Is there an issue you think we should be covering?

Michael Jecks
Sirs - especially Mr Naughty - I am a writer, the author of a successful series of 25 books, and I am heartily sick of hearing about the poor little musicians. It’s not only them – it’s all those working in the creative arena who’re being hit currently. Authors have seen their incomes slashed in the last ten years. Contracts used to be based on commission paid on the price per title – ten percent for a hardback, seven and a half for a paperback. Now authors are paid by the same commission, but based on ‘net receipts’. Instead of ten percent of the cover price, now the author’s paid ten percent of a quarter of the cover price. Because retailers demand larger discounts. Mass market sales have forced authors’ incomes to reduce by up to seventy five percent. The only two surveys in the last ten years were conducted by the Society of Authors in (I think) 1999, which found that of all authors, three quarters earned less than the national average income (then about £21,000); two thirds earned less than half the national average income, and over half earned less than £5,000. The more recent survey (2007) was conducted by the Authors Licensing and Collection Service, which determined that incomes had fallen further: “Writers’ median earnings are less than one-quarter of the typical wages of a UK employee.”What is most shocking is that the top 10% of authors now take more than 50% of the total income available – and the bottom 50% earn less than 10%.We have a near monopoly in the high street, with Waterstone’s buy out of Ottakar’s. Incomes are affected by the massive discounts demanded by the retailers. And when a book is sold, it can then go to any charity shop to be sold second hand, or even to the UK’s biggest bookseller – yes, the biggest – ebay. As in the music industry, this means no profit to the author for his or her work. The usual argument is, of course, that advances are increasing. Not true. While a tiny, tiny minority get massive advances of tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of pounds, the vast majority have to survive on miniscule amounts. A £10,000 advance is much more likely. And that will be in staged payments over an eighteen month period (a quarter for signing contracts, a quarter for submission of the manuscript, a quarter on publication of the hardback, final lump when the paperback’s out). Hardly a great income with the present cost of living. And let’s not forget that an advance is only an interest-free loan. It is an advance against future royalties, not actual income.And with publishing companies gradually coalescing into ever larger conglomerates, there is nowhere for an author to go to try to sell his or her books to a competitor. Look at Hachette or Harper Collins. Retailers like Tesco force the publishers to reduce their charges. Because they already have a virtual monopoly of sales for so many goods, suppliers are forced to accept their terms. Yet if the suppliers, the publishers, were to try to discuss keeping their prices up, that would be illegal. Cartels are not allowed. So publishers slash and slash at their writers’ incomes instead. It is incredible to authors struggling with ever reducing incomes, with the Damoclean sword of lost contracts hanging over them at all times, that the BBC could spend so much time reporting on the fortunate writers in America who just went on strike, and yet make no comment about the desperate plight of authors in this country. Is it only because you think all authors get the same amount as journalists and fading-out politicians or minor celebrities? In an age when hundreds of thousands can be paid to a woman because she is the girlfriend of a famous man, in a contract where she will not write the books and may not even read them, perhaps it is no surprise. But that is no excuse. You are supposed to be reporters. The collapse of the publishing industry matters. Without books, how will literacy be improved? So get a grip. Stop worrying about foreign writers, stop the hand-wringing over the poor musicians. They are not alone.

Liz Holdsworth
There is a matter which affects us ALL whcih appears to be getting NO coverage. It's Lasting Powers of Attorney brought in by the Mental Capacity Act last year. These cumbersome documents have made it so hard for people with "full" capacity let alone those with impaired capcity whom the Mental Capacity Act was designed to help! How would you like to tackle a form at LEAST 25 pages long and potentially a lot more. People in early stage Alzheimer's may be required to sign 5 or more times when we all know that motor skills are some of the first to be affected. It's inhumane. Please can an item be done on this really vital subject?

