One in three government buildings has the lowest possible rating for energy efficiency, according to official figures seen by the Observer, which show the Department for Energy and Climate Change is one of the worst offenders.
The dire state of the public estate, which includes government offices, laboratories and museums, will make uncomfortable reading for the department's secretary of state Ed Miliband. He recently announced ambitious plans to cut the energy use of UK buildings as part of the overall targets to cut the country's carbon footprint by 80% by 2050.
The DECC, which is responsible for promoting energy efficiency in the country and is housed in Whitehall Place in London, scored a G, the lowest on a seven-point energy performance scale for its buildings. The Home Office, which moved into a new office building only a few years ago, and the Department of Health were also given the bottom rating, while, on average, government buildings scored an F.
The ratings for 267 government buildings come from the government's own energy efficiency assessments and were published in response to parliamentary questions from Greg Clark, Miliband's Tory shadow.
Overall, 98 buildings were rated G and a further 34 scored F. In total, more than 70% were rated E or below, which means that they are less energy-efficient than normal buildings of their type. None scored A.
"The fact that DECC is a G is pretty bad," said Clark. "I'm sure that they've gone into a less-than-functional building, but part of the role of DECC is to fly the flag and show how things could be done, and surely in the whole of central London they could have sourced an up-to-date office block that they could be proud of?"
A spokesman for the DECC pointed out that it had only moved into its building in Whitehall Place in October, but was determined to make it more energy-efficient: "This is not easy as our new home is a Grade II-listed heritage building and more than 100 years old - making it difficult to match the energy-efficiency standards of new buildings."
There are already plans in place to improve the way the building uses energy and the electricity comes from renewable sources. "We are also looking into methods of improving the building's energy efficiency, such as introducing additional motion and daylight sensors, upgrading downlighters and fluorescent tubes, and upgrading the fans system and boiler sequencing system," the spokesman added.
Each of the energy assessments included recommendations for cutting a building's energy use. The Treasury's office building, rated at F and responsible for about 4,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, was encouraged to switch to a less carbon intensive fuel, for example. At four of the Department of Health's six offices in Whitehall, energy assessors recommended that "simultaneous operation of heating and cooling systems" should be minimised.
A Home Office spokesman said the department was looking at ways to reduce its energy use through increased staff awareness and new technologies such as LED lights, energy monitors and upgraded lighting and air-conditioning controls.
There were also buildings that performed relatively well. The Foreign Office building, constructed in the 19th century, had a better than typical energy performance, scoring 92 when a performance of 100 means the building is performing normally for its type. This gave it a grade D. The Ministry of Justice and the Wales Office were both rated at C, the highest for any public buildings.
Paul King, of the UK Green Building Council, said the energy performance numbers might be disappointing but he was not surprised. "What it underlines is that government buildings are a sample of our very many buildings in this country that are in a terrible state because of their energy use. For the vast majority of buildings we have no idea how bad they are," he said.
About 45% of the UK's carbon emissions come from energy use in buildings and 18% from public and commercial buildings. In 2006, the government pledged to cut, by 2020, the environmental impact of its buildings by 30% relative to 1999-2000 levels. "Three years on, the reality is that more than a third of government buildings are in the worst possible band for efficiency," said Clark. "Conservative policy would see public buildings in the top quartile for energy performance by driving the highest standards of energy efficiency and carbon emissions reduction."
A spokesman for the Office for Government Commerce, which is responsible for refurbishing the government estate, said it had achieved a 2.5% drop in carbon emissions last year and that plans were now in place to deliver a 12.5% reduction by 2010-11, against 1999-2000 levels.
The most polluting government-owned site is the Department for Environment's Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) complex in Weybridge, with an energy rating of 761, emitting 20,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. The vast majority of buildings score below 200.
A department spokesman said it was "fully committed" to improving energy efficiency in all its sites. "Some of our buildings are listed and older; others, such as the VLA sites, are as much laboratory as office, and so their energy use is higher to account for specialist equipment which needs ventilation and water," he said.
"Many of the activities and processes carried out in the laboratories are energy-intensive and there are limited opportunities for improving efficiencies which do not impact on the health, safety and security requirements within the laboratory environment." The department has also installed "energy perfectors" at many of its sites, which optimise the voltage of the electricity supply to match the appliances being used.
But Clark said the government was not moving quickly enough, particularly with its departmental headquarters buildings, where the average rating is F. "They're not medieval buildings; they're mostly Edwardian, and the technologies are there to improve them. If the government isn't doing it, how can it have a leading role in persuading everyone else to do it?"
King said the government's figures were the tip of the iceberg: "The only thing that sets the government buildings apart is that we actually know how bad they are because of this quirk of European policy that has required these energy certificates for public buildings. What we desperately need is similar information about the rest of the UK's buildings."
How the system works
Energy performance certificates (EPCs) will be familiar to anyone buying, selling or renting a home. By surveying the size and state of a property and the kinds of energy used, the EPC provides a rating on a seven-point scale, from a green-coloured A for most efficient to a red-coloured G for least efficient.
Display energy certificates (DECs) have been mandatory for all public buildings since October and have a crucial difference to EPCs - the rating is based on actual energy use. A rating of 100 means the building is performing as expected and is banded D. The higher the number, the less efficient the building, with the G band representing an energy performance value above 150.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Unemployment forces Chinese migrants back to the countryside
Until a week ago, Liu Xiao was part of the Pearl river delta's army: one of the thousands of workers streaming along a Shenzhen road, gulping down breakfast, texting, lighting a final cigarette, teasing friends and swapping gossip – rushing rushing rushing to the factory for another shift making bras, computers and plastic toys for the world.
Today she waits patiently at the railway station across town. This region was the motor of China's economic boom, but plummeting exports have forced it to slow and millions of those who kept it running have given up and gone home. Liu Xiao is one of the latest to return to the countryside: in her case to a village of just 200 people a 10-hour ride – and a world away – from Shenzhen.
For a year and a half she worked 11-hour days checking hard drive casings with no music or chat permitted, but found satisfaction in spotting hairline cracks and other errors. Home was a dormitory shared with seven other girls, crowded but renao (lively and chaotic).
"There were lots of rules, like no cooking and not being loud, but you get used to it," she says. "It was harmonious, not like other dormitories where everyone quarrels."
