THE severe problems created by the diarrhoea and vomiting bug featured prominently in my discussion with the chief executive of the North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust when I made one of my regular visits to the hospital last Friday.

Hopefully, the "deep clean" operation now under way will eliminate the virus, but the consequences of this unfortunate episode will last longer.

Inevitably, there are cost implications. Some routine operations have been cancelled and the "deep clean" is not cheap. Unfortunately, the good progress made this year in addressing the hospital's structural financial problems is now threatened.

WE are a Jobcentre Plus Districts piloting the Lone Parent In Work Credit Scheme.

This encourages single parents to transfer from benefits to work with a £40 per week "top-up" payment in their first year of employment.

I like the idea but, once again, the devil lies in the detail. Entitlement is restricted to lone parents who have been receiving Income Support and/or Jobseekers Allowance for at least 12 months.

This rules out many would-be applicants.

BRITAIN is second only to Germany in pumping cash into the European Union.

We currently pay £2.8 billion more than the EU spends in Britain, giving a net contribution of £4.2billion. For the 10th successive year accountants have refused to approve the EU's £68billion spending spree.

This is because they say they are not satisfied that it has all been spent legally and without irregularities.

The European Commission has repeatedly promised to tackle fraud. In my opinion, its failure is a scandal.