The Report

Psychedelic Science Apr 07, 2016

Jamie Bartlett asks if new research into psychedelic drugs will lead to them being accepted as mainstream medical treatment - or whether their controversial history will prove insuperable.

After lying dormant for decades, scientific research into psychedelics is experiencing a renaissance. Academics at some of the world’s leading institutions are exploring the potential of these drugs to treat a variety of medical conditions, from addiction to anxiety and depression. The findings so far are astonishing. Admittedly the sample sizes are small and there are methodological problems, yet it appears that psychedelics can help where other treatments before them have failed. So is there any chance that substances like LSD and psilocybin – the psychedelic ingredient in magic mushrooms – will ever become accepted medical treatments?

We have been here before. In the 1960s, researchers published thousands of scientific papers on the potential medical benefits of psychedelics and there were four international conferences on the subject. Within the space of just a few years these efforts came shuddering to a halt, as the recreational use of the drugs ballooned and stories of ‘bad trips’ hit the headlines, leading to strict legal restrictions, which still remain in force.

Jamie examines the latest scientific findings and asks whether the drugs’ cultural stigma can ever be overcome.

Producer: Hannah Barnes

Dublin's Gangs Mar 04, 2016

Extra armed police have been put on the streets of Dublin after two murders within just four days of each other. It's being blamed on a flare up of gang wars more akin to Sicily. The first involved gunmen carrying Ak47s disguised as police who burst into a respectable hotel packed with people. The next was assumed to be a swift reprisal: a man was shot several times in his own home. Melanie Abbott travels to Dublin to find out the background to this bitter gang feud and talk to the community caught in the middle.

Producer: Anna Meisel.

Jimmy Savile and the BBC Feb 25, 2016

How did Jimmy Savile get away with it when so many people appear to have known so much?

Media and Arts Correspondent David Sillito tracks down former presenters, producers and BBC executives who worked with Savile. On the day that the Dame Janet Smith Review is published, some speak publicly for the first time and reveal a shocking list of missed warning signs.

Producers: Steven Wright Researcher: Kirsteen Knight

You can find details of organisations which offer advice and support with sexual abuse by visiting bbc.co.uk/actionline.

7-Day NHS Feb 18, 2016

This drive for changing the way the NHS operates has been frequently used by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt as the reason why a change to junior doctor and consultant contracts is needed. But what does it actually mean? John Ware explores what a seven-day NHS would look like, what evidence there is that it's needed, and, crucially, whether we can afford it.

Reporter: John Ware Producer: Hannah Barnes Researcher: Kirsteen Knight.

Trump v the Republicans in New Hampshire: PJ O'Rourke on the campaign trail Feb 11, 2016

The New Hampshire primary is the first proper vote of the American Presidential election. Finally, after all the debates, polls and bluster, voters get to choose their preferred candidate for president.

This year, New Hampshire is seen by many as the moment of truth for the Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. The polls say he is on his way to the nomination, but the pundits are almost universally sceptical.

Conservative satirical journalist PJ O'Rourke is a long time watcher of the Republican Party and a veteran at covering elections. He is also a long term resident of New Hampshire, a state so small where you do not have to go looking for the candidates - they will find you. In the last week of the New Hampshire primary, PJ O'Rourke goes on the campaign trail to discover whether voters will really choose a candidate who breaks all the rules of US politics.

Lord Bramall: A Failure to Investigate? Feb 04, 2016

Lord Bramall, a former head of the British army, has now been told he will face no further action by the Metropolitan Police following thirteen months of investigation into allegations of paedophilia. The Met has so far refused to apologise for the way its inquiry, "Operation Midland", was handled.

In his first broadcast interview, Lord Bramall speaks to BBC journalist Alistair Jackson.

The programme also hears from Met insiders and other key witnesses. Their accounts raise serious questions about how the investigation was run and why the allegations against Lord Bramall were not dismissed earlier.

Reporter: Alistair Jackson Producer: Anna Meisel Researcher: Kirsteen Knight.

Tommy Robinson's Pegida Ambition Jan 28, 2016

Tommy Robinson was the most high profile figure in the English Defence League. Then he apparently abandoned his hostility towards Islam and aligned himself with the counter extremism think tank Quilliam. Now he is back on the anti-Islam beat, helping to launch the UK branch of the German pressure group Pegida, with the first rally planned to take place in Birmingham. Reporter and Birmingham resident Adrian Goldberg spends time with Robinson and gets him to meet some of his fiercest foes in the city.

Producer: Smita Patel Researcher: Holly Topham Editor: Innes Bowen.

Litvinenko: The Miniature Nuclear Attack Jan 21, 2016

It was a death in Britain like no other seen in living memory.

The gaunt and agonised face of the former Russian security service officer, Alexander Litvinenko, stared out of television screens and newspaper front pages in November 2006 as his painful end approached in London's University College Hospital. His poisoning by a radioactive isotope was a bizarre death. It baffled the experts and transfixed a horrified nation.

As the public inquiry into this mysterious death got under way in 2014, reporter Peter Marshall investigated the evidence suggesting that the Russian state might have been behind the fatal poisoning. Eighteen months later, as the inquiry publishes its findings, The Report returns to the story.

This is an updated version of a programme first broadcast on 7 August 2014.

Reporter: Peter Marshall Producer: Simon Coates.

Momentum Jan 14, 2016

Should Labour MPs be scared of Jeremy Corbyn-supporting movement Momentum? The group says it is attempting to build on the the groundswell of support for Jeremy Corbyn. Still in its infancy it has already drawn the ire of Labour MPs and activists and sections of the press. They've been compared to the Militant Tendency that took over Liverpool Council in the early 1980's. They've been accused of aspiring to deselect disloyal MPs and have been described as a hard left rabble. Some Labour MPs are worried about their rise, but what is Momentum and what do they want? Stephen Bush of the New Statesman has been to Walthamstow, home of just one of these new groups, to find out.

Afghanistan: Time for Truth? Jan 07, 2016

In 2014 the prime minister said that Afghan security forces were now ready to take over from NATO to secure Afghanistan. Yet 2015 was the most violent in the 14 year conflict with record numbers of civilian and Afghan security force casualties. With the official end of NATO led combat operations, the Taliban have resorted to a new tactic of mass attacks. A US Department of Defence report acknowledges that despite being less well armed or trained, the Taliban have outmanoeuvred the Afghan security forces, recapturing several districts in Helmand province once held by the British and Americans at such a high cost in blood and treasure. The Taliban even captured the country's fifth largest city, Kunduz, for a while last autumn. Meanwhile Al Qaeda re-established training camps, and ISIS now has a foothold in the country. Denying Afghanistan to jihadists targeting the West has always been the bottom line justification for expending so much blood and treasure. In The Report this week John Ware asks if Mr Cameron spoke too soon, and poses this question to Western leaders: are they still up for the wars of 9/11?

Reporter: John Ware Producer: Tim Mansel Researcher: Holly Topham.

Changing Jihadi Minds Jan 03, 2016

How do you go about trying to change a person's fundamental beliefs? And how do you decide who is in need of state intervention to do so?

Public sector workers now have a legal obligation to refer suspected Islamist and far right extremists to a local body known as a Channel panel. Referees deemed to hold extremist views are offered ideological mentoring, usually on a voluntary basis.

The government says its Channel deradicalisation programme is a success, helping prevent vulnerable people from being drawn into terrorism. But some British Muslims see it as a Big Brotherish state spying operation, wreathed in secrecy and suspicion. John Ware enters the "pre-criminal space" to find out - from the inside - how Channel works.

Producer: Simon Maybin Researcher: Kirsteen Knight.

A not so merry migrant Christmas in Vienna Dec 24, 2015

Thousands of migrants are stuck in Vienna, their journey to Germany cut short. Will they ever realise their European dreams? Frances Stonor Saunders reports.

Producer: Lucy Proctor.

Al Qaeda in Syria Dec 17, 2015

Peter Oborne investigates claims that Britain and the West embarked on an unspoken alliance of convenience with militant jihadi groups in an attempt to bring down the Assad regime.

He hears how equipment supplied by the West to so called Syrian moderates has ended up in the hands of jihadis, and that Western sponsored rebels have fought alongside Al Qaeda. But what does this really tell us about the conflict in Syria?

This edition of The Report also examines the astonishing attempt to re brand Al Nusra, Al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, as an organisation with which we can do business.

Producer: Joe Kent.

Young, Tory and Bullied Dec 10, 2015

In September, Elliot Johnson, a 21 year old member of the youth wing of the Conservative Party took his own life. He left behind a note saying that he'd been bullied by a 38 year-old Tory activist called Mark Clarke.

Since then there have been almost daily reports of allegations of bullying, harassment and intimidation at the hands of Mr Clarke, all of which he denies. Accusations that a toxic environment had developed in the Conservative youth wing - Conservative Future - have also emerged.

The Conservative Party is currently investigating what went wrong, but the ensuing scandal has already forced the ministerial resignation of former party chairman Grant Schapps. More may well follow.

In this edition of The Report Jon Manel investigates what's become the murky, often nasty world of some young Conservatives. He explores the culture of two organisations thrown into the spotlight by this story - Conservative Future and the Young Britons' Foundation - and, in a rare media appearance, speaks to YBF's founder Donal Blaney.

Producer: Hannah Barnes Researcher: Kirsteen Knight.

Paris: Could it Happen Here? Nov 20, 2015

David Cameron says seven terrorist plots have been thwarted in the UK this year alone. Mass casualty attacks, like those seen in Paris, are on the agenda too according to the head of MI5.

What is going on in the communities from which this largely "homegrown" threat has emerged? In an attempt to understand, Edward Stourton gathers a group of Muslim journalists with grassroots knowledge of the British Muslim community.

Contributors:

Sabbiyyah Pervez

Mobeen Azhar

Fayaz Rizvi

Secunder Kermani

Producer: Sally Abrahams

Peter Oborne's Chilcot Report Oct 29, 2015

The inquiry into the UK's involvement in the Iraq war started 6 years ago - and there's still no sign of a report. Political columnist Peter Oborne can't understand why: "Come on Sir John! It's not that difficult. I reckon I could get something together in 3 weeks." To prove his point, Peter Oborne attempts to put together a definitive 30 minute audio report into Britain's involvement in the Iraq war... within budget and on time.

Using evidence provided to the Iraq Inquiry and that already publicly available Oborne delivers his verdict on the key questions relating to the British Government's decision to go to war with Iraq. The programme hears from those in key positions in the lead up to the conflict, including:

Dr Hans Blix, Chairman of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), 2000 - 2003 Sir Christopher Meyer, British Ambassador to the United States, 1997 - 2003 Sir Stephen Wall - European Adviser to Prime Minister Tony Blair and head of the Cabinet Office's European Secretariat, 2000 - 2004 Carne Ross - First Secretary, United Kingdom Mission to New York, 1998 - 2002

Producer: Hannah Barnes Researcher: Phoebe Keane.

Salad v Surgery: Treating Type 2 Diabetes Oct 22, 2015

In June of this year, presenter of Radio 4's Woman's Hour, Jenni Murray, underwent an operation which removed 75 per cent of her stomach. A few months later, she has lost over 4 stones in weight and her symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes have gone into remission.

Once a purely cosmetic procedure, bariatric surgery procedures like this have been described as the greatest advance in the history of treatment of Type 2 diabetes - so why aren't more patients being treated in this way?

The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), which provides guidance and advice to the NHS, has said obese patients with diabetes should be rapidly assessed for surgery - but that's yet to happen.

The treatment has been met with fierce criticism, especially from the tabloid press, which declared it undeserved: fat people should just stop eating instead of using up valuable resources to pay for vanity operations.

Furthermore, Britain's leading diabetes charity, Diabetes UK, has also warned of the 'serious risks' posed by the procedure - even though the NHS has itself stated it is not more risky than a routine gall bladder operation.

The irony here is that increasing the number of bariatric procedures could actually save the NHS millions of pounds, as patients are weaned off costly diabetes drugs - the NHS currently spends around £12bn a year treating the disease.

With round 700 people diagnosed with diabetes in Britain every day, are we letting misguided morality get in the way of an opportunity to save money - and lives?

CONTRIBUTORS INCLUDE:

Jenni Murray, presenter Radio 4's Woman's Hour

Simon O'Neill - Director of Health Intelligence, Diabetes UK

Prof Roy Taylor, Professor of Medicine and Metabolism, Newcastle University

Prof Francesco Rubino, Professor of Metabolic Surgery, King's College Hospital

Prof Mark Baker, Director of the Centre for Clinical Practice, NICE

Mr Andrew Mitchell, Consultant General Surgeon, Darlington Memorial Hospital

Presenter: Adrian Goldberg Producer: Richard Fenton-Smith

Note: A version of this programme was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June, 2014.

The 'Pink Pill': The Female Viagra? Oct 01, 2015

The 'pink pill' flibanserin has been called 'the female Viagra', but critics argue its benefits are few and side effects many.

Melanie Abbott investigates how the failed anti-depressant came to be licensed in the USA, and what the future plans are to bring the drug to Europe.

Presenter: Melanie Abbott Producer: James Melley Researcher: Phoebe Keane.

My Big Fat Greek Crisis Sep 24, 2015

Greece's future in Europe dominated headlines throughout the summer, but can the country turn its fortunes around? While it's true that the country owes hundreds of billions of euros and is facing austerity for years to come, Frances Stonor Saunders finds that Greece has plenty going for it - and not just its idyllic islands where Brits like to holiday. Frances takes a trip to picturesque Skiathos, with its sandy beaches and boutique hotels, before exploring the 'real' Greece on the mainland of Volos. Along the way she discovers that, contrary to the popular narrative, the Greek people are accepting responsibility for the crisis that now engulfs them, and are coming up with innovative solutions to fix the future. Presenter: Frances Stonor Saunders Producer: Ben Crighton.

The Hollywood Spy Sep 17, 2015

British writer, Cedric Belfrage, avoided prosecution after passing top secret documents to Russia in World War Two. But was he acting under orders or was he a Soviet spy?

Gordon Corera examines new evidence from recently declassified MI5 files, which help explain how Belfrage went from being a Hollywood film critic in the 1930s to having access to highly confidential British and US intelligence material in the 1940s which he later admitted passing to Russia.

After being named as a Soviet spy in 1945, Belfrage appeared before The House Un-American Activities Committee and was later deported from the US for having been a member of the Communist Party.

We talk to some of those who met him after he later settled in Mexico, including the son of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were executed by the US in 1953 for being Soviet spies. And we explore why MI5 was anxious to avoid prosecuting Belfrage in case it proved embarrassing for the British security service.

Producer: Sally Abrahams.

The Ambridge Price of Milk Sep 10, 2015

What has The Archers got to do with the price of milk? Lesley Curwen looks at the present crisis in dairy farming through the prism of the long-running Radio 4 soap opera, "The Archers" and talks to the man behind the agricultural storyline, Graham Harvey.

Along with archive from the drama and interviews with today's farmers, she looks at the milk industry and its increasing exposure to volatile global markets.

Producer: Smita Patel.

The IRA and Sexual Abuse Sep 03, 2015

Máiría Cahill was Irish republican royalty. So it sent shockwaves through the republican movement when she spoke out last year about the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of a senior IRA operative. Cahill tells her story to BBC Northern Ireland's Jennifer O'Leary.

Presenter: Jennifer O'Leary Producer: Ben Crighton.

E-Cigarettes: Another Puff Aug 27, 2015

More than two million people in Britain are thought to have used electronic cigarettes. Whitehall civil servants think that e-cigarettes are one of the most significant public health success stories of our generation.

Just last week Public Health England published an update on the best evidence available. It found that e-cigarettes have become the number one quitting aid used by smokers. The report said the health risks of using e-cigarettes are minimal when compared to the harm associated with smoking cigarettes. Yet nearly half of all adults perceive e-cigarettes to be at least as harmful as traditional tobacco.

Why?

In Wales, the principality's government plans to ban their use in public places and hopes that a new law will be passed within the next 12 months. Wesley Stephenson asks why the two governments have such different approaches, and who's right?

Presenter: Wesley Stephenson Producer: Smita Patel

A version of this programme was first broadcast on 3rd July, 2014.

Tunisia on the Fault Line Aug 20, 2015

The gun attack on the beach resort of Sousse that killed 38 tourists in June deterred many holidaymakers from travelling to Tunisia. But not journalist Frances Stonor Saunders. She set off for an all-inclusive holiday package to Hammamet, a nearby seaside resort. As well as deserted beaches and eerily empty hotels, Frances has a chance encounter with a man who helped foil a previous terror attack at a popular tourist site. And she hears why Tunisians are refusing to go to local hotels, despite desperate pleas from hotel owners.

Producer: Ben Crighton.

(Image credit: European Photopress Agency)

The Corbyn Effect Aug 13, 2015

Left winger Jeremy Corbyn is tipped to win Labour's leadership contest. How has he garnered so much support in a party which has spent the last two decades shaking off the vestiges of socialism? Corbyn's detractors blame far left entryism. But the far left in Britain is too small to account for the tens of thousands of Labour party members estimated to be supporting Corbyn. Reporter Mobeen Azhar talks to party members old and new in an attempt to find out what is behind the popular movement to return Labour to its socialist roots.

Reporter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Anna Meisel.

Kids Company: What's Going On? Aug 06, 2015

The charity Kids Company and its charismatic founder Camila Batmanghelidjh have endured weeks of negative headlines. Reporter Simon Cox investigates the accusations of mismanagement.

Kids Company was founded in 1996 by Camila Batmanghelidjh and has aimed to deliver practical and emotional support for vulnerable children and young people.

The charity has attracted support from celebrities, investment banks and successive governments.