Production began to slow late last year and workers drifted away. Without overtime Liu Xiao's wages slipped from 2,500 yuan (£240) a month to 800 yuan, barely covering living costs, and leaving nothing for visits to internet cafes or for the shopping trips she had learned to enjoy.
Millions abandoned the city at Chinese new year in late January and a steady trickle continues. When rumours spread that Liu Xiao's factory would soon go bankrupt, as thousands across the manufacturing region have done, she handed in her notice.
Now she is killing time with a colleague, waiting for the night train. "I'm not too happy," she says. "There aren't many factories near my village. It's too boring; there's not much entertainment and it's difficult to get out."
Her boyfriend is waiting for her, but she has no plans to settle down. "I want to be single a while longer – I'm a girl who likes to have fun," she adds boldly, with a giggle.
Thirty years ago, Shenzhen was not so different to home: a small fishing village marked out only by its proximity to Hong Kong. That was enough to make Deng Xiaoping pick it as the first special economic zone.
Now it is a restless, dense city of strangers, drawn from every part of China. It has five-star hotels, a Gucci store, endless blocks of shops and flashy restaurants, but also acres of factories and cramped dormitory blocks, sprawling into the next industrial town. Its population has increased more than 30-fold. Even according to official figures, which most consider a wild underestimate, it has 10 million residents.
Three decades after Deng's economic reforms began, China can seem like two nations. There are the sky-scraping neon-lit cities such as Shenzhen and then there is the countryside, still home to most of the population and richer by far than it was, but falling ever further behind the urban world. Average incomes in cities are now more than three times those of the countryside.
This gulf has produced 140 million migrant workers, and without them the gap would be far wider. For many, their years of toil are a painful, enforced exile from families, undertaken to ensure healthcare for ageing parents, an education for their children and a home for the family.
Increasingly, for younger people, the journey from farm to factory is also a voyage of self-discovery. China as a nation is increasingly urban, wealthy and demanding – and so are many of its citizens.
With her immaculate white trainers, fashionable haircut and intermittently flirty manner, Liu Xiao is the creation of 18 months in Shenzhen as much as her 18 years in rural Jiangxi province.
She was "a bit frightened" when she arrived alone, and like many migrants she can still feel vulnerable in the big city. She finds a policeman to check my press card and passport before allowing me to travel with her. "My mum said there have been more murders here recently," she explains confidingly.
She's always found Guangdong's urbanites cold and unenthusiastic in comparison with the villagers she grew up with. But now she worries that she will miss the friends she made at the factory, as they scatter home to Hubei and Hunan. It will probably be too expensive to meet again.
She's splashed out 156 yuan for a hard seat on a train, instead of a bus, so she can travel home with one of her pals. As the night wears on, exhaustion overcomes their discomfort. Handfuls of men play cards and chat laconically, but most travellers sprawl across the tiny tables, against windows or over each other, arms thrown up to cover their eyes from the harsh lights. Sunflower seeds are spilt across the floor and empty plastic bottles roll as the train rattles through the darkness. The two young women fall asleep in a little heap.
Liu Xiao stirs as dawn approaches. "So tired," she sighs. Outside, charmless apartment blocks and dirty factories are giving way to fields thick with fog. A man wanders down a path, buckets dangling from the yoke across his shoulders.
She climbs off the train and finds a car. It's a bumpy ride to her village, even along the concrete road that arrived here a few years ago. A short walk takes her up a rutted mud track, past fat chickens and scrawny yellow-haired dogs to the home where her parents are waiting.
Miaoquan – "beautiful spring" – is evidence of the changes that have taken place in the countryside. Motorbikes and trucks hurtle along the roads. Two-storey homes covered with white tiles have replaced many of the old, crude brick buildings. Some of the children are going to university; Liu Xiao's younger brother hopes to follow them.
"The central government's policies are good, but the problem is the local government. Money for agriculture doesn't get all the way down," says her father, Liu Jieteng.
The family used to be farmers, but living off a small plot of land proved too hard. They still grow their own rice there, but Mr Liu turned to mining. When the government closed small mines in a safety drive, he found work shovelling quartz from the nearby mountain into trucks. It is dusty and dangerous work – an estimated 24,000 Chinese people die of the occupational lung disease silicosis each year – but he will not be doing it much longer in any case, because the supply is almost exhausted. The family are not sure what they will do then.
"There have been huge improvements here since I was a child," said Mr Liu, 44. "But this year, because of the economic crisis, the village has been affected. Many people have no work at all. We basically depend on two things: mining and quartz. But the small mines have been closed down and the quartz is almost finished. There was a shoe factory, but it had no orders and went bankrupt.
"Last year young people were working out, but now many are coming back – like my daughter."
Recent official statistics suggest that as many as 23 million of China's migrant workers are jobless, and that about 14 million of those who returned home for the new year have remained there.
Those figures emphasise the impact of industry's current problems and the vulnerability of migrants, who are not entitled to the same unemployment, medical and educational benefits as those born in cities. But they are also testament to the country's progress.
Many now have the safety net of savings and can spend a few months figuring out their next move or waiting to hear of an opening. Families have enough spare to welcome them home. The government is introducing limited but greater support for rural households – a welcome change after the reforms of the 80s were followed by a decade in which officials seemed to care only for cities.
L ike other young workers, Liu Xiao does not plan to spend long here. She responds with amazement to the idea that she might farm. "Impossible. That's the thing I would like to do least. I hate it," she exclaims.
Farmwork is too hard, say other returnees, the expectations of village life too stifling. One man chafes at his parents' rules and complains that his father grumbles if he comes home late. Others love the endless choices of life in big cities – not just the cafes and karaoke bars, but the neat parks and well-stocked libraries.
Many, like Liu Xiao, want to find work or set up a business in a rural town. She plans to spend a few days at home, then head to Pingxiang, the nearest city, where her boyfriend works as a hairdresser.
With 400,000 inhabitants – equivalent to the population of Bristol – it's a one-horse town by Chinese standards, but she hopes to find a job in the service sector. If not, her father thinks she should head south again.
"Getting more experience and going out to try the outside world are good things, but also, there's nothing for her to do here and if she goes out it reduces the family burden. She doesn't need to support us, just earn enough for herself," he explained.
