The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 2

the HOME NEWS THE GUARDIAN Saturday 'April 7 1984 2. Greenham women are kept on the move Chancellor's radical claims Tax and benefit changes deepen the poverty trap By Christopher Huhne The combined effect of theGovernment's recent tax and benefit changes is to deepen the poverty trap in which poor families face very high tax rates for extra work. The finding, made public yesterday by the Institute for Fiscal Studies at its special conference on the budget, is one of several which undermine the Chancellor's claim to have introduced radical and taxreforming measures. The IFS researchers also find that anomalies in the way savings are treated by the tax system have been reduced only marginally and remain more important than the pre-tax return on investments in detemining the saver's final return. Other findings are that the burden of tax on those in work is still much higher than it was in 1979, and that poor people with no income tax liability have suffered from the switch from direct to indirect taxation such as VAT.

The number of households facing marginal tax rates of 70 per cent or more, due to higher tax and loss of benefits as their incomes rises, will increase from 1.7 cent to 3 per cent. This is mainly because the Chancellor's increase in personal al tax allowances has very little effect in relieving the poverty trap, while the increased clawback of housing benfit this month substantially worsens it. The figures, based on a sample of 28,000 households in the official Family Expenditure Survey, also show that poor families facing a marginal rate of more than 60 per cent will increase from 4 per cent to 5.6 per cent. The IFS points out that an increase tends to benefit pensioners, working juveniles, rather than the heads of households whose needs imply high benefit take-up and high marginal rates. ances budget did not neath increase in allowaffect pensioners since a age allowances were raised only in line with prices.

The IFS says only 20 per cent of those taken out of tax the budget were heads of households. 46 Changes to family income supplementenchta are benefit much or better targeted than are changes to tax allowances," the paper by Andrew Ditnot says. Substantial improvements can only be achieved by a thorough-going reform of the benefit system, he says. "In a separate paper John Hills of the IFS. concludes that 20 the Chancellor's middle way of removing anomalies in the tax treatment of savings is a 44 dead end 13 since there is little more than he can do without fundamentally changing the income tax system to make all savings allowable against tax.

Though the abolition of life assurance premium relief is an advance towards tax neutrality for savings, the system remains anomalous with post-tax returns of various investments highly sensitive to inflation." RUC to investigate incursion co From Paul Johnson in Belfast The Royal Ulster constabulary is to conduct its own infernal investigation into undisputed allegations that senior officers were involved in an elaborate cover-up designed 1o conceal an incursion by Special Branch officers into the Republic. inquiry, which comes at the request of the Eirector of Public Prosecutions, will also look into claims that officers also told a constable to falsify a statement so as to hide the involvement of an army surveillance team in an elaborate security operation which ended in the deaths of two unarmed terrorist suspects. It was clear yesterday despite an, ambassador apology, in by Dublin, the British Alan Mr Goodison, to the Irish government over the apparent" incident in December 1982, that the row will rumble on, doing little for Anglo-Irish relations. Mr McCusker: Gardai cross border too 'IRA scout' A retired civil servant accused of murdering. the deputy governor of the Maze prison, Mr William McConnell, was yesterday refused bail by a judge in Belfast.

The prosecution claimed that Owen Connolly, aged 63, had scouted Mr McConnell's home for the Provisional IRA. He was also alleged to have told police that he allowed the murder gang to use his home before and after the shooting. Opposing bail, counsel said that the serious nature of the murder charge outweighed those provisions. Connolly's lawyer cited his age and exemplary war record as an RAF pilot and navigator as being exceptional grounds. A member of the Ulster De- By Paul Brown THE Greenham protesters were reduced to sleeping in the open without cover last night after another day of evictions and being moved on by the police, Some women who were arrested for standing in the way of contractors ripping up trees on the common were released without charge.

All the women were repeatedly moved. on by the police. Among visitors to the camp yesterday was Lord Longford. The evictions outside the main gate began before 7 a.m., when women sleeping in survival bags in the open NEWS IN BRIEF Whitehall pension bait ABOUT 100 senior servants will be asked to retire early this year in an attempt to make room for young highflyers increasingly discontented by the promotion blockage in writes Richard Norton scheme will be limited to staff over 55, mainly in the top four Whitehall grades. According to Whitehall's management and personnel Office, officials who opt early retirement will not lose any pension rights and will receive a lump sum equal to half a year's pay.

