Legislation aimed at boosting equality is actually victimising traditional marriage supporters, a gay journalist has warned. Andrew Pierce, who has repeatedly spoken out against redefining marriage, accused the Government of making ‘empty promises’ to protect freedom of conscience. The public was given repeated assurances that freedom of conscience would be respected if the law on marriage was changed. Maria Miller – the Tory Cabinet minister responsible for the Bill – ‘insisted’ that those opposing the plans would not be subjected to any discrimination. Mr Pierce quotes many examples of people being prosecuted for holding to their traditional views of marriage including that of the McArthur family who are being taken to court by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland over their refusal to make a pro-gay marriage campaign cake. Same-sex marriage has not been introduced in Northern Ireland, with MLAs voting three times in two years against changing the law.

Many are petitioning for ‘Frack Free Somerset,’ the Economist has called fracking the ‘Dash for cash’. tens of thousands are concerned that the government is considering proposals to allow the fracking industry to drill below people's land without permission, and the RSPB is objecting to Cuadrilla’s plans for sites. On Wednesday the Minister of State for Business, Enterprise and Energy named a Blackpool College as the first UK training centre for the fracking industry. It will be a hub for the National College for Onshore Oil and Gas with other colleges serving as spokes for the hub, delivering advanced qualifications including honours degrees for engineers and technicians. Also on Wednesday researchers and experts from the UK Energy Research Centre said that ministers have ‘completely oversold’ shale gas potential. Promises of lower prices and that ‘greater energy security from UK shale gas were hype and lacking in evidence’. See also: h

Doctors have an ethical duty to prevent waste in the NHS, argues a report by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. Its authors point to potential savings of nearly £2bn. Examples include better use of medication, tests, hospital beds and operating theatres. The British Medical Association said doctors were ideally placed to identify savings, but patients must come first. The authors argue it is better to develop a culture of finding the best way to do something, and then do it right across the health service. ‘We need to be innovative to tackle the huge financial challenges we are facing’ Surgeon Jeremy Lavey. A manager can't make those decisions whereas we are ideally positioned and we have a responsibility to make sure we do that properly.’

Around 45% of Christians in Britain think religion is a negative force in modern life, with around a third believing it does more good than harm. Christians also think that atheists and religious people are just as likely to be moral, at 69% and 60% respectively. Muslims surveyed were more unsure, with 53% saying they ‘didn't know’. Of the 2,004 people surveyed in the HuffPost/Survation poll, 56% described themselves as Christian, 2.5% were Muslim, 1% were Jewish and the remainder were of another faith or none. More than 55% of those surveyed said that atheists are just as likely to be moral people than religious people. Around 30% of 18-24 year -olds believe religion does more good than harm, compared to just 19% of 55-64 year-olds. This article suggests many people are unaware of the considerable contribution made by the Church and other faithgroups to our society.

Schools are being recommended a teaching resource suggesting that ‘sex at 13’ is normal, a Parliamentary committee has been told. Appearing in front of the Education Select Committee today, Sarah Carter of the Family Education Trust pointed MPs to the ‘Traffic Light Tool’ produced by ‘sexual health’ group Brook. The Traffic Light Tool suggests that ‘interest in erotica/pornography, sexually explicit conversations with peers and consenting oral and/or penetrative sex with others of the same or opposite gender who are of similar age and developmental ability ’express‘ safe and healthy sexual development’ Ms Carter said. This material should be outlawed. It is dangerous. It will harm our children. It encourages them into premature sexual activity which is damaging to them. It sexualises them and encourages illegal activity. The Government should immediately review all the material produced by Brook and suspend its use in schools' said Andrea Williams of Christian Concern.

Campaigners and doctors are calling for stronger warnings about drinking during pregnancy, ahead of a legal test case on foetal alcohol syndrome. The case will decide if a child born with serious disabilities caused by her mother's alcohol consumption should be eligible for compensation as a victim of crime. Some estimates suggest that thousands are born every year in the UK with serious health defects caused by alcohol. Senior health officials have said there are mixed messages on the issue. NHS guidance states ‘women who are pregnant or trying to conceive should avoid alcohol altogether’. But it continues: ‘If they do choose to drink, to minimise the risk to the baby, we recommend they should not drink more than one or two units once or twice a week, and should not get drunk.’

Tower Hamlets, the east London council, sold off public buildings to associates of the Mayor and handed out grants to ineligible bodies, a damning Government report has found. The winning bidder to buy Poplar Town Hall offered a lower price than other bidders and ‘had an association’ with the controversial Mayor Lutfur Rahman, according to an audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The Mayor personally intervened in the awarding of council contracts, which lacked signed paperwork or audit trails, the report found. Hundreds of thousands of pounds in public money were awarded to local bodies that were not eligible for the money after the intervention of elected councillors, the report found. The audit was commissioned by Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, following allegations of cronyism, fraud and waste at Mr Rahman’s council.

A grandfather who spent almost 20 years volunteering for the Red Cross has been dropped by the organisation for opposing same-sex marriage. Bryan Barkley held a sign which read ‘No Same Sex Marriage’ and ‘No Redefinition of Marriage’ on the first day same-sex marriages took place in England. In August, Mr Barkley was told of the decision to withdraw his ‘opportunity to volunteer with the British Red Cross permanently and with immediate effect’. The letter also referred to the incompatibility between Mr Barkley’s views on marriage and the Red Cross’ ‘fundamental principles and values’. Coalition for Marriage (C4M), an umbrella group of supporters of traditional marriage, is backing Mr Barkley and described the actions of the Red Cross as ‘shocking’. At the Red Cross he volunteered in the international family tracing service, working on 84 cases, irrespective of sexual orientation.

Fiona Woolf is a person of great integrity, as indeed is Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, but the task of heading an inquiry into allegations of historical child sex abuse is a special one. The two candidates for the post fell by the wayside not because of their personal qualities but because of their family and social connections. That the Home Office failed to spot the problem in both cases and then took so long to accept that it was a problem reflects badly on her department and ultimately on Theresa May, the Home Secretary, herself. That, however, is the past. Ms May's sincerity should not be doubted, even if her department's competence and her judgement might have been found wanting. What matters now is to learn the lesson and get it right the third time. This is an important inquiry and it will be hard to find the right person to lead it.

Paedophiles are grooming women to bear their children, giving them easy access to victims, according to a child abuse charity. MOSAC - a charity which supports the non-abusing parents and carers of abused children - says a third of all calls to its helpline are from women who believe they have been groomed into conceiving a child. Director Nigel Newton Sawyerr said: ‘Paedophiles who are very devious will go to any lengths to access children. Who's more vulnerable than their own children?’ Barrister Sophia Cannon says the law under the Children's Act will always take into consideration the wellbeing of a child. But she adds that it is ‘skewed towards the idea that all mothers and fathers who want to be involved in a child's life can be involved. What it doesn't look at are the parents to whom responsibility has certainly fallen short,’ she said. MOSAC is now lobbying the Government for change