Archive for April, 2015
Tuesday, April 28th, 2015
A Conservative government will use fines imposed on Deutsche Bank for its involvement in rigging interest rates to fund 50,000 apprenticeships, David Cameron has announced.
The Conservative leader said the scheme would “train young people and get them off the dole and in to work”.
It comes on top of three million apprenticeships the party has pledged over the next Parliament if re-elected.
The Conservatives’ latest apprenticeship pledge will target people aged between 22 and 24 who have been unemployed for more than six months.
The £200m cost of the scheme will be paid for out of the £227m fine that Deutsche Bank received earlier this week for trying to manipulate Libor and Euribor inter-bank lending rates.
Mr Cameron said, “We’re going to take the fines from the banks who tried to rig markets – and we’re going to use it to train young people and get them off the dole and into work.”
Thursday, April 23rd, 2015
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015
The Conservatives’ manifesto pledge on childcare will create an extra 600,000 free places, David Cameron is to say.
The prime minister will say his party’s reforms will ensure it pays for people to go out to work.
Under the £350m Conservative plans, the amount of state-subsidised childcare for three and four year-olds would be doubled to 30 hours a week.
Currently, all three and four-year olds in England are entitled to 570 hours of free early education or childcare a year, which works out as 15 hours each week for 38 weeks of the year.
The Conservatives said the 30-hour offer from 2017, announced a week ago, would result in more than 600,000 extra 15-hour free childcare places every year.
They said the proposal would be funded by reducing tax relief on pension contributions.
Mr Cameron will say his government inherited a “shocking” situation, “where couples were spending as much on childcare as one of them took home in earnings”.
He will add that “for many second earners, work didn’t pay because the cost of childcare was so high”.
A Conservative government would expand on the changes made in the last Parliament, Mr Cameron will say.
Friday, April 17th, 2015
Over 3,750 vehicles have been seized by Staffordshire Police officers in a landmark crackdown on car insurance dodgers thanks to the county’s Conservative Party elected PCC.
Behind Bars was instigated by Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis and has proved popular with people across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
The campaign carried out by Staffordshire Police has seen 3,772 cars, vans, motorcycles, mopeds, lorries and even a tractor seized – with over 1,200 vehicles scrapped – since it was launched in May 2013.
More than 70 higher-value uninsured vehicles have been sold off at auction with the proceeds going back into local communities in Staffordshire.
The number of car insurance dodgers in Staffordshire is being driven down as the crackdown gathers pace. Annual figures released by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau show there were an estimated 1,214 fewer uninsured vehicles on the road in Staffordshire in 2014 compared to 2013.
Mr Ellis said, “The crackdown on insurance dodgers remains far and away the most popular thing raised with me by people I’ve spoken to across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
“Over 3,750 people have had to learn their lesson the hard way thanks to tremendous work by officers from Staffordshire Police, which has really gained momentum in recent months. It’s clear that the message is hitting home as the number of insured motorists on Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent roads has risen significantly.
“Those who drive without insurance can’t hide in Staffordshire, they are being caught and dealt with by having their vehicles seized and, in many cases, scrapped or sold at auction. It’s definitely struck a chord with law-abiding motorists who are hit by rising premiums because of these law-breakers. Why should all pay more because some people don’t pay at all?”
Some of the vehicles seized since the campaign launched can be viewed atwww.staffordshire.police.uk/carsbehindbars.
Cars Behind Bars uses Staffordshire’s extensive automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system that identifies those flouting the law.
The fixed penalty fine for people who are caught without insurance was increased nationally from £200 to £300 in 2013. Motorists also face their car being seized, could be summoned to court and be disqualified, and an endorsement of six penalty points. Drivers re-claiming their car when they have proof of insurance have to pay £150 car recovery costs plus £20 per day storage.
A Conservative government will use fines imposed on Deutsche Bank for its involvement in rigging interest rates to fund 50,000 apprenticeships, David Cameron has announced.
