Letters - December 2007

Coroners Bill

SIR: We were disappointed and surprised not to see the Coroners Bill listed in the Queen’s Speech at the Opening of Parliament on 6 November.

The Coroners Bill has the potential to improve the training and governance of coroners in England and Wales, provide additional investigation powers for coroners and improve the system for “learning lessons” and accident prevention.

We believe that the complicated nature of In Service deaths, the security issues involved and the unique workings of the Armed Forces warrant specific coroners to investigate these deaths. This type of specialisation could go some way to guaranteeing that bereaved families are satisfied that a thorough inquest has been conducted, and that they have confidence and trust in the outcome.

There is a sense of urgency with UK Armed Forces casualty numbers continuing and the backlog of inquests still standing at 126. We hope that, if we are not to see this bill come back onto the autumn agenda before Christmas, then we can hope to see it tabled for the Spring or at the very latest next year’s Queens speech.

Sue Freeth, Director Welfare, Royal British Legion; Jenny Green, Chairman, War Widows Association of Great Britain

Innocents in limbo

SIR: Michael Stephen in your October issue makes a very good case in arguing that Britain should end, as it has promised to do, the economic isolation of the Turkish-Cypriot community in Northern Cyprus. But to simple mortals the question is why there are sanctions at all. Quite what is the crime committed by the Turkish Cypriots which demands their punishment by the international community?

If Turkey illegally occupies the North, which many would dispute, then why are the sanctions not imposed against them rather than against the Turkish Cypriots? After all, the Turkish Cypriots did not invade the island, nor did they divide it. All they did, the division having taken place, was to set up their own government, courts, and the other necessities of ordinary life — the choice between chaos and order.

The North is not Burma, nor Zimbabwe, nor Iran — it threatens no one, it abuses no-one. So why sanctions by the civilised world? Britain talks about its efforts to lift them — perhaps instead it should be asked to justify their imposition in the first place as, too, should members of the EU. A convincing answer will, I suspect, not be forthcoming.

Sir Michael Graydon, Chief of Air Staff 1992-97; Director ThalesUK plc, AirTanker

SIR: Michael Stephen was right to urge action by the EU in lifting the economic isolation of Northern Cyprus, for Britain and the others should not think that the faith of the Turkish Cypriots is boundless. In an article in the January edition of Parliamentary Brief I wrote that ‘there are plenty of countries in the Islamic world eager to see Muslim North Cyprus as an independent state.’

In February the head of the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) paid an official visit to Northern Cyprus ‘ in order to explore the possibilities for co-operation between the OIC and the Turkish Cypriot State’.

In March a group of representatives from the OIC 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference spent four days there ‘to conduct comprehensive technical studies’ to that end. In October Syria opened a direct ferry service with Northern Cyprus, the first country to break the international blockade.

While Britain and the EU feebly allow the Greek Cypriots to block their efforts to end the North’s isolation, the Muslim world, driven to sideline an impotent EU, may yet act on its own. Pray, what excuse in spineless Whitehall then?

Duncan Hadfield, London SW6

Hear, Hear

SIR: The Institute of Biology is pleased that the government has listened to our advice, and that of many other science bodies, in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. The Bill accepts scientific advice to permit, under licence, the creation of inter-species embryos for research (subject to the same legal limits, conditions, regulation and strict licensing that will apply to research on human embryos).

We believe that these conditions will prevent inappropriate or premature application of techniques and procedures on human material, while permitting research which has the potential to deliver significant benefits to human health.

We are also glad that the Bill has abandoned the Department of Health’s earlier proposal to merge the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority into a single new body, the Regulatory Authority for Tissues and Embryos (RATE). We advised that RATE would make the process of decision-making on research proposals even slower and more cumbersome than at present.

We welcome the government’s initiative to publish an increasing number of Bills in draft form, so that interested parties can comment on proposals before they have crystallised.

Professor Sir Richard Gardner, President, Institute of Biology

Beyond Kyoto

SIR: Strong leadership by the UK and EU is vital in securing a good outcome from the Bali climate talks in December, and in driving forward negotiations towards a 2009 agreement to succeed the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol.

Gordon Brown has made some helpful steps in the right direction, but there is still room for improvement and WWF is calling on the government to strengthen the Climate Change Bill to make it an effective piece of legislation — particularly by setting an 80 per cent emission reduction target in the Bill and including aviation and shipping from the very start.

As we approach the key talks in Bali, it becomes ever more crucial that we find the right solutions to fight rising greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists have told us that the window of opportunity to tackle climate change is closing rapidly if we are to keep the rise in global temperatures to less than 2˚C above pre-industrial levels and so avoid the most catastrophic impacts of global warming.

WWF is calling on governments to agree a clear shared vision to avoid dangerous climate change by committing to the 2˚C objective and to getting global emissions on a downward path within a decade.

By taking strong action at home, in the EU and internationally the UK can play a critical role in accelerating the growing momentum towards a new deal to secure the planet’s future.

Keith Allott, WWF-UK Head of Climate Change