Current developments: To 19 February 2006

Health and safety

20 December

The British Medical Association, the NHS and the government agree a deal that will see GPs offered ?108 million a year to improve their appointments system, to offer other services such as for the elderly with dementia and to provide for patient surveys.

21

A survey of 118 hospitals by the Healthcare Commission has found that more than a third are failing to follow basic guidelines that could prevent the spread of the infection clostridium difficile. The chief medical officer wants several measures including stricter attention paid to the use of antibiotics, prompt diagnosis, isolation of patients, better infection precautions and extra cleaning. In February, the government announces it is to send teams of experts into hospitals that are failing to get MRSA 'superbug' rates down, as the latest figures reveal infections are still on the rise.

22 December

A new government website is launched to warn the public of the dangers of undergoing cosmetic surgery at 'unscrupulous' plastic surgeons and to encourage careful consideration of the risks as well as the benefits.

2 January

A new system which will offer patients a choice of up to four hospitals for their treatment, and which can include one private facility, comes into full effect. A 'click and book' system will be available nationwide by the end of the year.

6 January

US research published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) finds that magnetic bracelets worn to relieve arthritis have no proven benefits. A month later, another US study in the BM] finds little evidence that the hormone melatonin is effective in treating sleep disorders, though some experts suggest it does have a role in treating jet lag.

8 January

American research suggests that taking anti-depressants does not on average increase the risk of suicide attempts, challenging concerns that have arisen over certain drugs. The study also found that the newer SSRI antidepressants, such as Prozac and Seroxat, were associated with a faster decline in rates of suicidal behaviour than older drugs.

12 January

A public accounts committee (PAC) report says forty per cent of people with cancer still wait more than two weeks to see a specialist, based on National Audit Office figures. Two weeks later, the PAC reports that your chance of surviving the disease still depends on where you live, despite some significant progress towards meeting targets, improving the service and making drugs more widely available.

23 January

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) revises its controversial draft guidelines on drugs forAlzheimer's disease to allow three drugs to be prescribed but only when new patients reach a moderate stage of the condition, while a fourth, memantine, will not be funded for use in the later stages because of lack of sufficient evidence of its clinical benefit. A final decision will be made at a meeting in April. Two days later, NICE widens its criteria for patients eligible for cholesterol lowering statins allowing their use for anyone diagnosed with a 20 per cent chance of having a heart attack or stroke over the next ten years (down from the current 30 per cent risk 'trigger' point).

24 January

Britain has been ranked fifth in an environmental league table produced by a team of scientists and researchers from Yale University and presented to the World Economic Forum. But official figures soon show that Britain's carbon dioxide emissions rose in 2004.

30 January

Genetics researchers say a range of genetic testing kits on sale in shops and over the internet, which differ from those used in the NHS, are a waste of money. Regulations only require such tests to be safe and to measure the genes they claim to, not as yet to prove that finding the genes has any bearing on the person's future health.

30 January

Patients are to be given more choice of GP, including the option of registering with a practice near work instead of near home, and more convenient opening hours, under plans announced in the government's health white paper. Other proposals include an online NHS life check questionnaire to help people discover their personal health risks, with advice from health trainers where necessary, and community hospitals and new polyclinics offering minor surgery, outpatients' appointments and diagnostic tests.

2 February

A report by a House of Lords committee reveals that around 90 per cent of drugs used to treat new born babies have not been tested on the young. At present drugs must be licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) after animal research and clinical trials but do not have to be explicitly tested on children; from the end of the year EU rules will see pharmaceutical companies given incentives to do so, which the committee says is only a step in the right direction. The MHRA subsequently orders extra warnings about side-effects on product information for Strattera, a prescription-only ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) drug for children.

8 February

It is confirmed that from 2006/7, the childhood immunisation programme is to include a vaccine against pneumococcal disease, which can cause blood poisoning, meningitis and pneumonia.

14 February

A blanket ban on smoking in most enclosed public places in England will come into force in summer 2007 after MPs vote against compromises designed to exempt some pubs and private members clubs.

15 February

A judicial review of Swindon Primary Care Trust's refusal to pay for a patient to have the breast cancer treatment, Herceptin finds it was not unlawful. The drug has thus far only been licensed and approved for late stage HER-2 breast cancer, and the patient is in the early stage. The judge gave the patient permission to appeal and ruled that the trust, which was ordered to fund her treatment on an interim basis, must continue to pay for it pending the appeal court's decision. Herceptin is expected to be licensed for early stage cancer by summer 2006 makers Roche have lodged an application to market the treatment in Europe and NICE is to rule on its efficacy and cost-effectiveness.

15 February

Germany confirms that two swans found dead in the north of the country had the deadly H5N1 strain of the avian flu virus. Austria also confirms cases. In January, the virus had killed four in Turkey, while earlier in February cases emerged in Nigeria, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria. Within days of the German cases, France detects its first case.