Liu Xiao smiles. She's more confident these days – city life has changed her. It's not just her smart clothes and pink mobile phone. Working with others has knocked the edges off her temper, made her smoother, she thinks.
But Miaoquan hasn't changed at all, she says with a note of disbelief. There's still nothing much to do here, just watch TV or help with chores.
On the wall, beside a huge, brightly coloured poster of Mao Zedong and other communist leaders, an old-fashioned clock ticks away the seconds as Liu Xiao fidgets in the front room.
A sharp expulsion of breath. She wanders to the doorway and gazes out, across the empty fields. "I've been here half an hour. I'm already bored."
Today she waits patiently at the railway station across town. This region was the motor of China's economic boom, but plummeting exports have forced it to slow and millions of those who kept it running have given up and gone home. Liu Xiao is one of the latest to return to the countryside: in her case to a village of just 200 people a 10-hour ride – and a world away – from Shenzhen.
For a year and a half she worked 11-hour days checking hard drive casings with no music or chat permitted, but found satisfaction in spotting hairline cracks and other errors. Home was a dormitory shared with seven other girls, crowded but renao (lively and chaotic).
"There were lots of rules, like no cooking and not being loud, but you get used to it," she says. "It was harmonious, not like other dormitories where everyone quarrels."
Production began to slow late last year and workers drifted away. Without overtime Liu Xiao's wages slipped from 2,500 yuan (£240) a month to 800 yuan, barely covering living costs, and leaving nothing for visits to internet cafes or for the shopping trips she had learned to enjoy.
Millions abandoned the city at Chinese new year in late January and a steady trickle continues. When rumours spread that Liu Xiao's factory would soon go bankrupt, as thousands across the manufacturing region have done, she handed in her notice.
Now she is killing time with a colleague, waiting for the night train. "I'm not too happy," she says. "There aren't many factories near my village. It's too boring; there's not much entertainment and it's difficult to get out."
Her boyfriend is waiting for her, but she has no plans to settle down. "I want to be single a while longer – I'm a girl who likes to have fun," she adds boldly, with a giggle.
Thirty years ago, Shenzhen was not so different to home: a small fishing village marked out only by its proximity to Hong Kong. That was enough to make Deng Xiaoping pick it as the first special economic zone.
Now it is a restless, dense city of strangers, drawn from every part of China. It has five-star hotels, a Gucci store, endless blocks of shops and flashy restaurants, but also acres of factories and cramped dormitory blocks, sprawling into the next industrial town. Its population has increased more than 30-fold. Even according to official figures, which most consider a wild underestimate, it has 10 million residents.
Three decades after Deng's economic reforms began, China can seem like two nations. There are the sky-scraping neon-lit cities such as Shenzhen and then there is the countryside, still home to most of the population and richer by far than it was, but falling ever further behind the urban world. Average incomes in cities are now more than three times those of the countryside.
This gulf has produced 140 million migrant workers, and without them the gap would be far wider. For many, their years of toil are a painful, enforced exile from families, undertaken to ensure healthcare for ageing parents, an education for their children and a home for the family.
Increasingly, for younger people, the journey from farm to factory is also a voyage of self-discovery. China as a nation is increasingly urban, wealthy and demanding – and so are many of its citizens.
With her immaculate white trainers, fashionable haircut and intermittently flirty manner, Liu Xiao is the creation of 18 months in Shenzhen as much as her 18 years in rural Jiangxi province.
She was "a bit frightened" when she arrived alone, and like many migrants she can still feel vulnerable in the big city. She finds a policeman to check my press card and passport before allowing me to travel with her. "My mum said there have been more murders here recently," she explains confidingly.
She's always found Guangdong's urbanites cold and unenthusiastic in comparison with the villagers she grew up with. But now she worries that she will miss the friends she made at the factory, as they scatter home to Hubei and Hunan. It will probably be too expensive to meet again.
She's splashed out 156 yuan for a hard seat on a train, instead of a bus, so she can travel home with one of her pals. As the night wears on, exhaustion overcomes their discomfort. Handfuls of men play cards and chat laconically, but most travellers sprawl across the tiny tables, against windows or over each other, arms thrown up to cover their eyes from the harsh lights. Sunflower seeds are spilt across the floor and empty plastic bottles roll as the train rattles through the darkness. The two young women fall asleep in a little heap.
Liu Xiao stirs as dawn approaches. "So tired," she sighs. Outside, charmless apartment blocks and dirty factories are giving way to fields thick with fog. A man wanders down a path, buckets dangling from the yoke across his shoulders.
She climbs off the train and finds a car. It's a bumpy ride to her village, even along the concrete road that arrived here a few years ago. A short walk takes her up a rutted mud track, past fat chickens and scrawny yellow-haired dogs to the home where her parents are waiting.
Miaoquan – "beautiful spring" – is evidence of the changes that have taken place in the countryside. Motorbikes and trucks hurtle along the roads. Two-storey homes covered with white tiles have replaced many of the old, crude brick buildings. Some of the children are going to university; Liu Xiao's younger brother hopes to follow them.
"The central government's policies are good, but the problem is the local government. Money for agriculture doesn't get all the way down," says her father, Liu Jieteng.
The family used to be farmers, but living off a small plot of land proved too hard. They still grow their own rice there, but Mr Liu turned to mining. When the government closed small mines in a safety drive, he found work shovelling quartz from the nearby mountain into trucks. It is dusty and dangerous work – an estimated 24,000 Chinese people die of the occupational lung disease silicosis each year – but he will not be doing it much longer in any case, because the supply is almost exhausted. The family are not sure what they will do then.
"There have been huge improvements here since I was a child," said Mr Liu, 44. "But this year, because of the economic crisis, the village has been affected. Many people have no work at all. We basically depend on two things: mining and quartz. But the small mines have been closed down and the quartz is almost finished. There was a shoe factory, but it had no orders and went bankrupt.
"Last year young people were working out, but now many are coming back – like my daughter."
Recent official statistics suggest that as many as 23 million of China's migrant workers are jobless, and that about 14 million of those who returned home for the new year have remained there.
Those figures emphasise the impact of industry's current problems and the vulnerability of migrants, who are not entitled to the same unemployment, medical and educational benefits as those born in cities. But they are also testament to the country's progress.
