Daily roundup 5 December: Abuse inquiry, energy drinks, and asthma

Alleged victims of historical sexual abuse have said they will withdraw from a government inquiry into the issue, it has emerged. The Evening Standard reports that in an open letter addressed to Home Secretary Theresa May, they said the inquiry is “not fit for purpose”. The letter went on to describe the terms of reference as "inadequate for delivering the original declared intentions of the inquiry".


A school says the number of detentions given to pupils has fallen by a third since it banned high-caffeine energy drinks. Dee Griffiths, headteacher at Haydock High School in Merseyside, said there had been a marked improvement in pupils' behaviour during the two terms after the school changed its policy. The ban was suggested by pupils who were keen to assess the impact of the drinks on their learning and behaviour, reports the Mirror.


Eight out of 10 children with asthma are still not receiving care to the required standard, research by Asthma UK has found. A survey of nearly 1,200 children by the charity found 81 per cent did not get clinical care that conformed to national minimum standards, including a written asthma action plan, an annual review and inhaler technique check.


Thousands of people who view child abuse images online should be treated on a mental health basis by the NHS rather than sent to prison, a leading police officer has suggested. In an interview with The Guardian, Simon Bailey, chief constable of Norfolk Police and the Association of Chief Police Officers’ lead on child protection and abuse investigations, said that while police had a database of 50,000 people who regularly viewed
indecent images of children, research suggested not all were an immediate threat.


The head of a youth organisation has been appointed as the new commissioner for children and young people for Northern Ireland. The BBC reports that Koulla Yiasouma, currently the director of Include Youth, will take over from the current commissioner Patricia Lewsley-Mooney when her term ends in January.


The number of children adopted from care in Northern Ireland has remained roughly static over the past year. In the 12 months to 31 March 2014, 89 children were adopted in Northern Ireland compared with 88 during the previous year, figures from the Department for Health, Social Services and Public Safety show. It took an average of two years 11 months for adoptions to be completed.