26/06/2011 The Politics Show East Midlands

Here in the East Midlands: For legal aid over a prison death.

The �1 million contract which failed to check out the company

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2507 seconds

involved. Plus the MP who wants to Hello, I'm Quentin Rayner, and some

searching questions in the East Midlands.

This young father committed suicide in prison. His family want to know

why they had to threaten legal action before they won the right to

be represented at his inquest. hands are tied behind your back if

you cannot afford legal representation. You basically have

to pay for it yourself, but if you cannot afford it, what can you do?

Why did a primary care trust make a series of mistakes over a contract

to a company that has gone bust? Blunders that could cost them

hundreds of thousands of pounds. Will the Government safeguard the

future of the children's heart unit in Leicester?

And on a lighter note, grousing up one of our MPs and it's all in the

First, it was a double tragedy for a Derby family when, like his

brother before him, Simon Gregory committed suicide in prison. His

family believe he was failed by the prison system. And, as Robin Powell

reports, they even had to fight to be represented at his inquest.

The Gregorys from Derby appeared to be a typical happy family, these

smiling faces giving no hint at all of the tragedies to unfold. But

Philip Gregory fell into drugs and, consequently, crime. 12 years ago

he hanged himself at Leicester Prison. Younger brother Simon, to

whom he'd been close, then went off the rails as well. Eight years

later, he took his life, in exactly the same way, at Chelmsford Prison.

It was hard to take, to see that one brother had died and then

another brother had died in the same way. There was obviously

something fundamentally wrong with the prison service for people to

die like they are. Though overcome with grief, the family wanted

answers. For those they needed a lawyer to represent them at the

inquest. But while the Prison Officers' Association had its costs

paid for by the taxpayer, the family was denied Legal Aid. Unable

to afford anything like the �15 required, the family feared they'd

never find out the circumstances surrounding Simon's death. -- a

�15,000. No way should beat family have to push for months and risk

the fact that you might not be able to give that person the justice

they deserve. It was only at the last minute that the Gregorys'

appeal succeeded and they were granted Legal Aid. The Legal

Services Commission told us that Legal Aid is not routinely

available for inquests and in most cases the Coroner is able to ensure

an effective investigation. But the Gregorys' solicitor says that's a

dangerous assumption to make, and with the Government about to cut

almost �300 million from the Legal Aid budget, more families like

theirs will go unrepresented. proposed cuts to the legal aid

budget are fundamentally misconstrued and will strike at the

very heart of justice. Access to justice and equal access to justice

regardless of whether or not we have the means to pay it is a

fundamental pillar of our welfare state. With the help of the

Gregorys' legal team, the inquest did unveil serious failings that

contributed to Simon's death. Classic warning signs had gone

unheeded. Simon had repeatedly talked about his brother killing

himself and wanting to do the same. The day before he died, he'd slit

his wrists. Life-saving equipment was not working, they were under

staffed, one prison officer was having to look after hundred and 27

people. That is shocking, especially on a wink when you have

people who are at a high risk of self-harm. One person cannot keep

an eye on everyone. -- 127 people. The government is meant to be

looking after the people. They are being punished for what they have

done wrong, but they have a duty of care to people. To give them a

phone number if they have problems is not enough. We asked the

Ministry of Justice to respond to the inquest findings and to explain

how it intends to act on them. Instead, it simply gave us a brief

statement, saying, the national under management service will

consider what lessons can be learnt. But the Prison Officers'

Association says that far from learning lessons, the Government's

putting vulnerable prisoners at even greater risk.

You could take any prison in the country and it would have the same

problems of resources, the same problems of training, the same

problems and pressures because the prison population is spiralling out

of control. It is 85,000 compared to before. There are not enough

staff, they keep cutting budgets and we just cannot guarantee any

one's safety any more. Simon's case demonstrates that

where corners are cut, it is a false economy. The impact of a lack

of staffing, lack of proper medical equipment and care and support,

ultimately caused huge amounts of distress to bereaved families, but

also a great cost to the public as a whole as a result of the inquest

and the procedures that need to be implemented. Getting to the bottom

of how Simon died has given his surviving siblings at least some

cause for comfort. But his mother's still too upset to speak to us. Two

of her sons have hanged themselves. Had they received the support in

prison they needed, the family says they might still be alive today.

We asked for an interview with the Prisons Minister, Crispin Blunt,

but we were told he was unavailable. Next, when Primary Care Trusts

commission building work, you'd think they'd make all the necessary

financial checks first. But not apparently in Leicestershire and

Rutland. The trust there paid �1.5 million to Modcon UK to build a new

Day Case unit in Market Harborough. But the company has since collapsed

after a winding up order was brought by Revenue and Customs.