Many now have the safety net of savings and can spend a few months figuring out their next move or waiting to hear of an opening. Families have enough spare to welcome them home. The government is introducing limited but greater support for rural households – a welcome change after the reforms of the 80s were followed by a decade in which officials seemed to care only for cities.
L ike other young workers, Liu Xiao does not plan to spend long here. She responds with amazement to the idea that she might farm. "Impossible. That's the thing I would like to do least. I hate it," she exclaims.
Farmwork is too hard, say other returnees, the expectations of village life too stifling. One man chafes at his parents' rules and complains that his father grumbles if he comes home late. Others love the endless choices of life in big cities – not just the cafes and karaoke bars, but the neat parks and well-stocked libraries.
Many, like Liu Xiao, want to find work or set up a business in a rural town. She plans to spend a few days at home, then head to Pingxiang, the nearest city, where her boyfriend works as a hairdresser.
With 400,000 inhabitants – equivalent to the population of Bristol – it's a one-horse town by Chinese standards, but she hopes to find a job in the service sector. If not, her father thinks she should head south again.
"Getting more experience and going out to try the outside world are good things, but also, there's nothing for her to do here and if she goes out it reduces the family burden. She doesn't need to support us, just earn enough for herself," he explained.
Liu Xiao smiles. She's more confident these days – city life has changed her. It's not just her smart clothes and pink mobile phone. Working with others has knocked the edges off her temper, made her smoother, she thinks.
But Miaoquan hasn't changed at all, she says with a note of disbelief. There's still nothing much to do here, just watch TV or help with chores.
On the wall, beside a huge, brightly coloured poster of Mao Zedong and other communist leaders, an old-fashioned clock ticks away the seconds as Liu Xiao fidgets in the front room.
A sharp expulsion of breath. She wanders to the doorway and gazes out, across the empty fields. "I've been here half an hour. I'm already bored."
Michael Martin: growing crisis as Speaker defies calls to force him out
The Speaker of the House of Commons, Michael Martin, will tomorrow make a last-ditch bid to save his job when he tells MPs he intends to lead a drive to reform parliament's corrupted expenses system, and so defy a gathering campaign supported by senior figures in all three main parties to oust him from office immediately.
Martin saw his support erode alarmingly today when Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader; Charles Clarke, the former home secretary; and David Davis, the former shadow home secretary, called on him to resign immediately.
The Speaker, who has been criticised for missing the public mood of anger over the disclosures about MPs' expenses, and for attempting to block them becoming public, is due to make a statement to the Commons on Monday. His allies, including the senior Labour MP Stuart Bell, indicated today that Martin might try to protect himself from humiliation by saying he will stand down at the next election, but not before, defying calls to go immediately.
But he chances of Martin surviving were hit when it was alleged that the parliamentary fees office for which he is responsible encouraged MPs, certainly until 2004, to inflate claims for mortgage interest relief. It was alleged that the Labour MP Ben Chapman was advised by the fees office to claim for a mortgage in full, even though he had paid much of it off, so increasing his expenses by £15,000 in one year,
In what is rapidly escalating into a constitutional crisis, Gordon Brown did little to shore up Martin's personal authority when he issued a statement in support of the office of Speaker that did not support Martin personally.
The former home secretary Clarke became the most senior Labour figure to call on Martin to stand aside, telling the Guardiantoday: "Michael Martin is not the right man to oversee the necessary reform of the members' allowance system. It would be best if he stood down so a new Speaker could take on that responsibility immediately."
A motion of no confidence will be tabled on Monday by the Tory backbencher Douglas Carswell that will have the support of Davis and some Labour MPs, including Kate Hoey.
Clegg also broke with precedent to become the first party leader to call for Martin to quit, telling the BBC's Andrew Marr show: "I don't think he is now the right man for the job in leading the renewal of Westminster. We need a fresh start. He's been far too willing to drag his feet on issues like transparency."
The Speaker's office said the main focus of Martin's statement to MPs would be on how to reform the allowance system, adding that he had a fruitful meeting last week with the chairman of the committee on standards in public life, Sir Christopher Kelly. The committee is due to report later this year on how to reform MPs' expenses, but Kelly's committee last night played down the significance of the meeting.
After a day of private consultations, No 10 issued a statement of neutrality, saying: "The Speaker is not appointed by the prime minister. It is right … that the prime minister should support the individual elected to be Speaker by the House."
The statement did not repeat previous personal praise of Martin.
The foreign secretary, David Miliband, speaking on the Politics Show, also refused to back Martin, saying politics was in a "profound crisis" and "a battle for honour". He said the Speaker was wrong to criticise backbench MPs last week.
Martin saw his support erode alarmingly today when Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader; Charles Clarke, the former home secretary; and David Davis, the former shadow home secretary, called on him to resign immediately.
The Speaker, who has been criticised for missing the public mood of anger over the disclosures about MPs' expenses, and for attempting to block them becoming public, is due to make a statement to the Commons on Monday. His allies, including the senior Labour MP Stuart Bell, indicated today that Martin might try to protect himself from humiliation by saying he will stand down at the next election, but not before, defying calls to go immediately.
But he chances of Martin surviving were hit when it was alleged that the parliamentary fees office for which he is responsible encouraged MPs, certainly until 2004, to inflate claims for mortgage interest relief. It was alleged that the Labour MP Ben Chapman was advised by the fees office to claim for a mortgage in full, even though he had paid much of it off, so increasing his expenses by £15,000 in one year,
In what is rapidly escalating into a constitutional crisis, Gordon Brown did little to shore up Martin's personal authority when he issued a statement in support of the office of Speaker that did not support Martin personally.
The former home secretary Clarke became the most senior Labour figure to call on Martin to stand aside, telling the Guardiantoday: "Michael Martin is not the right man to oversee the necessary reform of the members' allowance system. It would be best if he stood down so a new Speaker could take on that responsibility immediately."
A motion of no confidence will be tabled on Monday by the Tory backbencher Douglas Carswell that will have the support of Davis and some Labour MPs, including Kate Hoey.
Clegg also broke with precedent to become the first party leader to call for Martin to quit, telling the BBC's Andrew Marr show: "I don't think he is now the right man for the job in leading the renewal of Westminster. We need a fresh start. He's been far too willing to drag his feet on issues like transparency."