Mike Andrews. Angry old Man and PCa survivor
Why are you ignoring Prostate Cancer Week? If it was a Breast Cancer affair it would be all over the Press. Is it because it is the most important male cancer and kills one man every hour? Is it because there is, scandalously, no national screening programme? Is it because your presenters are not real men who will admit they need to have a test regularly from age 40? Is it because men are just not angry enough to make their case to the NHS the way women have? Remember it was a distinguished broadcaster Richard Dimbleby who first had the courage to admit he had cancer on air - and caused a scandal because cancer was until then an unmentionable word.Come on John, Jim, Ed - speak up for men!

alex
An interesting topic to discuss tomorrow morning may be: Is there less coverage of the missing West Yorkshire schoolgirl Shannon Matthews, than of the allegedly kidnapped Madeleine McCann because the media are biased by social class. A point raised today on THE ONE SHOW. Could lead to an interesting discussion.

Stephanie Trotter, OBE
The Today programme has featured the unconscionable profits made by energy companies. In 2000 the Health and Safety Commission recommended a levy on the gas suppliers to raise awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning from domestic heating and cooking appliances and for research. This levy has never been implemented. Around 50 people are known to die of CO every year in the UK and hundreds more (possibly thousands) are injured, some of whom have permanent neurological damage caused by CO or possibly other toxins in the products of combustion. See www.co-gassafety.co.uk. About 45% of people do not even know about CO!Apart from the grief and distress these totally preventable deaths and injuries cause, they also cost the NHS and taxpayer huge sums. In 2007 Colin Breed MP tabled an Early Day Motion (1032) advocating the levy and 121 MPs signed this. I have been sitting on committees trying to persuade the companies to supply these funds voluntarily since 1997 - a waste of time. Why does the government seem unable or unwilling to act against the wealthy corporations to look after the lives and health of those who vote for it? I do hope the Today Programme is not too cowed by government to feature this aspect of the story?

Sheila Oldbury
My brother-in-law, who is diabetic and therefore has to renew his driving licence every 3 years. Very briefly, recently the DVLA refused to renew his licence following an enforced field vision test which had to be carried out by an optician of the DVLA's choosing. Despite the fact that he has a full eye test by his own optician annually. My brother-in-law did not accept this ban and immediately requested an appointment with his specialist at the Manchester Royal Eye hospital. Two separate field vision tests were carried out and his eye sight was found to be perfectly OK! He now has had his driving licence renewed without an apology or even an acknowledgement that the DVLA has made a mistake. My brother-in-law is retired but had he still been working as a Gas Engineer he would have lost his job. How many other people have suffered from the DVLA's mistakes?

jim@piperfleming.com
From 2nd to 4th March there has been a conference on Climate Change attended by so-called "Skeptics".In New York, from 2nd to 4th March, there has been a conference on Climate Change attended by the so called "skeptics". Al Gore was invited to speak but refused to attend even though he was offered his usual fee.Why is the BBC not reporting that this conference is being held and letting the Britsh people know what is being said by the many scientists who are speaking on the subject. The BBC has a duty to provide balanced reporting on all aspects of factors affecting people's lives and is failing to do so on the subject of Climate Change. Why ???

GED GANNAWAY
Dear Mr Humphries, I have comment to make,my dentist does private work and NHS work. My wife and I are private and my 8 year old son Jonathan is NHS.Today the dentist told us that the government has stopped NHS treatment for my son because the dentist has to to make the decision that he either does private or NHS not both.This means I now have to pay £12 for him to treat my son or I have to find another dentist. My dentist says he is more than happy to treat my son but the government will not pay,is this correct. Regards Ged Gannaway

Dr Sue Collard
Having heard your short report earlier on the question of British residents on the lists for the French municipal elections in Eymet, Dordogne, you might be interested to read my short report summarising my project on the Brits who were electeed in 2001 and who are now reaching the end of their first mandate, made possible by the Maastricht Treaty. If you are interested, please let me have an email address to which I can attach a document of about 700 words on this subject, which I am sure will interest many of your faithful listeners in rural France!

