Latest news with #ofInformation
Evening Standard
19-05-2025
- General
- Evening Standard
'Dire realities' of London's temporary accommodation crisis exposed
Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to the capital's councils show that one family with children has been living in TA in Croydon since 1998. The same is true of another family with children in Brent since 2000. Meanwhile, some single-person households have been staying in TA even longer, including one person in Haringey who has been officially homeless since at least 1983 - a period of more than 40 years.
Belfast Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Cost doubles for proposed NI health hub that was ‘prioritised' by Stormont in 2018
Exclusive | £5m already spent on project before sod has been cut The cost of a proposed state-of-the-art health and community care hub at an old army base in Derry has doubled in cost, with the department saying it is down to 'the passage of time and inflation'. A Freedom of Information (FoI) response obtained by this newspaper shows that the Western Health Trust submitted a major capital bid for the Cityside Health and Care Centre at Fort George as part of the Department of Health's (DoH) 'Capital Priorities Exercise' in 2018.
Rhyl Journal
12-05-2025
- General
- Rhyl Journal
New Rhyl childcare facility is council's only halted project
Development of the new facility at Ysgol Gymraeg Dewi Sant, on Rhuddlan Road, has been paused due to connectivity issues regarding the surface water drainage system in the area. This came as part of the council's response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, in which the Journal asked: In response, the council answered: In March, the council said that work on modernising the hall wing at Ysgol Gymraeg Dewi Sant in Rhyl was progressing well. Outside the hall wing, the school's grounds will also be upgraded to improve access for users with a disability. Other large-scale council projects include the Queen's Market on Rhyl promenade, and coastal defence improvements in both Rhyl and Prestatyn.
BBC News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Poll reveals 'Beautiful Jersey' most popular choice for anthem
The song 'Beautiful Jersey' was voted by islanders as the most popular choice of music to serve as the island's national anthem, a States poll has were sought on plans to adopt the song as the island's official anthem in a public consultation which closed on 18 January.A Freedom of Information request for a breakdown of the data revealed 1,237 people voted online in favour of Beautiful Jersey becoming the national anthem, with 870 against and 359 States Assembly voted to make Beautiful Jersey the island's national anthem in March. 'Island Home' This was the second time politicians asked what the anthem for Jersey should 2007 the public voted for Beautiful Jersey - only for a panel of experts to overrule the choice and instead choose 'Island Home' by Gerard Le States said God Save the King came second in a breakdown of alternative suggestions for an anthem, with 39 added: "The consultation also received 1,252 paper responses which have not been included due to the excessive amount of time it would take to collate and analyse the raw data."Other suggestions included Ma Normandie with 15 votes, Island Home with 12 votes, Take That Grouville with eight votes, and Proud to be a Bean with three Jersey topped the poll with 541 votes. Deputy Carolyn Labey, Minister for International Development, previously said she wanted to formalise a national day and a Jersey anthem ahead of Liberation Day politicians also approved plans to make Liberation Day the island's national day last month.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Morgues overcrowded due to death certificate delays
Families are unable to say goodbye to loved ones because of changes to death certificates which has also led to overcrowded mortuaries, a funeral director has said. Geraint Griffith said it was taking between 10 and 20 days for bodies to arrive due to the new system, introduced in September, which he said made it hard to make them look presentable for loved ones. Overcrowding has also led to hundreds of bodies being moved to other mortuaries in the past six months, and Mr Griffith said families were not being informed. The lead medical examiner for Wales said he was working "tirelessly" to address any delays. Plan for volunteer team to attend empty funerals Death certificate delays leave family in limbo Son fined after dad's funeral overruns by 13 minutes Under the new system, partially introduced in response to the deaths caused by serial killer doctor Harold Shipman, all deaths not investigated by a coroner must be reviewed independently by a medical examiner before a death certificate can be issued. Mr Griffith, a funeral director in Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, said: "It's wrong for families who can't say goodbye to their loved ones. "There's no other way to say it, they're absolutely devastated." He said it would previously take about three or four days for a body to be released from a hospital mortuary to a funeral director, but this was now taking 10 to 20 days. "I've had to turn families away from coming to the chapel of rest because I can't make their loved ones presentable enough because of the length of time between the passing and the registration. "It's very traumatic for them and it's causing families to have lots of anxiety, lots of stress and pain. It doesn't need to happen." As a result of the delays, health boards are having to move bodies between hospitals to ensure morgues do not exceed capacity. Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board, which covers Rhondda Cynon Taf, Bridgend and Merthyr Tydfil, moved approximately 500 deceased patients between September and mid March, according to a BBC Wales Freedom of Information (FOI) request. The health board said this was caused by "extreme pressure due to increased length of stay", adding it appreciated the time after death was "distressing" for families and that its priority during transportation was to "maintain the dignity of that person". Mr Griffith said he was not surprised bodies were being moved, but was shocked families were not being told. "I think if families knew exactly - the transportation and moving sometime 20 to 25 miles from one hospital to another - I don't think they would approve of that. "And again, during the transportation period they're unrefrigerated," he said. Elsewhere, Aneurin Bevan health board said it had moved 229 bodies between mid September and late February, Swansea Bay 98 and Hywel Dda 21. Cardiff and Vale health board said it was "not possible" to provide a count and Betsi Cadawaldr said no persons had been moved due to shortage of space, only for post-mortem examinations. Iwan Evans, a funeral director in Carmarthenshire, said there was no blame on mortuary staff or any specific health board, adding there was a "natural pressure" in the winter months due to an increase in deaths. But he said the lack of capacity in hospital mortuaries was "definitely" a direct result of the "bureaucratic" medical examiner system. "When we're alive, we trust the doctors, but then after death, this whole system is in place to review and monitor the doctor's work. "I don't think it's 100% suitable for them to review every single death." Health is devolved in Wales, but death certificates are not. Mr Evans said the Welsh government should intervene. "There are systems to take care of the deceased all over the world, but the situation we have is that our Senedd, where health has been devolved, is accountable to another parliament for this matter." Rachel Bradburne, of the National Association of Funeral Directors, said the "piecemeal" nature of the system was "frustrating" and the current system was "full of bottlenecks and delays". Jason Shannon, lead medical examiner for Wales, said he recognised the importance of "seamless and timely death certification". "We sympathise with any loved ones experiencing delays and we are working tirelessly with all professionals and organisations involved in the death certification process to address any delays being experienced following new changes to the England and Wales death certificate system," he added. The Welsh government apologised to families who had experienced delays and said the changes were designed to "strengthen safeguard". It added it was working with the lead medical examiner, NHS and other organisations to provide additional support. The Department of Health and Social Care said the changes supported "vital improvements to patient safety" and provide comfort and clarity to the bereaved. "We recognise that there are significant regional variations, and we are actively monitoring these and working closely with the NHS and the Welsh government to swiftly address them."