Finance

16 December

Banks have signed up to a new system that will, before the end of 2007, speed up the time it takes to transfer money electronically.

17 December

EU leaders agree the next sevenyear budget plan which will see the UK give up some of its rebate, France increase its contribution and a budget review in 2008-2009, which could lead to cuts in farm subsidies.

12 January

Guardian Assurance and Guardian Linked Life Assurance Ltd are fined ?750,000 by the Financial Services Authority for 'serious systemic flaws' in their handling of complaints about mortgage endowment mis-selling.

18 January

The public are to be asked their views on the Turner Commission pension proposals including that the retirement age be raised from 65. A National Pensions Day in March will seek feedback that, the government says, will help to inform a Government White Paper.

24 January

Research by Citizens Advice has found that banks are providing poor levels of service for customers on low incomes, either not letting them open basic bank accounts or hitting them with high charges and poor performance when they do, with some banks taking ten days to clear a cheque into a basic bank account.

25 January

MasterCard's launch of a prepayment card aimed at teenagers attracts criticism that it will get children used to spending money that is not theirs (parents will have to top up funds on the card), though users should not be able to go into debt.

14 February

From today, retailers may refuse to accept payment from people using chip and pin cards if they do not know their pin number, rather than allowing them to sign instead.

14 February

An alliance of 45 bodies and individuals calls on the Government to ban workplace or insurance discrimination against those who have had predictive genetic tests. A voluntary moratorium until 2011 on the use of test results by insurance companies in Britain permits insurers only to ask potential customers about results for approved conditions (thus far only Huntingdon's disease) and for high-value policies.

Communications

19 December

Ofcom consults on allowing product placement on television (where advertisers pay for their brands to appear in programmes). The paper recommends a cautious approach, would require an announcement at the start of the programme, and would ban the practice on children's shows, news bulletins and documentaries. In February, Ofcom proposes allowing advertisers to sponsor whole television channels and radio stations rather than just individual programmes, subject to existing restrictions such as that there would be a ban on sponsorship of channels including news bulletins.

20 December

The company behind the Crazy Frog ring tone has been fined ?40,000 by ICSTIS, the premium-rate watchdog, and told it should refund 338 customers who complained they had unwittingly signed up to a ring tone subscription service. Improvements have been made to ads for the ring tone. In January, Crazy Frog owner Jamba gets an Advertising Standards Authority ruling that its tones could cause 'harm and distress'to children overturned, but post-9pm restriction on the ads remains in place.

21 December

The cap on fines for rogue premium rate firms is to be increased from ?100,000 to ?250,000 with effect from 30 December.

20 January

Ofcom calls on the Department of Health to review the contracts with Patientline and Premier, providers of bedside phone services in hospitals, after an investigation finds incoming calls are charged at very high rates which it says are not due to profiteering by private operators but to the complex web of agreements to provide the service.

22 January

The most exhaustive study to date, published in the BMJ. finds no evidence that using a mobile phone raises your chances of getting the most common form of brain tumour.

13 February

The TV Licensing Authority is warning that people watching live TV shows on their mobile phone or computer will still need to purchase a television licence if they don't already have one.

Food and drink

21 December

Liverpool University researchers suggest that common food additives, such as aspartame, monosodium glutamat (MSG) and certain colourings, may interact to interfere with the development of the nervous system, having a much bigger effect than each additive on its own.

22 December

All dairy products made from one Normandy company are withdrawn from sale amid Food Standards Agency (FSA) warnings of possible E coli contamination. Ten days later, a food alert is issued for a brand of kebab powder found to be contaminated with excess levels of aflatoxins. Early February sees Heinz withdraw 10,000 packets of Parley's rusks as a precaution after discovering levels of the pesticide chlorpropham in one batch which exceed legal safety limits.

22 December

An EU deal on fishing quotas will see cod quotas cut by 15 per cent next year, despite scientific advice recommending a zero catch to preserve stocks.

25 January

Soft drinks makers in the Union of European Beverage Associations, which includes Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, have drawn up a voluntary code of conduct which will see them stop targeting children under the age of 12 and end direct commercial activity in primary schools.

1 February

Cambridge researchers finds that people who eat a diet high in red meat have a significant increase in DNA damage compared with vegetarians, which may explain earlier findings of higher rates of bowel cancer among those who eat more red or processed meat.

2 February

Walkers are cutting the amount of salt and saturated fats in their crisps. The crisps will be fried in sunseed oil. cutting saturates by 70 per cent. Two days later, Cadbury and Masterfoods UK agree to print the words 'Be treatwise' on the front of confectionery packaging in the UK and Ireland and to provide more detailed nutritional labelling. The moves are followed closely by five of Britain's biggest food manufacturers, including Kellogg's, saying they will place labels on the front of all their products showing the calorie, fat, sugar and salt content of a serving of each item in the spring.

