flood-Hit Parts Of Britain Face Further Woe

Continuing high tides, heavy downpours and gale force winds are expected to bring further risks of flooding today in already swamped parts of the UK and Republic of Ireland.

UK forecasters warn the coast of Wales and southwest England, including the coasts and tidal areas of Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire, will continue to bear the brunt of the weather.

There are currently more than 400 flood alerts, warnings and severe warnings in place across England and Wales, according to the Environment Agency.

Of those, three are severe flood warnings - the highest level of alert meaning there is an imminent danger to life - issued along the Severn estuary, near Gloucester.

Flooding in central Limerick, Ireland (pic: Sean Keogh/@Fame_For_Sale)

On Saturday in the Republic of Ireland dozens of people were rescued and the army was drafted in to deal with "unprecedented" flooding in Limerick City after the river Shannon burst its banks.

With gusts of almost 80mph in coastal areas of the country, several parts were hit by flooding and at one stage 5,500 homes and properties were left without power, 4,000 of them in Ennis, Co Clare.

Several flights out of Dublin airport were cancelled because of the strong winds.

Environment Agency staff have been hard at work near the Somerset village of Burrowbridge, where several road closures remain in place.

Large waves caused by high winds and spring tides batter Lahinc

Road access to the village from the neighbouring Moorlands has been shut off, with several large-scale pumps being used to direct the water out into the bursting River Barrett.

Huge sandbags have been placed by the waters edge, along with several signs erected by residents urging the authorities to "dredge the river".

In the north of England, Cumbria County Council said its workers had to deal with a "major weather incident" in West Cumbria - after 150 tons of debris brought on the by the floods washed up on a road.

In west Wales 10 people were rescued after the bus they were travelling in was hit by a big wave near Newgale.

Milford Haven Coastguard was contacted just after 7pm last night with reports the bus was stuck on the seafront and was surrounded by water. The wind at the time was gusting over 50mph.

The Anchor Bleu in Bosham (pic Stephen Sumner)

Meanwhile, tests for Sky News have found floodwater in Somerset, where the floods have persisted for weeks, contains 60 times the amount of safe bacteria for agricultural water.

Microbiologist Nathaniel Storey, who carried out the research, said the results were not unexpected given the extent of the flooding.

"It's perhaps unsurprising considering there's septic tanks in these people's gardens that are overflowing and animals within close proximity," he told Sky News.

"Therefore all this excrement that's in these areas is being dredged up by the floodwater and taken into houses and into gardens."

Mr Storey predicted it would take "about two to three months" for the bacterial levels to drop significantly, and warned that those involved in the clean-up operation must take precautions such as washing hands.

Some areas of Somerset has been under several inches of stagnant water

David Cameron has admitted it was "not acceptable" for people to have to live in the conditions they have faced for the past month and said dredging would begin "as soon it is safe to do so".

But Ian Liddell-Grainger, Conservative MP for Bridgwater in Somerset, said the county's constituents were "sick to death" of the situation in the South West.

The MP hit out at the Environment Agency for what he described as its failure to dredge the river, and called on the Government to hand over money that would bring a reprieve to beleaguered communities.

Following a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergencies committee yesterday, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said that all requests from local authorities and emergency services for additional support had been met.

"Everything possible is being done over the weekend to help those affected by flooding and to prepare for the further bad weather and high tides forecast overnight and into next week," he said.

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Baby Boy Death: Three Arrested Over Murder

Two men and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a seven-week-old baby boy.

The infant was taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital with serious head injuries early last Saturday, Greater Manchester Police said.

The child, who lived in the Clarksfield area of Oldham, was later transferred to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, where he died of his injuries.

A 23-year-old woman and 35-year-old man were originally arrested on suspicion of assault.

But they have now been arrested on suspicion of murder and conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

A 26-year-old man has also been arrested on suspicion of murder and conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

All three suspects are in custody and will be interviewed by detectives.

The infant died at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital

Detective Inspector Andy Cunliffe from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said: "This is a tragic case in which a very young baby has lost his life.

"We are determined to find out exactly what the circumstances were that led to him suffering such injuries.

"News of the death of such a little boy will no doubt come as a great shock to people.

"And I would like to try to reassure the community as much as I can that we have a team of detectives dedicated to working on this investigation, and they will today be interviewing the three people in our custody.