But last month, it was revealed that an intended £3 million of government funding would not be released unless Ms Batmanghelidjh relinquished her role as chief executive. In documentation released by the Government, the Permanent Secretary at the Cabinet Office voiced his concern that money given to Kids Company would not be wisely spent.

Camila Batmanghelidjh has since announced that the search for her successor has begun she and that she will move into a new role focusing on the clinical side of the charity's work.

In the meantime, further concerns about the charity have emerged in the media.

Simon Cox investigates the truth behind the headlines: Do the charity's claims of positive outcomes and helping tens of thousands of vulnerable young people stand up to scrutiny? Are the accusations of mismanagement justified? Or is the government's change of attitude to Kids Company politically motivated?

Reporter: Simon Cox Producer: Hannah Barnes.

Radicals, Rights and Hunting - The Battle for the RSPCA Jul 30, 2015

Peter Marshall uncovers the real story about the fight for control of the RSPCA.

This summer the charity elected its new ruling council. As members prepared to vote, stories in the national press warned that animal rights activists were fighting to gain control of the animal welfare charity and use it to pursue their radical agenda.

But are these stories true?

Peter talks to the men and women at the front line of this battle for influence at one of the best known, best funded and best loved charities in England and Wales. He meets the so-called radicals to discuss their views, and finds out why their enemies have left the RSPCA in protest. It's a tale of dirty tricks and sometimes vicious skirmishes.

As he delves deeper into the politics and history of the charity, Peter discovers an old feud at the heart of this story, one that has dominated life at the RSPCA for decades and confounds politicians to this day - the thorny issue of fox hunting.

Producer: Lucy Proctor.

Jehovah's Witnesses and Child Sexual Abuse Jul 23, 2015

In June, the High Court ruled that the Jehovah's Witnesses organisation was liable for sexual abuse committed by one of its members.

The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain - to give the group its official name - had failed to take adequate safeguarding steps when senior members of the organisation were aware that a fellow Witness was a known paedophile.

It was the first civil case in the UK of historical sexual abuse brought against the Christian-based religious movement.

The BBC's Religious Affairs Correspondent, Caroline Wyatt, explores the implications of the Court's decision and investigates the Jehovah's Witnesses explicit policy of attempting to deal with all allegations of sexual abuse in-house.

The Report has gained access to confidential internal documents, sent out only to those who are senior in the Jehovah's Witnesses. These reveal the organisation's reluctance to involve the secular authorities in cases where a crime has been committed by one Witness against another.

Caroline Wyatt hears from former Witnesses who have suffered abuse and who claim that the organisation's doctrine and procedures have allowed offenders within the congregation to avoid prosecution.

Presenter: Caroline Wyatt Producer: Hannah Barnes.

Chemsex Jul 02, 2015

Crystal Meth, GHB/GBL and Mephedrone form what some health workers call an 'un-holy trinity' of drugs that together can heighten arousal and strip away inhibitions.

They've become increasingly popular on London's gay scene, and the effects can see some users taking part in weekend-long sex parties, involving multiple partners.

For Radio 4's The Report, Mobeen Azhar speaks to men entrenched in this lifestyle and explores the impact the so-called 'chemsex' scene is having on public health services.

It's a scene where unsafe sex is common and has been cited as a contributing factor in the rising number of HIV infections in London, posing new challenges to those trying to promote the safe sex message.

Such parties are fuelled by technology and smartphone dating apps, which have triggered a social shift where men have moved out of bars and clubs and into private homes - out of reach to sexual health and drug advice services.

A potential solution to help protect those involved in the scene is Pre Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) - the practice of issuing men with HIV medication before they become HIV positive, which studies have shown as an effective means to reduce HIV infection.

PrEp has been championed by the World Health Organisation, saying it could prevent 1 million new HIV infections around the world. Its advocates in Britain suggest it should be made available on-demand as soon as possible - but how affordable is it? And will fears that it will only encourage more unsafe sex prove true?

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Richard Fenton-Smith.

Aid to Nepal May 21, 2015

Aid is pouring in to Nepal in the wake of the earthquake. But in a country where corruption is endemic, will the money go where it is meant to? Simon Cox investigates.

Producer: Ben Crighton Researcher: Aurelia Allen.

Drug Resistance May 07, 2015

Why drug resistance is now regarded by the UK government as one of the most severe threats to public safety. Peter Marshall reports.

Producer: Lucy Proctor Researcher: James Melley.

Sexism in the City Apr 30, 2015

City banker, Svetlana Lokhova, is awarded a £3 million payout for sexual harassment at work. Her former employer, Sberbank CIB (UK), is appealing the amount it has to pay. An employment tribunal ordered the compensation after finding that Svetlana's line manager at the bank spread vicious lies to colleagues and clients that she was a Class A drug user, ruining her career in finance and causing her extreme mental illness. The bank says the incidents against Svetlana were isolated and unrepresentative of its working environment. It insists they are an equal opportunities employer and have taken steps to ensure it doesn't happen again. In her first interview since the judgment, Svetlana tells Simon Cox how she discovered the extent of her line manager's campaign against her, her efforts to resolve the problem and explains why, despite the huge compensation, there are no winners in this case. Talking to others whose claims have reached an employment tribunal, Simon investigates how common such cases are and why they continue to happen, despite laws and policies designed to prevent it.

Producer: Sally Abrahams Researcher: James Melley

The Satanic Cult That Wasn't Apr 23, 2015

How Satanic abuse accusations in a North London suburb went global, but turned out to be untrue. Melanie Abbott investigates.

It's members are, it's claimed, drawn mainly from a school and church in Hampstead. They are said to wear shoes made of baby skin, to dance with the skulls of dead babies and to sexually abuse young children. But the cult doesn't exist. The claims are, according to a High Court Judge, 'baseless' and those who have sought to perpetrate them are 'evil'.

The Report investigates why, after a police inquiry and a family court judgement which unequivocally rubbished the notion of Satanic abuse in Hampstead, the allegations are proliferating on the internet and being spread all over the world? We hear from the supposed cult members who have had their personal details and photographs published online and received death threats. And we ask about the welfare of the two children at the centre of it all who were coerced into fabricating the fantastical story.

Producer: Joe Kent.

Sharia Law in Britain Apr 16, 2015

Britain's sharia councils are to be reviewed by the government. Reporter Jenny Chryss investigates Islamic law in the UK and asks if sharia councils should be under any greater scrutiny than other religious tribunals.

Producer: Chloe Hadjimatheou Reporter: Jenny Chryss.

Are Russian sanctions dangerous for Britain? Apr 09, 2015

EU sanctions against Russia over the crisis in Ukraine expire in September. Sharmini Selvarajah looks at whether it is in Britain's security and business interests to see them extended, and whether they go far enough to curb Russian aggression.

The Murder of Meredith Kercher Apr 02, 2015

Amanda Knox has been cleared for a second time of murdering British student Meredith Kercher at the cottage they shared in Italy in November 2007. The decision handed down by Italy's highest court puts an end to seven years of legal wrangling.

Knox, together with her former Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, were originally convicted of the murder in 2009. They were acquitted on appeal two years later because of doubts over the forensic evidence, but their convictions were reinstated in January 2014.

Ruth Alexander asks what might have influenced the Italian Supreme Court's decision as she returns to interviews gathered last year with some of the key players in the case.

The programme features contributions from: Rafaelle Sollecito Francesco Maresca - Kercher family solicitor Giancarlo Costagliola - Prosecutor in the case

The original version of this programme was broadcast 20 February 2014.

Reporter: Ruth Alexander Producer: Helen Grady Update Producer: Hannah Barnes

Translation by Santo Cullura and Helen Grady

The readers were:

Matthew Watson (reading the words of Francesca Maresca)

Clive Hayward (reading the words of Valter Biscotti)

David Cann (reading the words of Giancarlo Costagliola)

Wilf Scolding (reading the words of Antioco Fois).

Tony Blair: Farewell to the Quartet Mar 26, 2015

Tony Blair was appointed Special Representative to the Middle East peace Quartet just hours after leaving Downing Street in June 2007. The grouping, made up of the UN, the European Union, Russia and the Unites States, tasked the former Prime Minister with trying to help the economic plight of Palestinians. The idea was that improving conditions on the ground for Palestinians would help any future political negotiations towards a two-state solution with Israel.

After nearly eight years in the role it's widely believed that Tony Blair will soon step down. In this edition of The Report, Simon Cox speaks to those who have worked closely with Mr Blair to gauge what has been achieved during that time and what he intends to do next.

The programme hears from critics who claim that Tony Blair's contracts with the Kazakhstan and Kuwaiti governments and a Saudi oil company have given the perception at least that he is not an impartial player in the Middle East.

Others claim that this is a red herring. More significant is the former Prime Minister's increasingly robust stance on what he sees as the threat posed by radical Islam. How will both these factors impact on any future role Mr Blair may wish to play in the region?

Presenter: Simon Cox Producer: Hannah Barnes.

Trouble at the Telegraph Mar 19, 2015

The Daily Telegraph's political commentator Peter Oborne resigned in February 2015, accusing the paper of shying away from stories that might upset its advertisers. Reporter Robin Aitken asks whether the accusation is fair and traces the Telegraph's evolution from a broadsheet newspaper designed to appeal to middle England to a multimedia "news content provider".

Reporter: Robin Aitken Producer: Tom Randall.

The Truth About Fat Mar 12, 2015

There is no link between saturated fat and heart disease, according to a recent report in a respected scientific journal. So why has official public health advice for the past decades recommended a low fat diet? Adrian Goldberg investigates.

Producer: Gemma Newby Reporter: Adrian Goldberg.

Anti-Semitism in the UK: Is It Growing? Mar 05, 2015

Anti-Semitism in the UK: Simon Cox investigates the changing face of prejudice against Jewish people after recent lethal attacks in Paris, Copenhagen and Brussels. With the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for European Jews to move to Israel, we look at whether there is more dangerous anti-Semitism online and on the streets of the UK.

Producer: James Melley Researcher: Kirsteen Knight.

French, Republican and Muslim, Insha'Allah? Jan 29, 2015

Ahmed Merabet was one of three police officers killed in the recent terrorist attacks in France. All were honoured as heroes, but it was Ahmed's story which captured France, and the world's attention. As a Muslim who died responding to an attack on a publication which satirised the prophet Muhammed, many saw him as the perfect embodiment of the values of the French Republic and its hopes for the integration of its substantial Muslim population. As France now struggles to figure out how to combat radicalism and promote integration, politicians have called for France's muslims to "choose the Republic", in essence to be more like Ahmed Merabet. At his memorial service, Helen Grady meets Muslims who have come to pay their respects, and follows their lives in the aftermath of the attacks to find out whether they need to do more to be French, or whether the Republic's strong insistence on secularism leaves little place for French Muslims.

Germany, Islam and the New Right Jan 22, 2015

Germany's new anti-Islamisation movement, Pegida, is attracting a middle-aged, middle class following to its weekly marches around the country. The founder, Lutz Bachmann, has criminal convictions for burglary and assault. He rarely gives interviews to the media. However in this edition of The Report he talks to our reporter Catrin Nye.

Producer: Smita Patel Researcher: James Melley.

CIA Torture: What Did Britain Know? Jan 15, 2015

Shortly before Christmas the Intelligence Committee of the United States Senate published an extraordinary and explosive document, universally referred to as the Torture Report, accusing the CIA of brutality in its treatment of prisoners detained in what George W. Bush had called the "War on Terror".

The report debunks the CIA's claims that its "enhanced interrogation techniques" produced important intelligence. These techniques include practices such as waterboarding, sleep deprivation, and sexual humiliation. The simple message for many who've read the report: torture doesn't work.

What was published represents a fraction of the Senate's findings after an investigation lasting more than five years. The 600 or so pages now available online are merely a summary of the full 6,700 page report that remains classified. And much of the 600 pages is illegible, because of redactions in the form of thick, black lines, some of which were demanded by Britain's intelligence services.

In The Report this week Simon Cox asks to what extent Britain's intelligence services were complicit in the mistreatment of prisoners; and why Britain has been dragging its heels in carrying out its own investigation into allegations of mistreatment.

He traces the history of British investigations: a discredited investigation by the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament (ISC) in 2007 on extraordinary rendition from which it was later discovered that the intelligence services withheld information; the promise by David Cameron of a judge-led inquiry in 2010, which was subsequently scrapped; and handing back of the torture enquiry to the ISC, which Mr Cameron himself had said was not the appropriate body to carry out this investigation.

Simon will also look what appears to be a consistent tactic of successive British governments to avoid embarrassing details coming to light by claiming that publication would damage relations with the United States, or damage national security. It's a claim rejected by human rights agencies who defend alleged victims of torture, as well as by senior politicians. "National security often just means national embarrassment," says one.

Contributors to the programme include a man who claims he was illegally rendered with British complicity; a member of the judge-led inquiry into torture that was subsequently scrapped; and members of the ISC, now charged with carrying out an investigation. The alleged abuse is historical. But it acquired contemporary resonance last week when it was reported that one of the alleged perpetrators of the Paris murders had been radicalised by the images of detainees being tortured by US operatives at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

Producer: Tim Mansell.

Islamic State Jan 08, 2015

Former jihadi Aimen Dean gives a unique insight into the workings of Islamic State. Dean left school in Saudi Arabia to fight jihad in Bosnia in the 1990s. But with the rise of al Qaeda he became disillusioned with his comrades' drift towards terrorism. He joined al Qaeda - but working undercover for the British government. Dean has recently spoken publicly against the jihadist movement but he retains a deep network of contacts within it. Despite Dean's defection, IS supporters still debate with him. Through those discussions, Dean has gained a profound understanding of the ideology and organisational networks behind IS.

Reporter: Peter Marshall Editor: Innes Bowen.

Rape: Prosecuting Accusers Dec 18, 2014

A feminist campaign group has criticised the Crown Prosecution Service for prosecuting women suspected of making false accusations of rape. Do cases like this deter women from reporting rape, or is it the best way to get justice for men who go through the ordeal of clearing their name?

In this week's edition we hear the story of Paul Fensome, who was investigated and jailed after a false rape claim. After he cleared his name, his accuser was convicted of perverting the course of justice. Reporter Melanie Abbott asks whether the police are properly investigating accusations and whether the Crown Prosecution Service has got the balance right.

Producer: India Rakusen Researcher: Kirsteen Knight.

Private schools and public benefit Dec 11, 2014

Shadow Education Secretary Tristram Hunt has caused controversy by arguing that private schools that don't have partnerships with their state counterparts should lose their business rates relief. But how easy is it to discover what partnerships are happening? And do they do any good? Simon Cox investigates.

Derby Jihadist Dec 04, 2014

Suspected suicide bomber Kabir Ahmed left Derby to fight for IS. He is the second Islamist extremist in a decade to travel from the small suburb of Normanton to die abroad. Simon Cox looks at the sinister networks connecting the two men and investigates whether their leaders are still active in Derby.

Producer: Ian Muir-Cochrane Researcher: James Melley Additional reporting: Sajid Iqbal.

Virgin Galactic Nov 27, 2014

The fatal explosion of a Virgin Galactic space plane at the end of October 2014 was a major set-back to Sir Richard Branson's dream of a flourishing space tourism venture. Lesley Curwen tells the story behind the crash and asks whether the highly lucrative Virgin brand will survive the tragedy. Producer: Simon Coates Researcher: Kirsteen Knight.

Right to Buy Nov 20, 2014

In the 1980s, Right to Buy was one of the landmark successes of Margaret Thatcher's government, enabling millions of council tenants to buy their own home at a discounted price. The policy changed the financial fortunes of a generation.

Since coming to power in 2010, David Cameron's government has reinvigorated the totemic Tory policy, by reinstating big discounts previously withdrawn under Labour - today, some tenants can get over £100,000 off the price of their home.

There are some changes to the policy, too: for the first time, the government has pledged to replace homes sold under Right to Buy on a one-for-one basis - but is this target being met? Councils and housing associations tell The Report they don't have the funds to replace homes quickly enough. The programme also hears allegations that opportunist investors are taking advantage of the big discounts now on offer.

Not everyone is happy with the revival of Right to Buy - in Scotland, MSPs have voted in favour of bringing Right to Buy to an end, and in North London, Enfield Council has devised a scheme to opt out of selling its newly-acquired housing stock.

Meanwhile, the government has plans to make it even easier for tenants to buy their home, adamant that the policy is a vital tool in enabling low-income families to to fulfil their economic aspirations - but with 1.8m households on the social housing waiting list, can the UK afford to keep selling off valuable social housing stock off on the cheap?

CONTRIBUTORS INCLUDE:

Brandon Lewis MP, Minister of State for Housing and Planning

Julian Fulbrook, Labour Councillor, Camden Council

Catherine Ryder, Head of Policy, The National Housing Federation

Dr Peter King, Reader in Social Thought, De Montfort University

Nick Atkin, Chief Executive, Halton Housing Trust

Andrew Stafford, Labour Councillor, Enfield Council & Chair, Housing Gateway

Reporter: Peter Marshall Producer: Richard Fenton-Smith.

Tesco: Trouble at the Top Nov 13, 2014

Tesco is under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office over an alleged black hole in its accounts. Simon Cox tells the story of Tesco's biggest crisis to date.

Reporter: Simon Cox Producer: Mark Turner Researcher: James Melley.

Paramedics Under Pressure Oct 09, 2014

Medical emergency 999 calls are at an all-time high, with around 9 million calls a year, creating an unprecedented workload for ambulance paramedics around the UK. As a result, many are quitting their job in increasing numbers, burnt out and unable to keep up with the pace of work now demanded of them.

