Road charge for foreign lorries

16 September 2012 Last updated at 00:54 ET

Foreign lorries are to be charged up to £1,000 a year to use British roads - in a bid to benefit domestic hauliers.

The fee will also apply to UK-based lorries - but this will be offset by an equivalent cut in vehicle excise duty.

The move is designed to create a "level playing field" for British lorry drivers, as they have to pay for using roads in Europe.

The AA said it was concerned the system could lead to a universal road charging scheme for all motorists.

The government will publish draft legislation next month and ministers said the charge would be brought in by the end of the current parliament at the latest.

The amount of the charge would depend on the size of the vehicle and is expected to raise a total of £20m a year.

'Boosting growth'

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "These proposals will deliver a vital shot in the arm to the UK haulage industry.

"It is simply not right that foreign lorries do not pay to use our roads, when our trucks invariably have to fork out when travelling to the continent.

"By introducing charges we will create a level playing field, increasing UK competitiveness and boosting growth."

British hauliers who operate in Europe face a variety of road tolls and charges while continental lorries can use British roads for free.

Road Haulage Association chief executive Geoff Dunning said it was a "happy day" for the industry.

"We have been campaigning for years to see a system introduced which will lessen the financial advantage currently enjoyed by our European neighbours," he said.

"UK hauliers travelling to mainland Europe have to pay road charges but foreign-registered vehicles travelling to the UK pay nothing."

16 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19614862#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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GCSE exam changes to be announced

16 September 2012 Last updated at 00:17 ET

Government plans for replacing GCSE exams in England and Wales will be unveiled on Tuesday, it has been revealed.

It is believed the new qualification will involve a one-off exam in each subject rather than modules and continual assessment.

It is also understood the changes will not come into effect until 2015.

Labour said it supported rigorous exams but only if they did not act as a cap on aspiration.

Education Secretary Michael Gove has made it clear he thinks GCSEs should be replaced by a new and more academically rigorous exam.

Liberal Democrats have insisted there should not be what they consider a two-tier system, with a second qualification for less able students.

The coalition parties have reached agreement on change, which Mr Gove and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will unveil this week.

Biggest change

The government will publish a consultation on its plans for a single new qualification.

But pupils will not start studying for it until September 2015, after the next general election. The first exams would be taken in 2017.

The move would be the biggest change in the exam system in a generation.

GCSEs were introduced in the late 1980s, to replace the dual system of O-levels and CSEs, with the first GCSE exams taken in 1988.

Pass rates have gone up every year except for this one, drawing criticism that they were getting progressively easier.

'Breadth of knowledge'

The move comes amid controversy over this year's GCSE exams in English, and whether they were too harshly graded.

This weekend, examiners in Wales are regrading English papers taken under the WJEC examining board, after Welsh Education Minister Leighton Andrews ordered a review of results on Tuesday.

Mr Gove attacked that decision, saying it would "undermine confidence" in the value of the qualifications obtained by the students involved.

Shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg said it was wrong to be thinking about changing the system while the row over this year's grades continued.

He said: "Politicians should not set an artificial limit on the number of top grades, rather the best work should be rewarded.

"New exams should ensure that young people are prepared for the world of work and the jobs of the future. However, it is not clear how this new system will ensure a breadth of knowledge and skills and that pupils continue studying English and maths until age 18.

"There has been no consultation on these plans, rather they have been drawn up in secret and leaked to select media outlets."

16 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-19614839#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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Minister's call on women's sport

15 September 2012 Last updated at 00:07 ET

New Culture Secretary Maria Miller has written to broadcasters urging them not to cut their coverage of women's sport now London 2012 is over.

Mrs Miller said the success of Team GB's female athletes had been truly inspirational.

The huge TV audiences showed the public had a real appetite for mainstream coverage of women's sport, she added.

The BBC said it had a comprehensive portfolio of women's sport and always looked at how to increase coverage.

Mrs Miller is the minister for women and equalities as well as Culture Media and Sport Secretary.

She said the British media did a fantastic job over the past few weeks championing the achievements of Jessica Ennis, Ellie Simmonds and other young women whom she said were powerful role models vital to delivering a sports legacy from the Olympics and Paralympics.

'Broadcasting legacy'

But she told broadcasters that, outside the Games, women's sport had been "woefully under represented on television", with women's cricket, football and netball "buried pretty deep in the schedules, if shown at all".

The minister wants to meet broadcasters to discuss how the momentum from London 2012 can be maintained.

Mrs Miller wrote: "I realise there are considerable pressures on your schedules but I would be most grateful if we could perhaps meet to discuss how women's sports coverage can get more profile in the mainstream, helping to build a real broadcasting legacy from the Games."

Among the highlights of the Olympics was Jessica Ennis winning heptathlon gold on "Super Saturday" for Team GB's athletics team.

Some 16.3 million people tuned in for that, while there was a television audience of 11.3 million for Rebecca Adlington's bronze medal in the 800m freestyle swimming.

Mrs Miller's plea comes nine months after the BBC came under fire when its annual Sports Personality of the Year award did not include any women among its 10-strong shortlist.

15 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19608812#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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