Caroline
First of all, congratulations on your programme. I would like to draw your attention to treatment centres (treatment of alcohol and substance abuse) and the fact that most of them are run on the "minnesota model" or AA. I was in a treament centre myself in 2003 following a nervous breakdown, and they use horrendous brainwashinng techniques. I will try to be brief, but everyone was mixed in together (bi-polar sufferers, convicted criminals, alcoholics, drug addicts)..AA has such a stranglehold on treatment for drink or drug related problems that there doesn't seem to be any new research. In the meantime, it is costing the tax payer an immense amount of money which I think could be better spent. Basically it's a con, - and a double con at that - : (or even triple!!) There is a drink/drug problem so the governement has to be seen to do something. It is easier to go along with an old system, even though it has been proved that it doesn't work. People who abuse alcohol or drugs nearly always suffer from another underlying disease, which is the disease or trauma which should be treated. I would very much like you to look into the treatment centres and governement funding, the AA/oxford movement, Bachmanism etc, and why not more is done to research and treat people suffering from alcholism, drug abuse and related diseases.Thank you.

John WALKER
I have been on your programme before. Are you going to pick up the story of the reduction in the Defence Intelligence Staff? To cut Intelligence at this time is nonsensical. Int is the primary 'weapon system' against terrorism, Russia is starting to be difficult again, we are in one and arguably two wars, we have a part-time Secretary of State for Defence and are about to buy two carriers to go about the world being a "force for good". And what do we cut? Intelligence! It is well said that "Those the Gods would destroy, they first make mad!". JW.

Ian
The Employments Rights Act of 2002 introduced the right for all parents with children under the age of 6 to request flexible working hours from their employers. That request is to be given due consideration by the employer and can only be turned down on the following grounds:i) Burden of additional costs; ii) Detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demand; iii)Inability to reorganise work among existing staff; iv) Inability to recruit additional staff; v)Detrimental impact on quality; vi) Detrimental impact on performance; vii)Insufficiency of work during the periods you propose to work; viii) Planned structural changes.These points can provide a variety of get-out clauses for employers and can easily be cited to prevent employees from actually receiving the benefits of flexible working. My interest in particular is in the effect on fathers and how many are actually aware of their entitlements in this age of promoting the family unit (and therefore applying for this benefit), and also how many are turned down upon making their requests. My personal experience has been that it is very hard to get this request taken seriously and in the current economic climate, I was even told that my request would reflect unfavourably on me if I took it any further. This is direct and unfair pressure and wondered if I am the only father facing this kind of treatment?

Tim Evans
Feb 14th's edition ran a piece on who sits on Quangos- this is a story that really needs to be persued. The power of unelected individuals to affect the lives of people all over the UK is what amounts to a parallel government. Here in Cornwall money is fed into projects by the SW development agency, many people in Cornwall find it difficult to accept that they have no power over the policies of this body. For example the agency is backing the building of large numbers of houses in Cornwall which the working people in the county have no chance of buying. In effect an outside body is deciding that there will be a population explosion- but without any link to need or available employment. The expenses of the agencies also need examining. It seems just another means for the establishment based in the S.E. to maintain control over the way the rest of the UK develops. Many in Cornwall want real jobs outside of retail and tourisism, yet the S.W. RDA has been making the reopening of South Crofty Mine difficult even though there is investment available. We should have elected representaton on these bodies.

Rob Slatem
40% of homes in London are affected by subsidence. If a house has been affected by subsidence, it is the industry code of practise to refer you back to the current insurer. The house we are trying to buy has only had one event of subsidence in the last 120 years and that was two years ago, caused by a blocked drain costing less than £5000, without the need for underpinning. The current insurer has added a clause to the policy that excludes any extension, conservatory or porch that is affected by subsidence, if the main body of the house is not affected at the same time. This is like saying that if you have an accident in your car, your bonnet is covered only if your boot is also damaged in the same accident. The insurance company keep trying to pass this off a standard, but it is not. Our mortgage company require insurance to be in place to cover the whole property against all risks. This matter is preventing us from buying this house. I cannot believe that others are not affected by this.

Nigel Wilkins
A number of years have elapsed since commonhold tenure was introduced in the UK (Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002). Yet very few commonhold hoes have been registered. By contrast, more and more leasehold flats have been built. For home owners commonhold is a distinct improvement over leasehold, since a lease is a depreciating asset and leaseholders are subject to the vagaries of unregulated landlords and managing agents.