The Speaker's office said the main focus of Martin's statement to MPs would be on how to reform the allowance system, adding that he had a fruitful meeting last week with the chairman of the committee on standards in public life, Sir Christopher Kelly. The committee is due to report later this year on how to reform MPs' expenses, but Kelly's committee last night played down the significance of the meeting.
After a day of private consultations, No 10 issued a statement of neutrality, saying: "The Speaker is not appointed by the prime minister. It is right … that the prime minister should support the individual elected to be Speaker by the House."
The statement did not repeat previous personal praise of Martin.
The foreign secretary, David Miliband, speaking on the Politics Show, also refused to back Martin, saying politics was in a "profound crisis" and "a battle for honour". He said the Speaker was wrong to criticise backbench MPs last week.
Keep working 'to avoid dementia'
Keeping the brain active by working later in life may be an effective way to ward off Alzheimer's disease, research suggests.
Researchers analysed data from 1,320 dementia patients, including 382 men.
They found that for the men, continuing to work late in life helped keep the brain sharp enough to delay dementia taking hold.
The study was carried out by the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London.
It features in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
Around 700,000 people in the UK currently have dementia and experts have estimated that by 2051, the number could stand at 1.7m.
It is estimated that the condition already costs the UK economy £17bn a year.
Brain connections
Dementia is caused by the mass loss of cells in the brain, and experts believe one way to guard against it is to build up as many connections between cells as possible by being mentally active throughout life. This is known as a "cognitive reserve".
There is evidence to suggest a good education is associated with a reduced dementia risk.
And the latest study suggests there can also be a positive effect of mental stimulation continued into our later years.
Those people who retired late developed Alzheimer's at a later stage than those who opted not to work on.
Each additional year of employment was associated with around a six week later age of onset.
Researcher Dr John Powell said: "The possibility that a person's cognitive reserve could still be modified later in life adds weight to the "use it or lose it" concept where keeping active later in life has important health benefits, including reducing dementia risk."
The researchers also admit that the nature of retirement is changing, and that for some people it may now be as intellectually stimulating as work.
Key threshold
Researcher Professor Simon Lovestone said: "The intellectual stimulation that older people gain from the workplace may prevent a decline in mental abilities, thus keeping people above the threshold for dementia for longer."
However, he added: "Much more research is needed if we are to understand how to effectively delay, or even prevent, dementia."
Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, which funded the study, said: "More people than ever retire later in life to avert financial hardship, but there may be a silver lining - lower dementia risk."
However, Dr Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer's Society, said the small sample size of the study made it difficult to draw firm conclusions.
She said: "There could be a number of reasons why later retirement in men is linked with later onset of dementia.
"Men who retire early often do so because of health conditions, such as hypertension or diabetes, which increase your risk of dementia.
"It could also be that working helps keep your mind and body active, which we know reduces risk of dementia."
A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions said it had carried out work showing that working beyond pension age had many positive effects.
"Not only can it mean more income, but also social networking and increased activity.
"We also find that many of today's older workers are choosing rejecting the cliff edge between work and retirement in favour of a gradual step down. And employers should help them to do this."
Researchers analysed data from 1,320 dementia patients, including 382 men.
They found that for the men, continuing to work late in life helped keep the brain sharp enough to delay dementia taking hold.
The study was carried out by the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London.
It features in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
Around 700,000 people in the UK currently have dementia and experts have estimated that by 2051, the number could stand at 1.7m.
It is estimated that the condition already costs the UK economy £17bn a year.
Brain connections
Dementia is caused by the mass loss of cells in the brain, and experts believe one way to guard against it is to build up as many connections between cells as possible by being mentally active throughout life. This is known as a "cognitive reserve".
There is evidence to suggest a good education is associated with a reduced dementia risk.
And the latest study suggests there can also be a positive effect of mental stimulation continued into our later years.
Those people who retired late developed Alzheimer's at a later stage than those who opted not to work on.
Each additional year of employment was associated with around a six week later age of onset.
Researcher Dr John Powell said: "The possibility that a person's cognitive reserve could still be modified later in life adds weight to the "use it or lose it" concept where keeping active later in life has important health benefits, including reducing dementia risk."
The researchers also admit that the nature of retirement is changing, and that for some people it may now be as intellectually stimulating as work.
Key threshold
Researcher Professor Simon Lovestone said: "The intellectual stimulation that older people gain from the workplace may prevent a decline in mental abilities, thus keeping people above the threshold for dementia for longer."
However, he added: "Much more research is needed if we are to understand how to effectively delay, or even prevent, dementia."
Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, which funded the study, said: "More people than ever retire later in life to avert financial hardship, but there may be a silver lining - lower dementia risk."
However, Dr Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer's Society, said the small sample size of the study made it difficult to draw firm conclusions.
She said: "There could be a number of reasons why later retirement in men is linked with later onset of dementia.
"Men who retire early often do so because of health conditions, such as hypertension or diabetes, which increase your risk of dementia.
"It could also be that working helps keep your mind and body active, which we know reduces risk of dementia."
A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions said it had carried out work showing that working beyond pension age had many positive effects.
"Not only can it mean more income, but also social networking and increased activity.
"We also find that many of today's older workers are choosing rejecting the cliff edge between work and retirement in favour of a gradual step down. And employers should help them to do this."
Obama faces down abortion heckles
President Barack Obama has been briefly heckled as he addressed students at the largest US Catholic university, amid a row over abortion rights.
Anti-abortion activists have protested against the president's visit to Notre Dame, in Indiana.
Protests and vigils have been held on and around campus, with several people arrested before Mr Obama's speech.
Mr Obama, who received an honorary degree, defended the right to abortion but said the procedure should be rare.
After entering the White House in January the president also quickly moved to reverse a Bush-era ban on embryonic stem-cell research, angering many social conservatives.
There are approximately 60 million Roman Catholics in the US, with almost half of them supporting abortion rights, research suggests. Some 42% believe abortion should be illegal.
'Inappropriate'
Wearing the blue robes of Notre Dame, Mr Obama was welcomed onto the stage with a lengthy ovation from students and staff.
