22/10/2013 BBC News at Six

Sir John Major adds his voice to the row over energy prices. He calls for

a one offtax on energy company profits. The former Prime Minister

branded the latest price hikes by the big energy firms unjustifiable.

He said he'd back Government intervention. If we have a hard

winter, which is quite likely, there are many people this winter who are

going to have to choose between keeping warm and eating. I don't

think that is acceptable. Will ask how much pressure this puts on David

Cameron. Also tonight: Charging foreign visitors for using the NHS.

The Government say it is could claw back half a bill pounds. An inquest

into the deaths of a pregnant mother and her toddler. The jury finds that

police failure was partly to blame. David Cameron brands Facebook

irresponsible after the company allows graphic images on its pages.

He thought he was bigger than the manager. Sir Alex Ferguson's tell

all book about his turbulent relationship with David Beckham.

Coming up in sport, Arsene Wenger previous Arsenal for their biggest

test this season against last season's losing finalists in the

Champions League. Good evening and welcome to the

BBC's news at six. The former Conservative Prime Minister, Sir

John Major, has called for a one offtax on the profits of the big

energy companies. His surprise intervention comes at a time when

the Government is under increasing political pressure over the riding

cost of household energy bills. Downing Street said his comments

were an interesting contribution, but Labour says John Major is making

their argument for intervention on energy prices. Here's our deputy

political editor, James Landale. The price we pay for energy is rising.

Day after day the energy firms are raising their bills for the gas and

electricity we need. Labour's demanding a price freeze, the

Government Sunday pressure to act. Enter, an ex-Prime Minister with a

plan. A very bold plan. I do think without some action, if we have a

hard winter, which is quite likely, there are many people this winter

who are going to have to choose between keeping warm and eating. I

don't think that is acceptable. I think there is a very real chance

this winter that the Government will be forced by events to provide more

assistance to people who are facing real difficulties. If that proves to

be the case, then I think it would be entirely reasonable for the

Chancellor then to recoup that money back from the energy companies in a

one offpayment given the scale of their profits and the unjustified

nature of the very high increases they just proposed. Windfall tax? A

one offwindfall tax imposed retrospectively. Sir John Major says

things which shortly after becomes Government policy. Today, Downing

Street and the Treasury said while it was an interesting contribution

to the debate, they had no plans to tax energy firms. For now, they are

urging people to switch their suppliers. Behind-the-scenes

ministers know that is not enough and are looking for solutions. Three

big energy firms have raised their prices by about 10%. Three more are

expected to do likewise. Their bosses will have to explain their

decisions before MPs next week. Labour said Sir John was making

their argument. I welcome Sir John Major's comments today because they

are in line with our concerns that people have been put out of pocket

because we have a Government that doesn't stand up to these companies

and recognising the market is broken and we need to fix it. Said they are

already taking action. We think a faster way to bear down on prices is

more competition, simpler tariffs and making it easier for people to

switch. There are a number of ideas, I think the suggestion made by Mr

Miliband shows his head is in the right place I don't think it's a

workable proposition. Was ex-Prime Minister's suggestion at

Westminster, today Minister's suggestion at

Westminster, tomorrow it's Prime Minister's Questions. We know what

he will be asked. How much pressure does this put on David Cameron? It

increases the pressure on the Prime Minister. He is saying Labour we

need a price freeze for energy bills and a former Prime Minister saying

we need to have an energy tax. He is stuck between a wannabe Prime

Minister and an ex-Prime Minister. Ministers know they have to come up

with some kind solution to this problem. They are working

behind-the-scenes to come up with some way of making matching the

Labour promise with some kind of membering niszism to reduce people's

energy prices. The more telling criticism was the context of Sir

John's remarks which came during a speech originally to the

parliamentary press gallery where he made the point, in his view, the

Conservative Party needed to do more to show it was engaged with the

concerns and worries of ordinary people rather than worrying about

issues like Europe and things like that. That is the accusation that

will concern ministers most. The suggestion by not acting here, they

are not responding to the needs and concerns of people out on the

street. Thank you very much. Up to ?500 million alyear could be

recovered from overseas visitors and migrants who use the NHS in England

every year. That's according to estimates from the Department of

Health. The Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said it was time foreign

visitors made what he called "a fair contribution." Some doctors say they

shouldn't have to spend time vetting patients. Branwen Jeffreys reports.

Each year, it costs the NHS in England and estimated ?2 billion to

treat people from abroad. That figure includes people visiting on

holiday or business, working or studying here for a short time. As

well as illegal immigrants and health tourists, people thought to

travel here just for treatment. Emergency care in A, care in GP

surgeries and for infectious diseases isn't charged to anyone.