Phil Whitaker
I'm heartened today by the emergence of some independent viewpoints among journalists, especially Telegraph and Mail (that I've seen). Seems some journalistic folk are catching on to the fact that this dispute is essentially nothing at all to do with extended hours (if it were, then the GPC and NHS Employers would long ago have split the difference at 2.5h per week for an average practice). Fortunately there appear to be a few journalists out there with enough independence of mind to ask themselves the simple question: if it's nothing to do with 2 versus 3 hours a week then what REALLY is going on? Why on earth is the Government picking such a massive fight with NHS GPs? If they dig a little deeper then they might find out about the funding of the new-style 8-8 7/7 Walk-In/GP Centres that each and every PCT is being required to commission (and which they are barred from commissioning from anyone currently providing NHS services). We have heard in Bath & North East Somerset that the funding for this unwanted (by the PCT, and us) Centre will be £200 per patient per year. That's around THREE TO FOUR times the funding per year of a traditional general practice. And where's the money coming from? From the 'savings' made by imposing the extended hours deal on existing general practices, of course. If they find that out, then independent-minded journalists might start to ask why HMG might be so profligately chucking money at Virgin Health et al in order to entice them to enter the primary care 'marketplace'.And then they might begin to have an inkling of what primary care might look like in a few years' time, especially if traditional general practices have been destabilised by lost resources/degraded job satisfaction. (Highly convenient, open-all-hours Health Shops where your averagely fit-and-well 20-something commuter/voter will be able to get penicillin for his viral urti, or be screened for his non-sensical cardiovascular risk. But God help you if you are unlucky enough to be suffering with cancer, or the parent of disabled child, or someone suffering from mental health problems -anyone, in short, who needs a knowledgeable and compassionate friend to come alongside them in their hours/weeks/months/years/decades of need. You'll not fit into the protocol the nurse practitioner is following on her PC. And the McDoc you'll be passed on to won't know you from Adam: you'll be referred for some test, or given some leaflet, or told to come back in a month when the same McDoc will have started their new job with the Tesco Health Centre across town where they hope they'll never run into you again...) I am beginning to hope, faintly, that the Government's decision to launch all-out-war against GPs might, one day, prove to have been a monumental tactical error - a tide that turned against them and exposed their own profoundly flawed plans that would have led, whether deliberately or inadvertently, to the destruction of much valued traditional British general practice. We shall see.

Fr Mark Elliott Smith
As a parish priest I have recently come across an incident where an elderly, sick woman, an immigrant of longstanding was charged £250 for a medical report for the home office. I am wondering if there are some unscrupulous doctors around, charging extortionate fees from those in no position to pay them. The woman, my parishioner, has had to go without food to save up. She is also diabetic. Is this a story you could cover? Thanks

Martin Breach
As part of the Darzi review of the NHS the government is to spend £150 million on a nationwide program of building 150 new primary care centres, so-called ‘Darzi practices’. These are intended to improve access to GP services in areas with relatively low ratios of doctors to patients – so-called ‘Spearhead’ Primary Care Trusts (PCTs). Each practice will cost £1 million, excluding annual running costs. The plan is that each will be staffed with 4 doctors, and will each have funding for 6000 patients from day one (regardless of actual patient numbers). It is intended that they will be open from 8am to 8 pm every day, including weekends. Finally, it is also expected that they will all become training practices within a year (usually a slow process, that can take an established practice half-a-decade to achieve). The Darzi practices have been received by PCTs much like unwanted Christmas presents. Following the announcement, practices were given a matter of weeks to implement an initiative that they did not want or ask for. Allegedly, one PCT was considering an all-gay practice, for a resort’s gay population., and other PCTs were reportedly considering establishing practices for women patients only, or solely for ethnic minority patients. In all cases, PCTs are aware that establishing additional practices in brand new premises is potentially highly destabilising for established services. Although this is a strategy that could address underperforming practices, this seems a risky and expensive approach compared to existing mechanisms. While Darzi practices are intended to expand GP numbers, they will clearly have the opposite effect if they lead to the closure of practices. It seems ironic that the £150 million cost of the program exactly matches the £150 million that GP practices stand to lose if they reject the unilateral imposition of the government’s ‘deal’ on extended opening. If the funding was available, existing services could expand GP numbers and offer new services such as extended opening. However, the Darzi practices are an unwelcome centrally-imposed project, with unrealistic aims and unachievable objectives, that will fail to benefit the vast majority of patients and which will in many cases actively harm existing services. I very much hope that your program will enquire and investigate further, and ensure that there is a public debate on the matter.

