WHAT HAPPENED ON 22nd January 1997?

21st January 1997

BLAIR HERALDS COMPETITION LAW SHAKE-UP

A Labour government would back a bill to overhaul Britain's competition law leader Tony Blair has pledged. It would seek to bar anti-competitive practices more effectively & reduce the burden of red tape on business. The extent of ministerial involvement in decision making would be reviewed and greater transparency introduced. There was also a need to provide strong deterrence to restrictive agreements and abuses of market power; & more effective penalties he said.

22nd January 1997

BRITANNIA TO BE REPLACED BY NEW YACHT

A new Royal Yacht is to be built in Britain to replace Britannia Defence Secretary Michael Portillo has said. The Queen will be consulted on the design & will contribute to some of the fittings Mr Portillo told MPs. The yacht expected to be ready for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002 will cost £60m ` paid from public funds. Britannia will not be sold for private use. The Government is interested in any "suitably prestigious" proposals.

22nd January 1997

NO CONSULTATION OVER YACHT SAYS LABOUR

Labour should have been consulted about plans for a new Royal Yacht Shadow Defence Secretary David Clark has said. The question of using private money to help build the new vessel should also have been explored fully he added. But Lib Dem Menzies Campbell described the move as sensible ` a chance to show off Britain's engineering skills. Unions also welcomed the news - the GMB said it was the best boost for British shipbuilding in many years.

21st January 1997

BID TARGET COOK UPS PROFIT FORECA

William Cook the castings group fighting a £57.7m bid from Triplex Lloyd has boosted its defence by raising profits & payout forecasts. Improved orders & strong trading in November & December meant it could increase its estimate of pre-tax profits from £10.7m to at least £11m. It will also make a one-off profit of more than £0.5m on the sale of premises and plant at Guisborough Cleveland. The group has also upped its final dividend forecast from 9.25p to 10.25p.

22nd January 1997

BRITANNIA TO BE REPLACED BY NEW YACHT

A new Royal Yacht is to be built in Britain to replace Britannia Defence Secretary Michael Portillo has said. The Queen will be consulted on the design & will contribute to some of the fittings Mr Portillo told MPs. The yacht expected to be ready for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002 will cost £60m ` paid from public funds. Britannia will not be sold for private use. The Government is interested in any "suitably prestigious" proposals.

22nd January 1997

OMBUDSMAN Ex-civil servant Dr Maurice Hayes has recommended appointing an ombudsman to take charge of all investigations of complaints against the police in Northern Ireland. COURTA 16-year-old boy is to do 120 hours of community service for "mindlessly" killing a hedgehog. The RSPCA which brought the case hopes the sentence will be a deterrent. DEFENCE Northamptonshire Police are to give vicars self-defence lessons because of increasing concern about attacks on clergymen.

21st January 1997

BLAIR HERALDS COMPETITION LAW SHAKE-UP

A Labour government would back a bill to overhaul Britain's competition law leader Tony Blair has pledged. It would seek to bar anti-competitive practices more effectively & reduce the burden of red tape on business. The extent of ministerial involvement in decision making would be reviewed and greater transparency introduced. There was also a need to provide strong deterrence to restrictive agreements and abuses of market power; & more effective penalties he said.

22nd January 1997

BRITANNIA TO BE REPLACED BY NEW YACHT

A new Royal Yacht is to be built in Britain to replace Britannia Defence Secretary Michael Portillo has said. The Queen will be consulted on the design & will contribute to some of the fittings Mr Portillo told MPs. The yacht expected to be ready for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002 will cost £60m ` paid from public funds. Britannia will not be sold for private use. The Government is interested in any "suitably prestigious" proposals.

22nd January 1997

PRINCESS WINS SUPPORT FOR LANDMINES BAN

Diana Princess of Wales has won 90% backing from the British public for her campaign for a world ban on landmines an opinion poll has indicated. The NOP poll commissioned by six UK aid agencies interviewed 1 001 adults in the wake of her visit to Angola. Diana met amputees including children wounded by mines used in the civil war. A spokesman for the agencies said the Government spoke of wanting a ban while trying to postpone talks on the issue.

21st January 1997

MPs CALL FOR DECISION ON NEW BRITANNIA

An all-party group of MPs & peers has called on the Government to decide if the Royal Yacht will be replaced. The Royal Yacht Parliamentary Group accused the Chancellor & the Treasury of being the major stumbling block in agreeing plans for a new ship. Lord Charteris the Queen's former Private Secretary said it would be shameful if Britannia was not replaced. Ministers have already said no decision will be made until after the election.

22nd January 1997

BRITANNIA TO BE REPLACED BY NEW YACHT

A new Royal Yacht is to be built in Britain to replace Britannia Defence Secretary Michael Portillo has said. The Queen will be consulted on the design & will contribute to some of the fittings Mr Portillo told MPs. The yacht expected to be ready for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002 will cost £60m ` paid from public funds. Britannia will not be sold for private use. The Government is interested in any "suitably prestigious" proposals.

22nd January 1997

WE WON'T PAY FOR ROYAL YACHT - LABOUR

Labour has told the Queen it will not foot the £60m bill for a new Royal Yacht if it wins the General Election. Shadow Chancellor Gordon Brown told the Palace on Friday the cash would not be in a Labour government's first budget. Buckingham Palace commented that the Queen regarded the new yacht as a national asset. "This is a political matter & something for the Government to address " a Palace spokesman added.