For most visitors from Europe and countries like Australia the NHS

doesn't charge for urgent care. The Government says that still leaves

scope for the NHS to get millions of pounds its owed. If we are better at

collecting that money we could have potentially 4,000 more doctors,

8,000 more nurses. Make a real difference in releaving some of that

pressure on the frontline. Which is why I think it's important that we

try to do it. This audit for the Government is based on estimates

that the NHS in England is owed around ?461 million a year, but is

only getting back a fraction of that. ?305 million is owed by other

European countries. Some of it could be claimed back through the European

health card system. The same card that allows us free urge treatment

in their countries. ?156 million is for visitors from countries outside

Europe. We have have agreements with some of them too. Why aren't NHS

hospitals claiming more money already? The NHS is set up to treat

people free at the point of delivery. That is the culture in

which we operate. It is not something people set out to do.

Identifying those people, being sure they are eligible or not can be a

difficult thing for frontline staff to do. What about health tourism?

People coming here deliberately to seek urgent NHS treatment. It's

estimated to cost between ?60 to ?80 million a year. There are plans for

an extra Visa charge for visitors from outside Europe. The Government

say it is could act as a deterrent. Labour argues that the calculations

are based on guesswork. The Government's own report raises major

questions about the figures being used saying they are based on old,

out-of-date assumption. We think it's about headline grabbing for the

Conservative Party than it is helping the NHS. The NHS in England

has to find billions in savings in the next couple of years. Money from

abroad could only be a small part of that and, exactly how the Government

plans to reclaim the cash won't be spelt out until next month. There's

more on this story on the BBC web, that is at bbc.co.uk/news a

controversial Government campaign, which used signs on vans to tell

immigrants to "go home or face arrest" is to be scrapped. The Home

Secretary, Theresa May, said the vans which drew over 200 complaints

to the advertising watchdog, were "too much of a blunt instrument". An

inquest jury has found that police failures contributed to the deaths

of a pregnant mother and her young son. Rachael Slack and 23 month old

AUDIENCE: Were found with multiple stab wounds in their home in

Derbyshire three years ago. They were killed by her former partner

Andrew Cairns who had a history of mental illness and who was found

dayed at her home. Sian Lloyd reports. -- dead. This was Rachael

Slack on a family day out with her son

AUDIENCE: . A year later they had been killed in a attack. Auden.

Andrew Cairns stabbed his son and former partner before killing

himself. The inquest heard that the golf tutor, who had a history of

mental illness, had been arrested six days before the killings after

threatening Rachael. He was assessed and released on bail. In statement

Rachael's family said both she and Auden had been let down. We have

spent the last six weeks in the Coroner's Court in Derby hearing of

the failings of Derbyshire Police after they assessed both Rachael and

Auden as being at high-risk of homicide. The inquest jury found

that the failure to warn Rachael of the high-risk posed by Andrew Cairns

had contributed to her and Auden's death. Derbyshire Police said they

had threated the threat seriously. When she was killed, Rachael Slack

had been expecting a baby boy with her new partner, Robert Barlow. She

was a very, very inwardly beautiful woman. The coroner said Rachael's

case raised issues to be considered by the Home Secretary, Derbyshire

Police and the mental health services. A blonde, blue-eyed girl

has been taken away from a Roma family living in Dublin. Police say

they removed the child into temporary care after the family were

not able to provide them with satisfactory proof that the child

was theirs. Chris Buckler is in Dublin for us tonight. Do we know

how this girl was found? This investigation started with a phone

call from a member of the public to the Irish Police. They sthad they

were concerned about a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes who looked

distinctive from the rest of her siblings in a large Roma family. The

family were known from the police. They sent around detectives from the

Child Protection Unit. The couple insisted it was their daughter.

Records at a hospital did not match. They had concerns about other

documentation. Why it's important to emphasise there has been no arrest

the police felt it was important to take the child into care. They have

a care order which lasts for 24-hours. The authorities are now

asking for an interim care order which will last 28 days while this

investigation takes place. Some of this story has echoes of the case in

Greece of the girl Maria who was found with a Roa family there. There

has been large publicity about that, including here in Ireland, it may

have prompted a member of the public to go forward. It's a separate

investigation. Detectives are trying to find the true history and past of

a seven-year-old girl. Thank you. The former Radio 1 DJ, Dave Lee

Travis, has pleaded not guilty to 15 charges of sexual offences. The

68-year-old appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London under his real