IAN JOSEPHS
Social workers and "Ministers" say they cannot comment on individual cases; so here are four "general questions” that they can and should answer. 1:-Why are parents who lose their children in the family Courts legally gagged to stop them protesting? 2:-Why can family courts send around 200 parents a year to prison secretly with no public hearing?(Harriet Harman's answer to a parliamentary question) 3:-Why are hundreds of children and newborn babies unnecessarily taken every year for "forced adoption" because social workers and their hired “experts” predict (using a crystal ball?) they might be at "risk"of neglect or that old "SS standby" emotional abuse? 4:-Why can hardened criminals avoid "establishment judges" by demanding trial by jury,when parents risking losing their children for life are denied this option?

Joe Burlington
The suspiciion, whether verified or not, that adoption is affected by "incentives" for social workers to meet targets followed the proposal that private companies should be paid for getting benefit recipients back into work. "Payment-by-results" was introduced in schools in the nineteenth century but later abandoned. The motor industry widely adopted "piece-work" in the middle of the twentieth century but then stuggled to get rid of it in the 1960s and 1970's. Payment-by-results creates beaurocraic burdens for police, doctors, teachers etc. It ususally works at first when greed ensures that the easy pcikings go into private pockets but long-term it is disastrous.Ask listeners to tell Today about the anomalies ,,, such as schools providing extra tuition for students selected for no other reason than they might be pushed from Grade D GCSE to Grade C - to the comparative neglect of all other students.

david holmes
Why are the Northern Rock advertising in all the national pres a rate for savers of 6.9% fixed until 2009? Surely everyone with a mortgage is paying less than this? How can you sell for less than your cost ( even money) Does Alastair Darling read the press, does he know this is the new NR business model? It seems to me worse than the old one! Even Tesco would go bust if it sold goods for less than the purchase price! If interest rates fall as predicted NR will still be paying savers 6.9%. How on earth will they get out of trouble? Surely they'll get into even more...

Del Richards
A little publicised part of the Planning Bill currently at committee stage (Clause 150) will effectively remove the right to appeal against officer refusals. If the Bill is enacted in its present form, the disappointed applicant's first recourse in a so-called 'minor application' will be a review of their own officers decision in secret by a few local councillors. If this fails, the only route available would be the prohibitively expensive High Court. The current system with the Appeal held by an independent planning inspector is perceived by all parties to be fair and transparent. In the interests of 'streamlining' it seems that natural justice is being ignored, and the system left open to low level corruption and abuse of power. This measure was strongly opposed by the relevant building professions during the consultation stage and they are still actively trying to get the measure dropped from the Bill. Householders, who will be the most disadvantaged party are no doubt completely unaware of what is about to befall them

Daehgems
What proportion of staff in central and local government are funded by short term capital programmes? Surely this is short termism at its worst as even if the initiative proves worthwhile invariably it is not "mainstreamed" and once the capital funding stream stops, all the good work disappears.

Anthony Miller
Since 1st Jan 2008 banks in the UK, USA, European Union, Australia and a number of other countries have been instructed to apply sanctions to the following countries: Iran, Syria, Sudan, Myanmar (Burma), North Korea, Cuba It's still possible to do business with these places by using a bank account in an intermediate country and not everyone who deals with the above is a terrorist. Surely the only effect of this is that terrorist/illegal transactions will become ever more convoluted and difficult to trace and those wishing to do legitimate business will become ever more frustrated...? I mean you still expect oil and stuff to come out of these places, how is that possible if no money goes in? I really don't see who benefits from this? Anyone who's got half a brain can buck the system it's just a useless pain for industry? There's been nothing on the news about it either? Surely it must be annoying many legitimate businesses? And while I can understand people beingconcerned with Syria and North Korea, what's the problem with Cuba? I feel at least you should look at this story because I can't find it covered anywhere?!?

