Episodes

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20090102

John Waite presents the investigative consumer series. He meets Loay Mohammed, an Iraqi interpreter whose life was threatened by insurgents because he worked for the British forces. Loay has finally been granted asylum in UK, and he shares his hopes with John from his new home in Bolton.

John also visits Stephen Doman in Gloucestershire, an innocent man who lost his job because he refused to reveal his mother's maiden name to his employers.

Plus the latest news on Gilbert Deya, the preacher who has helped deliver 'miracle babies' to many parents. Deya has recently lost his appeal against extradition to Kenya where he faces charges of child abduction.

John Waite meets Loay Mohammed, an Iraqi interpreter whose life was threatened.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

20110504

John Waite investigates the Belfast commuter flight that crashed in February killing six people. He hears how the crew were inexperienced and breached air safety regulations. The company running the route, Manx 2, has since denied responsibility for the accident, claiming it is only a ticket seller and that the actual operator was a small company from Spain. The British Airline Pilots Association tells the programme that such arrangements are likely to become more common in the industry and that the government and regulator needs to act to ensure transparency for passengers.

John Waite investigates the crash of a Belfast commuter flight.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

20110518Schoolchildren across the UK have been left without the skiing trips they paid for.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

20120509John Waite investigates criticism of one of the UK's biggest commercial waste collectors, accused of misselling contracts, unfairly driving up prices and resisting clients' attempts to terminate their contracts. PHS Wastetech - a division of the PHS group, which specialises in workplace services, admits to mistakes in the past and says it is reviewing its practices to make contracts clearer and more transparent. However the company was unable to explain why a copy of a letter sent to one client, differed slightly but significantly from the version of the letter submitted to court. Stephanie Hutchings, Managing Director of PHS Wastetech, faces the facts.

Presenter: John Waite

Producer: Nick Jackson.

Why PHS Wastetech, a leading workplace services firm, is in legal dispute with 92 clients.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

20120516John Waite investigates the story behind the missing billions of unpaid fines, fees, compensation orders and confiscation orders.

Recent reports by the National Audit Office and the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee put the amount outstanding at almost £2 billion. The Ministry of Justice is cutting services by approximately the same amount.

It's already shut 129 of 142 courts due for closure.

The Legal Aid fund will be cut by £450 million.

Overall the Ministry of Justice will be looking to save over £2 billion of its £10 billion budget.

So who is not paying their fines and are criminals getting off scot-free?

Is the money simply uncollected - or uncollectable?

John Waite speaks to magistrates, criminals, victims of crime and key players in the legal system.

He visits a Magistrates Court and joins police on a raid.

John Waite investigates the two billion pounds of unpaid court fines.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

A Death Unnoticed20090726

John Waite presents the investigative consumer series.

Every week, councils across the UK fund and organise funerals for people who have nobody else to take care of their affairs. Often these are deaths which have remained undiscovered for weeks, months or even years. In an ageing society, it is an issue expected to get worse. So how can someone die and no one notice? John Waite investigates the background to some of these desperately sad cases and asks whether anything could be done to make them less likely.

John Waite finds out about the funerals organised by councils.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

A Funny Old Business Rate System?2013012320130529 (R4)

John Waite examines how the government's decision to delay revaluation of rateable values for business rates could be harmful to the future of small independent shops in town centres. Organisations such as the Institute of Fiscal Studies, the British Property Federation and the British Chambers of Commerce say that the system creates an unfair playing field, with the High Street no longer the prime retail space it once was, given the rise of out of town shopping and online business. Decisions on rateable values are still being based on rental values from 2008, a time when the economy was booming, yet some areas of the country have seen rental values fall by as much as 40%. Critics also claim that the appeal system is under stress and unfair, with a huge backlog of unheard appeals. We ask a Government Minister why commercial values used to calculate business rates can't be updated annually as they are in other countries. Brandon Lewis, Minister in the Department of Communities and Local Government, says the current system provides "certainty and stability" for businesses. And the Valuation Office Agency which deals with appeals says it is working hard to clear the backlog.