"If anyone has any information at all that they believe may assist us with our enquiries, then please get in touch and tell us what you know."

Anyone with information is asked to contact GMP's Major Incident Team on 0161 856 1722 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Reception Children Face Compulsory Tests

Four-year-old children will have to sit tests when they start primary school under new Government plans.

The compulsory tests, designed to measure each child's level of development at the start of their formal schooling, will come into force by 2016 under the new proposals.

It comes after a Department for Education (DfE) consultation last year which proposed a "baseline assessment" in primary schools in order to measure how children have progressed by age 11.

The tests are to be carefully crafted to estimate a child's academic abilities in very basic literacy, reasoning and cognition, rather than testing their knowledge as in a traditional exam.

As a result, it is believed the current key stage one tests that take place at the end of year two, when most pupils are aged seven, will be scrapped.

The Government is soon expected to shortly announce the results of the consultation and reveal the new reception class test, which was first reported in The Times newspaper.

A DfE spokesperson said: "We have consulted on our proposed primary school assessment and accountability measures and we are considering our response."

Some educational campaigners fear the tests for the younger age group will place children under undue stress.

Deborah Lawson, general secretary of Voice The Union - a union representing education professionals, told Sky News: "I want to know what is the purpose? Why should we be putting children at a younger and younger age through a testing regime.

"I think also we have to remember that developmentally is this the right thing for young children?"

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Flooding: Military In Somerset To Help Residents

Military officials have been on the ground in Somerset drawing up contingency plans to provide practical help amid fears of further flooding.

With more heavy rain, high winds and high tides expected to hit the county later this week, service personnel are on alert to assist flood-hit residents.

The fire brigade has been helping people cut off by severe flooding on the Somerset Levels, visiting around 200 properties in recent weeks to see what their needs were.

But now military planners have gone to the area to help the authorities as the relief effort is ramped up. Around 40 homes in the county are still flooded.

Troops accompany a local authority official to survey flood-hit areas

The Met Office issued an amber warning for heavy rain in southwest England between 12pm on Friday and 3am on Saturday, and the public should be prepared for significant disruption from flooding across the Levels.

Pat Flaherty, deputy chief executive of Somerset County Council, said: "With potential for high winds and high tides and more rain...falling on an already soaked catchment we have potential for further flooding over the weekend.

"And with that, ongoing flooding for a number of weeks to come.

"We're still working very closely with the military who remain in Somerset, planning with us and we also have the resilience of knowing that their equipment and personnel are ready to be mobilised should we require them."

The Government's emergency Cobra committee has been meeting again to discuss the flooding situation.

Parts of the Somerset Levels have been flooded since Christmas

Speaking about the military operation in Somerset, Major Al Robinson of the Royal Engineers told Sky News: "We are currently on reconnaissance, working in support of Somerset County Council.

"We are looking at the key areas under threat, and specifically at routes in and out the area, particularly at what we might be able to do in terms of assisting the local authority, particularly in the removal of waste and rubbish, and support current planning."

A local authority official accompanying the troops said: "It's a general reconnaissance, showing them the flooding situation."

The Ministry of Defence has tweeted that personnel involved in helping with Somerset floods are drawn from all three services, with the majority from Taunton-based 40 Commando Royal Marines.

In addition to vehicle crews, up to 100 military personnel are on stand-by for duties likely to include sandbag filling and loading.

The British Red Cross has sent a Unimog supply vehicle to the affected area

The Red Cross has also sent the 7.5-tonne Unimog, an emergency supply vehicle capable of driving through deep floodwater, which has also been used to help people stranded on the Somerset Levels after nearly a month of flooding.

On Wednesday, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said specialist Army vehicles could be drafted in to help tackle the flooding, delivering food and sandbags and transporting people.

His intervention came after David Cameron said rapid action is needed to deal with floodwaters in the Somerset Levels and promised the dredging of rivers would begin as soon as water levels were reduced to a safe level.

Speaking about the floods, the Prime Minister said on Thursday: "People want to know we are doing everything possible to protect dwellings from flooding and we want a forward investment programme.

"I think people understand that there are severe weather events that can affect your country, you do everything you can to mitigate, but in the end you can't mitigate against every single thing."

Sky's Kay Burley tweeted this picture of the road to Muchelney in Somerset

The Government said the first time Somerset County Council had requested assistance was on Wednesday, but the deputy leader of the authority David Hall told Sky News they had been asking for help "for weeks".