Worse, the Trust has admitted it didn't make financial checks before

giving Modcon the contract. And it failed at the outset to ask for a

bank guarantee. Lots of questions you might think for the Trust to

answer. But they've declined to join us. On the line now from

Westminster, the MP for Harborough Edward Garnier. And here in the

studio, Harborough district councillor, Phil Knowles.

Edward, if I can start with you, what do you make of the way the

Primary Care trusts have handled the contract? This is just the

latest example of what I would describe as shambolic behaviour by

PCT. This latest disaster with Modcon applies to this particular

Primary Care Trust, but over the last 10 years, previous

manifestations of the National Health Service have invested huge

sums of money, going into the millions, into hospital projects

and we still have not got what the public has a right to expect.

Focusing on this unit, the think it is incredible that they failed to

get a banker's guarantee and carry out financial checks? I wish it

were incredible, but it is all too believable. When this PCT

administers its contract, if it were not lamentable, it would be

laughable. This is just the latest example in his long and farcical

saga. They ought to be ashamed of themselves. Have a broken

government rules? They have broken their own rules. They did not use a

contractor on the official National Health Service, government contract

as list. They did not get a bank guarantee all rate bond. They

contracted with a company which has now been wound up, allowing huge

sums of money to the Revenue and Customs. You could not make this up.

But they did put out a tender to an outside group of quantity surveyors.

That was very nice. Phil, let's bring you in. You worry local

councillor. What are people telling you about this? I am very much with

Edward on this one. The people in Harborough are annoyed beyond

belief. You have a situation where this company formed an embryonic

outfit in October 2009. By Jenny 2010, it was being awarded a

contract. Within nine days of the contract being cancelled in June

2011, this company was wound up in the Crown Court. The whole thing is

a shambles. PCT has put its hand up -- hands up and apologised. They

have identified what went wrong and appropriate measures have been put

in place to stop this happening again. I do not accept that. This

is about public accountability. The PCT have been on the cusp of

disaster time and time again with these things. The PCT, in their own

documents, have highlighted the fact that for 15 years prior to

that meeting, they were trying to put schemes together in Harborough

and they failed to do so. The whole thing is a shambles. The PCT has

admitted it was three months after signing the contract that these

issues came to light about the bank guarantee. What the make of that

admission? It is a disgrace. The PCT confirmed that they did not

even get anyone with a legal background to overlook the contract.

They took literally and off the shelf contract pack, adapted it to

what they need, for some reason they omitted to have the clause in

it which requires a financial guarantee. They only found out

about that by some stroke of luck. When everything went wrong, they

involved people with a legal background. It is a disaster.

Edward, despite the delay, the trust maintains that the autumn of

costs will come in on budget. Are you convinced? Will it be around

�2.3 million? Be admitted when I took the matter to the minister

earlier this week, the chief executive of the PCT said they

would go over budget by a few tens of thousands of pounds. This is

public money. We cannot have large public infrastructure projects

being dealt with in this way. We need financial accountability. This

is taxpayers' money, the National Health Service, we should be

serving the patience of my constituency. It is worse than

incompetence. For the chief executive suit -- to sit there and

the sake either she did not know the answer to the questions that I

was put into her, which reflect the questions you have been asking me,

all she had inadequate answers, is in my view disgraceful. I hope that

the minister, who I sat with during that discussion, we look into this

matter, will come back with some answers either from his own

officials or extracted from the PCT. In the light of your meeting and

you severe criticisms, do you think that there should be a Department

of Health investigation into this was much I have asked the minister

to do precisely that. He has assured me that unless this project

is completed by the now delight timetable of 20th January 12, I

will be permitted to go into that ministerial room with the PCT and

the atmosphere will be rather different. There will not be any

coffee on order. The thing is, Edward, this has gone on for so

long. It has reached the point that when I contacted you in May and

said take this to the minister, I applaud what you have done and

support it, it really has reached the point where enough is enough.

The only way we will get public accountability is to get this thing

plus doubt with a formal inquiry. The sooner the minister calls a

public inquiry, the sooner we have this public accountability. Briefly,

both of you, what action the one to see taken? We have to get the

minister to call the public inquiry. I have offered to go down to

support Edward and give as much information as we can to the

minister. People have to be accountable, this is public money

and the whole thing is a shambles. This needs opening and opening soon.

If this is not done quickly, the whole thing will go off the rails.

-- the rails. We have run at a time. And staying on the health theme,

patients and medical staff across the East Midlands are anxiously

awaiting the final decision on a review of services for children

with heart problems. It's likely to mean fewer specialist centres

across the country. Most of the options under consideration

recommend keeping the unit at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester.