The move pre-empts guidelines being drawn up by the FSA and the labels will not be colour-coded to tell consumers at a glance whether the products fall under government definitions of high, medium or low in salt, fat or sugar.

Transport

17 December

FlyBe is to charge passengers up to ?4 per item of checked-in baggage while hand luggage allowances rise and ticket prices fall. In January, Ryanair follows suit, saying it will charge passengers up to ?5 for checking in luggage from 16 March and cut fares.

1 January

Regulated rail fares, covering season and saver tickets, go up by more than inflation, money needed, the companies say, to fund improvements. In February, a PAC report declares the condition of Britain's rail stations 'deplorable', laying the blame on a fragmented approach to responsibility.

10 January

The European Court of Justice dismisses industry claims that EU regulations which require compensation to air travellers to or from the EU whose flights are overbooked, delayed or cancelled are unfair. The rules came into force February 2005.

16 January

A High Court judge rules that travel agents who book flights and accommodation separately or who tailor-make holidays will not, for regulatory purposes and for the main part, be regarded as selling a package holiday and so will not have to be members of the Air Travel Organisers Licence scheme. The ruling quashes Civil Aviation Authority guidance which was challenged by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).

19 January

ABTA's code of practice is now an OFT-approved code, offering lowcost dispute resolution scheme, disciplinary provisions for members not delivering on standards and a set of model terms and conditions. But, if a later resolution by its board is passed in April, then, from the summer, ABTA will no longer pay out to the consumer if the travel agency retailer from which a holiday was purchased goes bust without having paid suppliers for ferries, coach journeys, hotels or car hire.

Public services

2 January

Royal Mail's 350-year-old monopoly on mail collection, sorting and delivery is opened up to full competition. The former monopolist will still have to offer a universal service of six deliveries a week to every UK address for the same price. In February, it is fined more than ?11m by Postcomm for failing to do enough to prevent mail being damaged, stolen or tampered with, though the regulator acknowledges the company has made significant efforts to tackle the problem over the past nine months. Royal Mail is to appeal against the fine. The company could also be fined ?270,000 for poor delivery performance in London during 2004-5.

11 January

A National Audit Office report on underperforming schools says nearly a million pupils in England are receiving an unsatisfactory education, though the number of failing schools has halved since 1998. It calls for faster action when inspectors find weaknesses in schools. Ten days later, controversial GCSE league tables show the biggest year-on-year increase in passes but also that half of the city academies included (the replacement for failing schools in some areas) were among the worst performers in England.

12 January

Performance of fire and rescue authorities varies substantially across the country, the Audit Commission finds, with only a small proportion performing above minimum requirements'across the board, though the fire services are on track to meet a government target of reducing the number of accidental fire related deaths, a figure which fell by 16 per cent last year.

26 January

One-stop shops for services for people over 50, including social care, housing, health advice and volunteering opportunities, are to be trialled in eight English local authorities.

30 January

There will be more support for carers, including a national helpline and improved emergency respite arrangements, as well as 'individual budgets' to allow those needing care to choose the services they need, under plans in today's community health and social care white paper.

6 February

A report by the Commission for Social Care Inspection finds that 8000 nursing and care homes covering upwards of 200,000 elderly people - failed to meet national minimum standards for handling drugs prescribed for patients. The report comes as the government announces that the General Social Care Council will oversee a new registration, training and vetting system for the 750,000 people working with vulnerable children and adults. In January, a private members bill to strengthen laws governing care homes and improve food standards received its first reading.

16 February

Fuel prices continue to rise as EDF, then British Gas, join Scottish Power in announcing double-digit rises in gas prices and inflationbusting increases in electricity charges, blamed on wholesale prices and imports. The EU competition commissioner warns Europe's big energy companies they face anti-trust action unless they address 'serious malfunctions'in the way the market operates, revealed by an investigation.

Fair trading

30 December

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT)clears cable TV operator NTL's takeover of rival Telewest and satellite broadcaster BSkyB's purchase of internet company Easynet. In early February, the OFT rules that the merger of Boots and Alliance Unichem can proceed provided the companies overcome local competition concerns by getting rid of 100 outlets.

25 January

The consumer minister sets out proposals on consumer protection, including the creation of a single consumer body bringing together the National Consumer Council, Energywatch, Postwatch and the Financial Services and Ofcom Consumer Panels into one agency called Consumer Voice, as well as new ombudsmen schemes.