A total reduction, of more than 100,000 posts throughout the Civil Service since 1979, includes a 20 per cent in the number of senior Whitehall jobs. Mother source of TB outbreak A MOTHER who helped out at a pre-school playgroup Christmas party at Holsworthy, north Devon, was confirmed yesterday as source of an outbreak of tuberculosis. being treated the disease A dozen young, children are and checks are being made on everyone who came into contact with them. By "Secret cash 'of dead arms dealer THE arms dealer John Long. staff, who was found with his throat cut in an aircraft lavatory may have had a secret cash hoard hidden on the Continent.

West Yorkshire police coning firmed a telephone call to Mr that they are investigatLongstaff's widow which said that he had £300,000 in a safe deposit box in Amsterdam along with details of his arms dealing. Pickets support hospital strikers ABOUT 100 members of the National Union of Public Employees yesterday picketed the London head offices of Pritchard Group, one of the main companies involved in the privatisation of health and local authority services. The demonstration was in support of about 90 cleaners at Barking general hospital east London, who have been asked 3 Pritchard subsidary, Crothall, take a pay cut through reduced hours. The cleaners, have been on strike since March 19, were replaced this week. Labour invites Irish leader THE Irish deputy premier, Mr Dick Spring, yesterday accepted an invitation to address MPs in London after publication of the report by New Ireland Forum, which is expected shortly.

Mr Spring, leader of the Irish Labour Party, was invited by Labour's Northern Ireland spokesman, Mr Peter Archer, Police are cautious on Libyan warning SCOTLAND YARD last night tried to play down this weekend's antiterrorist operations, despite a warning from a ormer Libyan prime minister in Cairo that President Gadafy planned further attacks on opponents, writes David Hearst. The silence from police, who would only say that April 7 and 8 are significant dates in the Libyan calendar, contrasts with last month's official warning which was followed by bombings in London and Manchester. were woken by bailiffs and any belongings they did not immediately carry off were taken away. and Police took extinguished frewood fires away which had been donated well wishers. The police sald it was being confiscated as camping equipment.

They stacked it next to a bonfire built inside, the contractors' enclosure which they use to keep themselves warm. Vigilantes have again been attacking the women 'despite the permanent presence of the police within a few yards of the campers. One of the women's vans had a brick thrown through the window and the tyre of another car was slashed. After a week of constant evictions many of the women were showing signs of exhaustion yesterday but were hoping that more supporters would arrive at the weekend. Rebecca Johnson, whose car tyre was slashed, said: 16 We are constantly moved on and threatened arrest at every turn.

Sometimes the police are not clear under which law, bylaw or rule they are operating and neither are we, but being arrested is no fun, So we. move on." The contractors for the slip road scheme at the main gate have painted out all the names on their vehicles so that they cannot be Identified. They are putting up a new 8ft perimeter fence round the road work to protect the area from fresh uncroachment by the women. Ms Johnson said: I WAS very upset when they started ripping down the trees on the common outside the area of the road works and we tried to stop them, but were arrested. Since we were protecting trees on common land, the.

police decided not to charge us but we failed to save the trees." The women sald they were determined to continue the protest even though some of them are now reduced to the possessions they can carry on their backs. In a Commons written reply yesterday Mr John Stanley, the Armed Forces Minister, said that regular psychological tests are carried out on United States servicemen in charge of missile firing mechanisms. In reply to a question from the Labour MP, Mr Eric said: understand that US Deakins (Walthamstow) he servicemen engaged in sensltive areas are subject to stringent and regular screening, and that this includes psychological tests." The Social Services Secretary, Mr Norman Fowler, meets Tadworth patient Vicky Adam, aged seven, and her mother, Jane, during his visit to the hospital Picture by Garry Weaser Tadworth hospital seeks to repair decaying buildings By David Hencke, Social Services Correspondent. Tadworth Court the Surchildren's hospital saved from closure by government in.tervention after a. campaign led by Spastics Society needs another £500,000 to save its listed buildings.

