Latest news with #RachaelGriffin
BBC News
18 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Dorset coroner urges crack down on prison 'hooch'
A coroner has urged the government to clamp down on prisoners accessing illicitly brewed alcohol and medication after an inmate died after consuming Jeans, 32, was serving a sentence at HMP Guys Marsh in Dorset when he took the "hooch" and four drugs. He was found collapsed in his cell in November from Portsmouth, had a history of mental health issues and was anxious about the impending outcome of a parole hearing when he took them, a jury at Dorset Coroner's Court in Bournemouth heard.A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "We will carefully consider the coroner's findings and will respond to the report in due course." The jury found the levels of drugs and alcohol separately would not have killed Jeans. But his posture resulted in fatal respiratory depression, which he had not was found to have taken pregabalin, used to treat epilepsy and anxiety, and the antidepressant mirtazapine. Jeans also took the opioid painkiller dihydrocodeine and quetiapine, which is used to treat mental health conditions. He had not been prescribed any of them. But Dorset coroner Rachael Griffin said Jeans had "excessive amounts of medication he was prescribed and had previously been prescribed and [had been] discontinued" in his government should adopt national policies to address hooch and how prisoners access medication in jail, she told inspectors in January that alcohol and drugs were easy to get hold of at the jail, near Shaftesbury. HM Inspectorate of Prisons found its culture had deteriorated since a visit in 2022. Drugs, tobacco and mobile phones were smuggled into it stuffed inside dead rats, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said in MoJ and other bodies responsible for care at the jail must respond to Mrs Griffin's concerns by 19 family said they hope his death would lead to more resources going into prisons, which they said "will in turn help prevent other families going through the same heartache".They added: "Serving time in prison is about accountability but it must also provide rehabilitation."It is crucial that prisoners with mental health and substance misuse problems are protected so that one day they can get back on track and return to the community." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Should the lifetime ISA be replaced? Yahoo Finance readers have their say
Earlier this week, a cross-party group of MPs said in a report that the complexity of lifetime individual savings accounts (LISAs) increases the risk of people making poor financial decisions. In a report released on Monday, the Treasury select committee said that dual-purpose design of LISAs raises the risk of consumers choosing "unsuitable investment strategies". People are able to use LISAs, which were introduced in 2017, to save for both a first home and retirement, using cash, stocks and shares or a combination of the two. One issue raised in the report was the confusion over the 25% LISA withdrawal charge for funds drawn down early, whereby savers lose the government bonus they have received, plus 6.25% of their own contributions. MPs said that this means LISA holders "risk losing a significant part of their savings due to withdrawals to cover unforeseen circumstances". Read more: The most popular stocks and funds investors bought in June Another issued that was raised was the LISA property price cap of £450,000. If a consumer uses their LISA funds to buy a home above that price then they must pay the 25% withdrawal charge. That price cap has remained unchanged since the LISA's inception in 2017 but average house prices in the UK have risen more than 30% since then, with the average cost of a home in London hitting £564,000. Rachael Griffin, tax and financial planning expert at Quilter, said: "This report should be the catalyst for serious reform. The lifetime ISA does not sit comfortably within the wider savings system and trying to make it serve two purposes has only added to the confusion. "There is a clear opportunity to replace it with simpler, more targeted tools that give people the right support whether they are saving for a home or planning for later life. This should be a major focus of Labour's upcoming ISA simplification programme this summer." There has been much speculation around how the government might look to change ISAs. The Financial Times reported on Monday that chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to announce plans to reduce the annual tax-free savings allowance into cash ISAs in her Mansion House speech this month, as part of efforts to encourage more people to invest their money. Earlier this week, we asked Yahoo Finance UK readers if they think that the LISA should be replaced. We received 79 votes, with 33% believing it should, while 54% disagreed and 13% were undecided on the matter. Read more: Key investing trends in June, from defence stocks to Tesla's sales slump What are premium bonds and what are the odds of winning? How the government's benefits changes could affect your taxes
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Should the Lifetime ISA be replaced? Yahoo Finance readers have their say