jack warshaw
Is Today aware that the right of appeal against refusal of planning permission is about to be taken away in all but a minority of cases by the government? The Planning Bill will replace the right of appeal, which has existed since the 1947 Town & Country Planning Act, in cases decided by planning officers under delegated powers, wtih a "review" of the decision by a few local councillors. Despite overwhelming objection from every quarter, the government is set to steamroller the measure though as a sop to the Local Governmant Association in return for their acceptance of the creation of the Commission which take strategic applcations like airports, wind farms and nuclear power stations out of their hands.

Eleanor Higgins
AN ISSUE I THINK YOU SHOULD INVESTIGATEI read in the Saturday Telegraph this weekend (26.1.08) that OFCOM is concerned that there is not enough online to interest 6 year olds. Not only that, the BBC is investing/about to invest hundreds of thousands of pounds to REMEDY the situation. I do not have the article because I was reading someone elses paper. I pray I read it wrong because in an age when a) all children probably use computers in school b) it is impossible to prise most school/college aged kids from a screen at homec) they could quite possibly be stuck to a screen for most of their working livesd) we are supposed to be encouraging youngsters to go out and get some exercise - and hopefully experience a bit the REAL world at the same timewhy would ANYONE in their right mind want to encourage kids of 6 years and under to start going online.??Words fail me.I’m not one to beg but now I’m begging.JOHN HUMPHRIES - if it is true - DO YOUR WORST. Yours faithfully,Eleanor Higgins

Tricia Sullivan
There is much in the media about closing rural schools at present - this would be a very worthwhile debate to have on air. Shropshire County Council is proposing to close 22 rural schools, smashing our rural communities and seeking the closure of successful schools with good facilities to send their pupils to other schools that are often less well supported with worse facilities. This is madness. I gather other counties are also proposing similar rural school closures. I also gather (but cannot substantiate) that the London Borough of Ealing with 12 more pupils than Shropshire, has £4m more funding for primary education than Shropshire pupils. It is obvious to anyone that it will be more expensive to educate children in rural areas than urban areas as the travel distances will necessarily mean smaller schools and lower economies of scale - perhaps the Labour Minister for Education would explain the discrepancy between funding per pupil between rural and urban areas - is it because rural areas traditionally have Tory voters? Perhaps the Tory controlled Shropshire County Council can explain how they can smash rural communities to save a paltry £1.5m pa by closing 22 Schools and the appalling knock-on effect to rural communities and the rural economy? This must be a serious and worthwhile debate that ought to be aired.

Marion Paviour
The Test Valley Borough Council with which I have no connection other than living within its domain, is generally a well run Couoncil. This year I understand that it has been forced to make cuts and increase the Council Tax to balance its budget. This Council collects over 33 million in Business Rates but receives back from Central Government only about 5.3.million. Were the monies raised by Business Rates largely spent within the Borough collecting them and a smaller proportion remitted to central government, local Councils would not be in a negative financial situation. could you explore this further, please?

Derrick Gierth
There are many references to Global Warming but they all deal only with CO2 emissions. Can you ask two questions whenever CO2 emissions are discussed: What effect will the proposaps have on global warming, and what will be the cost of the proposals. It has been estimated (IPCC) that if Kyoto were to be implemented 100%, including USA global warming would be delayed by just 5 days by 2100. And we are already hearing about the effect on the poor in this country of the rise in energy costs.

Bernard Murrells
Recently a so called energy consultant commented on the today programme that UK prices are equivalent or lower than Europe. I have a house in France and have calculated my UK bill using EDF figures and the UK bill is 53% more expensive !!This deserves to be investigated.

mary brook
In the light of the recent flooding and the new advice and legislation introduced to stop development on the floodplain, how is it possible that a 2 storey undergroung car park will be dug down into the riverbank OPPOSITE Hampton Court Palace.This will service an intensive multi-storey development, comprising 66 new homes, an hotel and a Care Home. Apart from its effect on one of the countries most treasured historic sites, it will irrevocably destroy the areas floodplain. Of all the sections of riverbank under threat of the changes in housing policy, this specifically should remain unspoilt. Please see the full ghastly details on our website Thank you

JimandFred@hotmail.com
Did I hear in your discussion of police pay that public service workers have the confidence of secure jobs and pensions. Think this belongs to a vision of 1950s Britain - thousands of workers for Birmingham City Council received letters advising them that they would lose their jobs in April since they refuse to accept large pay cuts ... generally from £25K to £20K pa which could be argued has the advantage that it gives us not only experience of helping people on low wages but claiming for our families as well.