Adrian Goldberg investigates what's behind this growing demand for emergency medical assistance, and asks why the recruitment of emergency paramedics has not kept pace with pressure on the service. Serving staff as well as those who have quit their job reveal a target-driven culture which sees them sent from job to job to job, where a lunch break is seen as a luxury. The finger is also pointed at some members of the public, who dial 999 to demand an ambulance for trivial injuries and illnesses.

Senior managers working for ambulance service trusts around the country say there is no quick fix for this rising exodus of staff - especially now paramedic training requires a university degree course. This has led some trusts to look as far afield as Australia and New Zealand for new recruits to plug the gap.

The NHS is planning an enhanced role for paramedics where they will be required to treat more patients in the field, to ease the pressure on over-stretched A&E departments. But with staff retention and recruitment an on-going issue for several ambulance services around the country, will they be able to meet these new expectations and will new recruits burn out too?

Researcher: James Melley Producer: Richard Fenton-Smith.

Francis: The Pope's Calling Oct 02, 2014

Just over a year ago, the phone rang at the office of the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. A man asked to speak to Eugenio Scalfari, the paper's 90 year old founder and a prominent atheist. The caller was Pope Francis. And so began an unusual friendship, an unconventional piece of journalism and an unexpected glimpse into the character of a man who has taken the world stage by storm. Scalfari drew a picture of a "revolutionary" Pope, set on reforming Church bureaucracy, punishing paedophilia and re-examining priestly celibacy.

It's just one example of the style that has seen Pope Francis labelled the "cold-call Pope" - someone who has swapped the traditional, measured means of Papal communication for off the cuff statements and direct outreach to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. His informal approach has added to his mega-star popularity and fuelled hopes, and fears, about change in the Catholic Church.

For The Report, the BBC's Director of News and Current Affairs James Harding sets out to understand one of the world's most fascinating and charismatic leaders. How does Pope Francis really operate, does he herald a revolution in style or substance, and can his popularity survive in the face of such high expectations? As Church leaders gather in the Vatican for a Synod looking at how Church teaching concerning the family relates to the reality of modern life, The Report asks whether a "revolutionary" really has taken over at the Vatican.

Stirling Decides Sep 25, 2014

The city of Stirling is situated in the heart of Scotland and has been described as the brooch the clasps together the Highlands and the Lowlands. It lies in Scotland's central belt, seen by many as the region that could decide the outcome of the referendum on independence. Sharmini Selvarajah spends the final days of the campaign in the city following local people as they make up their minds which way to cast their ballots. How did Stirling, in the centre of a country split down the middle on its future, decide whether to remain part of the UK or whether to leave the union?

The Right to be Forgotten Sep 18, 2014

Simon Cox asks why people want to have some results wiped from Google searches and investigates the effect of the recent 'right to be forgotten' ruling at the European Court of Justice. He speaks to those who have tried to have links removed and those who think this is just a charter for criminals to hide their pasts. He travels to Madrid to see Google's first Advisory Panel meeting as they try to gain clarity on the ruling and what it means for Google now and in the future.

Racism in Northern Ireland Sep 11, 2014

Since April, police have recorded 218 racially motivated crimes in Belfast - at least one a day. Family homes have been attacked, a Ku Klux Klan flag has flown and apparently xenophobic slogans were seen on bonfires during the Eleventh Night celebrations in July. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has even launched a special operation to tackle the problem.

But who is behind the apparent rise in racist incidents? Helen Grady heads to Belfast to investigate.

Why are racist incidents becoming more frequent? And why are they recorded more often in loyalist neighbourhoods?

Afghan Sikhs Sep 04, 2014

In August, a man died after 35 Afghan Sikhs were found in a container at Tilbury docks, trying to enter the UK. The case shone a light on the lengths some Afghan Sikhs will go to as they seek to escape persecution in their homeland.

Melanie Abbott asks why they were so desperate to get to the UK and gets to know the community of which they were to become a part. In Southall, she finds a thriving community of Afghan Sikhs and learns about how it absorbs new arrivals. She also hears from lawyers and academics about the plight of Sikhs in Afghanistan and the challenges in claiming asylum in Britain. And she meets a lorry driver in Dover to hear how and his colleagues are facing an ever harder task to prevent immigrants from entering the UK as stowaways on their vehicles.

Publishing Wars Aug 28, 2014

Who will win the book wars between the world's largest publishers and Amazon, the comprehensive online retailer? Adam Fleming reports on the latest - and potentially epoch-making - chapter in the book wars.

The big French publishing house Hachette is locked in a battle with Amazon in the US over the price of Ebooks. Amazon alleges the prices which publishers, including Hachette, charge for these titles are too high. In support of its campaign to lower them, Amazon has made purchases on its website of books by authors who are published by Hachette - including such well-known writers as Ian Rankin - slower and more expensive. In return, publishers are threatening to withhold books by popular authors from the online retailer. This endangers Amazon's claim always to stock the book readers want.

Adam Fleming asks why this row has flared up now and who will win it. Where do authors and readers stand in this battle between corporate giants and what do they stand to win and lose? He also explores the radical changes that are taking place elsewhere in the publishing industry - such as self-publishing - in which Amazon is itself involved - and independent funding of books. How will these changes affect all those who write, publish, buy and read books.

Among those contributing to the programme are the writers Germaine Greer and Alexander McCall Smith, the children's author Linda Strachan and award-winning self-published writer Al Brookes. We also hear from Ben Edelman, an expert on what Amazon has to lose, and Brad Stone on what it - and its publishing counterparts - stand to gain.

Surrogacy Aug 21, 2014

Surrogacy in the UK is based on trust rather than a legally enforceable contract between surrogate and intended parents. Catrin Nye asks if the system is sustainable.

The Big Society Aug 14, 2014

Children's fitness classes, a website to encourage volunteers and an Olympics legacy programme are three projects given millions of pounds of public money - yet failed to deliver. And they were projects chosen by an organisation set up specifically to lead David Cameron's Big Society initiative. Reporter Simon Cox looks at what went wrong and asks whether the Big Society is still going strong, in spite of, not because of the government's involvement.

Litvinenko: The Miniature Nuclear Attack Aug 07, 2014

It was a death in Britain like no other seen in living memory.

The gaunt and agonised face of the former Russian security service officer, Alexander Litvinenko, stared out of television screens and newspaper front pages in November 2006 as his painful end approached in London's University College Hospital. His poisoning by a radioactive isotope was a bizarre death. It baffled the experts and transfixed a horrified nation.

Nearly eight years on from his death, Litvinenko's relatives - as well as lawyers, scientists, diplomats, politicians and the public at large - are still waiting to find out how this British citizen met his end in such an alarming and public way. After patient but unyielding pressure from his widow, Marina, and a High Court ruling earlier this year, the Home Secretary finally accepted in July that the inquest into the death needed to be replaced with a public inquiry. Under the senior judge, Sir Robert Owen, it will probe aspects of the case which the inquest was unable to scrutinise.

Peter Marshall reported on the Litvinenko story as it first unfolded. Now, he speaks to Marina Litvinenko about the questions she thinks should lie at the centre of Sir Robert's inquiry and what she wants it to achieve. He also speaks to lawyers, scientific and security experts about the unusual life and death of the former security officer in Russia's FSB - the successor body to the Soviet-era KGB.

Marshall discovers how far Alexander Litvinenko's decision to flee to Britain, the special work he undertook and the enemies he had all affected how he died. And he questions how far the Russian state and its president, Vladimir Putin - already under pressure over Ukraine and the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 - should be under examination too.

Diabetes: A Surgical Solution? Jul 31, 2014

Around 700 people are diagnosed with diabetes in Britain every day, and the condition accounts for around 10 per cent of the NHS budget - but is enough being done to combat the effects of the disease?

The National Institute of Clinical Excellence - NICE - is the body which provides guidance and advice to the NHS. It recently published new draft guidelines which proposed increasing access to weight-loss surgery to a wider range of patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

This announcement was met with fierce criticism, especially from the tabloid press, which declared such treatment as undeserved: fat people should just stop eating instead of using up valuable resources to pay for vanity operations.

But some experts say bariatric surgery is the most important development in the history of diabetes treatment and its effectiveness can lead to full remission of type 2 diabetes. In turn, this could end up saving the NHS millions of pounds as patients are weaned off costly drugs, and are less likely to develop complications such as blindness or kidney failure.

But is this really a long-term solution? Or do we need to think more radically about how to educate the public about healthy living to really reduce the rapid rise in diabetes diagnoses?

CONTRIBUTORS INCLUDE:

Simon O'Neill - Director of Health Intelligence, Diabetes UK

Prof Roy Taylor, Professor of Medicine and Metabolism, Newcastle University

Prof Francesco Rubino, Professor of Metabolic Surgery, King's College Hospital

Prof Mark Baker, Director of the Centre for Clinical Practice, NICE

Mr Andrew Mitchell, Consultant General Surgeon, Darlington Memorial Hospital

Reporter: Adrian Goldberg Producer: Richard Fenton-Smith.

Trojan horse schools plot Jul 24, 2014

An anonymous document purporting to reveal a conspiracy by Muslim activists to Islamise secular schools hit the headlines in March this year. The document, known as the Trojan horse letter, was almost certainly a fake. But a government investigation concluded this week that there had been a campaign to introduce "an intolerant and aggressive Islamic ethos into a few schools in Birmingham" and that some Muslim governors had in fact employed the underhand tactics outlined in the letter. Teachers who failed to go along with the Islamising agenda were sometimes bullied by Muslim governors and activists. Yet Birmingham City Council preferred to pay off bullied teachers rather than confront the perpetrators.

Reporter Simon Cox spends time in one of the schools inspected, meets parents and teachers and talks to two of the alleged plotters.

Producer: Ben Crighton.

Internet Jihadi: Babar Ahmad Jul 17, 2014

How does a middle class boy from Tooting end up, in middle age, pleading guilty to terrorism offences in a US court?

British Muslim Babar Ahmad has been convicted in a court in Connecticut of providing support to terrorists. In the late 1990s, Ahmad founded the first English language jihadi website. Two years after 9/11, he was arrested and then spent nearly a decade fighting extradition to the United States. The US authorities claimed that Ahmad's actions helped garner support for al-Qaeda. Ahmad maintains that he has only ever tried to assist Muslims suffering at the hands of oppressive regimes.

BBC Home Affairs Correspondent Dominic Casciani traces Ahmad's journey from a privileged upbringing in South London to a US prison. The programme contains insights from those who witnessed Ahmad's radicalisation and an interview with Ahmad himself, recorded in prison.

Reporter: Dominic Casciani Producer: Keith Moore.

Why are People Voting UKIP? Jul 10, 2014

Wesley Stephenson hangs out in the Essex district of Thurrock and tries to find out why so many of its voters deserted Labour and the Tories for UKIP. In the European and local council elections the UKIP vote jumped 163 percent in Thurrock. The council area comprises one of the most marginal Westminster seats in the country, so what will this mean for the general election and can what's happening in Thurrock tell us anything about the rise of UKIP elsewhere in the UK?

E-Cigarettes Jul 03, 2014

More than two million people in Britain are thought to have used electronic cigarettes. Whitehall civil servants think that e-cigarettes are one of the most significant public health success stories of our generation. In Wales however, the principality's government wants to ban their use in public places. Wesley Stephenson asks why the two governments have such different approaches.

Producer: Smita Patel.

The Unsolved Murder of Daniel Morgan May 22, 2014

The private investigator, Daniel Morgan, was murdered 27 years ago. He was found with an axe embedded in his skull in a south London car park. Despite five police investigations and a trial, no-one has ever been convicted of the 1987 murder. Police corruption is thought to have impeded the investigation and to have been a motive for the killing itself. And now a leading barrister suggests there may be a link with an allegedly corrupt police officer who worked on the investigation of murdered teenager, Stephen Lawrence. Adrian Goldberg first reported on this story for The Report in 2011. In this edition, he asks whether the connection between the two cases - both in south east London and six years apart - may finally bring justice for the Morgan family.

Presenter: Adrian Goldberg

Producer: Sally Abrahams.

Constance Briscoe May 15, 2014

Constance Briscoe is one of England's highest profile legal figures. She rose to prominence after publishing her memoir 'Ugly' in 2006 in which she told the story of how she overcame an abusive childhood at the hands of her mother to become a barrister and part-time judge. But earlier this month she was jailed for sixteen months for lying to the police about her involvement in the Chris Huhne speeding points story. A jury at the Old Bailey found her guilty of three counts of intending to pervert the course of justice. Clive Coleman investigates how she misled police and fabricated evidence to help her defence in the trial which followed. He also revisits the libel action her mother brought in 2008 disputing the abuse detailed in 'Ugly' and hears why police are now investigating claims Constance Briscoe may have previously fabricated evidence in court.

Producer: Phil Kemp.

Jihadi Converts May 08, 2014

Converts to Islam are far more likely to be involved in terrorist incidents than those who were born into Muslim families: converts account for around a quarter of terrorist convictions in Britain since 9/11 yet they represent only 2-3% of the UK's Muslim population.

As the anniversary of the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby by two Muslim converts approaches, the Today programme's Zubeida Malik investigates why new Muslims appear to be so vulnerable to the call of jihadi recruiters. She hears the stories of converts lured by extremists and talks to terrorism expert Professor Peter Neumann.

Producer: Anna Meisel.

Sexual Harassment in Westminster May 01, 2014

Simon Cox investigates allegations of abuse of power, a culture of silence, a lack of protection for junior staff and how effective measures introduced to combat the problem are likely to be.

The Muslim Brotherhood in Britain Apr 24, 2014

The Muslim Brotherhood is an Egyptian Islamist organisation with branches throughout the world - including Britain, where it has had a presence for several decades. During this time, the organisation has courted little attention and has at times been viewed by British authorities as a force for good in the fight against extremism. So why has David Cameron called for an investigation into their activities now?

In this edition of The Report, Peter Marshall hears claims that this review is less about national security, and more about appeasing the rulers of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, who are ideologically opposed to the Brotherhood. The UAE and Saudi Arabia also happen to have lucrative contracts with British businesses.

The programme also reveals how senior members of the Conservative party have been raising concerns about the Muslim Brotherhood for several years - in particular the Brotherhood's ties to Hamas - and so the new investigation is perhaps not a complete surprise. However, this is the same organisation which received the backing of the British government when Mohammed Morsi was elected president of Egypt, and so is the government now guilty of hypocrisy?

Critics of the Brotherhood say much has changed in the Middle East over the past year - especially in Egypt - and there are concerns that rogue elements of the Muslim Brotherhood will seek refuge in Britain. Already, members of the Brotherhood and its political wing, The Freedom and Justice Party, have come to London to seek asylum. The Report speaks to them about the on-going investigation into their activities and asks them why they have come to the UK and what does the Muslim Brotherhood really stand for?

CONTRIBUTORS:

Anas Altikriti - The Muslim Association of Britain & The Cordoba Foundation

Mohamed Soudan - The Freedom and Justice Party

Olivier Guitta - The Henry Jackson Society

Dr Robert Lambert - University of St Andrews & former head of the Muslim Contact Unit, Metropolitan Police Special Branch

Baroness Falkner - Liberal Democrat lead spokesperson on foreign affairs in the House of Lords

Alistair Burt - Conservative MP & former Foreign Office minister for the Middle East

Reporter: Peter Marshall Producer: Richard Fenton-Smith Researcher: James Melley.

Maria Miller's Expenses Apr 17, 2014

The MPs' expenses debacle has claimed a cabinet minister victim - 5 years after the initial revelations about abuse of parliamentary allowances. Reporter Melanie Abbott investigates the story behind Maria Miller's resignation as culture secretary.

Producer: Anna Meisel.

The Truth About Statins Apr 10, 2014

The vast majority of men in their 50s, and more than half of women over 60, could soon be offered statins - cholesterol-lowering drugs - to reduce the risk of heart disease. That would mean that a 59 year old man who doesn't smoke, has no history of heart disease and has healthy weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels could find himself taking a statin a day for life. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence proposes that up to twelve million people - one in four adults - should take the medication.

Critics argue against such mass medication and claim that there is a high incidence of side effects including muscle aches, sleep problems and diabetes. They also question the drugs' effectiveness in reducing the number of heart attacks.

But the defenders of statins say that this is scaremongering and risks unnecessary deaths.

Tom Esslemont investigates how the UK has become the so called 'statins capital' of Europe and explores the arguments for and against.

Producer: Emma Rippon Researcher: Ben Weisz.

The Mystery of Flight 370 Apr 03, 2014

It may never be known why MH370 crashed into the Indian Ocean with the loss of everyone on board. Melanie Abbott asks how a plane can disappear in the 21st Century, and why nearly a month on we are still no nearer to solving the mystery of what happened on that flight.

Marius the Giraffe: Zoogenics? Feb 27, 2014

Copenhagen Zoo's decision to kill Marius - an 18 month old healthy giraffe - and to perform a public autopsy in front of children sparked a global outcry. Despite receiving numerous death threats and hate emails, the zoo's scientific director insisted he had no choice but to kill Marius because there were already too many giraffes with similar genes in the European breeding programme.

Reporter Hannah Barnes travels to Denmark to explore the reasons behind the killing of Marius and other healthy animals. Back in Britain she talks to staff at British zoos to find out whether what the Danes did in public is happening behind the closed doors in the UK.

Producer: Anna Meisel.

Who Killed Meredith Kercher? Feb 20, 2014

Amanda Knox has had her conviction for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher reinstated by an Italian court. She was convicted, along with her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, in 2009. Doubts about forensic evidence meant the couple were freed after a successful appeal in 2011. But in January 2014 an appeal court reverted to the original guilty verdicts.