Producer: Jo Taylor
Editor:Andrew Smith.

Delay in a revaluation of business rates could do further damage to town centres.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

A Thousand Philomenas20140709

The film Philomena starring Dame Judi Dench brought the scandal of Ireland's mother and baby homes to the wider world. Claims that children's bodies were dumped in a septic tank at a home in Tuam have focussed fresh scrutiny on the issue. But what about north of the border in the UK? Face the Facts looks at allegations of forced adoptions, high infant death rates, mass graves and the search for answers from Catholic-run institutions in Northern Ireland. And hears from the mothers still trying to find the children taken from them.

Producer:Paul Waters
Presenter:John Waite
Editor:Andrew Smith.

Investigating a mass grave in Northern Ireland.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

A Thousand Philomenas2014070920140713 (R4)

The film Philomena starring Dame Judi Dench brought the scandal of Ireland's mother and baby homes to the wider world. Claims that children's bodies were dumped in a septic tank at a home in Tuam have focussed fresh scrutiny on the issue. But what about north of the border in the UK? Face the Facts looks at allegations of forced adoptions, high infant death rates, mass graves and the search for answers from Catholic-run institutions in Northern Ireland. And hears from the mothers still trying to find the children taken from them.

Producer:Paul Waters
Presenter:John Waite
Editor:Andrew Smith.

Investigating a mass grave in Northern Ireland.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Advertising Space20110511

John Waite investigates a businessman who has been selling perimeter advertising at televised rugby league and cricket matches to charities and companies. The problem is they have not got everything they paid for missing match tickets, hospitality that never happened, charity auctions that went AWOL and advertising hoardings that didn't go up. The programme reveals how a well-known sports star has had his name and photo used without his knowledge in a sales pitch to prospective clients and how a 'unique' opportunity sold to one charity has actually been sold to several others.

The charities and businesses owed money for sports advertising they never received.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Aid College20080824

John Waite presents the investigative consumer series.

He investigates the college which claims to train people in international development and equip them with the skills to work in the developing world. He reports on a walk-out by the students and looks at allegations that they are made to work to keep clothes recycling companies going.

John investigates the college which claims to train people in international development.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

An Unqualified Failure20140702

John Waite investigates a company which claimed to be the UK's leading training provider and held tax-payer funded contracts worth millions of pounds for courses designed to get people back to work. But he discovers how some of its learners were given certificates for courses they never completed and others have had qualifications revoked for sub-standard work. Hundreds - possibly thousands - of other learners, many paying their own way in search new careers, have been left without the courses they paid for. Industry insiders claim it exposes a loophole in the way the system is regulated.

Producer: Joe Kent
Editor: Andrew Smith.

John investigates allegations of malpractice at one of the UK's leading training providers

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

An Unqualified Failure2014070220140706 (R4)

John Waite investigates a company which claimed to be the UK's leading training provider and held tax-payer funded contracts worth millions of pounds for courses designed to get people back to work. But he discovers how some of its learners were given certificates for courses they never completed and others have had qualifications revoked for sub-standard work. Hundreds - possibly thousands - of other learners, many paying their own way in search new careers, have been left without the courses they paid for. Industry insiders claim it exposes a loophole in the way the system is regulated.

Producer: Joe Kent
Editor: Andrew Smith.

John investigates allegations of malpractice at one of the UK's leading training providers

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Beaten by the Bullies20090809

John Waite presents the investigative consumer series.

John looks at why, all too often, it is the victims of bullying, rather than the bullies themselves, who have to leave schools. One estimate suggests that up to 6,000 children have been bullied so badly they have quit mainstream education. The programme hears from the victims of bullying and their parents, who say that schools are not doing enough to tackle bullying.

John Waite investigates what schools are doing to tackle bullying and to help its victims.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Bogus Jobs2011081720110821 (R4)Bogus' jobs at the Jobcentre - John Waite investigates claims that it's too easy to advertise fake jobs via Jobcentre Plus. He speaks to those who've been tricked into committing crimes, who've been the subject of elaborate frauds and who have handed over money as deposits for non-existent jobs.