But the uncertainty continues. And our MPs have been making their

views felt in a special debate at Westminster.

It serves my constituents extremely well and I am in for all and

admiration of those who work there, from the surgeons, those who run

the intensive care unit, the nurses and the staff who packed the

walkers stadium for the consultation meeting last Thursday.

I want to focus my remarks on something that is unique and

specific to Glenfield Hospital and that is our a e-commerce service.

This service is world class. As I understand it, it is a heart and

lung machine that rest of the lungs and heart of a patient waiting for

recovery. I have been told by many at Glenfield Hospital that this

pitch -- procedure was pioneered it to Enfield 20 years ago. They have

over 10 machines now. Glenfield Hospital is the only centre in the

country that provides this machine for patients of all ages. We should

of course recognise that the whole subject of child heart surgery has

form in the history of the National Health Service. It is now over a

decade ago that the review was published into circumstances that

illustrate what can go tragically wrong when things are allowed to

drift on and real issues are not addressed. So while I am here of

course as a member representing my constituents interest, I think the

key priority for the House this afternoon is to support the

principle that this is an issue which must be brought to a decision

in the interests of the children who are the patients and to become

the adult patients. The provision of children's heart surgery has

been a cause for concern since the Bristol Royal Infirmary inquiry in

the late 1990s. Understandably, there has been considerable

pressure from national parents' groups and professionals to ensure

that children receive the best treatment. That is the sole purpose

of the is safe and sustainable review. It is to make certain that

children with congenital heart problems recede the very best

levels of care now and into the future. Do this, we must be certain

that the sentence in which surgery takes place are as good as they

possibly can be. -- the centres. I'm sure we will all agree that the

final decision must be made by clinicians on the basis of evidence

and not on political considerations. I hope the joint committee of PCTs

will look at the points raised during these debates and then make

their final recommendations in the very best interests of patients.

Next, Members of Parliament are used to people giving them a hard

time. But here in the East Midlands we have an MP who'd be delighted if

we gave him the bird. No, really! Charles Hunter can tell you why.

The United States of America has the Eagle - the bald eagle to be

precise - a symbol of that nation's alleged might and power. India's

national bird, the peacock, is equally majestic. And now a

campaign has started here in the East Midlands for a UK national

bird. In fact it's a bird you'd more

readily associate with tweed, with shotguns and with the odd glass of

alcohol. Ladies and gentlemen, I When you see it in flight, they

will follow the control of the ground at great speed. This is why

it is a sporting challenge. It is a very beautiful bird, very noble.

The colours are extraordinary. With it being a native bird, not to be

found anywhere else, that fulfils all of the ideal criteria for being

nominated as a national bird. Barry Atkinson started this

campaign as an extension of his charity fundraising activities

beating for shoots all over the country. And he's persuaded his

local MP to table an Early Day Motion. Barry came to me and said

look we don't have a national bird. And rather than going for something

that was very obvious he made the case for the red grouse I thought

extremely capably. So, yeah, I decided to take the cause up and

bring it forward to Parliament. It's good-looking, it's photogenic

- I think it's a great symbol of this country. The Peak District is

as far south as you'll find any red grouse in England. But some of the

stallholders in Bakewell Market had other ideas for a national bird.

go for either a blackbird or robin. He's there in the winter, he's

there in the summer. We always cheer up when we see the robin.

think the robin would be a good idea, or maybe the wren. It's a

nuthatch, it's such a nice bird and they run up and down the trees.

They are lovely birds. I like the robin. I think is such a friendly

happy-looking bird and it sticks out in your garden. Kingfisher, I

think. It's bonny to see flying down the river it shimmers in the

light. Well the red grouse isn't introduced it's been here since

Well, it goes back to the year, the year dot. OK, so we prompted him a

bit - he does represent the field sports tendency after all.

speed of it mainly. By the time they've put the gun up, it's gone.

Not everyone's so keen on a national bird that's often seen as

something for rich people to shoot at. I've never seen a red grouse.

And I suppose if you asked half the people that buy birdseed they're

not feeding grouses. Let them who've got lots of money go and

play with the red grouse and shoot it or whatever. We have the robin.

I don't like shooting birds at all. It's not for me. Why have a

national bird that you want to kill? The thing about that is that

supports the red grouse. I've never actually spoken to a grouse that's

been educated at a major public school or one of the big

universities. I don't think it give a good goddam who shoots at it

frankly or any sort of class consciousnesses. This is a splendid,

strong, resilient, determined bird which lives inside all the

countries inside Great Britain. How could we fail to have this as out