Reporter Ruth Alexander travels to Italy to investigate the strength of the case.

Producer: Helen Grady

Translation by Santo Cullura and Helen Grady

The readers were:

Matthew Watson (reading the words of Francesca Maresca)

Clive Hayward (reading the words of Valter Biscotti)

David Cann (reading the words of Giancarlo Costagliola)

Wilf Scolding (reading the words of Antioco Fois).

Ofsted's Ideological Battle Feb 13, 2014

After a turbulent few weeks for those at the top of the schools' watchdog Ofsted, with headlines about critical reports, and personnel changes, Phil Kemp asks if this public row has distracted from the real struggle going on at Ofsted. The programme investigates why the political right feels that some inspectors have been captured by an outdated progressive approach to teaching. The programme reveals that Ofsted's leaders are rewriting inspection reports, removing phrases that imply criticism of particular teaching styles. The fightback against the educational theories of the progressive left has been dubbed the battle of the Blob. Who is winning?

The programme includes interviews with Michael Cladingbowl, Ofsted's National Director of Schools, Former School's Minister Nick Gibb, Anastasia De Waal, Deputy Director of Civitas and teacher and education blogger Andrew Smith.

Turkey: The Gulen Movement Feb 06, 2014

Turkey's most important Islamic network, the Gulen movement, helped bring the ruling AK Party to power in 2002. But now it threatens to bring it down. Fethullah Gulen, the reclusive Muslim cleric who leads the movement, has hinted that he believes the AKP is no longer fit to govern.

Presenter Edward Stourton travelled to Turkey to investigate the Gulen movement in 2011. He discovered unease amongst the Gulen's critics about the movement's influence in key institutions, including the police and judiciary. In the wake of the recent power struggle between the police and the government, he examines the Gulen's role in the rift.

Producer: Helen Grady.

Dieudonne: France's Most Dangerous Comedian? Jan 30, 2014

Dieudonne has divided France with his controversial comedy. His shows are sold out, his videos get millions of hits online, and people around the world from firefighters to famous footballers have been photographed doing the 'quenelle', a gesture he popularised. Many fans see Dieudonne and the quenelle as expressing their anger and disillusionment with 'the system'. But the French government has banned his shows and his opponents say Dieudonne is a dangerous anti-Semite who is popularising the ideas of the extreme-right. Helen Grady investigates why Dieudonne has become so popular, and whether his critics are right to claim he's become a 'recruiting sergeant' for the French National Front.

Oakwood Prison Jan 23, 2014

Following the recent riot at Britain's largest prison, in which around 20 prisoners caused damage to cells and prison property, Hannah Barnes investigates what caused it.

Oakwood has faced a troubled history since it opened in April 2012, with several rooftop protests and a number of damning reports into its operation to contend with. The Report speaks to those who have spent time at the prison, both as inmates and staff, and asks why there have been so many challenges in less than two years.

The programme explores the changes taking place across the prison estate, and examines whether the most recent incident at HMP Oakwood is a sign of wider problems facing the UK prison estate.

The Seven Day Health Service Jan 16, 2014

Jeremy Hunt says he wants the NHS to expand so that more patients get the best care when they need it. But is the health secretary's goal of week-round provision realistic when the health service is already struggling to make an unprecedented £20bn in efficiency savings? And what is the evidence that more staff at weekends will make a difference? Wesley Stephenson investigates the case for weekend working in the NHS and asks what lessons we can take from hospitals in England already moving towards seven-day services.

Right to Die Jan 09, 2014

The UK's Supreme Court recently heard another challenge to the law governing assisted suicide. Appellants are seeking clarity on when a health professional might be prosecuted for helping someone to die.

Belgium legalised euthanasia for adults in 2002. Now around 2 per cent of all recorded deaths occur as a result of people asking to end their lives. Pro-euthanasia advocates want the law to be broadened - there's been talk of legislating for people with dementia. And recently, the upper house of parliament, the Senate, voted by a large majority to extend the right to request euthanasia to children who are terminally ill. Supporters claim this is logical. Detractors say it is insanity.

In The Report, Linda Pressly explores how the euthanasia law works in Belgium - are there lessons for us to learn here in the UK?

Miners' Strike Miscarriages? Jan 02, 2014

With cabinet papers relating to the 1984 miners' strike due to be published tomorrow, Jenny Chryss examines growing calls for a public inquiry into allegations of widespread falsification of evidence by the police against some of the miners who ended up facing charges.

On June 18 1984, scores of pickets and police officers were injured during one of the bloodiest events of the year long strike. Protesters at Orgreave were trying to stop coke from the plant being transported to the British Steel mill at Scunthorpe. Ninety three people were arrested that day with some charged with riot, which carries a potential life sentence. However, nearly four months into the trial of fifteen of the accused pickets the case against them collapsed.

Thirty years on, it's alleged that some police officers manipulated the evidence given in court and colluded over their statement writing or were told what to write. But no officer has ever been charged.

And allegations about police malpractice spread beyond Orgreave. The programme hears from one former miner who says he was beaten almost unconscious during a picket at Frickley Colliery in West Yorkshire and then charged with a public order offence on the basis of falsified evidence. The case against him was later dropped.

Campaigners and some MPs are now calling for a public inquiry and are drawing parallels between these allegations and similar revelations about the manipulation of evidence after the Hillsborough football disaster five years later. The Hillsborough Independent Panel revealed that more than a hundred and sixty South Yorkshire police statements had been altered after the disaster in which ninety six Liverpool fans died in April 1989.

Producer: Sally Chesworth.

Banking IT crisis Dec 26, 2013

The 'Cyber Monday' computer meltdown that affected RBS and NatWest customers as they tried to bag bargains in the run-up to Christmas was just the latest in a string of IT glitches that have plagued the big UK banks in recent years.

But is there a greater problem than the inconvenience caused for shoppers? Melanie Abbott talks to those who have worked on the huge, ageing computer systems at the heart of the UK banking system and finds out that banks like RBS face a massive dilemma - spend billions replacing their 'mainframes' or risk bigger, more serious problems in the next few years.

Melanie finds out about the scale and size of the IT systems behind our everyday transactions as she becomes the first journalist allowed access to one of the secret data centres that power the banking payments system at Vocalink. And she hears from Andrew Tyrie, chair of the Treasury Select Committee, about the urgent need to solve the banks' IT problem before they damage the entire financial system.

The Brixton Maoists Dec 19, 2013

At the end of November 2013 the Metropolitan police released details of what has been described as Britain's worst case of domestic slavery.

Following the arrest of two people in Lambeth, South London, it was revealed that three women had been taken into care - a 69-year-old from Malaysia, a 57-year-old from Ireland, and a 30-year-old Briton.

It was claimed the three women had been held for 30 years, but further details began to emerge which suggest this is a unique case and not typical of other stories of domestic servitude.

Two of the women, Josephine Herivel and Aishah Wahab, had been members of a small Maoist collective which formed in Brixton in the 1970s - The Workers Institute of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought. The women were still living with the group's founder and his wife - the couple who were recently arrrested and bailed by the police - while the youngest woman, Rosie Davies, is believed to have been born into the household.

On this edition of The Report, Simon Cox probes the circumstances under which these women came to live together, exploring the relationship they had with their suspected captors.

The programme speaks to those who came into contact with the Maoist collective over the past three decades, as well as relatives of former members of the group, to ask how the women could seemingly lose contact with wider society.

Reporter: Simon Cox Producer: Richard Fenton-Smith Researcher: Hannah Moore.

Tension Over Roma Migration Dec 12, 2013

Last month the former Home Secretary David Blunkett warned that tensions between Sheffield's Roma and their more established neighbours could lead to "an explosion". But, with estimates of as many as 200,000 Roma in the UK, such tensions aren't confined to Sheffield. So is enough being done to help ease their integration? Andrew Fletcher reports on how local authorities are coping with the arrival of large numbers of Roma migrants and with Britain's labour market opening to Bulgaria and Romania in January, asks whether there will be extra pressures in areas already experiencing community tensions?

Producer: Rob Cave.

Terror Laws: An Unhappy Compromise? Dec 05, 2013

Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed's audacious escape from terror restrictions by removing his electronic tag and absconding from a west London mosque in a burka has brought the Coalition's terror laws into the spotlight. Should we be worried that under the relaxed legislation six other suspected terrorists will have restrictions on them lifted in January? Phil Kemp investigates Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures - or TPIMs - and asks if the civil liberties of suspects have been put ahead of public safety.

Inside the Vatican Nov 28, 2013

Pope Francis is being acclaimed for his leadership of the Roman Catholic Church with even secular newspapers running headlines like "Pope Idol". But he was only elected because last February his predecessor Benedict XVI became the first Pope in centuries to resign. Was it a simple matter of ill health, or was he impelled to step down because of scandals at the Vatican Bank, claims of a "gay cabal" within the Vatican and the Vatileaks affair, in which the Pope's butler was arrested for leaking confidential documents?

Mark Dowd travels to Rome to try to find the truth behind the Papal resignation. He talks to, among others, Cardinal Francis Arinze, who was present at the momentous meeting at which Benedict announced his decision to step down.

Energy Prices: The Truth Nov 21, 2013

Hannah Barnes asks where the money from your energy bills goes. Do the energy companies have anything to hide and are customers are being ripped off? She visits Jane, an energy customer in Brighton, and finds her in a cold house waiting as long as she can to turn on her heating. Jane isnot alone - there are thousands like her who cannot afford to pay their bills. So why are they going up and are each of the different reasons given by the big six energy companies valid or are we paying too much.

Contributors: Audrey Gallacher - Director of Energy, Consumer Futures Reg Platt - Senior Research Fellow, IPPR Omar Rahim - former energy trader and Editor, Energy Trader Daily Keith Anderson - Chief Corporate Officer, Scottish Power Alan Whitehead - Labour MP and member of the House of Commons, Energy and Climate Change Select Committee. Stephen Fitzpatrick - Managing Director, Ovo Energy.

Universal Credit Oct 10, 2013

In The Report this week Simon Cox finds out why the Department for Work and Pensions has struggled to create an IT system that can deliver Universal Credit.

The government announced in 2010 that it planned to create a single payment - combining six of the current benefits available for those struggling financially. The plan for Universal Credit was developed in Opposition by Iain Duncan Smith, now Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

It was envisioned that there would be a pilot in April 2013, with the system rolled out to all new out-of-work claimants by October 2013. By 2017 all those in receipt of benefits should be claiming Universal Credit.

However, it was announced earlier this year that the pilot would only include a very small number of new claimants - the most simple to process. The national roll-out has now been scaled back. And in September this year the National Audit Office produced a damning report, saying the project had been beset with problems.

But was the plan too ambitious in the first place? Or could better management have delivered the project to the timescales originally set out? Simon Cox travels to the areas of Greater Manchester where the new benefit is being trialled to see how Universal Credit is being welcomed.

Producer: Charlotte McDonald.

Help to Buy Oct 03, 2013

The government announced this week that it was bringing it's new help to buy scheme forward to start in a few days time. Its a policy designed to help get the housing market moving. But will it really be a lifeline for hardworking families wanting to get on the property ladder or will it drive up prices and cause a housing bubble? Helen Grady finds out who the scheme is likely to benefit and talks to people trying to buy and sell in York and London.

Samantha Lewthwaite: From the Shires to Al-Shabab Sep 26, 2013

As bullets flew around the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, at the weekend, a familiar name surfaced once again. Samantha Lewthwaite, the widow of a 7/7 bomber and a woman wanted by both British and Kenyan security services, was reported as being involved in the mass shootings. Who is the woman known as 'The White Widow'? While it is not yet confirmed that she was at Westgate, there is no doubt that Samantha Lewthwaite has become a key figure in the Somalia-based terrorist organisation Al-Shabab, which masterminded the audacious attack. The widow of 7/7 bomber Germaine Lindsay, she claimed ignorance of the plans to bomb London in 2005 and was even given police protection at her home in Aylesbury. The police lost track of her until she reappearred in Kenya in 2012 where she was accused of involvement in a terror plot in Mombasa. But she escaped arrest and has been on the run ever since. Her reputation has grown and she is now seen as a key communicator for the network. Presenter Simon Cox first reported on Samantha Lewthwaite's story in April 2012. In the wake of the Westgate shopping centre attacks, The Report gives listeners another chance to hear how the daughter of a former British soldier rose to prominence in the jihadist group responsible for the killings. Producers: Lucy Proctor and Sally Chesworth.

Police Tasers Sep 19, 2013

More and more police are being armed with Taser stun guns prompting questions about whether they are always used in the right circumstances. Campaigners point to the controversial cases of partially-sighted Colin Farmer, Tasered in the back when police mistook his white stick for a Samurai sword. And 23 year-old Jordan Begley who died after being Tasered by Greater Manchester Police in July this year.

But how much do we really know about how dangerous these stun guns are compared with alternatives like CS spray, batons and police dogs? And is the training adequate? Melanie Abbott is given rare access to police officers as they undertake their final Taser assessment. And she'll hear demands for more research into the medical impact of being Tasered.

Producer: Sally Abrahams.

Banking Interns: Sleepless in the City Sep 12, 2013

The death of banking intern Moritz Erhardt this summer has led to soul searching in The City. Although the exact cause of his death has not yet been confirmed, reports that he worked three all-nighters in a row has shed light on a fiercely competitive world of 120-hour weeks that leads many to illness, addiction and depression.

What led the young would-be banker, and others like him, to work such long hours? Phil Kemp speaks to current and former bankers about the face-time culture that forces them to stay at their desk regardless of their workload and the tactics they use to help stay awake, including the use of illegal prescription drugs.

Doctors describe the toll that pushing the body to these limits eventually takes, and interns tell Phil about the big decision they will have to make between huge pay-packets and a life outside of the Square Mile.

Producer: Lucy Proctor.

The Fracking Debate Sep 05, 2013

There's a battle for influence taking place over fracking. Should companies in the UK be drilling for the trillions of cubic feet of shale gas lying thousands of metres below the surface of the earth, and hydraulically fracturing (fracking) the wells to get it out?

Demonstrators have already voiced noisy opposition to the plans in the West Sussex village of Balcombe, citing fracking-induced earthquakes in Lancashire and leaks and contamination of water sources near fracking sites in the United States.

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, and the Chancellor, George Osbourne, have both championed fracking saying it will lower energy prices and lead to better energy security for the UK as it has done in America. But is fracking dangerous, and will it be the silver bullet for energy prices? Wesley Stephenson looks at the evidence.

Private Investigators Aug 29, 2013

Private investigators are coming under increasing scrutiny themselves - with the latest controversy surrounding the work they carry out for companies.

Adam Fleming investigates how PIs take advantage of cameras, GPS tracking devices and legal grey areas to carry out surveillance on individuals for insurers and other clients.

He also meets the people who accuse the industry of dirty tricks, as the government announces the introduction of licences for investigators.

Gibraltar Aug 22, 2013

Phil Kemp travels to Gibraltar to investigate what's really happening on The Rock.

The Liverpool Care Pathway Aug 15, 2013

Critics dubbed the controversial Liverpool Care Pathway the "road to death" and accused the NHS of killing off thousands of elderly patients. Supporters say it has helped terminally ill people have a peaceful and dignified death. The campaign against the Liverpool Care Pathway was fuelled by countless stories in the newspapers of patients being deprived of food and water and heavily sedated. Following the publication in July 2013 of an independent review, the government announced that the Liverpool Care Pathway will be phased out in NHS hospitals in England. But some medical professionals fear the baby has been thrown out with the bathwater. In this programme, Helen Grady looks at the back story - how and why the Liverpool Care Pathway was rolled out, the opposition campaign and the likely impact for patients of the Pathway's demise. She talks to relatives of patients who were on the pathway, doctors and palliative care experts.

Why Can't We Catch Drug Cheats? Aug 08, 2013

Just a few weeks before the World Athletics Championships in Moscow, two top sprinters tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. Tyson Gay is the fastest man this year over 100 metres and Asafa Powell is the former world record holder. They were the biggest scalps since Ben Johnson was stripped of his Olympic gold medal in 1988. Since then sophisticated testing programmes have been set up and systems to monitor athletes' whereabouts are in place.

In this week's Report, Simon Cox examines why so few cheating athletes are being detected. He speaks to the key figures who have drawn up the most damning assessment of the anti-doping regime and the failure of individual national bodies to properly address the problem. And he travels to the German laboratory who developed a test for the latest banned drug which can still be bought legally in the UK.

Death in the Brecon Beacons Aug 01, 2013

Following the death of three reservists, Adam Fleming investigates whether deaths and injuries like these can be avoided. Three members of the Territorial Army have died after attempting a special forces selection course in the Brecon Beacons on one of the hottest days of the year.

People who have gone through the process in the Welsh mountains believe that the new recruits were marching from point to point, carrying heavy rucksacks in a gruelling test of their fitness and navigation skills. They would have been carrying water, emergency flares and GPS tracking devices.

The Police, the military, the Health and Safety Executive and the local coroner are investigating but events are still shrouded in mystery. In this edition Adam Fleming asks what precautions would have been in place and investigates the safety of military training.

Fight Over Falkirk Jul 25, 2013

The Unite trade union has been accused of trying to manipulate the process for choosing the Labour Party's candidate to be the Falkirk MP in the next general election. Police are now investigating allegations that the UK's largest trade union signed people up to be members of the Labour Party, without their knowledge. In the wake of the Falkirk debacle, Labour leader Ed Miliband signalled that the historic links with the unions must change.

But what happened in Falkirk? Hannah Barnes travels to the Scottish constituency to find out whether the selection process was hijacked by outside forces.

