Endless amounts of solar stuff, a whimsy of atmospheric
movement, more than a smidge of lack of warm stuff and even less wet stuff at
the Castle this morn.
Spent a while in the garden yestermorn touching up the fences
and counting the green tomatoes which look like they will remain non red this
autumn.
The sinus thingy still seems to be rampaging through my
facial tunnels despite the industrial strength antibiotics and his Maj has
discovered the joy of pilchards in tomato sauce.
And the other big sporty thing up in the Smoke finally
wheels to a close this holy for some day...
Jeremy Hunt, the new health secretary, personally intervened
to encourage the controversial takeover of NHS hospitals in his constituency by
a private company, Virgin Care, raising fresh concerns last night over his
appointment.
Hunt, who replaced Andrew Lansley in last week's cabinet
reshuffle, was so concerned by a delay to the £650m deal earlier this year that
he asked for assurances from NHS Surrey officials that it would be swiftly
signed.
Virgin Care, which is part-owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin
Group, subsequently agreed on a five-year contract in March to run seven
hospitals along with dentistry services, sexual health clinics, breast cancer
screening and other community services. The takeover took place despite
concerns being raised in the local NHS risk register about the impact on
patient care following the transfer of management from the NHS to one of the country's
largest private healthcare firms, until recently known as Assura Medical.
Doubts over Hunt's new role have also been sparked by the
revelation that he co-authored a book that supported transforming the NHS into
a system of universal insurance where patients buy health care from the
provider of their choice.
A source close to Hunt denied that the minister wrote the
section in the book about the NHS and said that "it does not reflect his
views".
Another Cupid Stunt in the Piss Poor Policies Millionaires
Club Coalition sideboard...
Over 70
organisations, many involved in the move to set up the Universal Credit system,
have expressed concerns about plans to access benefits online.
They say many
people do not use the internet and have also expressed doubts about government
IT systems.
But the government
says online management of the new system, to be introduced in 2013, will save
money.
The Universal
Credit aims to make the benefits system simpler by replacing five work-based
benefits - with just one benefit.
Ministers have also
said they are determined to reform the system, so it pays people to work rather
than claim benefits.
But written
evidence - submitted to MPs by organisations representing councils, charities,
trades unions, business groups and housing organisations - reveals fears about
the push to ensure claims are made online.
Community charity
Citizens Advice argues that eight and a half million people have never used the
internet.
"The new
Universal Credit system risks causing difficulties to the 8.5 million people
who have never used the internet and a further 14.5 million who have virtually
no ICT skills," it says in more than 500 pages of testimony submitted to
the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee and seen by BBC Radio 4's The
World This Weekend.
Fears are raised
about paying Universal Credit monthly and to just one person per household,
which could "upset the family dynamic".
And concerns that
the government computer network required might not be finished on time for the
launch, or be sufficiently robust, are also expressed.
Ministers say those
who struggle to use the online system will still have access to face-to-face
help and telephone assistance.
And they insist the
timetable for the introduction of Universal Credit remains on track to begin in
October 2013.
It will be phased
in over a number of years, with eight million households signed up by 2017.
In its own
submission to MPs, the Department for Work and Pensions says rigorous testing
of the IT system is already under way.
It adds that
managing Universal Credit online makes sense as it saves money and most jobs do
now require computer skills.
Universal Credit
replaces...
Jobseeker's allowance
Tax credits
Income support
Employment and support allowance
Housing benefits
As for data security-see yesterday’s post on the post...
GPS say NO!
Despite several warnings from the lady in the dashboard this
Numpty Russian driver still managed to smack into the back of a lorry.
I do love a Cupid Stunt behind the wheel....
And finally:
A cop who was canned for ticketing dead people says he was
doing it to meet the NYPD’s supposedly non-existent monthly quotas.
In papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, Paul Pizzuto
says he started issuing bogus summonses after brass at the 120th Precinct in
Staten Island told him he had to produce more than the 125 to 150 he was
already writing.
“Specifically, Pizzuto was told that he needed to start
issuing more summonses for red-light and seat-belt violations” and was warned
he would be moved “if he did not issue the increased number of summonses,” the
suit says.
Pizzuto “prepared summonses by taking information from
legitimate summonses that he had issued in the past. But he prepared the
summonses in such a way that they would not impact any motorists,” the filing
says.
He was busted for the scam after his colleagues noticed he
never had to testify about the tickets.
Pizzuto, 41, who pleaded guilty in May to three counts of
falsifying business records, was sentenced to 150 hours of community service, but
contends that his firing was improper because he didn’t get a hearing first.
He was officially fired in June.
That’s it: I’m orf to watch the
cookie fun
And today’s thought:
And then I crept up behind her and....