Support for the president's visit was strong among those in the audience, who watched him receive an honorary degree before delivering the commencement, or graduation, address
He was interrupted soon after beginning his speech, prompting a majority of those in the audience to cheer the president, who asked for calm and told listening graduates: "We don't do things the easy way."
The AFP news agency said four men heckled the president, shouting "abortion is murder" and "stop killing babies" before being escorted from the auditorium.
Mr Obama laid out his views on abortion in clear terms, describing it as "a heart-wrenching decision for any woman".
To sustained applause, he outlined steps he supported
Let's work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies, and making adoption more available, and providing care and support for women who do carry their child to term," he said.
The decision to invite Mr Obama to Notre Dame, the largest Catholic university in the US, has been fiercely criticised.
Many activists and Church leaders have directed their ire at university authorities they accuse of betraying Catholic principles.
"It is clear that Notre Dame didn't understand what it means to be Catholic when they issued this invitation," said Cardinal Francis George, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Bishop John D'Arcy, of the diocese where Notre Dame is located, said he would boycott the graduation for the first time in his 24 years as bishop, the Chicago Tribune reported.
And conservative critics have described the awarding of an honorary degree as "inappropriate".
Avoiding caricatures
Addressing his critics indirectly, Mr Obama told academics and graduates at Notre Dame that he did not want the debate around abortion to go away.
Conceding that the views of opposing advocates were "irreconcilable", he said each side would continue to make its case with conviction.
"Surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature?" he asked.
A strong majority of students were reported to be in favour of the president's visit, but a petition containing some 360,000 names was delivered to the university as a mark of protest.
Overnight, students opposed to abortion rights attended an all-night prayer vigil to protest against Mr Obama's visit, and an estimated 200 people attended a prayer session at Alumni Hall Chapel.
More than 100 protesters gathered and 23 marched onto the campus on Saturday, the Associated Press reported. Police arrested 19 for trespassing, with four also charged with resisting police.
A university spokesman said none of those arrested were students, AP added.
Anti-abortion activists have protested against the president's visit to Notre Dame, in Indiana.
Protests and vigils have been held on and around campus, with several people arrested before Mr Obama's speech.
Mr Obama, who received an honorary degree, defended the right to abortion but said the procedure should be rare.
After entering the White House in January the president also quickly moved to reverse a Bush-era ban on embryonic stem-cell research, angering many social conservatives.
There are approximately 60 million Roman Catholics in the US, with almost half of them supporting abortion rights, research suggests. Some 42% believe abortion should be illegal.
'Inappropriate'
Wearing the blue robes of Notre Dame, Mr Obama was welcomed onto the stage with a lengthy ovation from students and staff.
Support for the president's visit was strong among those in the audience, who watched him receive an honorary degree before delivering the commencement, or graduation, address
He was interrupted soon after beginning his speech, prompting a majority of those in the audience to cheer the president, who asked for calm and told listening graduates: "We don't do things the easy way."
The AFP news agency said four men heckled the president, shouting "abortion is murder" and "stop killing babies" before being escorted from the auditorium.
Mr Obama laid out his views on abortion in clear terms, describing it as "a heart-wrenching decision for any woman".
To sustained applause, he outlined steps he supported
Let's work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies, and making adoption more available, and providing care and support for women who do carry their child to term," he said.
The decision to invite Mr Obama to Notre Dame, the largest Catholic university in the US, has been fiercely criticised.
Many activists and Church leaders have directed their ire at university authorities they accuse of betraying Catholic principles.
"It is clear that Notre Dame didn't understand what it means to be Catholic when they issued this invitation," said Cardinal Francis George, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Bishop John D'Arcy, of the diocese where Notre Dame is located, said he would boycott the graduation for the first time in his 24 years as bishop, the Chicago Tribune reported.
And conservative critics have described the awarding of an honorary degree as "inappropriate".
Avoiding caricatures
Addressing his critics indirectly, Mr Obama told academics and graduates at Notre Dame that he did not want the debate around abortion to go away.
Conceding that the views of opposing advocates were "irreconcilable", he said each side would continue to make its case with conviction.
"Surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature?" he asked.
A strong majority of students were reported to be in favour of the president's visit, but a petition containing some 360,000 names was delivered to the university as a mark of protest.
Overnight, students opposed to abortion rights attended an all-night prayer vigil to protest against Mr Obama's visit, and an estimated 200 people attended a prayer session at Alumni Hall Chapel.
More than 100 protesters gathered and 23 marched onto the campus on Saturday, the Associated Press reported. Police arrested 19 for trespassing, with four also charged with resisting police.
A university spokesman said none of those arrested were students, AP added.
Sri Lanka battles Tiger remnants
International concern is growing over the fate of civilians in northern Sri Lanka as fighting continues despite reports of a Tamil Tiger ceasefire.
Sri Lanka's government said troops were engaged in "final brushing up" hours after a website linked to the rebels said the Tigers were laying down arms.
EU ministers are expected to call on Monday for an independent inquiry into claims civilians have been targeted.
Both sides say the other has killed civilians in the closed off war zone.
The inquiry calls come as the final act appears to be being played out in a long and bitter 26-year civil war which has left some 70,000 people dead.
See a map of the conflict region
Sri Lanka's army says the last LTTE (Tamil Tiger) fighters have been penned in a 1.5 square kilometre patch of jungle.
On Sunday the Tigers chief of international relations, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, said in a statement on the Tamilnet website: "This battle has reached its bitter end."
A later statement appeared to modify the rebel position, saying the LTTE was "prepared to silence its guns if that is what needed by the international community to save the life and dignity of the Tamil people".
The country's President Mahinda Rajapaksa has already claimed victory, declaring on Saturday that Sri Lanka had been made free from "barbaric acts".
Europe 'appalled'
In Brussels the EU issued a draft statement ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers on Monday, expressing a sense of outrage at the reports of civilian casualties on both sides.
The statement said the EU was appalled both at the high numbers of casualties and at the use of heavy weapons in the conflict
The EU is pushing for the UN Human Rights Council to convene a special session on Sri Lanka, just as it has in the past done for Burma, Darfur and the Palestinian territories, reports the BBC's Oana Lungescu, in Brussels.
A pledge of aid came from the UK, which offered £5m ($7.5m) to help avoid a "humanitarian catastrophe".