Producer: Charlotte McDonald.

NHS Complaints Jul 18, 2013

In a bad few weeks for NHS hospitals Simon Cox asks why people who experience bad care are being turned away by the patient complaints watchdog.

Was the scandal at the Morecambe Bay Hospitals an isolated case, and could the problems at some of the 11 hospitals now in special measure have been spotted earlier?

James Titcombe whose son Joshua died at Morecambe Bay Hospital tells the story of how his complaint was hampered at every turn. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Dame Julie Mellor and the Medical Director of NHS England, Sir Bruce Keogh, tell us how they think the system could be improved.

Undercover Police Jul 11, 2013

After revelations that an undercover police officer spied on Stephen Lawrence's family and friends, Melanie Abbott looks for the truth about undercover policing.

Tension in Woolwich Jul 04, 2013

Off-duty soldier Lee Rigby was killed in broad daylight in Woolwich, south-east London, in May. Fears were voiced at the time that the town - which was the scene of riots in the summer of 2011 - could become the site of further violence. Simon Cox goes to Woolwich to find out how its many communities are coping with the tension.

Accident and Emergency Crisis May 30, 2013

Endless waits, queuing ambulances, waiting rooms like 'war zones' . Accident and Emergency departments in England are still reeling from what hospital bosses have called the 'worst winter anyone can remember'. Why did it happen, and is A&E on the verge of collapse? Simon Cox looks into the issues at two hospitals in London and Birmingham, one that has had lots of investment, the other financially troubled. Both have failed to hit their government targets for A&E waiting times. The Report looks at what these hospitals say about the causes of the current problems in A&E and what the solutions might be.

Investigating Historic Abuse May 23, 2013

The Jimmy Savile scandal has prompted a wave of new investigations into alleged sexual abuse of children and young people, some of it dating back decades. But can the police and the criminal justice system deliver on their promise to put offenders behind bars? In The Report, Melanie Abbott investigates whether there really have been improvements in getting justice for both victims and the accused in these complex cases. What results can the public expect from the millions of pounds being spent on Operation Yewtree and the new investigation into abuse at North Wales care homes? Those who have suffered false accusations, and those who have gone through the heartache of failed attempts to prosecute their attackers reveal the human reality behind police and legal actions.

Police and Crime Commissioners May 16, 2013

Police and Crime Commissioners, it was argued, would make the police more accountable by providing oversight by a directly elected individual, who would in turn be subject to strict checks and balances. Yet, the electorate failed to vote in high numbers for such an idea; the November 2012 elections recorded an average turnout of just 15%.

A string of headlines in recent weeks has questioned the judgement of some PCCs, whether it's claiming expenses for two limousine journeys costing £700, attempting to hire a full-time youth commissioner, or appointing friends and former colleagues to well-paid jobs in the Police and Crime Commissioner office.

Six months after they were elected, Simon Cox investigates how well Police and Crime Commissioners are getting on in the job.

The Report will investigate why some Commissioners appear to be more active than others and will explore the different styles they have adopted. The programme will speak to a selection of Commissioners elected in 41 areas across England and Wales about the key decisions they've made on budgets, staffing and policing priorities.

Producer: Hannah Barnes.

MMR and the Legacy of the Link With Autism May 02, 2013

Melanie Abbott looks at the measles outbreak in South Wales. She looks at how the legacy of Andrew Wakefield's 1998 paper still lives on because of a perception that autism is rife amongst some immigrant groups. She talks to Somalis in Minnesota and finds that a lack of answers and high rates of autism in their families has affected MMR uptake and how this message is being heard back here in the UK.

Bitcoin Apr 25, 2013

You can use it to buy a pizza, or pay a taxi fare. Simon Cox looks at the virtual currency Bitcoin, which is exclusively online and independent of any government or company and where a user can be anonymous. In recent weeks, Bitcoin lost half its value due to a panic sell-off, but who are the people buying and selling this new currency and how does it work?

Children's Heart Surgery Apr 18, 2013

A spotlight has been shone on the children's heart surgery unit at Leeds General Infirmary.

On 27th March campaigners trying to keep the centre open had won in the High Court: a decision previously taken to close Leeds as part of a national shake-up of children's heart services was quashed.

Spurred by the inquiry into the Bristol heart scandal more than a decade ago, Safe and Sustainable aims to reduce the number of paediatric cardiac units across England from 10 to 7, each having a minimum of four surgeons so as to concentrate expertise.

But, a day later the medical director for NHS England, Sir Bruce Keogh, ordered the pausing of surgery at Leeds. He had heard concerns from families and professionals over the standard of care at Leeds General Infirmary, and was shown figures purporting to show it had twice the mortality rate than would have been expected.

Since then, he's faced accusations of interfering in the process for political reasons after it emerged his intervention had been partly based on inaccurate data. Surgery has now resumed, but questions remain. Hannah Barnes speaks to those whose initial concerns prompted the pause in surgery, questions Sir Bruce Keogh on his current assessment of safety at Leeds, and asks who parents can trust to tell them where is best for their children to be treated.

Producer: Phil Kemp Reporter: Hannah Barnes.

Who is Pope Francis? Apr 11, 2013

For the past few weeks there's been excitement across the Catholic world over the election of the first Latin American Pope - a man who wants to put the poor at the centre of the Church's teaching. But a series of difficult questions have been raised about Pope Francis's role during Argentina's "Dirty War" and the military dictatorship of the 1970s and early 1980s. In this week's Report journalist and former Dominican monk Mark Dowd travels to Buenos Aires to find out the truth about Pope Francis. Mark speaks to those close to the new Pontiff, his former colleagues, friends and sister about his motivations and character. He talks to key players in the case of two Jesuit priests who were seized and tortured by the dictatorship to find out what Pope Francis really knew and did when they went missing. And he hears from a family whose pregnant relative was kidnapped by agents of the dictatorship. The baby was taken away and relatives appealed to the then Father Bergoglio for help in finding the child. But what happened - and when did Father Bergoglio become aware of the stolen babies scandal?

Cypriot Banks Apr 04, 2013

The economy of Cyprus is in jeopardy following a banking crisis in which savers have seen millions of euros in deposits wiped out of existence. How did it come to this? The Russians have been blamed for using the island as a tax haven and damaging relations with the EU. But, as Simon Cox discovers, the real problem with the system was much closer to home.

Simon Cox finds out from employees and executives at the now defunct Laiki Bank how billions handed out in bad loans created a financial time-bomb that has destroyed a nation's hopes.

Producer: Anna Meisel.

Bulgarian and Romanian Immigration Mar 28, 2013

Bulgarian and Romanian citizens will have the same rights to work in the UK as other EU nationals from next year. Victoria Derbyshire investigates how prepared the government is for a new influx of migrants and asks what the stories of those who've already made the move tell us about what may happen in 2014.

Reporter: Victoria Derbyshire Producer: Phil Kemp.

Pension Liberation Schemes Mar 21, 2013

It can begin with a simple text inviting you to release money from an old pension before you are fifty five, the earliest age at which you can officially access your money. People in financial difficulties may be tempted to sign up, but will they ever see their money again? Simon Cox investigates the dangers of "pension liberation" schemes.

Construction Industry Blacklisting Feb 14, 2013

Claims have recently re-emerged that thousands of construction workers have been turned down for jobs because of a 'blacklist' secretly run by a company called the Consulting Association and funded by some of the largest construction companies in the country.

In December last year the Consulting Association's Chief Officer gave compelling evidence to an on-going investigation by the Scottish Affairs Committee. During nearly four hours of evidence he revealed how potential employees on projects ranging from Millennium Dome to the Olympics were checked against the blacklist he held. Shortly afterwards he died, raising fears that he has taken secrets to the grave.

In this edition of the Report Simon Cox talks to the bookkeeper of the Consulting Association in her first ever broadcast interview. He examines evidence suggesting that union representatives may have "liaised" with contractors to blacklist workers from construction jobs. And he investigates claims that the Information Commissioner failed to collect all the evidence during a raid in 2009.

High Street Closures Feb 07, 2013

With the recent collapse of several top retail brands, Jenny Chryss reports on the behind-the-scenes battles to save some of the High Street's best known names. And she examines the knock-on effects on other businesses. Why does the law allow some creditors to get back millions of pounds, while others will get nothing? The programme hears from angry workers in one chain who say they were kept in the dark about the state the company was in. It also talks to the owners of one small family business which is owed hundreds of thousands of pounds. They describe how they had to wind up their company because of the debts they've been left with. The Government has now ordered an inquiry into the demise of one of the major retailers, but how much information will be made public ? And, with more retailers facing a losing battle against the internet, and more closures expected, experts warn of severe implications for the wider British economy.

Producer: Emma Forde Reporter: Jenny Chryss.

Algerian Siege Jan 31, 2013

Algerian Siege: What really went on at the In Amenas gas field in Algeria?

In the early morning of January 16th the seven hundred staff at In Amenas gas field in the Sahara desert were getting ready for work. But at around 0530 a gang of armed jihadists stormed the accommodation complex and held many of the staff hostage in a siege that lasted four days.

This programme examines how this security breach could have happened and hears of security concerns from those working at the facility. We speak with men who were taken hostage who describe their ordeal and eventual escapes.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb are the terrorist group who have claimed responsibility for the kidnappings but who makes up this group and how do they operate in the wider Sahara region? A Canadian diplomat who was kidnapped in 2008 by the same terrorists gives us his original insight into the group's motivations.

Reporter: Simon Cox Producer: Charlotte Pritchard.

The Police Federation Jan 24, 2013

Phil Kemp examines the Police Federation of England and Wales and its role in what has become known as "Plebgate", leading to the downfall of a cabinet Minister. Last October the Government Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell resigned over a row about what he told armed police officers when trying to leave Downing Street on his bike. The Report reveals internal divisions that led to one region of the Federation pursuing its own PR campaign against the wishes of the leadership and the new National Police Federation chair speaks, for the first time, about how he plans to build bridges with the government in the wake of the affair.

Fixing the Libor Rate II Jan 17, 2013

Simon Cox first reported on LIBOR manipulation last July when he investigated Barclays' role following the substantial fine it was forced to pay be regulators. As more banks are embroiled in the scandal he asks what impact the growing number of legal cases might have on bank profitability, whether financial regulation can stop abuses happening in the future and how many more banking fines are to follow.

Railways Jan 10, 2013

Rail passengers are again facing inflation-busting fare rises on what is often described as has one of the most expensive rail systems in Europe. But despite the level of investment that's taking place in Britain's rail network, punctuality targets on the long-distance routes are being missed. In the West Midlands, trains haven't been turning up because of hundreds of cancellations in recent months. Reporter Jenny Chryss investigates whether rail passengers are getting value for money.

Historic Child Abuse Lessons Jan 03, 2013

After a year marked by new revelations and allegations about the scale of historic child abuse in England and Wales, Simon Cox asks whether there are lessons in the way other countries have tackled the problem. In Northern Ireland victims from across the province have begun giving testimony to an independent inquiry panel and in Scotland there are also plans for a national hearing to take evidence from residents of children's homes across the country. In the Irish Republic, as long ago as 1999, the Prime Minister apologised on behalf of the State and set up a redress board to make pay-outs to victims of abuse. But there are complaints there from those who felt it didn't go far enough and from others worried about the way costs quickly spiralled. So should there be, as some argue, a comprehensive nation-wide inquiry in England and Wales? Would it just re-open old wounds or is a truth and reconciliation process necessary to learn the lessons of the past and protect children in the future? Producer: Nicola Dowling.

HP and Autonomy Dec 27, 2012

Current affairs series. Phil Kemp investigates the sale of the British software company Autonomy to IT giant Hewlett Packard, which claims it was misled about the firm's value.

Roma Children in Care Dec 20, 2012

Following the row over Rotherham council's decision to remove three foster children from a couple because of their support for UKIP, Simon Cox investigates concerns about the high number of Roma children being taken into care.

Women Bishops Dec 13, 2012

Since the House of Laity in the General Synod voted not to push ahead with the ordination of women bishops there have been calls for reform. Many believe that the House of Laity does not represent the views of the majority of churchgoers and overly represents the evangelical conservative and anglo-catholic perspective. Is that the case or are these calls for reform indicative of a bad case of sour grapes? Linda Pressly investigates what it would take to create common ground between traditionalists and liberals within the Church and, if that is not possible, what the future might hold.

Surgeons under Scrutiny Dec 06, 2012

Matthew Hill looks at why surgeon Rob Jones, the obstetrician who delivered the Camerons' baby Florence in 2010, was able to remain in practice for twenty years at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, despite being subject to eight inquiries into his clinical competence. Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS Medical Director for England speaks exclusively to the Report committing to rolling out a new league table of surgeons to scrutinise surgeons' practice.

The Royal British Legion Nov 29, 2012

The Royal British Legion is one of the UK's most iconic charities. It's known for its annual Poppy Appeal and the help it promises veterans of all ages. But former staff, including decorated officers, claim that a major restructuring will impede the Legion's ability to deliver the help that veterans expect. Angus Crawford talks to veterans, former Legion staff, and the charity's chief executive and asks whether the RBL, founded by First World War veterans, is equipped to face the challenges of the 21st century.

Burglary Victims Who Fight Back Nov 22, 2012

The Report is a current affairs series combining original insights into major news stories with topical investigations. Today Melanie Abbott asks what happens when victims of burglary come face to face with an intruder in their home and fight back. How does the legal process work? Are they treated as sympathetically as Justice Secretary, Christopher Grayling, thinks they should be? And what might result if the current law is strengthened?

Free Schools Oct 11, 2012

In The Report this week Simon Cox investigates the battle for influence over free schools. A flagship Conservative policy, the establishment of state funded schools, independent from local authority control has been controversial amongst many teachers, parents and local communities. With this stiff opposition from the education establishment, how is the policy progressing? As the second tranche of these new schools are one month into their first term, we investigate why some of these schools are approved in areas such as Suffolk where there is seemingly no need for them. But we hear from successful groups wanting to change their local area and set up their visions of new schools. We speak to people whose free school projects have been pulled by the Department of Education one week before they were supposed to open, leaving parents and children in the lurch and ask just to what extent has the Department of Education got a handle on its new project.

Presenter: Simon Cox. Producer: Charlotte Pritchard.

Hillsborough Oct 04, 2012

On 15 April 1989 Liverpool Football club were to play Nottingham Forest in the semi-final at Hillsborough in Sheffield. 96 Liverpool fans died after a crush developed in over-crowded stands. Subsequent investigations and media reports suggested that drunken fans had burst into the ground causing chaos and fatal overcrowding. Police witness statements supported this account and formed the basis for two decades of subsequent inquiries. But last month a new report revealed that witness evidence was widely tampered with and that some fans could have been saved by a better emergency response. Jenny Chryss examines the history of inquiry and misinformation into the disaster and asks why it has taken so long for truth to finally emerge. Producer: Gail Champion.

Annecy Killings Sep 27, 2012

With police still trying to establish a clear motive for the shooting of a British family and a cyclist in the French Alps, Simon Cox asks whether the murders will ever be solved.

Visa Trouble at London Metropolitan University Sep 20, 2012

The UK Border Agency recently revoked London Metropolitan University's licence to sponsor overseas students, meaning that it can no longer recruit or continue to teach current students.

According to the Government, the UKBA found systemic failings in the way the university managed its records. It found that many students did not have permission to study in the UK, did not have the correct English language or academic qualifications, while in other cases there was not enough evidence students were attending their courses.

London Met on the other hand does not recognise these problems, and is taking legal against the UKBA's decision.

Wesley Stephenson asks why the licence was revoked. Has London Met been lax in its recruitment and monitoring of students, or has it fallen victim of a complicated visa system? Why did the UKBA act now? Was there overwhelming evidence of systemic failings, or was there political pressure to take tough action?

Police Complaints Sep 13, 2012

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is under pressure on several fronts. It's being investigated by the Home Affairs Select Committee and is re-examining some of its serious cases. Is the IPCC up to the job - and if not, what are the problems? Simon Cox investigates.

Cosmetic Surgery Sep 06, 2012

Following the PIP breast implants scandal, has the cosmetic surgery industry cleaned up its act? Melanie Abbott investigates.

Forensic Science Aug 30, 2012

In The Report this week Hannah Barnes investigates the state of the forensic science industry in the UK. Earlier this year the national forensic science service (FSS) closed, leaving the UK as the only European country without a national service to analyse evidence for criminal investigations. How has the privatisation of the industry impacted our criminal justice system? We hear worries from legal professionals and forensic scientists that the system is increasingly fragmented meaning errors are falling through the cracks. We speak to those at the heart of cases where innocent people have spent time in jail because of DNA mix-ups in private labs.

Presenter: Hannah Barnes. Producer: Charlotte Pritchard.

University Fees Aug 23, 2012

Students starting university this Autumn will see a three-fold increase in fees - and they say they want value for money. But with universities experiencing a squeeze on the funding they receive from Government, can they give students what they want?

Reporter Phil Mackie reports that some universities are now running courses at a loss - and hears from consultants who warn that a number of institutions are unlikely to be financially viable in the longer term. They warn that the changes to the university funding system could have potentially "devastating consequences."

Producer: Samantha Fenwick.

Childhood Obesity Aug 16, 2012

This week's Report investigates the cases of children who are so overweight that their health is at risk.

As childhood obesity becomes more common, some experts are asking whether severely overweight children should be removed from their parents. Social workers, family lawyers and health workers tell reporter Helen Grady about cases where obesity has been a significant factor prompting local authorities to step in and take children into care.

Producer: Emma Rippon.

