Review of the Papers, Wednesday 14 March

Government  

• A reorganisation of NHS services for patients needing medical attention outside normal working hours was shambolic and ran hugely over budget, a cross-party committee of MPs says today in a caustic report on one of the government's key health reforms. GPs in England were allowed three years ago to opt out of responsibility for looking after patients during evenings, nights and weekends. But arrangements for primary care trusts to organise alternative medical cover were poorly prepared and cost £70m more than forecast, the Commons public accounts committee found. http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,2033165,00.html  
• An increase in council tax banding to ensure that expensive homes attract a fairer share of the tax burden is likely to be included in a package of measures to be unveiled following next week's budget, it was confirmed last night. But Sir Michael Lyons, in his report on local government finance, is expected to make his proposal for an extra band - possibly two - on top of the existing eight conditional upon the government agreeing to a wider revaluation of English property. Both main parties have ducked this issue as politically explosive. http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,2033425,00.html  
• Douglas Alexander, transport secretary, warned MPs yesterday of "serious consequences" for the UK if it refused to ratify a liberalised air-services accord between the US and the European Union. EU transport ministers are to vote on the controversial draft "open-skies" treaty on Thursday next week. Mr Alexander told the House of Commons transport committee that there was "significant support" for the accord among other member states. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/fc105c30-d1d0-11db-b921-000b5df10621.html  
• Tony Blair has effectively sacked Sir Alistair Graham, a trenchant critic of the Government's ethical standards, as head of the sleaze watchdog. Sir Alistair will step down as chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life when his contract ends in April after the Prime Minister personally intervened to ensure that he left as soon as possible, leaving the body without a successor. The move has heightened fears about the future of the committee. The Government has not left enough time to appoint a new chairman before Sir Alistair's departure, and the committee fears that it will not be able to operate effectively until a replacement is chosen. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article1512099.ece  
• Tourism business leaders are offering £20m to promote the industry in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics if the amount is matched by the government. The offer mirrors the match-funding scheme agreed between ministers and the industry to revive tourism in the wake of foot and mouth disease and the attacks of September 11 2001. Tourism leaders fear the government, far from in-creasing the £47m budget of VisitBritain, its tourism agency, intends to cut its 2007-11 allocation by 7 per cent. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/61ca77ae-d1d1-11db-b921-000b5df10621.html  
• Babies will be assessed on their gurgling, babbling and toe-playing abilities when they are a few months old under a legally enforced national curriculum for children from birth to five published by the government yesterday. Every nursery, childminder and reception class in Britain will have to monitor children's progress towards a set of 69 government-set "early learning goals", recording them against more than 500 development milestones as they go. http://education.guardian.co.uk/earlyyears/story/0,,2033356,00.html   

Conservatives  

• Homeowners would be given "green discounts" on their council tax bills or rebates on stamp duty if they make their houses more energy efficient, under plans being considered by David Cameron's advisers. The ideas are being promoted to convince potential Tory voters that the party's green agenda will mean financial "gain" for consumers as well as some "pain". http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/03/14/nergy14.xml