CG
How about asking the PM why he is subsidising the purchase of Windsave roof top wind turbines, when this turbine only generates about £10 of electricity a year. Have we got that much money to waste on renewable energy?

Peter Emerson
May I suggest you discuss the science of decision-making - social choice theory - referendums and preferendums - majoritarianism?

Sue Sayer
Please would you consider keeping the momentum going concerning unemployed graduate physiotherapists. This was highlighted on BBC1 national news on Monaday 21st Jan 08 by Branwen Jeffries who did a fantastic job.

Dr Marsh
With all the recent high profile losses of personal data, it is alarming to find that, without any publicity, the NHS centralised computer system has now gone live between Gps. This means any trained member of practice staff can access the personal and full medical details of every person registered with a Gp in the UK. Officially you should only call these records up if you are registering the patient at your practice but the procedure takes minutes and has no security to ensure patient consent. We were all promised further consultation and debate and have been shocked and alarmed to be told the system is already running. Opting out is a lengthy and complicated process and the official line is that it is to be discouraged except for celebrities and MPs! Clearly a patient can only apply to opt out if they know that the system is operational and unless there is some media coverage this is unlikely. I would welcome any debate.

sheji
Has there ever been a discussion as to why there has been "home grown terrorists" in the UK but none in the US? Arguably fundamentalists hate the US even more than the UK so why is that the strikes have occurred here? Is it because there is no disillustionment amongst young muslims in the US or are they just better at security? Has this been discussed at any time and if so could you point me to it. If it hasn't is it not worth discussing?

Phillip
I have some suggestions for stories I would like the Today Programme to look at. In no particular order, they are: a) What impact has George Bush's 'War on Terror' had on overseas visits to the United States? Intuitively, one feels that the introduction of finger-printing airline passengers, and the global dislike of America resulting from its foreign policy, would lead to a significant reduction in visitor numbers. Is this the case, and, if so, what impact has this had on the US economy? The proposed introduction of finger-printing at airports in this country leads me to wonder if there has been a similar negative impact on visitor numbers in the UK. b) To what extent are UK cattle still infected with BSE? The story has completely disappeared from the news. Has the problem similarly disappeared or are we simply not talking about it any more? c) On related food safety issues, is the government's advice still that eggs should be hard-boiled or otherwise cooked right through to prevent salmonella infection? Are we still supposed to peel carrots and other non-organically grown root vegetables to remove potentially harmful pesticide residues? Again, these were huge stories in their day that have now completely vanished from the media. d) Whatever happened to the electric car? Researching the Internet last week I found the only electric cars available are either funny little boxes on wheels with a range limited to fifty miles between recharges and a top speed of forty miles per hour, or £100,000 sports cars with a range of 200+ miles and a top speed over 130 mph. There seem to be no ordinary, five-seater family cars, i.e. the kind of electric cars that would appeal to a mass market. Given that we are supposed to be reducing our carbon emissions and that electric cars produce none whatsoever, and given that the technology to build a family car with a recharge range of, say, 150 miles is readily available, why is no one making one? Toshiba in Japan have just unveiled a new electric car battery that will fully recharge in only five minutes, but there is still no sensible, mid-range vehicle to put it into. Thank you for your time, and for a consistently excellent programme.