Dame Anne Begg, Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee, tells him, 'If you are someone that wants to set up a scam, then there's never been a better time.

The economic climate and welfare reforms mean criminals will be 'sat rubbing their hands in glee' she says.

The producer is Joe Kent.

Bogus' jobs at the Jobcentre - John Waite investigates.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Britain's Legal Slaves20150219

As Parliament passes a new law to abolish modern slavery, John Waite tracks down victims whose lives as slaves in Britain will continue unabated.

We hear from domestic workers, who come to the UK on visas "tied" to their employers - meaning their right to be here is solely at the behest of their employers. As it stands campaigners say it's a charter for cruelty and abuse.

Protection is even less for similarly employed domestic workers who come here to clean, cook and childmind for diplomats. Even when their working conditions are deemed unacceptable by an employment tribunal - the employer need only cite "diplomatic immunity" to defeat their claim. One worker tells us that the long, unpaid hours she worked, were, in effect defended by our own Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as being within the scope of "diplomatic immunity."

Finally we hear how a "transit visa" is being used to bring in recruits to the fishing industry who (they are told), have no right to set foot on dry land. Instead the workers spend weeks at a time out at sea, sleeping in cramped conditions. As a final insult, they can find they haven't been paid at all by the Filipino agent who fixed the job for them.

Face the Facts asks why the new legislation has failed to address the dismal lives of these hidden but perfectly legal slaves who've been tricked and trapped into a life of exploitation.

Presenter: John Waite
Producer: Sarah Shebbeare
Editor: Andrew Smith.

John Waite tracks down people who live as slaves in Britain.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Bye Buy-to-Let20080727John reports on a property club which now stands accused of selling over-valued properties

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Campylobacter - the 'silent epidemic'20130116

It's the most common cause of food poisoning in the UK, said to be responsible for more than 500,000 cases a year and the highest proportion of hospitalisations. And cases of Campylobacter are on the increase. Experts say the cost and burden of the disease is unacceptably high. And with the most recent surveys suggesting that 65 per cent of chickens at retail sale in the UK are now contaminated with the bacteria, what part can the poultry industry play in helping to lower levels? John Waite investigates why Campylobacter has proved such a difficult organism to understand and control. Why have efforts by the Food Standards Agency and others not achieved a sustained reduction in incidents, and what is now being done to reduce this growing risk to public health?

Producer: Katy Takatsuki.

John Waite asks what is being done to tackle this threat to public health.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Care Workers20110106Tens of thousands of foreign migrants work in the UK care sector. But many are exploited by the agencies and gangmasters who hire them. John Waite hears from some of these workers, and from the regulator who wants the power to regulate the care home industry - where not only the residents are vulnerable to abuse.

The foreign workers abused and exploited by agencies placing them in UK care homes.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Charity's New Mission?: Do More, Say Less20140723

Gagging clauses, threats of closure and self-censorship imposed through fear of losing funding - John Waite investigates claims by leading figures in the charity sector that they are being silenced. He hears of a "chilling effect" as voluntary organisations fear for their future if they dare to speak out about local or central government policy. Others, however, tell John that more needs to be done to limit political campaigning and that charities need to concentrate more on helping directly, those in need.

Assistant Producer: Natalie Goldwater
Producer: Joe Kent
Editor: Andrew Smith.

John Waite investigates claims that charities are being silenced.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Charity's New Mission?: Do More, Say Less2014072320140727 (R4)

Gagging clauses, threats of closure and self-censorship imposed through fear of losing funding - John Waite investigates claims by leading figures in the charity sector that they are being silenced. He hears of a "chilling effect" as voluntary organisations fear for their future if they dare to speak out about local or central government policy. Others, however, tell John that more needs to be done to limit political campaigning and that charities need to concentrate more on helping directly, those in need.

Assistant Producer: Natalie Goldwater
Producer: Joe Kent
Editor: Andrew Smith.