Olympic Legacy Aug 09, 2012

The Government has claimed that the London Olympics will provide a 13.5 billion pound boost to the British economy. In The Report, Simon Cox investigates the key areas of jobs in the Olympic boroughs, new business deals for the UK and tourism across the country, and asks whether attempts to link the Games with economic growth are flawed.

G4S and Olympic Security Aug 02, 2012

The London Olympics were 7 years in preparation. So why did the plans for security to be provided by private contractor G4S go so badly wrong?

Mukul Devichand hears from G4S guards and police officers working on the Olympic sites about their concerns for securing the Games. Whistleblowers talk of untrained guards operating the x-ray machines, men working 24 hour shifts and vans entering venues without being searched. Police officers tell the programme how they're trying to fill the security gaps left by G4S.

The Report also explores how G4S achieved the Olympic contract, their recruitment process and what seems to have gone wrong. And as media attention focuses on blaming G4S, Mukul Devichand asks if the London Organising Committee (LOCOG) could have sorted these problems much earlier on.

Producer: Charlotte Pritchard.

UK Border Agency Strike Jul 26, 2012

Border guards and other Home Office staff are due to strike today (July 26th) in protest at staff cuts, pay and privatisation. The move has been condemned by the government who say the action by workers in the Border Force is designed to cause maximum disruption on the eve of the Olympics. Around 120,000 passengers are expected through Heathrow on Thursday alone. The Report examines the reasons behind the strike. Unions say the drive to ensure no queues at Heathrow has come at a cost. They point out the UK Border Agency and Border Force has cut a thousand more jobs than planned and staff are being drafted in from other areas to ensure immigration desks are fully manned. But they complain these staff aren't fully trained and security is being jeopardised. Adrian Goldberg also investigates concerns that UKBA is not doing enough to trace and deport many people who should not be in the country.

Fixing the Libor Rate Jul 19, 2012

As investigations continue into claims the Libor interest rate was manipulated, Simon Cox examines allegations of collusion between banks and asks who has lost out.

NHS Trust Going Bust Jul 12, 2012

Current affairs series with Wesley Stephenson, combining insights into major news stories with topical investigations. Can lessons be learnt from the first NHS Trust to go bust?

The Children's Care Business Jul 05, 2012

The conviction in May of nine men in Rochdale for the grooming of young girls threw into stark reality the threat to young vulnerable people living in some children's homes in England. One victim had been sexually exploited while going missing from her privately run home on 19 occasions over a period of three months.

A parliamentary report published a month later has shown this is not an isolated case. In fact, as many as 10,000 young people are going missing from children's homes each year, while the institutions in which they're based are given a clean bill of health by the authorities.

The Report investigates the changing children's home industry, exploring how the task of caring for some of society's most troubled youngsters has become largely the preserve of the private sector.

Simon Cox will ask whether at a cost of as much as £250,000 per child each year, privately run homes are providing value for money and an adequate level of care for their vulnerable residents. He'll also question whether the regulatory regime charged with holding the industry to account is up to the task.

Producer: Hannah Barnes.

Grooming: Who Cares? May 31, 2012

Why are vulnerable girls living in children's homes falling victim to grooming and sexual abuse?

The recent convictions of nine men involved in a child sex ring in Rochdale revealed the tactics of the perpetrators. But the investigation also showed failures in the care system and its inability to protect residents of children's homes.

One of the victims living in a privately run residential home was abused by 25 men in one night. New figures suggest hundreds more may have suffered similar exploitation.

Many local authorities no longer run residential establishments but send children to homes in other parts of the country. There is a concentration of provision in the North West of England where property is cheap. But vulnerable young women far from their roots can become at risk of being groomed - particularly in areas where there is known to be a problem.

The leader of Rochdale Council tells Simon Cox that local authorities should stop sending children to private homes in their area as they can't guarantee that children will be kept safe.

Michael Gove recently called for new safeguards to protect teenagers in care, but why are existing guidelines and procedures not being followed?

Former victims speak out to describe the devastating impact on their lives and why - for them - any new measures will be too late.

Producer: Gail Champion.

Gareth Williams: Death of an MI6 Officer May 24, 2012

Gareth Williams was found dead in his central London flat, inside a locked holdall, in August 2010. The 31-year old had been seconded from his full-time job at Government listening post GCHQ to MI6.

An inquest earlier this month concluded that 'on the balance of probabilities' Mr Williams was unlawfully killed and that it was unlikely he got into the bag by himself.

However, the Coroner in charge, Dr Fiona Wilcox, expressed doubt that Gareth Williams' death would ever be explained. His body was so badly decomposed when it was discovered that subsequent pathology reports proved inconclusive.

This week, The Report asks whether the investigation into what happened two years ago was hampered by mistakes from the outset.

Reporter Phil Kemp questions whether the police ruled out legitimate lines of inquiry too early. He explores the role of MI6 and the impact their delay in notifying anyone of his disappearance subsequently had on forensic testing.

Producer: Hannah Barnes.

Tax Relief on Charity Donations May 10, 2012

When a proposal to cap the amount of tax relief that individuals can claim was included in the recent Budget, charities mounted a huge campaign against the changes. Hundreds of organisations have signed up to the 'Give it Back George' campaign, urging the Chancellor to rethink the plans.

The charities involved include some of Britain's biggest not-for-profits, along with many tiny local organisations, and groups of all sizes in between. Yet the reduced tax relief will only affect a small, elite band of charity donors - those who give more than £50,000 or a quarter of their yearly income.

Who are these big donors and why have charities been so vocal about saving their tax breaks? Simon Cox finds out more about wealthy charity backers, investigates the proposed changes and asks how much tax affects the motivations of Britain's biggest givers. If the Coalition proposals turn into law, how much does the Exchequer stand to gain - and how much do charities stand to lose?

Producer: Mike Wendling.

Interest Rate Swaps May 03, 2012

Phil Kemp investigates claims that some businesses were mis-sold products designed to protect them against interest rate rises.

Mark Duggan Investigation Apr 26, 2012

When Mark Duggan was shot by armed police in Tottenham, north London on 4th August 2011, the Independent Police Complaints Commission immediately began an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

It is normal procedure for the IPCC to conduct an independent investigation into the circumstances of any fatal shooting by the police.

At the time, IPCC Commissioner, Rachel Cerfontyne, said: "I will make certain that this investigation is thorough and answers the many questions that everyone has when such an incident occurs."

Yet there is now the real possibility that a full inquest conducted openly and before a jury, will never be held into the shooting which triggered rioting in Tottenham, and which later spread across London and other English cities.

Simon Cox speaks to people close to Mark Duggan about what impact this news is having in the community.

He investigates whether the IPCC have the statutory powers they need in order to do their job properly.

And, after the IPCC stated that their hands may well be 'tied' by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, Simon will ask whether it is time for a change in the law which currently prevents phone intercept evidence being heard in court.

Producers: Hannah Barnes and Mike Wendling.

What Price Cheap Booze? Apr 19, 2012

A new alcohol strategy for England unveiled by the Government will clamp down on cheap alcohol with the introduction of a minimum unit price. This unexpected u-turn, just months after the Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, cast doubt on the legality of the plan, has delighted campaigners and follows the lead set in Scotland last year.

The proposals are now being trumpeted by the Home Office as a way to crack down on binge drinking and alcohol related violence, but how far will they go in reducing late night anti-social behaviour in town centres?

Andy Denwood investigates moves to reduce alcohol related crime.

Producer: Gail Champion.

Facing the Drought Apr 12, 2012

Parts of England are facing the worst drought in more than 30 years. A hosepipe ban has been imposed. How did we get here? For The Report, Linda Pressly investigates.

Kenya Terror: The British Connection? Apr 05, 2012

Samantha Lewthwaite, the widow of a 7/7 bomber who killed half of the 52 victims, is suspected of involvement in a Kenya terror plot. Following the London atrocities, Germaine Lindsay's partner, also a Muslim convert, claimed no knowledge of his activities and dropped off the intelligence services' radar.

Simon Cox investigates the story of the white woman resembling Lewthwaite, who travelled into Kenya with three children on a false passport. She has been linked to a house in Mombasa where bomb making equipment was found. The house is believed to have been used by members of al-Shabaab, the al-Qaeda associated group based in neighbouring Somalia and blamed for violent attacks in the area.

The terrorist group, known for recruiting from the Somali diaspora is now also targeting British Muslims from other backgrounds. The horn of Africa has become the latest training ground for potential jihadists who represent a threat not only in that area, but in Britain too.

There's evidence that the woman believed to be Lewthwaite travelled between the UK, Somalia and Kenya last year, and security experts are asking why her movements weren't picked up. And The Report has learned that in light of developments it's likely that there will be a reassessment of the 7/7 evidence.

Producer, Sally Chesworth.

The Work Programme Revisited Mar 29, 2012

The Report investigates the government's welfare-to-work scheme. Why are some of the organisations in charge of delivering the plans saying that the Work Programme is unworkable?

Shortly after the £5 billion Work Programme was put into place last year, The Report highlighted concerns about whether the scheme could succeed where other plans had failed in helping the long-term unemployed find jobs, through the use of charities and for-profit companies.

Hannah Barnes revisits the story and finds that despite the fact the scheme has been running for less than a year, some charities and voluntary organisations are already pulling out. They cite a lack of referrals from prime contractors - the handful of mostly private companies the government contracted with under the Work Programme - and the difficulty of helping the most difficult cases.

With the bulk of payments under the scheme linked to keeping people in jobs over the long term, some charities have struggled with cash flow problems that have threatened to put them out of business.

A National Audit Office report suggested that the government had been being overly optimistic in its estimates of the number of people who will be helped into work over the course of the Work Programme's five-year contracts. Hannah revisits some of the unemployed people currently on the scheme who spoke to The Report to in September. Six months on, have any of them found jobs?

With warning signs piling up, The Report asks why the coalition government is still pressing forward with the Work Programme.

NHS Reform Mar 22, 2012

Why are plans to reform the NHS in England so controversial? Simon Cox investigates the tortuous path of the Health and Social Care Bill and asks how the proposed changes may work.

Underperforming Primary Schools Feb 16, 2012

As some of England's 200 weakest primary schools fight Government plans to force them to become sponsored Academies, Simon Cox reports on Michael Gove's drive to improve children's achievement.

Poorly performing primary schools in England are being required to become sponsored Academies - independent of local authorities and in control of their own budgets. Some schools are contesting the figures used to class them as failing, claiming that improvements are being made and that becoming an academy is not the only way forward. Several are refusing to convert without a fight. The Education Secretary, Michael Gove, recently branded those opposing his plans at one school in North London as the "enemies of promise" and part of a "Trot campaign".

However, over sixty schools in England approached by Department of Education and are in the process of finding a sponsor and preparing to move out of local authority control. One of those tells The Report that the school was coerced and that she felt bullied.

The names of the 200 English schools being targeted have not been released - the Government says it doesn't want to name and shame, but indicated about ten local authorities were involved. However, The Report has contacted all councils in England and indentified over 170 schools in over 50 local authorities.

Critics are concerned that this mandatory and radical shift may not benefit children's education. Only a handful of primary schools currently operate as academies but the Government maintains that evidence of their success raising standards at secondary level will transfer to younger children. Simon Cox examines the figures behind an increasingly fractious fight.

Producer: Samantha Fenwick.

Battling Boardroom Pay Feb 09, 2012

Battling Boardroom Pay

The boss of RBS, Stephen Hester eventually succumbed to political pressure to waive his bonus at the taxpayer backed bank, as has Network Rail chief executive Sir David Higgins. But will the proposals from Business Secretary Vince Cable to curb excessive pay packages in Britain's boardrooms and bring in a fairer system really work?

Max Flint examines why generous increases have been awarded to CEOs even when company performance has been poor. Former Thomas Cook boss failed to stop the business share price falling through the floor, but was richly rewarded.

The Report explores how City pay is continually ratcheted up, signed off by a network of former executives sitting on remuneration committees - often unwilling to rock the corporate boat. The Government is promising shareholders the power to veto pay increases, giving them the responsibility to reduce inequality, but how often will it be in their interests to act?

Max Flint asks whether the Prime Minister can deliver on his promise to get tough on boardroom pay.

Producer: Rob Cave.

Costa Concordia Feb 02, 2012

At least 17 people died when the cruise ship Costa Concordia ran aground off the Tuscan island of Giglio on 13 January. Simon Cox investigates exactly what happened and asks whether warning signs about cruise ship safety should have been acted on sooner.

The Drug Khat Jan 26, 2012

The drug Khat, mainly used by East Africans, is illegal in many western countries and has recently been outlawed by the Dutch, famed for their liberal approach to drugs. Yet it remains legal in the UK. The Report asks why Britain is out of step, and what impact this will have. How harmful is the drug to users and society? Will the UK become the centre of unlawful distribution of the drug throughout Europe? And is the Khat trade funding terrorism? Lucy Ash investigates. Producer: John Murphy; Presenter: Lucy Ash Assistant Editor: Jane Ashley.

PIP Breast Implants Jan 19, 2012

As the NHS prepares to deal with the 3,000 women it treated with PIP implants, Simon Cox asks what will happen to the many more thousands of women who had their surgery in private clinics. How did this faulty product come to be so widely used by the big cosmetic surgery companies, and who will ultimately foot the bill?

Despite repeated warnings to the government regulator, French company Poly Implant Prothese was allowed to sell its cheap breast implants filled with industrial-grade silicone to women in the UK for a decade.

Big companies like Transform and Harley Medical Group now have thousands of former patients demanding that they take the government's lead and remove or replace their implants for free. But thousands more paid companies which have gone bust. Women now battling to get their potentially dangerous implants removed recount their ordeal since finding out they paid for implants filled with silicone never designed for use in people.

Surgeons involved in the urgent review called by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley tell of the days that followed the French government's announcement that it would pay for all PIP implants to be removed. And those involved in the drive to train and educate cosmetic surgeons properly call for government support for ideas that could stop a repeat of this very expensive scandal.

Problem leases Jan 12, 2012

Adrian Goldberg investigates alleged malpractice in the UK's multi-billion pound leasing industry, in both the private and the public sector. He hears from people who signed up to leasing contracts and have lost six figure sums, seen their businesses close, and been forced into bankruptcy. And beyond the stories of personal anguish, he looks into the role of some of Britain's major banks and finance houses involved in leasing and asks if it's time for a radical overhaul in the way the leasing industry is regulated.

Metal Theft Jan 05, 2012

Metal theft has reached epidemic proportions, not just in the UK but across the world, driven by a huge demand in countries like China.

Andrew Hosken explores how stolen scrap is 'laundered' into the legitimate system, visiting Walsall in the West Midlands where the 'Tatters' have been rag and bone men for generations. The tradition of cash based exchange means sellers of stolen scrap are virtually impossible to track down.

It's now emerging that more sophisticated criminals are involved in large scale theft and moving scrap around the country. Local authorities feel powerless in the face of weak legislation, but the legitimate industry calls for better enforcement.

As forecasts predict that demand for metal will mean that prices continue to rise, we ask why the authorities seem unable to control the theft. The Home Office Minister, Lord Henley tells The Report that although better record keeping will help, the Government is promising to crack down on the cash economy.

Producer: Rob Cave.

Iran's Soft Power Dec 29, 2011

Relations between Iran and Britain are at a low ebb. The British Embassy in Tehran was attacked in November and now Iranian diplomats have been expelled from the UK. But Iran does not just rely on its embassy to influence people in Britain.

In The Report this week Linda Pressly looks into the satellite TV channel Press TV, funded by the Iranian state and edited from Tehran. Press TV has come under fire in recent weeks after it aired the forced confession of Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari and critics now want to see it closed down. The Foreign Office has sought ways to curtail the channel's activities and Ofcom is forcing the broadcaster to move its licence to Tehran by the start of the New Year.

Present and former Press TV journalists tell the story of the channel's creation in 2007 and explain how it has sought to provide an alternative view of the news with prominent presenters like Yvonne Ridley and George Galloway. Human rights activists explain why they continue to complain to Ofcom about the airing of suspected forced confessions; freelancer Jody Sabral recounts how the channel's coverage of the Syrian uprisings lead to her resignation earlier this year.

Many Iranian dissidents and activists see Press TV as part of a wider network of religious, cultural and educational organisations funded by the government. The Report asks what the Iranian government hopes to achieve through these centres and what role they will play with the official embassy closed.

Producer: Lucy Proctor Presenter: Linda Pressly.

Clinical Trials Dec 22, 2011

The number of clinical trials being conducted in the UK has fallen sharply to 2% of the global figure. The government wants to turn this around by cutting bureaucracy and reducing the time it takes to get trials up and running. In The Report, Simon Cox investigates whether the changes being proposed can make a significant difference and resurrect Britain's role as the place to conduct cutting edge medical research.

Computer Hacking Dec 15, 2011

As police from Operation Tuleta warn former Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain that his computer may have been hacked, Jane Dodge investigates the use of the practice by the press. Tom Watson MP tells 'The Report' that computer hacking could potentially 'dwarf' the phone hacking scandal.

The Leveson Enquiry into media ethics has been hearing from celebrities and victims of crime whose phones have been hacked. But other witnesses including former military intelligence officer Ian Hurst have given details of how their computers were hacked. One of his correspondents tells us how the detail revealed could have put lives at risk.

The Report talks exclusively to Joe Poulton - not his real name - who as an undercover operative spent time amid the culture of lawbreaking in the offices of private detective firm, Southern Investigations in London. The former police officer was there for nearly a decade until 2006 gathering intelligence on an unrelated matter. He reveals that computer hacking along with other unlawful techniques, was used in connection with stories for News International and other newspapers.

The Report has spoken to another victim, also involved in Northern Ireland, who believes he was hacked to supply information to the press.

