Policy Announcements, Wednesday 02 May

Government  

• Tony Blair has firmly rejected Conservative calls for an independent inquiry into the July 7 bombings. David Cameron told MPs on Wednesday that revelations in the wake of the fertiliser bomb plot trial had raised "important questions". The Tory leader said this week's convictions "reminds us about the risks that we face", and said public wanted a full inquiry "to get to the truth". He said there was now a need for "a proper independent inquiry". But the prime minister insisted: "I have ruled out having another proper and independent inquiry." He added that the intelligence and security committee, which is made up of MPs and peers, had gone into "all of these details in immense detail".
• A resource pack to help teachers and pupils explore and understand the issues surrounding climate change was sent to every secondary school in England today. The pack, which includes the Al Gore film An Inconvenient Truth and a number of other resources, was developed by Defra and the Department for Education and Skills. It is accompanied by online teaching guidance showing how to use the resources in the pack in science, geography and citizenship lessons.
• Gordon Brown and Hilary Benn today told the international community that the world will not meet the UN's target of getting all children into primary school by 2015 unless rich countries provide up to $11 billon of new aid every year for the next 10 years. During a meeting of international development and finance Ministers in Brussels, the UK announced £500 million over the next 10 years to support education plans drawn up by the Governments of Ethiopia and Tanzania. The funds are part of the UK's pledge to spend £8.5 billion ($15 billion) in the next 10 years, helping the world's poorest countries recruit more teachers, build new classrooms and provide basic materials like books and stationery.