John Waite investigates claims that charities are being silenced.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Delayed Inquests20100812

The grieving families waiting years for answers over the deaths of their loved ones because of delays in the inquest system. Some coroners are facing a backlog of cases, hold-ups with official inquiries, and difficulties in finding inquest venues. John Waite discovers the patchy service offered to relatives, and hears how things could get even worse.
Major reform of the coroners' service is supposed to speed up delays, but implementation of a new law is under review as part of the Coalition Government cuts.

Campaigners are warning that the changes may never happen.
The appointment of a Chief Coroner to oversee a national service has already been postponed.

Face the Facts has obtained performance figures for every coroner across England and Wales. They show that the average time for an inquest to be completed is six months.

But in some areas, such as Bridgend, Exeter and Portsmouth, it can take up to a year. Yet in Liverpool, the average time is just 10 weeks.

And we have spoken to some families who are waiting much longer.

Luke Bitmead, a writer from Wiltshire, died almost four years ago after jumping from a car park in Swindon. Yet his inquest still has not been completed, leaving his family with unanswered questions

The charity Inquest told us that delays in the system meant that for many people, the grieving process simply stopped. It could also prevent lessons from being learned from the death.

In November last year, the Royal Assent was given for the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. But in May, shortly after coming to power, the new Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke ordered a review into the "scope and timing" of the implementation of the new law.

The grieving families waiting years for answers. John Waite investigates delayed inquests.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Delayed Inquests20100815

The grieving families waiting years for answers over the deaths of their loved ones because of delays in the inquest system. Some coroners are facing a backlog of cases, hold-ups with official inquiries, and difficulties in finding inquest venues. John Waite discovers the patchy service offered to relatives, and hears how things could get even worse.
Major reform of the coroners' service is supposed to speed up delays, but implementation of a new law is under review as part of the Coalition Government cuts.

Campaigners are warning that the changes may never happen.
The appointment of a Chief Coroner to oversee a national service has already been postponed.

Face the Facts has obtained performance figures for every coroner across England and Wales. They show that the average time for an inquest to be completed is six months.

But in some areas, such as Bridgend, Exeter and Portsmouth, it can take up to a year. Yet in Liverpool, the average time is just 10 weeks.

And we have spoken to some families who are waiting much longer.

Luke Bitmead, a writer from Wiltshire, died almost four years ago after jumping from a car park in Swindon. Yet his inquest still has not been completed, leaving his family with unanswered questions

The charity Inquest told us that delays in the system meant that for many people, the grieving process simply stopped. It could also prevent lessons from being learned from the death.

In November last year, the Royal Assent was given for the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. But in May, shortly after coming to power, the new Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke ordered a review into the "scope and timing" of the implementation of the new law.

The grieving families waiting years for answers. John Waite investigates delayed inquests.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Doctors In The Dock20110203Is the General Medical Council the right organisation to regulate the medical profession?

A new regulator to discipline doctors was due to take over in April, but it's being scrapped by the Coalition.

The removal of the adjudication role from the GMC was a key recommendation of the Shipman Inquiry six years ago.

Now the medical charity, which registers all 239,000 doctors in the UK, will continue to act as judge and jury when investigating medical complaints.

~Face The Facts discovers it is not the only key reform recommended by the Shipman Inquiry which has not yet been implemented by the GMC.

Modernisation of the 150-year-old organisation is not coming soon enough for relatives of patients who have died, and doctors whose careers have been ended.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Face the Facts Update20130109

In July 2012, as the country prepared for the London Olympics, we reported the concern of the tourism industry that our visa system was making it too difficult for people to visit the UK. Senior figures in the industry said the UK was missing out on a huge rise in Chinese tourism because our visa application forms were too long and too intrusive. Potential visitors had to travel hundreds of miles to visit a centre for biometric testing. By comparison the so-called Schengen visa allows tourists to visit more than twenty European countries is much easier to obtain. As a result many Chinese travellers give up on visiting Britain and confine their trips to the Schengen countries. And, so say tourism leaders, the lost revenue can be counted in billions of pounds. However critics say an easier tourist visa system can make us more vulnerable to illegal immigration.