The nature and character of the targets of computer hacking raise questions about personal safety and national security. Tom Watson MP a high profile critic of the press tells The Report that the computer hacking scandal could "potentially dwarf the phone hacking scandal'.

Producer: Paul Grant.

How Secure are Britain's Borders? Dec 08, 2011

It seems barely a day goes by without further damaging revelations about the UK Border Agency, the organisation which oversees Britain's immigration and customs operation. The recent disclosure that security checks were lowered at UK ports, allegedly without ministerial consent, cost Brodie Clark, former head of the Border Agency, his job. But behind the headlines, what is really going on in immigration halls up and down the land? In this week's The Report, Simon Cox investigates the under fire UK Border Agency. Can the public have confidence that it is now being run and managed properly? Are British ports now safe and secure?

TUC's Day of Action: Behind the Lines Dec 01, 2011

The TUC's Day of Action has been supported by an estimated two million public sector workers, on strike for a 'fair deal' on pensions'. Lucy Ash has been behind the scenes in Birmingham - where the TUC national rally is taking place - and with union members planning the strike, some taking action for the first time. Tension mounts between the TUC and local authority about the planned march, and negotiations falter over the route - there have been several strikes in the city already this year. Elsewhere in the West Midlands, small businesses are angry that their market is being closed by the council - action they see as unnecessary. The Report reflects some of the antipathy between public and private sector workers in one British city.

Producer: Ian Muir-Cochrane.

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Nov 24, 2011

Are the protections designed to grant people being deprived of their liberty the right to challenge their detention in the courts really working? In this edition of The Report, Matthew Hill investigates the mechanism known as Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

Rather than protecting vulnerable adults, there's increasing concern that people who are deemed unable to make their own decisions can be kept in care homes and hospitals against their will without transparency and, in some cases, without proper safeguards.

Just two years after the safeguards were introduced, The Report has been granted exclusive access to a new study highlighting the many flaws in the system. Matthew Hill asks whether the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) are adequate; if the DoLS understood by care workers, and why are they so unevenly applied across the country?

The programme hears from the head of the judges at the Court of Protection, Mr Justice Charles and the Official Solicitor, Alastair Pitblado.

Producer: Hannah Barnes.

Occupy London Nov 17, 2011

In the first of a new series of The Report, Simon Cox investigates the events of late October when an Occupy London protest led to the closure of St Paul's Cathedral.

Much of the coverage has been dominated by the row over the decision by St Pauls to close the cathedral and the protester's relationship with the Church. But The Report reveals a third key player in the story: The City of London Corporation.

The BBC has learned how the City of London Corporation struck a deal with the Labour Government in return for a 250 million pound contribution to the Crossrail project. An internal document sent to councilors in 2007 and seen by the BBC says one of the pre-conditions of a major contribution to Crossrail would have to be "delivery of a net real terms improvement in Government funding of the City Corporation". The Government then agreed to re-instate a fund known as the "City Offset"" from April 2010 of around 10 million pounds a year. This had previously been scrapped by Labour in 2003.

The Corporation, which is the local authority for the city, has substantial private funds that are exempt from Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. The occupy protesters are demanding that the Corporation opens up its private funds to public scrutiny and reveals the extent of the Corporation's lobbying since 2008.

Producer: Daniel Tetlow Reporter: Simon Cox.

Britain's Shale Gas Oct 13, 2011

Shale gas, extracted through a process known as "hydraulic fracturing" has had dramatic effects on the United States' energy market - contributing to both increased supply and reduction in the cost of gas.

In Poland its discovery caused so much excitement that the first exploratory drilling was carried live on television.

Britain has shale gas reserves too and the Department of Energy and Climate Change is about to open the next round of bidding for licences to test drill in certain parts of the country.

The industry is in its infancy in Britain but in "The Report" Simon Cox analyses the areas where shale gas might occur - potentially in large tracts of northern and southern England as well as parts of Scotland and Wales.

Might the UK eventually see large multi-national companies coming to this country to invest? How accurate are the claims that are made for how much gas might be produced? And what does the prospect of cheap, plentiful gas mean for the government's commitment to renewable energy?

School Exclusions Oct 06, 2011

The rate of school exclusions, both permanent and fixed term, has fallen over the past decade as successive governments have sought to keep children in education. Samantha Washington goes behind the figures and finds that an apparent success story may be masking systemic failures. Some students are being unofficially and illegally excluded without access to education. The Department of Education has estimated that thousands of excluded students go missing from school rolls. And where alternative provision for excluded pupils is provided, it operates in "a largely uninspected and unregulated sector." (OFSTED, June 2011) The costs are high, not only for the children but for society - many of those who are excluded never get an education, never work and all too often wind up in jail.

Stepping Hill Hospital Sep 29, 2011

After charges against the polices main suspect, Rebecca Leighton, were discontinued police now have an uphill struggle to find out who contaminated bags of saline at Stepping Hill hospital in Stockport. Police are currently investigating three deaths and four other cases all of whom are thought to have been given the saline contaminated with insulin. Linda Pressly asks whether anyone will ever be convicted of murder in this case and the obstacles that stand in the way of the police in gathering enough evidence to make the link between the deaths and the saline.

Forced Marriage Sep 22, 2011

This summer as many as 350 people may have been sent abroad and forced to marry against their will. Figures from the Forced Marriage Unit suggest 4 out of 10 of those affected are schoolchildren, so as the new academic year begins there will be empty seats in classrooms across the UK. In the last quarter, the number of protection orders issued by the courts identifying those at risk of being married against their will has doubled, year on year.

In April the Prime Minister said he was determined to stamp out forced marriage, and had no time for talk of cultural sensitivies. But three years after the Forced Marriage Unit was set up in England and Wales, and guidance was issue to all professionals working with children there's evidence that the legislation is not working as effectively as it should.

Schools are on the frontline of efforts to try and prevent forced marriage, but the Report has learned that even in areas where there's are communities of South Asian origin, some schools are unaware there's a problem, don't raise the issue with pupils, or even flout the guidelines by immediately contacting parents.

Angus Crawford asks whether the government is doing enough to help vulnerable young people.

The Work Programme Sep 15, 2011

What will be the fate of the Government's Work Programme?

Billed as "the most ambitious programme of back to work support this country has ever seen", just three months since its launch in June serious questions have been raised about the scheme's viability.

Experts suggest the Work Programme will run out of money and those with responsibility for delivering it will go bust unless contracts are renegotiated.

The Report explores the history of welfare to work schemes and the track records of some of the biggest companies involved this time round. Simon Cox meets with people who are long-term unemployed and on the Work Programme and who have little faith that this scheme will be different to its predecessors.

He also speaks with former employees of some of the largest providers and asks whether the Department of Work and Pensions has both overestimated the success of these providers, and underestimated the difficulty of getting the long-term unemployed back in work.

Producer: Hannah Barnes.

The Abortion Debate Sep 08, 2011

This week Bill Law investigates how backbench Conservative MP Nadine Dorries has reignited the abortion debate. She argues that abortion providers should not be allowed to offer pre-abortion counselling because they stand to gain financially if the woman goes ahead with a termination. The campaign is backed by Christian charities which want to see the number of abortions carried out in Britain dramatically reduced. The Report looks at how the evangelical Christian movement is finding ways to shape public policy in this and other areas and asks whether Christianity is becoming an increasingly influential force in British politics.

Interviewees include:

Nadine Dorries MP Andrea Williams, Christian Concern Jonathan Bartley of religious think tank Ekklesia Oliver Cooper, Conservative Humanists Christian Guy, Centre for Social Justice

Producer: Lucy Proctor.

Crime-Cutting Miracles? Sep 01, 2011

Following the riots the government has been keen to look at initiatives which hold out the promise of preventing violent crime. The Violence Reduction Unit was set up in Glasgow in 2004. The murder rate in the city had been high for generations. The radical idea the VRU had was that, rather than solve violent crime, police should prevent it. Violence is treated like a disease - tough police enforcement goes hand in hand with community initiatives aimed at changing the culture of violence. Police initiatives in the US also have the same aspiration. Bill Bratton, who will be advising the government, was police commissioner in New York & Los Angeles when violent crime fell dramatically. Mobeen Azhar asks how initiatives, in both Scotland & the US, actually operate & whether they work.

Contributors Commissioner Bill Bratton Professor Larry Sherman Professor Andrew Karmen Dr Michael Murray Karyn McCluskey, VRU DS Steven Kettenhorn, Strathclyde Police Superintendent Bob Hamilton, Strathclyde Police Angela Morgan, Chief Exec, Includem Commander Steve Rodhouse, MET

Producer : Rosamund Jones.

The Riots - How They Began Aug 25, 2011

England has witnessed its worst rioting for a generation this month. The majority have been shocked by scenes of people, some as young as 11, looting high street shops with seemingly no fear of being caught by the police or of any punishment that could be handed out by the courts.

The violence started in Tottenham, North London, where what started out as a peaceful protest over the shooting of 29 year old Mark Duggan, spiralled out of control. Two days after Mr Duggan had been killed by armed officers, his friends and family gathered outside Tottenham police station asking for more information on the circumstances surrounding his death. Five hours later, trouble ensued.

Police cars were set on fire; shops were destroyed along the length and breadth of Tottenham High Road; and families were forced to flee their homes as the flames spread. Later that night, just a mile or so away in Tottenham Hale, the looting began.

The Report investigates what happened on that fateful Saturday - August 6th 2011 - in Tottenham and asks why the situation grew so violent. Wesley Stephenson speaks with people who were on Tottenham High Road when the violence broke out. He reveals deep-seated anger at the police within some sections of the community and hears claims that the police response was not robust enough.

Producer: Hannah Barnes.

The Hacking Scandal and the Murder of Daniel Morgan Aug 18, 2011

In an exclusive interview with Radio 4's The Report, Tom Watson MP calls on the government to look again at the links between the murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan and the phone and email hacking scandal. As a result of evidence brought to light by The Report, Tom Watson states he will write to the Prime Minister the day before the transmission of the programme to demand that the 1987 Daniel Morgan murder case be reinvestigated as part of the Leveson public inquiry.

Extremism in the UK Aug 11, 2011

Following the massacre in Norway and amid concerns over contacts between the killer and supporters of the English Defence League, the Government is reviewing its policing of right-wing terrorism.

James Silver examines far right extremism in the UK and reports from some areas with large Muslim populations where fears of 'Islamistion' are fuelling tensions between communities. We hear of the targeting of gay men in East London, as well as attacks on a mosque in Luton.

Is there a disenfranchised minority who feel they have no political voice and are now looking to networks like the English Defence League? And are the EDL right to suggest that the threat of anti-Muslim terrorism in the UK could grow?

Please note there has been a change to this programme since the original broadcast because of an erroneous reference to the English Democrats.

Producer: Samantha Fenwick.

TB in Cattle Aug 04, 2011

The Coalition says it is committed to a 'science led' approach to tackling tb in cattle, but as a new badger culling trial is announced in England and the proposed cull in Wales is abandoned by the new Welsh Government, Nick Ravenscroft assesses the impact - on cattle and badgers - of what some describe as a decade of indecision.

Producer: Gail Champion.

The MOD's Missing Kit Jul 28, 2011

How did the MOD lose track of over 5bn pounds worth of military equipment? Firearms, ammunition, even a plane fuselage are unaccounted for. A tenth of all the specialist and valuable Bowman radios have strayed from their rightful place. The Ministry of Defence insist that doesn't mean they are not being put to good use somewhere - but there's no way of knowing. Antiquated systems mean that accurately recording and despatching items from the hundreds of thousands of lines of stock is a virtually impossible task - nearly half of all deliveries to Afghanistan are late. Adrian Goldberg enters the labyrinthine world of the military stores and distribution networks and asks where some of the 'mislaid' equipment is, how it got there, and the impact on troops.

Producer: Rob Cave.

Phone Hacking Jul 21, 2011

Simon Cox investigates whether the phone hacking scandal goes further than just the News of the World.

Exam Paper Mistakes Jul 14, 2011

On 7 June, after discovering six exam paper errors, the examination regulator OFQUAL wrote to all the examination boards to ask them to double check the remaining exam papers to make sure there were no more errors. The boards replied assuring the regulator that thorough quality checks had been done to "make sure there are no undetected errors in the remaining papers". The regulator then made a public statement to students that "everything that can be done has been done to prevent any further errors on question papers". Following this statement, four more errors were discovered. Ten mistakes in total, affecting up to 100,000 students. The Report asks what is going on with the UK exam system and how can students be reassured that in August they will get the grades that they deserve?

NHS Whistleblowers Jul 07, 2011

Patient safety has become a growing concern for the NHS. And significant numbers of clinicians are aware of failings in care. Yet when they raise concerns, some find themselves facing allegations themselves and can find themselves suspended from their jobs. They may end up at home on full pay for years at considerable cost to the taxpayer. In some cases clinicians have highlighted serious concerns which, had they been listened to, might have averted subsequent tragedies. In The Report today Simon Cox hears the stories of whistleblowers in the NHS. He asks why their bosses sometimes ignore their concerns and investigates the use of gagging orders and other methods aimed at stopping whistleblowing clinicians from telling their stories. Producer: Rosamund Jones.

Learning Lessons from 7/7 May 26, 2011

In the wake of the findings of the 7/7 inquest Simon Cox looks at what has changed within the emergency services.

Could any of the 52 people who died on July 7th 2005 have been saved if help had reached them sooner? Earlier this month the findings of inquest concluded that they could not. But the coroner Lady Justice Hallet didn't give the emergency services a clean bill of health. She made 9 recommendations for improvement and has asked for responses by the end of June.

This week's "The Report" looks at the reasons why some victims waited over an hour for fire and ambulance workers to reach them. And we talk to some of those involved in the incidents including Jason Killens from the London Ambulance Service and Michael Henning, a survivor of a bomb detonated at Aldgate Tube station, both of whom gave evidence at the inquest.

Tesco Riots in Bristol May 19, 2011

Last month riots broke out during a protest in Bristol about the opening of a new Tesco Express in the independent, bohemian area of Stokes Croft. Hundreds of people took to the street, several police officers were injured and there was serious damage to the new store.

A longstanding campaign had concerns about the impact of the store on the area's character - exacerbated by the belief that Tesco had been less than open. The council are frustrated that they didn't know a supermarket was in the offing when they agreed to the site's 'change of use'. There's no obligation on any supermarket to declare their hand at that stage and Tesco say that as well as bringing investment into the area there were thousands of people through the door when the Express store opened. The Council have asked the Government to review the planning rules.

As the Localism Bill goes through Parliament and the Government appoints Mary Portas 'Queen of Shops' as High Street Tzar there's an emphasis on devolved decision making and more control for local authorities. Phil Kemp visits areas where the local community is split and hears that some councillors feel they can't ask the questions they want to - like whether or not the community 'needs' a new supermarket. The coalition had made a commitment to change the planning rules to that effect, but the question is whether a Government keen to kick start the economy can afford to stand by that pledge.

Producer: Andy Denwood Reporter: Phil Kemp.

African Refugees in Europe May 12, 2011

In the aftermath of the conflicts in North Africa a new wave of migrants is heading to Europe, but the 27 member states are divided over how to share the responsibility.

Simon Cox explores the growing dispute and asks whether it could result in changes to the EU's fundamental principle of open borders and how it deals with migration in the future.

Reporter: Simon Cox Producer: Gail Champion.

Democracy in Tunisia May 05, 2011

Tunisia was the focus of international attention when popular protest helped to topple the country's autocratic leader and triggered a wave of demonstrations across the region. But what happens next? Linda Pressley travels to Tunisia and meets those vying for political and business influence in its more open society. Amongst those she speaks to are Sheikh Rachid Ghannouchi, leader of Tunisia's largest Islamist party and, until recently, a resident of Hemel Hempstead.

The Last Census? Apr 28, 2011

In the 21st century age of digital technology, is it still really necessary to have a paper census costing the British taxpayer 482 million pounds and taking nine years to plan? In opposition, the Conservative Party was highly critical of the census. So, as the dominant partner in a coalition government, could they be about to abolish it? Reporter James Silver investigates the options for a replacement survey of the nation and reveals how some proposed changes could result in more goverment intrusion.

Inspecting Britain's Nuclear Power Plants Apr 21, 2011

The stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan missed scheduled safety inspections weeks before the disaster. The Japanese regulation system stands accused of failing to take the risk of an extreme natural disaster seriously enough, and of a lack of openness with the public.

Britain's own regulatory body which oversees nuclear power plants has just re-launched itself after years of concern that it has been secretive, understaffed and overstretched.

In recent years the government's Chief Nuclear Inspector says he has struggled to recruit new staff and that the Nuclear Safety Inspectorate faced major challenges to ensure old nuclear plants are run safely.

As the Office for Nuclear Regulation takes on the challenge of ensuring Britain's nuclear power plants are run safely, Andy Denwood investigates whether it's up to the job.

Producer Ian Muir-Cochrane.

Illegal Music Downloads Apr 14, 2011

The Report investigates the battle over the government's plans to stop illegal downloading of music. Is the digital economy bill unravelling?

Voting Referendum Apr 07, 2011

On 5 May, the whole of the UK goes to the polls to vote in a referendum for the first time since 1975. Voters will be asked to decide whether they want to replace the existing "first past the post system" to elect MPs to the House of Commons with the "alternative vote" system.

It is a referendum that will see some unlikely alliances forming on either side of the campaign, with some the UK's largest trades unions lining up alongside senior Conservative party politicians to push for a "no" vote, while those advocating a "yes" come not only from established parties like the Liberal Democrats and some sections of the Labour Party, but also smaller parties like the Green Party.