Mr Norman Fowler, the Social Services Secretary, who visited the hospital yesterday has received a further request for cash from the trustees who took Last over year the hospitaler agreed to give the hospital an annual grant of £890,000 for the next three years. But the money will not go up with inflation and the trust expects to raise more cash by charging health authorities and social service Pay slip law broken by DHSS By John Ardill, Labour Correspondent The Department of Health and Social Security admitted yesterday that it is breaking the law by not issuing pay slips promptly to more than 80,000 monthly-paid members of its staff. The slips are being held up by an overtime ban at the department's main offices in Newcastle upon Tyne, where several hundred computer staff are protesting at shift work proposals which would cut earnings. A spokesman for the department said yesterday that priority was being given to payment of pensions and salaries. Mr Geoff Lewtas, national officer of the Civil and Public Services Association, representing about 400.

workers who have been in dispute at Newcastle since November, said the overtime ban was also delaying the dispatch of benefit records to local offices. The department was sending out new pension order books by first class mail to ensure that they arrived in time. He said his members stood to lose nearly £10 a week through a proposed cut in their shift allowances. Higher grade staff would lose more. Negotiations are continuing.

Quiet family funeral for shot diplomat Kenneth Whitty, the British diplomat shot dead in Greece 10 days ago, was buried after a quiet family funeral in the small East Sussex village of Alfriston yesterday. Mr Whitty, aged 44, a cultural attache working for the British Council in Athens, was shot by a terrorist as he drove home from his office. A Greek librarian he was giving a lift to was injured and died later. About 30 people attended the 10 10-minute service, followed by the burial at the parish church of St Andrew's. OBITUARY Wartime head of Bomber Command Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris, wartime Commander of Bomber Command, has died at his home, aged 91.

Sir Arthur, who had undergone tests in hospital six months ago, died in his sleep on Thursday night. A private funeral will be held next Wednesday in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Group Captain Leonard Cheshire writes: Sir Arthur Harris, was one of the great figures of World War Two, ranked by the BBC in their series The Commanders along. side MacArthur, Eisenhower, Slim, Zhukov, Rommel and Yamamoto. Even at this high level he stands out as a leader of the highest calibre, whose hold over his command was never less than total and who, despite heavy and continuous casualties, was able to win and sustain the respect of his officers and men to an extraordinary degree.

If this 'is not the way he is generally remembered it is because controvery surrounding the bomber offensive has obscured his remarkable qualities, the gentle and caring side of his character and the true worth of his achievement. The sad truth is that when the war ended and bombing turned out no longer to be a political asset those who had decided upon the strategy of heavy bombing and had chosen him as the man to carry it out now turned their backs on him. He was highly decorated by the United States, France, Poland, Brazil and the Soviet Union, but minimally and only belatedly by own country. In 1919 he was given a permanent commission in the RAF, and was appointed Command-in-Chief, Bomber Contmand on February 23, 1942, a few weeks before his 50th birthday. The war had just entered a new and critical phase, and Europe remained an unassaultable fortress.

Somehow, a way had to be to found of slowing down Germany's war production, of engaging and defeating the Luftwaffe and of prising open a door for the invasion that would ultimately have to A naval blockade was impossible; only Bomber Command had the power to carry the offensive to Germany. A new policy of area bombing was introduced. Harris was instructed to implement this policy by attacking whole urban areas with the objective of destroying the total Nazi war machine. He was convinced The Irish government wants to learn much more about the operation, such as at what level it was authorised, and whether the Northern Ireland Office was aware of what was happening. The claims of a cover-up and -border operation contrary explicit RUC instructions were first made public during, the Robinson, trial who of was Constable cleared on Tuesday of the murder of Irish National Liberation Army member, Seamus Grew.

During the trial, Constable Robinson handed the judge, Mr Justice MacDermott, a note with the names of four officers who, he claimed, had fabricated a false version of events. One of them is believed to be a superintendent and another a chief inspector. At time the RUC said that the suspect's had crashed through a routine road block, injuring one policeman. None of this was true. Mr Harold McCusker, MP.

deputy leader of the Official Unionist Party, voiced concern yesterday over the speed of the Government's apology to the Irish government. In an interview on BBC that Gardai regularly entered radio, Mr McCusker a claimed South Armagh during the middle 1970s. He alleged that on one occasion police from the Republic questioned a man in Ireland about a murder. The incident had not been made public at the time because the man concerned was in fear of his life. Mr McCusker said that while he welcomed cooperation between the two.

police forces, cross operations were to frowned upon because they could lead to the creation of an 1-Ireland police force. refused bail year-old Roman Catholic in the city last year. David Henry Baird, aged 26, a storeman with an address at UDR headquarters, Lisburn, is accused of murdering Martin Malone, a farm labourer, on July 30. He was remanded in custody. More than 50 petrol bombs were thrown at police in Londonderry during Thursday and early yesterday morning.