name, David Patrick Griffin. The alleged offences were against women

and teenage girls over a 30-year period. His trial is due to start in

January next year. David Cameron has called Facebook irresponsible after

it lifted a ban on graphic. Images, including those showing beheadings

from being posted on its site. Facebook says its one billion global

users should be free to post such material as long as it's clear users

are condemning it. Rory Cellan-Jones reports. It comes with a warning,

but this and other videos showing horrific violence are being widely

shared on Facebook. After reviewing its policies, the social network

decided it would not block them. A decision condemned by the Prime

Minister on Twitter as "irresponsible." Some young Facebook

users agree. Back in May, a teenager started a petition to call for the

banning of the beheading videos. I understand they are trying to let

people demonstrate freedom of speech, however I don't think this

is the right way to go about it. It's a social network. It is where

people come to socialise, young children are on Facebook. No-one

should be exposed to this graphic content. Facebook says it has long

been a place where people share news and views about controversial and

violent events, anything from human rights' abuses to acts of terror.

What is important is the way users treat that material. In a statement

the company said: There is mounting concern about the

impact of this material on young Facebook users. Whatever Facebook

says about safeguards and filters, we know that young children are

bright enough to get round all of this. I do think it will overall

have a harmful effect on young minds. Many Facebook users have

complained about the videos. As things stand, the company has

decided they just don't break its rules.

The time is exactly quarter past six. The top story: A one-off profit

tax on the big energy companies. The former Prime Minister Sir John Major

weighs into the debate about household bills. A backstage tour

like no other. A visit from the Queen marks 50 years of the National

Theatre. Coming up, it is make or break for Celtic in the Champions

League. Nothing less than victory will help them progress.

His name is synonymous with Manchester United. Sir Alex

Ferguson, until his retirement this year, had spent 27 years at that

most famous of clubs. Now he has published a novel biography about

his life and those years which delivered such success. In his

career, he won an astonishing 13 titles, two Champions League and

five FA Cup is. Our sports editor reports on his reign and that famous

argument with one of the biggest names in the game. -- FA Cups. The

most celebrated and feared manager in football history, but no Sir Alex

Ferguson is having to adjust to life without the trophies and the

acclaim. In an interview to accompany the release of his

autobiography he said he is pleased to go out at the top. In a way I am

relieved. I am relieved we won the league as my last act. I think, to

be honest with you, my time had come. In his book he is damaging on

the state of English football. He says the team will never win the

World Cup until coaching and technical ability improves. He has

this message for Greg Dyke's commission. The important thing is

to make sure it gets carried through. There is a certain resolve

and I think that would be important. Have you been asked to go on it?

Now, I don't think they would invite a Scot. I don't think it is my

scene. When it comes to David Beckham, he pulls no punches. He

says his sale in 2003 to real Madrid was prompted after the player had

become distracted by his marriage. -- Real Madrid. She was a big star,

pop star. Obviously, he may be lacked that focus that we needed.

I'm a football man, I'm only interested in what they're doing on

the pitch. We felt it had come to that point where we should let him

go on. You know? I had to keep control of the club. The manager of

Manchester United must be in control. Control is something Alex

Ferguson no longer have, so how is he coping with retirement? I have

done my time, had a fantastic career, fabulous club, I will do

something else. Whatever he does next, Sir Alex Ferguson knows no

British manager is likely to emulate his glittering achievements or match

his dominant presence. The energy supplier ScottishPower has been

fined ?8.5 million for misleading sales practices. Ofgem found

information given to customers was inaccurate. They have apologised and

promised to compensate some of their customers.

On the doorstep and over the phone, ScottishPower is accused of making

inaccurate comparisons on possible bills, giving unreliable information

to customers, misleading overcharges and having inadequate monitoring.