But with such a complex mix of interested parties, how much do we know about who is bankrolling the campaigns and what their agendas are? Reporter James Silver investigates the campaign groups and private individuals pumping millions of pounds into the contest and asks whether the rules around disclosure of donations are as robust as those for general elections.

Overseas Donations to British Universities Mar 31, 2011

As conflict grows in the Middle East Simon Cox asks whether universities may rethink the donations that many UK universities have received from this region of the world. Following the resignation of Howard Davies from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), which accepted money from Libya, The Report asks whether other universities may find themselves embarrassed. UK universities - especially Oxford and Cambridge -have received more donations from Arab and Middle Eastern countries in the past 10 years than ever before - in part to fund centres for Islamic studies. What impact has this had on scholarship?

Criticism has grown as some students, academics and campaigners believe that universities should not accept money from countries with bad human rights records. But is it possible to draw up a list of countries from which no money should be taken? And could understanding of the Islamic world be compromised if the money doesn't come in?

Producer Rosamund Jones.

Evangelical Christians and Equality Mar 24, 2011

The newspaper headlines read "Christian couple barred from fostering children because of their views on homosexuality" and "B&B owners punished for being faithful to Christian teaching".

They refer to two recent cases brought to court under the 2006 Equality Act: Eunice and Owen Johns who believed their Pentecostal faith was being used to prevent them caring for foster children and Stephen Preddy and Martyn Hall, a gay couple who won damages again patrons of a guesthouse run in line with what the owners believe are Christian teachings and who refused to rent out double bedded accommodation to the couple.

In "The Report" Matthew Hill asks what really happened in these cases, and why they ended up in court. He talks to the key people involved - and the organisations supporting the different sides. They include a Christian campaign organisation, a Christian charity and the Equality and Human Rights Commission, funded by the taxpayer.

Are these cases part of a "battle for influence" amongst groups using the law as a way of increasing their leverage in society?

Uprisings in Libya Mar 03, 2011

The recent uprisings in Libya came after four decades of dictatorship under Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. The regime had pariah status until the Libyan leader's son, Saif al Islam, managed to persuade outsiders that Gaddafi was committed to reform. But in the face of opposition protests, both Saif and his father refused to relinquish their power and wealth.

In recent years, Saif played a crucial role in wooing big business, former dissidents, academics and Western governments. Hugh Miles talks to some of those charmed into assisting the regime and to former members of Saif al Islam's circle who saw much of Libya's wealth squandered on buying influence.

Hugh Miles is an award winning writer and broadcaster. He is the author of Al Jazeera - How Arab TV News Challenged the World.

Midwife Shortage Feb 17, 2011

Midwives have been in short supply in England for years. Why aren't there enough and what effect is this having on hospitals and pregnant women?

Easy Online Credit Feb 10, 2011

Consumer credit is growing ever tighter. Prices are rising, wages are being frozen, jobs being lost. Times are tough and increasingly people who are finding themselves short of cash are heading to the internet to secure quick and easy but very, very expensive short term loans. Cyberspace has proved the perfect breeding ground for smart young loan entrepreneurs who are capitalizing on lax regulation and consumer need to build a multimillion-pound industry. And with interest rates running as high as nearly 3000% APR, a new generation of online borrowers, many from the middle class, are slipping ever deeper into debt. Phil Kemp investigates the growing market for high-cost lending amid growing calls for the industry to face tougher regulation.

What Caused the Prison Riots? Feb 03, 2011

The riots at Ford open prison at New Year made front page news, but recently there have been a clutch of riots, disturbances and incidents of indiscipline in young offenders institutes and higher category prisons. The Tornado Squads - brought in to regain control in an establishment - were called out eleven times in 2010, more than twice as often as in the previous year. Lord Woolf, the new Chair of the Prison Reform Trust, and author of the report into Britain's worst rioting at Strangeways over 20 years ago says these outbreaks are a disturbing sign and symptomatic of strain in the system: "a well run prison won't have riots".

Tension in prisons is said to have risen as a result of continued overcrowding and bullying by street gangs who operate inside prisons, all of which put pressure on the transfer system. Prison officers believe that staffing levels are inadequate and that cuts in prison budgets can only make things worse. The Government Green Paper promises radical reform of the prison system, and a rehabilitation revolution to reduce prisoner numbers in the medium term, and the Minister Crispin Blunt is clear that the country can't afford to reduce overcrowding now. In the meantime over 800 prison places are to go by April. Gill Dummigan reports on the pressures on the prison system.

Producer: Rob Cave.

Petrol Prices Jan 27, 2011

As petrol prices reach record levels at the pumps, the government is coming under increasing pressure to ease the motorists' pain. Amid the growing anger, Michael Buchanan takes to the road to investigate: should anything be done or are the days of cheap fuel long gone?

Bankers' Bonuses Jan 20, 2011

Britain's bankers are on course to collectively receive an estimated £7 billion in bonuses over the next couple of months. David Cameron has called on banks to show restraint when awarding themselves 'compensation' as it's known, but with no bonus tax this year, the bankers are expected to do well again. City tailors and Mayfair clubs believe the good times are back, and bankers themselves tell Simon Cox, it's time for things to return to normal. The Government's pleas may not have been heeded but European regulation has had an effect how bonuses are paid - with a significant proportion in shares and deferred payments - to encourage a longer term view. That may not be going down with the high flyers, but bankers are hardly suffering - in many cases salaries have risen significantly - up to 50% in some cases. As The Report hears from voices in the City who say that pay and bonuses are too high and too easily earned, Simon Cox asks why it is that the Government seems powerless to curb them.

Producer: Samantha Fenwick.

Luton: A 'Hotbed of Extremism'? Jan 13, 2011

The revelation that the man responsible for Sweden's first suicide bombing had lived and studied in Luton provided the latest link between the Bedfordshire town and terrorist activity.

The accusation that Luton has become a 'hotbed of extremism' dates back to the late 1990s, when it was claimed that one of the men alleged to be involved with a terrorist plot in Yemen in 1998 had lived in the town. Links with Luton have also been cited in other major planned terrorist atrocities since, including the fertiliser bomb plot of 2003 which aimed to blow up British nightclubs and shopping centres, and the July 7th London bombings. The Report investigates whether Luton has a problem with militant Islam and if it is doing enough to stop its young residents from being radicalised.

The programme also asks why Luton has proved fertile territory for the extreme right. The English Defence League was born in Luton in the spring of 2009 in response to the abuse faced by members of the Royal Anglian Regiment - who had returned from a tour of duty in Iraq - from a small group of extremist Muslim protestors.

Phil Kemp speaks to community leaders who reject the impression painted of their town as a divided place.

Producer: Hannah Barnes.

Bats, Balls and Bungs Jan 06, 2011

The tribunal into allegations of fixing by three Pakistan cricketers begins in Qatar today, but whatever the outcome, the ability of the game to tackle the threat of corruption to cricket is also on trial. Betting on sport is hugely popular in Asia, and particularly India where it's banned, but millions of pounds worth of bets are taken by illegal bookmakers on international and County games which are broadcast on television.

Betting syndicates - sometimes involving bookmakers - are believed to be to targetting players in the UK. The ICC tell The Report "A very large number of players and officials have reported.. inappropriate approaches made by potential corruptors". We hear claims that the English and Welsh County game is being targeted by bookmakers from India, on the lookout for vulnerable players, perhaps with a gambling addiction or a debt. The Professional Cricketers Association monitor the facebook pages of members, because of worries that they might reveal information which would be useful to a potential corruptor.

Adrian Goldberg explores this murky world, and asks whether the game is succeeding in preventing players being lured by handsome rewards for not playing by the rules.

Producer: Paul Grant.

UK Uncut Dec 30, 2010

Linda Pressly reports on the protests against tax avoidance which caused disruption at stores across Britain in the run-up to Christmas. She finds out how the group behind the protests, UK Uncut, was formed and how it has used social media to connect protestors and to organise more than 50 demonstrations all over the UK. She also investigates UK Uncut's claims that the Government could avoid making deep public spending cuts by targeting rich individuals and big businesses that legally avoid paying billions of pounds a year in tax. Who are the people behind UK Uncut? What is the basis for their claims? And do they really have the answer to the UK's fiscal woes? The programme includes interviews with the founding members of UK Uncut, with Richard Murphy of the Tax Justice Network, John Whiting from the Office of Tax Simplification and Treasury Minister David Gauke.

Wikileaks Dec 23, 2010

Simon Cox talks to current and former members of Wikileaks to find out how it operates. He investigates how the organisation was set up, and how it handles its own leaks and internal dissent.

Producer: Jo Mathys.

Ireland's Toxic Tiger Dec 17, 2010

How much will British taxpayers suffer from the fallout in Ireland? British banks such as RBS and Lloyds have large debts in the Republic, and are making decisions about which to call in, threatening more pain for local communities. Morland Sanders hears protests from small contractors in Donegal where Ulster Bank want to sell off a prestige residential development at rock bottom prices. This amid questions about the part British institutions actually played in fuelling the property market bubble.

As the Irish government deals with the "toxic loans" of the Republic's banks, it's being estimated that 15% of them are in the UK. We explore how this will affect the businesses reliant on that borrowed money, and what will happen to those trophy assets such as Claridges, now 'owned' by the Republic's new holder of its toxic debts, NAMA.

The Chancellor, George Osborne may have said the £3.2bn loan to Ireland was to support a friend in need, and protect British exports, but we report on the importance to British banks and British businesses of an economic recovery in Ireland.

Producer: Ian Muir-Cochrane.

Phil Woolas Loses his Seat Dec 09, 2010

In the first ruling of its kind for 99 years, the former Immigration Minister and Labour MP, Phil Woolas was last month stripped of his Oldham East and Saddleworth seat. He was found guilty by a special election court of having knowingly lied about his Liberal Democrat opponent, Elwyn Watkins. Mr Woolas has also been accused of exploiting racial tensions in an area which saw riots in the run up to the General Election in 2001. The Report investigates what really went on during the campaign and looks at the role of the politics of race in this most tightly fought of contests.

And reporter Simon Cox asks how unique the circumstances of the Oldham East election were. Phil Woolas was found guilty of making claims about his opponent's personal character or conduct that he knew to be untrue. But candidates can use many other tricks to deceive voters that are within the rules. The Report asks whether the law that was used to strip the former Oldham East MP of his seat has kept up with the reality of modern electioneering.

Free Schools and Academies Dec 02, 2010

The Government wants all schools in England to become academies: state-funded but independent of local authority control. In the summer, Education Secretary Michael Gove predicted that more than 1,000 schools would opt for the new academy status. Four months on, there are fewer than 100 new academies. Some headteachers are now locked in dispute with trade unions - and even parents - over plans to convert their schools. Is the Government's flagship education initiative in danger of stalling? Reporter James Silver reports from the education front-line on the latest Government drive to turn all local authority-managed schools into free-standing academies. And he asks who will be the winners and losers as the policy goes ahead.

Producer: Andy Denwood.

Housing Benefit Cuts Nov 25, 2010

The caps and cuts on housing benefit have polarised the nation more than any other measure in Britain's age of austerity. Public anger about people "milking the system" by using benefits to get large homes in central London is pitted against the spectre of "Kosovo-style social cleansing" of Britain's cities. In The Report, Mukul Devichand investigates how the changes will really play out in the lives of Londoners: telling stories of the city where the cut will bite first.

Around 1.5 million Britons get all or part of their rent paid by the state, costing £8bn a year. In fashionable Maida Vale and central SW1, Mukul visits the homes paid for by "Local Housing Allowance" that cost taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds each year. He asks if the government is right to blame landlords for inflating their rents.

Will London's communities really be changed forever by these changes? In Stamford Hill in Hackney, Mukul meets the Haredi Jewish community. It is a tight-knit quarter of 70 orthodox Jewish synagogues where many families qualify for housing benefit because they have several children. Could this historic community now be compelled to move?

Lord (David) Freud is a Minister in the coalition government and one of the architects of these reforms. He fields difficult questions about the government's plans to rein in rising welfare costs.

And at the fringes of London, in Barking and Dagenham, Mukul asks where the poorest will move if they are hit by the changes. In a district already convulsed by deep-seated rivalries over housing - which have in the past led to racial tension and the success of the far right British National Party (BNP) at the ballot box - Mukul discovers that there are now fears of heightened tension as people trickle out of central London.

Airline Security Nov 18, 2010

Simon Cox looks at airline security in the wake of the East Midlands Airport parcel bomb find and asks what more can be done by the aviation industry to prevent terrorist attacks.

Suicide and the Internet Oct 14, 2010

Is the internet encouraging vulnerable people to kill themselves? Several recent double suicides have been linked to chat rooms and websites. The Report investigates the evidence.

Policing Anti-Social Behaviour Oct 07, 2010

There were an estimated 12 million incidents of anti-social behaviour in England and Wales last year but only about a quarter were reported to the police. Recent research published by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary suggests that in some areas those calls have not been taken seriously enough, with the emphasis on more 'serious' crime.

We hear from those on the receiving end of anti-social behaviour, the victims who become prisoners in their own homes and those trying to stop it. Some express frustration with the lack of police action. To get an insight into the challenges of juggling resources and meeting the public expectations we visit three forces in the North of England: Greater Manchester who have been criticised for their approach to anti social behaviour, Lancashire who have been held up as a model force, and Merseyside who have just announced they are going to scrap their anti social behaviour Task Force.

The Chief Inspector of Constabulary in England and Wales, Sir Denis O'Connor has said that it's time to 'reclaim some neighbourhoods'. He warned chief constables to think carefully before making cuts as they could tip some areas into a spiral of economic and social decline, and said that what's needed are feet on the street.

As forces brace themselves for large spending cuts, Jane Dodge looks at the criticism targeted at forces and asks whether the policing of anti-social behaviour will suffer.

Producer: Samantha Fenwick.

Ground Zero Islamic Centre Sep 30, 2010

The plan to build an Islamic Centre near Ground Zero has polarised the United States and become a key political issue, playing heavily in the mid-term elections. Does it point to a rise in Islamaphobia as some people claim? And what could be the repercussions for America's relationship with Muslims at home and in the rest of the world? In The Report, Linda Pressly traces the development of a controversy that has engulfed New York, and more widely, the nation. Protestors against the development two blocks from where the World Trade Centre once stood voiced their opposition against the proposal on the anniversary of 9/11. They claim it is insensitive to the families who lost loved ones on that day and some go so far as to equate it with another attack on America. President Obama has stepped in to defend the principle of religious freedom and been the target of attacks from the former Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin and the popular conservative movement known as the Tea Party. Muslims in the USA have watched as the story has been all over the talk shows, generated columns of newsprint and been covered all over the world. They are concerned by what they see as a rise in Islamophobia, but don't want to give up on the project because they fear it could lead to mosques being banned elsewhere. The Report hears from some of the main protagonists - including the controversial blogger Pamela Geller who's led the fight against what she insists will be a 'mega mosque'. Members of the Muslim community in New York worry that the ordinary American's view of their religion has been eclipsed by al-Qaeda, a concern which is borne out, in part, by a visit to the site of another proposed mosque around ten miles away from Manhattan in Sheepshead Bay.

Taxman troubles Sep 23, 2010

As millions of Britons receive letters telling them they've paid either too much or too little tax in recent years, Simon Cox investigates what's gone wrong at Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, and reveals how the back log means there is a tax write-off still to come.

According to the Government, a new computer system has, for the first time, been able to reconcile the ordinary citizen's tax affairs and give an accurate estimate of what he or she owes the state. But is that the whole story?

With the testimony of insiders, The Report paints a picture of chaos, staff shortages and crisis management. It examines how delays in the complex IT project led to almost four billion pounds of miscalculations on tax owed to the Exchequer. And Simon Cox reveals that amongst a backlog of 15 million open cases from over 2 years ago, 1.5 billion pounds of underpayment by taxpayers is about to be written off because of fears of legal action.

Producer: Rob Cave.

The Release of Ali al-Megrahi Sep 16, 2010

It is a year since Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was released from a Scottish jail on compassionate grounds. Since then voices here and abroad have questioned how ill he really was, if money and oil were the real reasons for his release and whether he was in fact guilty of causing the Lockerbie tragedy. James Silver looks into the claims and investigates why they have emerged.

A Level Blues Sep 09, 2010

Straight A's and on the verge of signing-on. Thousands of disappointed young people who failed to gain a university place last month are now facing a tough future. The Government has offered additional apprenticeships, but will employers take up the offer?

Can Further Education colleges cope with the increased demand for places for Foundations Degrees. Connexions, the specialised information and advice service has already been severely reduced in some parts of the country.

As Ministers draw up plans for major public spending cuts to be announced next month, and with long term youth unemployment figures already of concern, how will these young people fair? Morland Sanders reports on the plight of the well-educated unemployed, and asks whether a generation of young people is being shut out of the jobs market.

Producer: Andy Denwood.

Extradition Sep 02, 2010

Britain's controversial extradition laws will be in focus again today, as courts decide on America's request for a Kent businessman, Christopher Tappin, to face charges on selling batteries to Iran. In The Report this week, Mukul Devichand investigates who can be sent abroad to face trial and finds that high profile requests from America are just the tip of the iceberg. The system allows over 40 countries to request British citizens without a full hearing of the evidence against them and a third of European requests come from just one country: Poland. Mukul explores claims that Britain's courts are being flooded by requests for petty criminals - for example, the man being extradited to Poland for stealing 20 chocolate bars. Former Home Secretary David Blunkett helped push these laws through in the years after the 9/11 attacks, but in a remarkably frank exchange, he tells The Report that he now "regrets" aspects of the law -- and discusses the need for change.

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