RETURNING to work after the holidays is a bit of a drag. But returning to work after being unemployed for a spell is good for your health. A review of scientific evidence commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) concludes that being in work is good for your physical and mental wellbeing. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, the DWP Minister, says: “Work is good for individuals and families, and by lifting people out of poverty it also . . . (reduces) health and wealth inequalities.”
Further news on the theme of putting summer behind you comes from the Education Secretary, Alan Johnson. In a move to “embed the school food revolution for the long term”, the Government plans a new multimillion-pound package to support the nutritional standards launched when schools returned last week. The package includes a further £240 million to subsidise healthy ingredients and £2 million to set up training kitchens for school cooks.
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Patients with long-term conditions will be able to deal with their diabetes or heart disease by speaking to an expert pharmacist. The Department of Health plans to accredit “pharmacists with a special interest” to “give patients more choice about where, when and from whom they seek healthcare advice and treatment”, says Andy Burnham, the Health Minister.
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Consumers conned into dodgy deals by pushy door-to-door sellers will be better protected by new Department of Trade and Industry measures. Ian McCartney, the Consumer Minister, says that clear cancellation clauses, clearer pricing and more written quotations will “clamp down on unscrupulous con artists preying on the vulnerable and elderly”.
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Statistics produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government suggest that available brownfield land can accommodate up to a million new homes, 400,000 of which could be built in the South East.