"It is essential that we get food, medicines and shelter in as soon as possible to save lives, and thereafter that we help people to return to their homes as soon as they safely can," said Hillary Benn, the UK's international development secretary.
Diplomats say the EU has limited leverage, our correspondent notes, although it could remove preferential trade access worth $150m (£100m) if the country is found to be in breach of international human rights obligations.
Reports differ on the numbers of civilians caught up in the last battles, with the government saying that all those who had been trapped in Sri Lanka's northern war zone had escaped.
The rebel spokesman, though, said more than 25,000 were injured and in need of attention.
The government said it did not respond to statements released on Tamilnet, and asserted that 50,000 Tamil civilians had left the war zone in recent days.
The UN has told the BBC the army figures reinforced its view that Sri Lanka's authorities were ill-prepared for the huge influx of internally displaced people.
Refugee camps inland are already badly strained accommodating the huge numbers of those who have fled the conflict.
Leader at large?
The fighting is drawing to a close without any official word on the fate of the Tamil Tigers' leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran.
Some reports have suggested he has died, but - as with all information from the war zone - there has been no confirmation.
The army had suspected that Prabhakaran, who formed the Tigers in 1976, would fulfil his long-held pledge to take his own life rather than face capture.
Reports suggested some of the last remaining Tigers launched themselves in suicide attacks at government troops, but there was no word on whether Prabhakaran was among them.
President Rajapaksa is expected to give a nationally televised news conference in parliament on Tuesday, when reports suggest he may officially declare the war over.
More than 70,000 people have died in the bitter war for a Tamil homeland.
Sri Lanka's government said troops were engaged in "final brushing up" hours after a website linked to the rebels said the Tigers were laying down arms.
EU ministers are expected to call on Monday for an independent inquiry into claims civilians have been targeted.
Both sides say the other has killed civilians in the closed off war zone.
The inquiry calls come as the final act appears to be being played out in a long and bitter 26-year civil war which has left some 70,000 people dead.
See a map of the conflict region
Sri Lanka's army says the last LTTE (Tamil Tiger) fighters have been penned in a 1.5 square kilometre patch of jungle.
On Sunday the Tigers chief of international relations, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, said in a statement on the Tamilnet website: "This battle has reached its bitter end."
A later statement appeared to modify the rebel position, saying the LTTE was "prepared to silence its guns if that is what needed by the international community to save the life and dignity of the Tamil people".
The country's President Mahinda Rajapaksa has already claimed victory, declaring on Saturday that Sri Lanka had been made free from "barbaric acts".
Europe 'appalled'
In Brussels the EU issued a draft statement ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers on Monday, expressing a sense of outrage at the reports of civilian casualties on both sides.
The statement said the EU was appalled both at the high numbers of casualties and at the use of heavy weapons in the conflict
The EU is pushing for the UN Human Rights Council to convene a special session on Sri Lanka, just as it has in the past done for Burma, Darfur and the Palestinian territories, reports the BBC's Oana Lungescu, in Brussels.
A pledge of aid came from the UK, which offered £5m ($7.5m) to help avoid a "humanitarian catastrophe".
"It is essential that we get food, medicines and shelter in as soon as possible to save lives, and thereafter that we help people to return to their homes as soon as they safely can," said Hillary Benn, the UK's international development secretary.
Diplomats say the EU has limited leverage, our correspondent notes, although it could remove preferential trade access worth $150m (£100m) if the country is found to be in breach of international human rights obligations.
Reports differ on the numbers of civilians caught up in the last battles, with the government saying that all those who had been trapped in Sri Lanka's northern war zone had escaped.
The rebel spokesman, though, said more than 25,000 were injured and in need of attention.
The government said it did not respond to statements released on Tamilnet, and asserted that 50,000 Tamil civilians had left the war zone in recent days.
The UN has told the BBC the army figures reinforced its view that Sri Lanka's authorities were ill-prepared for the huge influx of internally displaced people.
Refugee camps inland are already badly strained accommodating the huge numbers of those who have fled the conflict.
Leader at large?
The fighting is drawing to a close without any official word on the fate of the Tamil Tigers' leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran.
Some reports have suggested he has died, but - as with all information from the war zone - there has been no confirmation.
The army had suspected that Prabhakaran, who formed the Tigers in 1976, would fulfil his long-held pledge to take his own life rather than face capture.
Reports suggested some of the last remaining Tigers launched themselves in suicide attacks at government troops, but there was no word on whether Prabhakaran was among them.
President Rajapaksa is expected to give a nationally televised news conference in parliament on Tuesday, when reports suggest he may officially declare the war over.
More than 70,000 people have died in the bitter war for a Tamil homeland.
Rahul Gandhi speaks after landslide victory in Lok Sabha elections 2009
Q What is the message being sent out by the electorate? Is this the rejection of caste, religion and regional politics? What does this mean?
RG: As I have stated in my press conference, India is progressing very quickly and the Congress party believes that this progress belongs to everybody. It does not belong to a small group of people. It belongs to the large mass of people of this country. I think the policies we had made in the last five years, particularly programmes like NREGS & loan waiver, have sent a message that we are not going to let this country develop with a huge portion of it lagging behind. If this country progress, everybody will benefit. A person who has given us everything, who works everyday of their life in extremely hard conditions will also benefit. Congress party is going to stand by that person...
Q Priyankaji, will you be part of this government or will you work for the party?
PG: I will do exactly what I am doing!
Q Do you now need Mulayam Singh Yadav? Do you, at all, need SP to be part of this government?
RG: These are decisions taken by senior members of the Congress party, the Prime Minister and Congress President. I personally feel that the people of UP feel they need a government that works and have rejected politics of religion and caste. They have voted for politics of development in UP and that is what the Congress party will try to deliver over the next three years and certainly beyond that.
Q On L K Advani
RG: I would like to say one more thing. I think that our opposition fought a hard election, and Advaniji in particular fought a strong election. I have fundamental differences with Mr Advani in terms of secular politics. But as a senior person who is 80 plus, I think he fought this election with a lot of grit.
Q Manmohan Singh has said that he wishes you become part of his cabinet. What will you say?