Eric
I have listened to the Today programme virtually every day for 20 years. I have yet to hear anything about the five Cubans imprisoned in US for up to life terms for "spying" when they were there purely to infiltrate Cuban exile terrorist gangs. They even supplied information to the CIA to alert them about these USA terrorism plans.Their defence Lawyer Leonard Weinglass is in UK and is being interviewed by on BBC 5 tomorrow. Why isn't Today on to this story? I have yet to meet an American who has even heard of the case - their government treats this case almost as a State secret because they are so ashamed to admit to their part in it. I am beginning to wonder whether your programme editors have been warned off the case.

Bob dixon
How about some coverage of the allegations of electoral fraud in the New Hampshire primary?

Wendy French
I was interviewed on the Today programme in November by James Naughtie as I am chair of Lapidus. Many peopel telephoned or eamiled to find out about the work of Lapius after the interview. Since then we have heard that the Arts council are cutting all of our grant from March 2008. Lapidus is unique in its approach and its aims. All creative writing - perhaps all art - to a greater or lesser degree is about self-discovery and self-expression. Lapidus goes to the very heart of this both for the individual reader and writer and for groups from many different backgrounds. It also encourages creativity and artistic expression across a wide span of the community, but particularly amonst groups which would not perhaps ordinarily access workshops with experiences and published writers. It is the only group that exists to that is serious at looking at the healing potential of reading and writing and about fostering professionalism amonst practitioners in this area. For the Arts Council to withdraw funds in the National Year of Reading( no less) and to therefore hinder this work in its development is to deny certain groups in our society the support needed for them to lead a fuller and more satisfying emotional and imaginative life.

dodgypins
We have heard that Britain is one of the least good places for young people to live. At the same time there is plan to increase play space, play schemes, play opportunities for children, in particular the kind of free, supervised but not directed play provided by many adventure playgrounds. Alongside this is an increase, albeit still insufficient, but incresing move to have fully inclusive play so that any child regardless of language or disability or whatever other differences, are able to access these free and life enhancing play opportunites. I think the more attention the media give to this subject the better, as public awareness is very low on all aspects, not the least, how vital this play experience is to young people growing up as happy and community minded citizens. It is at least as important as "EDUCATION".. and if you look at the amount of attention give to these two topics you can see that educations receives the bulk of media attention. I would reccommend you get in touch with the Play Association as a good place to increase your knowledge.. and for real hands on talk to Sarah Grand at Lambeth Play Association.

Angela Benson
A few weeks ago there was a report in the news bulletins that the carbon dioxide levels in the seas and oceans were very close to saturation level - much closer than had been expected at this time. Could you please let us know: (a)when scientific experts now think saturation level will be reached; (b) how quickly the carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere is expected to rise once saturation level in the oceans has been reached; and (c) the correlation between percentages of CO2 in the atmosphere and the temperatures that we shall experience.

Ivor Hickey
This morning Martin Evans discussed the separation of science education from the humanities. Pointing out that current UK science education suffers as it is seen as a separate and somewhat boring subject. We have just completed a £200,000 NESTA funded project entitled "The Leonardo Effect" in which 1200 primary and post-primary children in Nothern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales have participated. It is built around integration of science and art and has received strong praise from principals, teachers, parents and pupils. It has been externally evaluated by Goldsmiths College. The integrated approach is based on commonalities between art and science and exactly matches the problem raised by Martin Evans. In addition to its beneficial effects on art and science it strongly develops creativity in both children and teachers.This approach to teaching and learning provides a means by which the desires for new flexible and skills based currricula can be developed by teachers.Results were launched last month in Belfast when Mick Waters, Director of Curriculum at QCA was the Keynote speaker. I can provide you with detalled evaluation reports and summaries of results if you are interested and the project will be reviewed at the Association for Science conference next week in Liverpool.Ivor Hickey

david waring
You have just done a good piece on switching on childrens interest to science and technology.This should be extended in 2008 and cover the heavy influence of arts and classics graduates in Government both parliament and the Civil Service and the Media. (check your own reports on the woeful lack of thought re personal data)It should also consider the impact of computer games on human creativity as they no longer play creatively between the ages of 10 and 15 building things. (AW&ST archives circa 1990-1995)Children are being raised to consume not to aspirewhere are the technological champions we used to see on Tomorrow World? In fact where is the manufacturing base, most good ideas now seem to come from abroad.

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