Earlier this week, a cross-party group of MPs said in a report that the complexity of lifetime individual savings accounts (LISAs) increases the risk of people making poor financial decisions. In a report released on Monday, the Treasury Select Committee said that dual-purpose design of LISAs raises the risk of consumers choosing "unsuitable investment strategies". People are able to use LISAs, which were introduced in 2017, to save for both a first home and retirement, using cash, stocks and shares or a combination of the two. One issue raised in the report was the confusion over the 25% LISA withdrawal charge for funds drawn down early, whereby savers lose the government bonus they have received, plus 6.25% of their own contributions. MPs said that this means LISA holders "risk losing a significant part of their savings due to withdrawals to cover unforeseen circumstances". Read more: The most popular stocks and funds investors bought in June Another issued that was raised was the LISA property price cap of £450,000. If a consumer uses their LISA funds to buy a home above that price then they must pay the 25% withdrawal charge. That price cap has remained unchanged since the LISA's inception in 2017 but average house prices in the UK have risen more than 30% since then, with the average cost of a home in London hitting £564,000. Rachael Griffin, tax and financial planning expert at Quilter, said: "This report should be the catalyst for serious reform. The Lifetime ISA does not sit comfortably within the wider savings system and trying to make it serve two purposes has only added to the confusion. There is a clear opportunity to replace it with simpler, more targeted tools that give people the right support whether they are saving for a home or planning for later life. This should be a major focus of Labour's upcoming ISA simplification programme this summer." There has been much speculation around how the government might look to change ISAs. The Financial Times reported on Monday that chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to announce plans to reduce the annual tax-free savings allowance into cash ISAs in her Mansion House speech this month, as part of efforts to encourage more people to invest their money. Earlier this week, we asked Yahoo Finance UK readers if they think that the LISA should be replaced. We received 79 votes, with 33% believing it should, while 54% disagreed and 13% were undecided on the matter. Read more: Key investing trends in June, from defence stocks to Tesla's sales slump What are premium bonds and what are the odds of winning? How the government's benefits changes could affect your taxesError in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Should the Lifetime ISA be replaced? Have your say
MPs have said that the complexity of lifetime individual savings accounts (LISAs) increases the risk of people making poor financial decisions. In a report released on Monday, the Treasury Select Committee said that dual-purpose design of LISAs raises the risk of consumers choosing "unsuitable investment strategies". People are able to use LISAs, which were introduced in 2017, to save for both a first home and retirement, using cash, stocks and shares or a combination of the two. In addition, an inquiry by the cross-party group of MPs highlighted confusion over the 25% LISA withdrawal charge for funds drawn down early, whereby savers lose the government bonus they have received, plus 6.25% of their own contributions. MPs said that this means LISA holders "risk losing a significant part of their savings due to withdrawals to cover unforeseen circumstances". Another issued that was raised was the LISA property price cap of £450,000. If a consumer uses their LISA savings to buy a home above that price then they must pay the 25% withdrawal charge. That price cap has remained unchanged since the LISA's inception in 2017 but average house prices in the UK have risen more than 30% since then, with the cost of a home in London hitting £564,000. Rachael Griffin, tax and financial planning expert at Quilter, said that the Treasury Committee's report "reflects many of the issues we raised in our evidence, particularly the view that the product is fundamentally flawed and not always delivering good outcomes for savers." Read more: Key questions to ask yourself to plan for a comfortable retirement She said that the £450,000 property price cap "no longer deals with the reality of the ever more expensive housing market. Many who have saved diligently find they cannot use their LISA for the property they need without facing a financial penalty." Griffin added: "This report should be the catalyst for serious reform. The Lifetime ISA does not sit comfortably within the wider savings system and trying to make it serve two purposes has only added to the confusion. There is a clear opportunity to replace it with simpler, more targeted tools that give people the right support whether they are saving for a home or planning for later life. This should be a major focus of Labour's upcoming ISA simplification programme this summer." At the same time, Helen Morrissey, Yahoo Finance UK pensions columnist and head of retirement analysis at Hargreaves Lansdown (HL), said: "The sweet spot of the LISA can rest in its ability to boost retirement savings among the self-employed." She pointed out that the HL Savings and Resilience Barometer found that only 21% of self-employed households are on track for a moderate retirement, compared to 36% of households overall. "It's a pressing issue that needs