Drainage experts blame two decades of under-investment in flood defence work for turning the Levels into a "disaster area" and said it was "very, very urgent" that rivers are dredged to prevent more damage to homes, livelihoods and wildlife.

Despite coming under fire from MPs and local councils, the Environment Agency (EA) insists that increased dredging of the rivers would not have prevented the recent flooding and was "often not the best long-term or economic solution".

But Bryony Sadler of the Flooding on the Levels Action Group argued it would have made a "massive difference", and said there would be no let up in the demand for action.

She said: "The land is just flooded beyond belief."

Speaking about flood risk, the EA's director of operations, David Jordan, told Sky News: "People are trying to present this as the agency's problem. It goes well beyond that and it's absolutely essential to recognise this is a shared problem.

"We need to work in partnership to do what we possibly can to reduce flood risk."

Flood warnings in place across the UK

The arrival of the military came as farmers, politicians and church leaders demanded immediate action to alleviate what furious residents describe as "Third World" conditions.

Microbiologist Nathaniel Storey, who took samples from the flood water, said it was "absolutely teeming with bacteria and viruses".

He said it posed a risk to health and advised parents to take particular care with young children, whose toys may become contaminated.

Many parts of the Levels have been flooded since Christmas and there are fears it could be months before the water is completely pumped away.

Teams from the EA have been running dozens of pumps around the clock to drain away an estimated 1.5 million tonnes of water - the equivalent of 600 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The EA has issued 43 flood warnings - where flooding is expected and immediate action required - mostly in the South West, the South East and Midlands. Another 162 flood alerts are also in place.

Labour's shadow environment secretary Maria Eagle said: "Almost a week after Somerset County Council declared the flooding a major incident, the Government has finally decided to respond."

She accused Mr Paterson of "dithering" and failing to take flooding seriously.

Meanwhile, hundreds of university students in Aberystwyth, Wales, are being told to leave the seaside resort over fears of powerful winds and possible nine-metre high tides this weekend.

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Madeleine McCann Cops Hunt Resort Workers

British police investigating Madeleine McCann's disappearance have asked their Portuguese counterparts to search the homes and bank accounts of three suspects.

A Scotland Yard team led by Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood made the request during meetings about new leads in the case with senior members of Portugal's Policia Judiciaria earlier this week.

Investigators believe the trio were workers at the Ocean Club complex in Praia da Luz, where the McCann family were staying in 2007 and were behind a string of burglaries in the weeks before Madeleine, then three, went missing.

Former Ocean Club worker Nelson Rodrigues, told Sky News Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt that employees at the complex would have had the perfect opportunity to snatch a child.

Nelson Rodrigues speaks to Sky's Martin Brunt

He said: "Yes, you could suspect (them). The workers there know the shifts and the hours when people are at home or not at home.

"It's waiters, barmen, people from maintenance, reception, the cleaners - it's a lot of staff."

In May 2007, when the McCanns were holidaying in the Algarve, there were some 160 people working at the family resort.

One expat apartment owner told Sky News that he had property stolen about a month before Madeleine disappeared and that others had been targeted.

There were around 160 workers at the Ocean Club when Madeleine vanished

He said there was no sign of forced entry at his property and he suspected that the thieves might have had access to a key.

The man spoke to British police 18 months ago - suggesting that their renewed probe has been focused on Ocean Club employees almost since it began.

Paul Luckman, editor of the expat Portugal News, has been following the latest developments in  the case.

British Police visited Faro, near Praia da Luz where the McCanns stayed

He told Sky News: "It's alleged that they could be employees of Ocean Club, which puts a whole new light on it and that they're not, as we've supposed until now, a little group of opportunist burglars going round stealing passports and wallets whenever there was a window open.

"There are suggestions that this is slightly different."

Earlier this month, Sky News reported that police were hunting the three men whose phones were "red hot" after Madeleine vanished.

Kate and Gerry McCann have been 'buoyed' by progress in the investigation

Mobile phone records show that the men made numerous calls to each other in the hours after Kate and Gerry McCann discovered their daughter had disappeared from her room.

Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry are said to be "buoyed" by signs of progress in the effort to find out what happened to their daughter.

But it is unclear whether Portuguese authorities will respond positively to the latest request for help from the British investigation team.

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