In December, the Government announced improvements designed to make it easier for visitors from China to come here. We ask the UK's primary tourism body - Visit Britain - how helpful the reforms will be.

We look forward to an inquest into a tower block fire which killed six people and may lead to safety improvements in such properties.

And what has become of the man who is accused of ripping off dozens of investors who handed over money to buy properties in Dubai and yet never set foot in their apartments? The liquidators of his company have so far been unable to find "Mr Bollywood" or the money.

Presenter: John Waite
Producer: Nick Jackson and Richard Hooper.

John Waite looks at new measures to help the UK tourist industry attract Chinese visitors.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Fatal Inaction2010081920100822 (R4)

A convicted murderer, threats to kill and numerous reports of stalking and harrassment. They're all factors the police need to take into account when a victim of domestic abuse calls for help. Too often, though, police are failing to spot the warning signs until it's too late. This, despite repeated concerns voiced by its own watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission and detailed guidelines and procedures on how officers should investigate domestic abuse. Every week, two women in the UK are killed by a violent partner or ex-partner. So it's crucial police can identify who is most at risk of harm and respond appropriately. John Waite investigates the cases where police officers breached their own guidelines and failed those whom they needed to protect.

When domestic violence leads to murder, why do police keep missing the danger signs?

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

A convicted murderer, threats to kill and numerous reports of stalking and harrassment. They're all factors the police need to take into account when a victim of domestic abuse calls for help. Too often, though, police are failing to spot the warning signs until it's too late. This, despite repeated concerns voiced by its own watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission and detailed guidelines and procedures on how officers should investigate domestic abuse. Every week, two women in the UK are killed by a violent partner or ex-partner. So it's crucial police can identify who is most at risk of harm and respond appropriately. John Waite investigates the cases where police officers breached their own guidelines and failed those whom they needed to protect.

When domestic violence leads to murder, why do police keep missing the danger signs?

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Feeding Frenzy20110113Two years ago spiralling prices of wheat, corn and rice caused riots in more than 30 countries worldwide as many families struggled to feed themselves. A number of organisations, including representatives at the UN, believe that it wasn't just a supply and demand issue, but that financial firms and other speculators entered the food markets to profit from short term changes in price. As food prices begin to rise again, John Waite investigates whether speculators are to blame, and if tighter regulation is needed.

John Waite investigates allegations that speculators are pushing up the price of food.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Filling the Autism Gap20140716

John Waite investigates why scientists say autism research receives a fraction of the funding invested in other conditions and that as a consequence, there are very few effective interventions to treat the disorder. Meanwhile, parents of autistic children say they face a long wait for treatment provided by their local authority, and have instead turned to unproven methods offered by nutritionists and psychotherapists.
Presenter:John Waite
Producer:Richard Hooper
Editor:Andrew Smith.

John Waite asks why parents of some autistic children are trying unproven therapies.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Filling the Autism Gap2014071620140720 (R4)

John Waite investigates why scientists say autism research receives a fraction of the funding invested in other conditions and that as a consequence, there are very few effective interventions to treat the disorder. Meanwhile, parents of autistic children say they face a long wait for treatment provided by their local authority, and have instead turned to unproven methods offered by nutritionists and psychotherapists.
Presenter:John Waite
Producer:Richard Hooper
Editor:Andrew Smith.

John Waite asks why parents of some autistic children are trying unproven therapies.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Fine Justice20100121

John Waite presents the investigative consumer series.

Efforts by the Health and Safety Executive to ensure heavy punishment for serious breaches of regulations are often undermined by laws which are aimed at companies rather than the people who run them. Firms which go into administration after an accident can simply escape any penalty while the directors can set up in business again soon afterwards, all perfectly legally. The government has thus far resisted efforts to change the law to make it easier to prosecute individual directors. John hears how one firm, found guilty after men died. folded between verdict and sentencing, leaving a penalty of nearly half a million pounds unpaid.