Francis from Portsmouth says she was tricked by ScottishPower into

switching suppliers. She was offered a price which was lower than she

ended up weighing. You believe everything people tell you on the

doorstep but quite clearly I do not know what the reasoning was behind

it but clearly I was not told the truth. Most of the fine will be

divided with 140,000 of the least well off customers. The regulators

have forced the company to set up a ?1 million compensation fund for

anyone who thinks they are being mis-sold. Well we did not find any

evidence that they set out on a strategy to mislead customers,

nonetheless, the feelings we found mean some customers may have been

mis-sold to. ScottishPower, like other big suppliers, has now

abandoned doorstep selling and retrained their staff. We are

writing to all the customers affected, explaining what has

happened, we are apologising and we will pay compensation where

appropriate. The energy industry criticised for raising prices is now

tainted by mis-selling. It has been a week since operators

at the Grangemouth oil refinery closed the plan because of a dispute

with the unions over pay and pensions. Today, the Scottish

government said it was in discussions with potential new

buyers for the site. The billionaire owner of this site, Jim Ratcliffe,

has spent the day weighing up what to do about it. The staff will be

told his decision tomorrow. They will be watched closely by the

public and politicians alike. Bordered by fields and the Firth of

Forth lies Scotland's largest industrial complex. You could fit

more than 600 football pitches on this site. Nearly 1400 people work

here and thousands more depend on it. The site below us is important,

not just in terms of economic, not just in terms of industry, but in

terms of politics as well. For many people, Grangemouth is a sign of

Scottish press these. That is why the Scottish government have stepped

in, searching for a buyer. -- Scottish prestige. I think there are

interested parties, interested in taking over, but the overriding

priority is to get the site fired back-up, get the trade union to

cooperate, make sure we have this plan making a substantive

contribution to the Scottish economy. But the owners shows no

sign of wanting to sell. It is trying to cut Labour costs, forcing

through changes to pay and pensions. Hundreds of workers have rejected

the proposals. We will get settled one way or another. They will have

to sign or they will not have a job. It is really bad, and the knock-on

effect for other people here could well be the death knell for

Grangemouth. Range most matters. It produces 9 million litres of clean

fuel every day. It makes up 13 fined 4% -- 13.4% of the refining capacity

and provides 70% of Scotland's fuel. That is just the refinery. The

petrochemicals business here is also a big deal. The products it makes

our fundamental to lots of industries and services.

Agricultural on the one hand, through to retailing, plastic bags,

that sort of thing. How big a blow with the closure be? Extremely big.

A couple of percent of GDP. That is why workers, locals and politicians

alike are looking for signs that a deal can be done. Within the past

hour, both the Scottish and UK governments have confirmed they have

had further discussions today about the Grangemouth site. Both sides

agree that it is a great deal at stake, and both governments very

urgently wanted deal to be done now for the good of the country. -- want

a deal. William Hague has reaffirmed that President Assad can play no

role in any future Syrian government. His comments come as

Western and Arab leaders met members of the Syrian opposition to persuade

them to attend peace talks next month. A prominent faction of the

opposition coalition has already said it will not attend the talks up

the Queen opened the National Theatre featuring Peter O'Toole 50

years ago. 800 productions later, she was back on stage today. It is

part of the anniversary celebrations. We have been looking

at what the theatre has achieved. The Queen, backstage at the Royal

National Theatre. 50 years after the curtain went up on its first

production, Shakespeare's Hamlet, with Peter O'Toole as the Danish

prince. Vanessa Redgrave's father played Claudius. It was immensely

exciting, it was a wonderful venture already to have begun the company.

Laurence Olivier, very many extraordinary actors. Laurence

Olivier was the founding director. He presented a brief of classics

alongside contemporary plays. It was a dream. We to have a National

Theatre, the French have bears, etc. And it seemed we should have a

central place. -- the French have theirs. In the last decade it has

become a more astute operation. They have transferred place to Broadway.

They have hoped to double the income. There is no doubt the

National Theatre has made a great success of its home in London but

what effect has had on the nation's theatre? Those regional houses which

survive on a fraction of its money. I went to Newcastle to find out and

speak to the man behind the Pitman Painter. It started life here. What

can it do more to help regional theatre? Collaborate on productions,

that is probably the best way. I think the National Theatre

understanding its re-met is also regional as well as Central. --

remit. It has been criticised for becoming too big and dominant but

others argue it has set standards, produced shows, and developed a

board -- business model admired around the world. Now the weather.

Good evening, sometimes the weather is a bit like theatre, it is all

about the timing. We can be grateful with the weather this evening, what

is brewing up for us is going to be coming through at its worse in the

small hours. We are looking at a line of active thunderstorms which

will make their way in before the day is done. They will push through

in the small hours. The wind could be problematic in the south coast,

possibly even damaging. Another mile night with temperatures in double

figures. Wednesday gets off to an overcast start. Ricky Windy. --

pretty. It will improve and the southern half of the British Isles

will be dry. There will be showers to the north-west, to take us to the

second half of the day. It is improving across Scotland, with

sunshine in the East. Strong wind, the same can be said of the

Pennines. In the West, some scattered showers. A greatly

improved picture. What a difference further south. Clear blue skies and

the prospect of sunshine. Temperatures of 17 degrees. Still

very much milder. This is Thursday, the quietest day of the week. Some

showers in the far north, and towards the far south, but fine

weather around on Thursday. A little bit colder. But look at Friday. This

big area of low pressure comes zooming in from the south-west, it

spread to all parts of the British Isles through Friday. It will bring

strong wind. Something drier and brighter on the south. It will be

pretty soggy. Thank you. That is all from the BBC. We can