Sue Hayman MP, Shadow Secretary of
State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, ahead of the High Court consideration
of the government’s request to further delay publication of their air quality
plan, said:

“If the government fails to
publish its plan to deal with the chronic levels of air pollution today then
Labour will, within the first 30 days of our administration.

“Labour will bring forward a new
Clean Air Act, setting out how we would tackle air pollution that NHS experts
say contributes to 40,000 premature deaths every year. 

“With nearly 40 million people in
the UK living in areas with illegal levels of air pollution, it is simply not
acceptable for ministers to hide behind the general election to delay
publishing plans to improve air quality.

“Purdah rules exist to stop one party
using the machinery of government for their  electoral advantage, not to
be used as an excuse to delay acting on vital public health matters. We trust
that the court will recognise this.

“While the Conservatives shirk responsibility,
Labour will deal with the dirty air damaging the lives of millions of British
people.”

I had the pleasure of hearing Speaker Ryan of the US House of Representatives when he was in London last week talking about the new Administration’s strategy.

He came across as able, engaging, well informed and keen to get on with the job. He wore power well, and handled deftly the questions of those in the media and think tank world who wished to trip him up or drive wedges between the House and the President.

There was surprisingly little reporting of his remarks on the media. He was warm and positive about the US/UK relationship. He constantly stressed its special nature and its long history, joked about the time the UK  burned the White House and made a clear offer of early progress on a US/UK trade deal just as soon as the UK was in a position to do so.  Given all the comments we hear reported on possible complexities in confirming our current free trade arrangements with the EU in a new format, it was odd we did not hear a lot more about a likely free trade deal with our single largest overseas country market.

He explained in a response to my question that both House Republicans and the President are keen on tax reform and reduction. Both agree on the shape of the simplification and reduction of personal income taxes. The differences over reform and reduction of corporate income taxes he thought to be easy to overcome, as both want the same direction of travel. Healthcare reform has been given priority because the spending reductions it produces are helpful in working out the  budget impact of the tax changes. However, if they cannot secure an early healthcare reform the tax reform can still proceed.

He repeated that Republicans understand the current mood of scepticism about political establishments. They understand they need to deliver on both healthcare reform and tax reductions to keep their promises and to speed the US recovery. Getting things through the Congress even when a party has a majority in both as the Republicans do is never easy. Speaker Ryan seems determined to achieve something before the year is out.

Suicide has become the leading cause of death of young Chinese people, aged between 15 and 35, according to a survey carried out by the Chinese Ministry of Health.

Young people taking their own lives is becoming a serious issue in Chinese society, reports Legal Daily.

Causes and solutions of suicide vary between different people. Some of the most common causes of suicide are a history of mental illness in the family, social isolation, relationship and financial problems, says Wu Mingxia, a psychological expert from China’s Southwest University.

In many cases, liability has become a controversial issue, with some families insisting that universities should be held liable when students commit suicide at college. Some even seek compensation for the loss of their loved one.

In interviews carried out by journalists on the subject of suicide, the majority of people seem to agree that educational establishments should bear a large part of the responsibility for campus suicides saying that they have a duty to counsel students, and help maintain their mental and physical health.

However, many feel that parents also need to shoulder partial responsibility, as they ought to be aware of the potential suicide risks of their children.

Beyond the issue of responsibility, suicide prevention and psychological counseling are seen as significant ways to reduce the level of campus suicide, and both schools and parents agree that there is much work to be done on means of preventing suicide among young people.