RG: I have answered this in English. I think that the mandate is in favour of youth and the poor people of this country. I want the youth of this country to participate in politics with ease. Whatever we are doing in Youth Congress, we want to organize it in the coming days. As I said in a press conference, we need an organization of young people and that is going to be built over the next 2, 3 or 5 years
Q Priyanka has worked a lot for your and Soniaji’s campaign. How much credit will you give her for the results in UP?
RG: (smiling) just ask her! (Priyanka intervenes)
PG: All the credit goes to him, he has all the credit.
RG: I’ll tell you. Nobody can lay sole claim on this achievement as it is complete teamwork. If you ask me how much credit I give Priyanka, I’ll say that 100% credit goes to our team.
Q Then when is Rahul bringing in Priyanka?
RG: She will answer that question better. But the credit doesn’t go to one person. And this credit don’t belong to us either, this credit goes to the people of UP. The people of UP told us that they are tired of the way politics is being done currently. They asked us to bring about a change in UP. In fact our challenge has started from today. You can view it from the election point of view, but I don’t view it like that. For many years UP is lagging behind and being the largest state of this country it has to be number one in term of development. So just by winning 20 or more seats is just a beginning for us. This is really a small beginning. We have to work for the people of UP wholeheartedly. And that work will not be done by Rahul Gandhi alone. It would be completed by Rahul Gandhi along with the youth of this state.
I think that the people of UP are tired of the way politics has been done in last 20 years. Now we have to provide a new kind of politics to UP. And we will try our best that in the next 3 years we can give a new Congress to UP which can bring about change in the state. We will try to provide you such an organization.
Q What will be the agenda now, for reviving Congress all across India, UP being the focus area?
RG: I will not revive Congress. I will involve the youth of this country in politics. Our country has 70 % youngsters and we need some youngsters in politics. There are not enough of them in politics (Smiling) and I think we are on a lookout for them, and I know that lots of youngsters are listening to me. Come and join us.
Q How many youngsters will be there in the cabinet?
RG: (Smiling) You will get some youngsters in the ministry.
I have said again and again that I don’t view my job as winning or losing elections. I view my job as a duty I have. And I don’t view it in short term, I view it in a relatively long term. My job, as I see it right now, is to try to change the politics in this country using youngsters and unleashing the energy of these youngsters in this country. Seriously, my job would be no different, had I lost these elections. I would have been the same. My job has not changed in the least. My job is to try and empower youngsters in this country and I will continue to do my job whether I lose or win. Thank you very much. Have a nice evening.
excerpts from pressbdrief.in
RG: As I have stated in my press conference, India is progressing very quickly and the Congress party believes that this progress belongs to everybody. It does not belong to a small group of people. It belongs to the large mass of people of this country. I think the policies we had made in the last five years, particularly programmes like NREGS & loan waiver, have sent a message that we are not going to let this country develop with a huge portion of it lagging behind. If this country progress, everybody will benefit. A person who has given us everything, who works everyday of their life in extremely hard conditions will also benefit. Congress party is going to stand by that person...
Q Priyankaji, will you be part of this government or will you work for the party?
PG: I will do exactly what I am doing!
Q Do you now need Mulayam Singh Yadav? Do you, at all, need SP to be part of this government?
RG: These are decisions taken by senior members of the Congress party, the Prime Minister and Congress President. I personally feel that the people of UP feel they need a government that works and have rejected politics of religion and caste. They have voted for politics of development in UP and that is what the Congress party will try to deliver over the next three years and certainly beyond that.
Q On L K Advani
RG: I would like to say one more thing. I think that our opposition fought a hard election, and Advaniji in particular fought a strong election. I have fundamental differences with Mr Advani in terms of secular politics. But as a senior person who is 80 plus, I think he fought this election with a lot of grit.
Q Manmohan Singh has said that he wishes you become part of his cabinet. What will you say?
RG: I have answered this in English. I think that the mandate is in favour of youth and the poor people of this country. I want the youth of this country to participate in politics with ease. Whatever we are doing in Youth Congress, we want to organize it in the coming days. As I said in a press conference, we need an organization of young people and that is going to be built over the next 2, 3 or 5 years
Q Priyanka has worked a lot for your and Soniaji’s campaign. How much credit will you give her for the results in UP?
RG: (smiling) just ask her! (Priyanka intervenes)
PG: All the credit goes to him, he has all the credit.
RG: I’ll tell you. Nobody can lay sole claim on this achievement as it is complete teamwork. If you ask me how much credit I give Priyanka, I’ll say that 100% credit goes to our team.
Q Then when is Rahul bringing in Priyanka?
RG: She will answer that question better. But the credit doesn’t go to one person. And this credit don’t belong to us either, this credit goes to the people of UP. The people of UP told us that they are tired of the way politics is being done currently. They asked us to bring about a change in UP. In fact our challenge has started from today. You can view it from the election point of view, but I don’t view it like that. For many years UP is lagging behind and being the largest state of this country it has to be number one in term of development. So just by winning 20 or more seats is just a beginning for us. This is really a small beginning. We have to work for the people of UP wholeheartedly. And that work will not be done by Rahul Gandhi alone. It would be completed by Rahul Gandhi along with the youth of this state.
I think that the people of UP are tired of the way politics has been done in last 20 years. Now we have to provide a new kind of politics to UP. And we will try our best that in the next 3 years we can give a new Congress to UP which can bring about change in the state. We will try to provide you such an organization.
Q What will be the agenda now, for reviving Congress all across India, UP being the focus area?
RG: I will not revive Congress. I will involve the youth of this country in politics. Our country has 70 % youngsters and we need some youngsters in politics. There are not enough of them in politics (Smiling) and I think we are on a lookout for them, and I know that lots of youngsters are listening to me. Come and join us.
Q How many youngsters will be there in the cabinet?
RG: (Smiling) You will get some youngsters in the ministry.
I have said again and again that I don’t view my job as winning or losing elections. I view my job as a duty I have. And I don’t view it in short term, I view it in a relatively long term. My job, as I see it right now, is to try to change the politics in this country using youngsters and unleashing the energy of these youngsters in this country. Seriously, my job would be no different, had I lost these elections. I would have been the same. My job has not changed in the least. My job is to try and empower youngsters in this country and I will continue to do my job whether I lose or win. Thank you very much. Have a nice evening.
excerpts from pressbdrief.in
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