Review of the Papers, Friday 16 March

Government

• The government was accused yesterday of losing control of the finances of the London Olympics after it revealed the total budget for the 2012 games has nearly trebled to £9.3bn. There was fury from National Lottery distributors, who will have to contribute £675m - on top of their initial £1.5bn commitment - towards the cost of the Olympics, and a warning that an enduring sporting legacy from the games will be endangered by a £223m reduction in funding for grassroots sport. http://www.guardian.co.uk/olympics2012/story/0,,2035503,00.html
• Private midwives may be forced out of business next year when changes to the medical insurance rules come into effect. The Government has given notice that all health practitioners will be required to carry professional indemnity insurance after problems with an underinsured orthodontist. Private midwives have been without indemnity insurance since 2002, when the last company willing to provide cover pulled out. Despite this, their numbers have grown from about 40 in 2002 to 200 at present, with up to 4,000 babies a year delivered privately. At the same time the NHS has struggled with an acute shortage of midwives. A government promise of one-to-one care with one midwife and the choice of a home birth has not materialised in many parts of the country. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article1522318.ece
• Britain could have eight offshore "national parks" within three years and as many as 80 highly protected sea areas eventually if government proposals to overhaul marine legislation and planning go ahead. The marine bill white paper, introduced yesterday, should also make it easier for developers to get permission to build offshore wind, wave and tidal schemes, and for power companies to bury carbon emissions in old oil and gasfields in the North sea. http://environment.guardian.co.uk/conservation/story/0,,2035479,00.html
• English GCSE examinations have been dumbed down, with too many predictable questions that allow children to rattle off answers learnt parrot fashion, a government watchdog suggested yesterday. A report from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) identified a number of weaknesses in English GCSE, which is taken by half a million pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and which is now a core element in school league tables. The QCA said that between 2002 and 2005 questions had become so formulaic that candidates "could foresee too many of the likely questions" and faced too few "unforeseeable challenges". http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/education/article1522574.ece
• Fathers should be encouraged to bond with their young children by working together on an allotment, visiting sports grounds, playing music or taking photographs, the education secretary, Alan Johnson, said yesterday as he launched the government's new parenting strategy. "The involvement of fathers is crucial, whether or not they live with their children. Once fathers become involved, they tend to remain involved," he said. "Fathers' involvement is associated with children's better educational outcomes, school attendance, behaviour, higher educational expectations and better social and emotional outcomes." http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,2035514,00.html
• The growing trend for fortnightly rubbish collections does not increase the risks of disease or vermin if implemented properly, according to a government-funded study published. Almost a third of local authorities in England now pick up recyclables and waste destined for landfill on alternate weeks, because it saves money and improves recycling rates. http://environment.guardian.co.uk/waste/story/0,,2035522,00.html
• Patriotic football fans won a victory yesterday after ministers scrapped regulations banning them from flying the flags of their national teams. Under the old rules, fans faced fines of up to £2,500 for flying national flags if they didn't first get planning permission from their local council. The ban emerged during last summer's World Cup when England fans who flew the St George's Cross were told they could be prosecuted. They could only escape the law if the flags were mounted on vertical poles. http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/news/article2362758.ece