to be resolved and the LISA just might help us close the gap," she said. Morrissey added: "The report says that the LISA seems to work well with the self-employed and with further tweaks it could help further. We have long argued that if the penalty could be reduced from 25% to 20%, this could act as a further incentive for the self-employed to get a LISA, as they know they would not be losing a chunk of their own money in the event of early access. "We also believe that removing the age 40 limit on opening a LISA would open the product up even further given the fact that many people do not become self-employed until later in life." Do you think the LISA should be replaced? Vote in the poll below. Yahoo UK's poll of the week lets you vote and indicate your strength of feeling on one of the week's hot topics. After the poll closes, we'll publish and analyse the results each Friday, giving readers the chance to see how polarising a topic has become and if their view chimes with other Yahoo UK readers. Read more: What to watch this week: UK shop prices, US employment, Constellation Brands, M&S and Sainsbury's Global economy to slow amid 'most severe trade war since 1930s', says Fitch UK economy grew 0.7% in first quarter of the year
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Should the Lifetime ISA be replaced? Have your say
MPs have said that the complexity of lifetime individual savings accounts (LISAs) increases the risk of people making poor financial decisions. In a report released on Monday, the Treasury Select Committee said that dual-purpose design of LISAs raises the risk of consumers choosing "unsuitable investment strategies". People are able to use LISAs, which were introduced in 2017, to save for both a first home and retirement, using cash, stocks and shares or a combination of the two. In addition, an inquiry by the cross-party group of MPs highlighted confusion over the 25% LISA withdrawal charge for funds drawn down early, whereby savers lose the government bonus they have received, plus 6.25% of their own contributions. MPs said that this means LISA holders "risk losing a significant part of their savings due to withdrawals to cover unforeseen circumstances". Another issued that was raised was the LISA property price cap of £450,000. If a consumer uses their LISA savings to buy a home above that price then they must pay the 25% withdrawal charge. That price cap has remained unchanged since the LISA's inception in 2017 but average house prices in the UK have risen more than 30% since then, with the cost of a home in London hitting £564,000. Rachael Griffin, tax and financial planning expert at Quilter, said that the Treasury Committee's report "reflects many of the issues we raised in our evidence, particularly the view that the product is fundamentally flawed and not always delivering good outcomes for savers." Read more: Key questions to ask yourself to plan for a comfortable retirement She said that the £450,000 property price cap "no longer deals with the reality of the ever more expensive housing market. Many who have saved diligently find they cannot use their LISA for the property they need without facing a financial penalty." Griffin added: "This report should be the catalyst for serious reform. The Lifetime ISA does not sit comfortably within the wider savings system and trying to make it serve two purposes has only added to the confusion. There is a clear opportunity to replace it with simpler, more targeted tools that give people the right support whether they are saving for a home or planning for later life. This should be a major focus of Labour's upcoming ISA simplification programme this summer." At the same time, Helen Morrissey, Yahoo Finance UK pensions columnist and head of retirement analysis at Hargreaves Lansdown (HL), said: "The sweet spot of the LISA can rest in its ability to boost retirement savings among the self-employed." She pointed out that the HL Savings and Resilience Barometer found that only 21% of self-employed households are on track for a moderate retirement, compared to 36% of households overall. "It's a pressing issue that needs to be resolved and the LISA just might help us close the gap," she said. Morrissey added: "The report says that the LISA seems to work well with the self-employed and with further tweaks it could help further. We have long argued that if the penalty could be reduced from 25% to 20%, this could act as a further incentive for the self-employed to get a LISA, as they know they would not be losing a chunk of their own money in the event of early access. "We also believe that removing the age 40 limit on opening a LISA would open the product up even further given the fact that many people do not become self-employed until later in life." Do you think the LISA should be replaced? Vote in the poll below. Yahoo UK's poll of the week lets you vote and indicate your strength of feeling on one of the week's hot topics. After the poll closes, we'll publish and analyse the results each Friday, giving readers the chance to see how polarising a topic has become and if their view chimes with other Yahoo UK readers. Read more: What to watch this week: UK shop prices, US employment, Constellation Brands, M&S and Sainsbury's Global economy to slow amid 'most severe trade war since 1930s', says Fitch UK economy grew 0.7% in first quarter of the yearSign in to access your portfolio