31 January

Trustmark, a new Governmentbacked initiative that helps people find reputable firms forborne repairs, maintenance and improvements, is launched. TrustMark-approved organisations, which have made a commitment to standards of service, are listed on the associated website

1 February

The OFT has said that some internet property sites that allow homeowners to sell their properties online and offer a supporting service should be regarded as estate agents. This means that website users who have a sole agency arrangement with a regular high street estate agent could find themselves liable to pay commission to that agent even if he or she was not involved in the sale online as using the website can be viewed as breaching the sole agency agreement just as if the property had been sold by a second high street agent. The guidance is not legally binding, however.

1 February

The OFT continues to warn about the proliferation of mass-marketing scams, such as bogus competitions, lotteries, clairvoyants and pyramid schemes as it starts a one-month long campaign which will include a sweep of the internet internationally to identify bogus home working scams.

Law

14 December

The Government consults on how to implement new EU consumer protection measures designed to crackdown on aggressive and unfair selling and marketing methods. The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive will outlaw specific practices such as aggressive doorstep selling and will also introduce a general prohibition on unfair trading.

20 December

The Home Affairs Committee calls for proposed corporate manslaughter offences to be tightened up, to provide a broad range of possible penalties for those found guilty of negligence leading to deaths so as to allow courts to reflect the individual circumstances. It also wants provisions for companies to be forced to pay compensation.

27 December

In what is thought to be the first legal action of its kind under a new anti-spamming law, the Directive on Privacy and Telecommunications, a Colchester court rules that an internet marketing company must pay damages for sending an unsolicited advertising email to an individual complainant.

16 January

In a submission to a Parliamentary inquiry, the National Consumer Council (NCC) calls for new laws to protect users' rights to use digital music and movies, because antipiracy efforts are, it says, constraining the legitimate consumer use of digital content. One particularly controversial aspect are copy-protection systems installed on some music CDs,designed to prevent piracy, which covertly install themselves on PCs and can leave them vulnerable to attack by hackers. In February the software maker responsible says it will make it easier for users to refuse installation, or to uninstall, and that it will submit all future versions of MediaMax for independent security testing.

28 January

The High Court fines two 'filesharers' who unlawfully made thousands of songs available to others on the internet via peer-topeer software. The lawsuits were brought by the British Phonographic Institute. Days later, internet service providers, including BT, NTL, Telewest and Tiscali, are ordered to hand over the details of 150 customers who are accused of breaking copyright law by uploading and sharing software online.

13 February

Parliament approves legislation paving the way for a national identity card scheme. From April, a 'biometric' security feature - an electronic scan of a finger, an iris or the face - will be included for some of those who renew their passports. From 2008-9, all those renewing passports will get a full biometric passport/ID card and have their details entered automatically onto the national identity database. Primary legislation will be needed to make the scheme compulsory.

Competition

21 December

The interest rates charged by store cards should not be capped, the Competition Commission proposes, but those charging more than 25 per cent should carry warnings in their literature.

25 January

Under threat of daily fines of 2 million euros a day by the European Commission for noncompliance with competition rulings. Microsoft offers partial access to its source codes for the Windows operating system to licensed rivals. The rulings require Microsoft to supply interface documentation to allow rivals to achieve full interoperability. In February, Microsoft confirms it wants an oral hearing on allegations of noncompliance to be held in front of national competition authorities, ahead of its appeal against a fine for abuse of dominance.

Retailing

31 January

Findings of research by Which? into customer satisfaction levels for leading retailers in the groceries, clothing and electrical goods sectors reveal high-scoring local specialist stores compared to big business in the electrical sector and a good performance by Waitrose, scoring highest among the supermarkets on aspects other than convenience. The research also suggests that low prices do not always translate into happy customers. Days later, NCC research finds that top consumer hates include 'robotic' call centres, absurdly complex systems, hard-sell marketing, missed appointments, and poor after-sales service.

15 February

A report by the cross-party Small Shops Group forecasts that many independent shops will close by 2015 and that the resulting lack of competition will allow the big supermarket chains to start raising prices. The group wants several measures including a moratorium on further mergers and takeovers and the creation of a retail regulator.

Trade

18 December

A limited trade deal is reached in Hong Kong after the EU's offerte end farm export subsidies by 2013 is approved by developing countries. The deal includes a commitment to move towards duty-free and quotafree access to rich markets for the world's poorest countries, but with no agreement on import tariffs or on a date for reducing domestic subsidies for US cotton farmers, the path to a full trade deal next year is not yet clear.

7 February

A World Trade Organisation preliminary ruling finds that EU controls to prevent imports of GM food and crops from 1998 to 2004 violated trade agreements and that Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Luxembourg had no legal grounds to impose their own unilateral import bans. EU officials insist the ruling relates to past rather than current EU policies. The decision is subject to appeal.

The details in this section are, to the best of the Editor's information and knowledge, accurate and applicable to the dates given.