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Ballot of Public and Commercial Services union members at government's biggest department could see 80,000 walk out Tens of thousands of workers in the government's biggest department are voting on whether to strike in a dispute over jobs. Balloting of union members at the Department for Work and Pensions closes on 10 January, and the first walkout could be held towards the end of the month, followed by an overtime ban. The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, which has 80,000 members at the department, launched the ballot in protest at a number of compulsory redundancies. Notices...

Some 24.5 children in every 100,000 in Britain develop the condition, putting the UK behind Finland, Sweden, Saudi Arabia and Norway The UK has the fifth highest rate in the world of children with type 1 diabetes, which can lead to serious health problems such as blindness and strokes, new research shows. Some 24.5 children in every 100,000 aged 14 and under develop the condition, according to figures produced by the International Diabetes Federation. Finland tops an international league table of 88 countries, compiled by Diabetes UK from the data, with a rate of 57.6 per 100,000 children in 2011...

Mayor of London says Disability Living Allowance proposals could push a disadvantaged group into deeper poverty The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has placed himself at loggerheads with the government over benefit changes after he formally objected to controversial cuts to disability payments. Johnson's response to a consultation on changes to Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is critical of planned changes that will see hundreds of thousands of disabled people potentially lose benefits of up to £70 a week for care and mobility expenses. Johnson is concerned that the changes could lead to...

Health secretary appoints outsider to look into new allegations about Care Quality Commission The health secretary, Andrew Lansley, has ordered an urgent investigation into claims that the board of the regulator responsible for overseeing NHS hospitals and care homes has been prevented from questioning whether the chief executive should continue in her job. In an unprecedented move, Lansley has gone outside the Department of Health and appointed Gill Rider, president of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a former Cabinet Office civil servant, to investigate claims that the...

Porridge, brown rice and cereals reduce danger but 'no significant evidence' that fruit and vegetables do the same A diet high in fibre-rich foods such as porridge, brown rice and cereal cuts the risk of bowel cancer, according to an analysis of 25 studies. Experts said cereal fibre and whole grains in particular cut the risk but found "no significant evidence" of a reduction for fibre in fruit, vegetables and legumes such as lentils and beans. The study, published online in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), found that for every 10g increase in daily fibre intake, there was a...