About 150 youths the bombs at a police Land-Rover patrolling through Bogside. No police officers were injured and plastic bullets were fired into the crowd. fence Regiment appeared at a special sitting of Armagh magistrates' court yesterday charged with murdering an 18 His widow, Susannah, was joined by her four teenage sons, Christopher, Robert, James and David. Among the mourners were Mrs Whitty's brother, Mr Christopher Macrae, who is also a diplomat, and her husband's former chief in Greece, Mr James Took. An international scholarship fund is to be set up in memory of Mr Whitty by his widow.

The fund will provide scholarships for sixth-formers to come to Britain from Open and shut case. for training reprieve departments. for services. trust it has- found. that about £500,000 needs to be spend.

on maintaining buildings neglected by the previous owners, the Great Ormond Street' Hospital 'for Sick Children. The building, Tadworth Court itself, "a listed building, is in bad conditon, Mr Fowler said. that Tadswitch from National Health Service to the voluntary sector would not be the first of many such moves. 16 Tadworth Court Hospital is not meant to be a model for others to he said. The hospital has 30 children suffering from various disabilities from cystic fibrosis to mental and physical handicaps.

Mr George Gardiner, the Conservative MP For Reigate is also' running an appeal to raise £750,000 for an endowment fund. Already £350,000 has been raised from City institutions and the scheme is supported by the Legal and General Assurance Company. Nursing and administrative staff said yesterday that they accepted the trust's decision not recognise trade unions although staff were allowed to join them. The Royal College of Nursing is actively encouraging nursing staff to join while they are employed at Tadworth. Five charities the new hospital, including Spastics bathe Society, Royal Mencap and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Thatcher emphasises role for youth and technology By Colin Brown, Political Staff Mrs Thatcher yesterday attempted to counter criticism that her Government lacked a political strategy for the future. She told Conservative students at Loughborough University that the Government's policy was intended to bring about a long overdue return to sound finance, economic freedom and enterprise. While her speech contained many themes expanded in the past by Mrs Thatcher it also echoed the former Labour Prime Minister, Lord Wilson in its enthusiasm for new technology. She admitted that unemploy. ment remained a dark side to what she described as a bright Poison find in shop From Paul Johnson in Belfast Police in Ireland confirmed yesterday that poison had been found in a shop belonging to the supermarket chain which has received threats twice within the last month.

A small amount of poison was found in a Londonderry branch of Dunnes stores last month, but it had not been in contact with food. This was revealed after a new series of threats had been Issued by anonymous callers to television stations. The business, which consists of 70 stores, 50 of them in the Republic, run by Mr Ben Dunne Junior, who two years ago was kidnapped and held for six days by the IRA. A ransom demand of £500,000 was made, but he was tually released unharmed. Last month, Dunnes was told by callers believed to be linked with the outlawed Ulster' Volunteer Force, that food in their shops would be poisoned unless £150,000 was handed over.

Three men have been charged with demanding money with menaces. industrial renaissance. But Mrs Thatcher suggested that one of its causes was the increase in the numbers of school leavers. She emphasised the advantage of robots. sell said: But what the most sophisticated automatic machinery cannot do is to discover new products and new ways of satisfying consumer needs this is the role the entrepreneur, the go getter even the dreamer." This course was chancy and exciting but the reward could be huge, Mrs Thatcher told her student audience.

We need this enterprise and you can deliver it." There were no short cuts and the soft option of a permissive monetary policy would only bring inflation and unemployment, she said. Owen in debate row By our Political Staff Dr David Owen, the SPD leader, yesterday accused Labour and the Government of a conspiracy to divide Commons debating time between themselves. He also attacked Labour for not seeking a debate on coal industry but using the possibility of an emergency debate to discuss complaints about police action It is clearly wrong that this procedure should now be used to get the Labour Party off the hook on its refusal to for debate," said Dr Owen. use de proper Opposition day "How can we castigate those who take their protests on to the streets when we cannot even take protest on to the floor of the Commons. The Labour Party diverts attention by attacking the police.

