Other UK News In Brief

Holloway Murder Victim Named

Police are continuing to appeal for witnesses and information after a murder in Holloway. Officers were called at around 10.23pm on Sunday to a stabbing in the vicinity of Andover House, Andover Road in north London. A 21-year-old man was found stabbed. The ambulance service attended but he died at the scene. The victim has been formally identified as Andrew Jaipaul. Next of kin have been informed. At this stage it is believed Mr Jaipaul was attacked by a group of between 12 and 20 males. A post-mortem examination took place on Monday at St Pancras Mortuary and gave cause of death as multiple incised stab wounds. Detectives from the Specialist Crime Directorate are investigating under Detective Chief Inspector Phil Rickells. Anyone with information is asked to call the incident room. There have been no arrests at present.

Plans To Take Driving Tests Closer To Candidates

Driving test candidates could benefit from a more local service as the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) carries out a trial exploring a new approach to test delivery. As well as using conventional driving test centres, DSA is looking at whether tests could also be delivered from other venues such as local authority buildings, hotels or leisure centres. The trials will provide practical car tests in selected areas that no longer have a local test centre, but still have a significant demand for tests. The aim is to provide a service for the local community and ensure that candidates are able to take their test at convenient locations. Road Safety Minister Mike Penning said: “I want us to be more flexible and innovative in delivering driving tests to make sure that we are offering people the best service possible wherever they live. Our aim is to provide a more local service that is both convenient for candidates and cost effective.” 
The trials are due to take place in seven locations across Britain: Ashford, Ayrshire, Dumbarton, Louth, Warrington, Wiltshire and one location in Wales that is still to be decided. The trials will be monitored to assess any impact on levels of customer service and the cost of delivery, as well as making sure the integrity of the test is maintained. DSA will then decide whether the trials can be rolled out to other areas without a test centre where there is a significant demand, and where suitable routes and venues can be identified. The trials will only involve practical car tests; theory test centres will not be affected. The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has also urged all driving test candidates booked to take a test on Thursday 30 June to attend as usual regardless of the threat of strike action by examiners who are members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union.

MLAs Urged Not To Increase Tuition Fees



As the Assembly debated tuition fees yesterday and the Executive nears a decision on whether to increase tuition fees, medical students have again urged MLAs not to increase fees.

 Neil Cunningham, Chairman of the British Medical Association’s medical student committee in Northern Ireland said: “A rise in tuition fees will affect students from all walks of life, not least medical students.

 We strongly believe that doctors in the future should be trained according to their ability, not their ability to pay.

 It would be indefensible if patients and the health service lost out on the skills of gifted young people from low and middle income families because they were not able to support themselves through university or able to take on these levels of debt.

 Northern Ireland leads the rest of the UK in the proportion of those from lower socio-economic backgrounds who enter university, including around a fifth of students of medical students at Queen’s University.

Raising tuition fees would only deter talented doctors of the future from pursuing medicine.

” Mr Cunningham continued: “BMA research has shown that fees of £9,000 will lead to debt of at least £70,000 on graduation, not taking into account living costs or credit card debt.

 Speaking personally, as a graduate medical student, I have incurred debts in excess of £30,000. My starting salary as a junior doctor will be just over £22,000, and I expect to be repaying loans for the foreseeable future.

There has to be a better way of meeting the shortfall in higher education funding than penalising the future workforce.”

(BMcN/GK)