The Government diverts attention by attacking Labour. It is the shameful, shabby affair." The' SDP has selected Mr David Dunn, aged 37, a political lecturer, to fight the forthcoming Stafford byelection for the Alliance, Mr Dunn came second the late Sir Hugh Fraser at the general election. I By Andrew Moncur IN A single day of civic dignity a training centre for the unemployed yesterday smartened itself up for its opening, mourned its closurc--and celebrated a sudden reprieve. The Apex Trust Hackney Centre in east London had expected it to be a relatively open-and-shut case of a new service being officially launched and simultancously sunk for lack of funds. Mrs Bella Callaghan, the mayor of Hackney, had been invited to call, sign a scroll and declare the centre open for business, helping exoffenders and other disadvantaged unemployed people.

The event was also announced as the centre's closing ceremony, since its annual of £60,000 from the Manpower Services Commission had been halted from May 1. But only five hours before the centre was due to be honourably launched and decently mourned it was given the news of the reprieve. The MSC confirmed that the unit had been granted a four- week extension of contract and that its funding for the next year would be renegotiated. But its budget seems likely to be reduced. "It looks like good news for Hackney," said an MSC spokesman.

But the Apex Trust replied that the episode confirmed that the commission's voluntary projects programme was still seriously short of money. The Hackney centre, which alms to help 500 unemployed people a year to learn new skills--including applying for jobs-is one of seven Apex units which have faced the threat of closure. The trust needed another £350,000 from the MSC programme to keep the centres in operation but had been told that the money would not be available. The trust runs 11 centres which have helped 400 people to find employment in the past year. Its clients include ex- prisoners and illiterate jobless, the very people who, it says, would be worst hit by the MSC's proposed switch towards self-service jobshops and jobpoints, announced earlier this week.

The commission said that the reprieve had come hecause of a decision to handle funding applications at a local area level, rather than at national level. The local area office has managed to look at its budget and find that the Apex project can be refunded," the spokesman sald. Patient 'stable' Britain's third heart and lung transplant patient, Mrs Brenda Barber, aged 36, of Lewisham, London, spent an hour sitting up out of bed terday and her condition was stable, a spokesman said at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire. war machine. He was convinced that the bomber sive could decisively alter the whole course of the war.

So confident was he that he decided to stake the cone mand's whole future throw of the dice by committing his entire resources to a single battle. He mobilised every aircraft he could scrape together, including all his reserves and all training units, and launched them against Cologne. It was a bold and courageous act, first raid and the command's first real victory. settled the dispute, won Churchill's full support, and way to all that was to follow. Harris recognised that every.

thing would depend upon find. ing a bombing policy that was effective and yet capable of being implemented, and his first act was to estimate what Bomber Command could achieve. Relentlessly, almost nightly, he got the offensive going, losing 1,000 aircraft in the grim battle of Berlin alone, but still German. war production managed to survive. What can now be seen, is that the bomber 'offensive was the equivalent of a second front.

forcing the Nazis to divert huge resources in an attempt to contain it. Inevitably there were errors of judgment, and controversy as to how Bomber Command should have been used still continues. The hope that sustained and drove Sir Arthur in all he did was outright victory without the catastrophe of full scale war on European soil, which in the event ended by taking at least 30 times as many civilian lives as did the combined American and RAF. bomber offensives. Popular composer Nigeria; Malawi and Greece countries where Mr Whitty.

had worked. Donations Kenneth may be sent to The Whitty International Scholarship Fund, Lloyds Bank, Oxted, Surrey. A separate fund to promote exchanges between Britain and Greece is being set up in of Mr Whitty and Mrs Artemis Econimidou, the British Counoll librarian who died after being involved in the same incident. Right: Mr Kenneth Whitty Red JIMMY Sails Kennedy, the Sunset, who precede Bear's Picnic, South of the Border, and The Hokey-Cokey died at the Cotswold Nuffield Hospital in Cheltenham yesterday after a short illness. He was 81.

Jimmy Kennedy, who was born in Omagh, County Tyrone, was created an OBE last year and won awards on both sides of the Atlantic for outstanding services to British popular music, He teamed up with Michael Carr in a famous songwriting partnership which wrote songs such as We're Going to Hang Out the Washing on the Siegfried Line, the second world war propaganda hit. He widow, two sons and a daughter.".