John Waite investigates the fines for fatal health and safety mistakes that are never paid

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Fire Safety Disorder20100722

As more firms are being fined using laws designed to keep people safe from fire, John Waite discovers the government has been breaking its own laws on fire safety. The difference is that while private companies and individuals face huge fines or prison sentences, ministers and civil servants need not worry about such things. That's because they work in buildings classed as crown premises and crown immunity from prosecution covers fire safety laws. Only if someone was to die in a disaster might they find themselves in court under different legislation. And the government is not always as good at following the fire safety regulations as perhaps you might think. Serious failings have emerged at one central government headquarters and other breaches have been uncovered at other parts of the country. All this follows the programme's earlier revelations on towerblocks deemed a danger to residents and the firefighters' training college which hadn't followed fire safety legislation when one of its own buildings burnt down.

As firms are fined over fire safety, John Waite discovers government breaches of the law.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Fire Safety Disorder2010072220100725 (R4)

As more firms are being fined using laws designed to keep people safe from fire, John Waite discovers the government has been breaking its own laws on fire safety. The difference is that while private companies and individuals face huge fines or prison sentences, ministers and civil servants need not worry about such things. That's because they work in buildings classed as crown premises and crown immunity from prosecution covers fire safety laws. Only if someone was to die in a disaster might they find themselves in court under different legislation. And the government is not always as good at following the fire safety regulations as perhaps you might think. Serious failings have emerged at one central government headquarters and other breaches have been uncovered at other parts of the country. All this follows the programme's earlier revelations on towerblocks deemed a danger to residents and the firefighters' training college which hadn't followed fire safety legislation when one of its own buildings burnt down.

As firms are fined over fire safety, John Waite discovers government breaches of the law.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Fitness To Practise20120111The organisation we count on to protect us from dangerous or incompetent dentists is having its own abilities called into question. There have been a series of critical reports into the way the General Dental Council deals with complaints. There's a backlog of work, it has had 4 chief executives in a little over a year and the resignation of a chair prompted the government to demand an investigation. So is our dental watchdog fit to practise?

Presented by John Waite

Produced by Matthew Barlow.

After critical reports and resignations, is the UK's dental regulator fit for purpose?

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Forced Adoption and the Mums on the Run20140115

Hundreds of parents have already fled the UK to avoid having their children forcibly adopted by social services. And more will follow, it's predicted , as the number of contested adoptions continues to rise. John Waite meets some of the "mums on the run" and some of the clandestine support networks that are helping them. Providing shelter, food, advice and money - all the things that are necessary for a new life abroad.

He also hears of growing international concern about the actions of British social workers, most notoriously in the case last month of an Italian woman who was forced into giving birth and having her child put up for adoption because she was deemed to be a risk to its safety.

Presenter: John Waite
Producer: Joe Kent
Editor: Andrew Smith.

The underground networks helping mums on the run from social services and forced adoptions

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Forced Adoptions20070826John Waite investigates claims of malpractice in adoption agencies.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Fraud in France20100114

John Waite presents the investigative consumer series.

A British man who swindled ex-pats in the Dordogne out of almost two million pounds was convicted of fraud by a French court in June 2009 and sentenced to two years in prison. So where is he now? He has been selling double-glazing in England. Graham Templeton is one of more than 80,000 people given jail sentences in France but allowed to roam free for as long as it takes to call them back to prison. Templeton's victims despair of justice ever being done and are preparing to sue a leading French bank which was used to commit the fraud.

Ex-pats' retirement dream in France is left in tatters by British fraudster.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Health and Safety Executive20070729John Waite reveals how serious workplace injuries are not being investigated.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

High Rise - Low Safety20100107

John Waite presents the investigative consumer series.

The deaths of six people in a tower block fire in London in July 2009 have revealed poor to non-existent fire safety standards in some similar residential buildings. At many there was no fire risk assessment - one has even been condemned as too unsafe for people to live in. We reveal that it had been visited by the fire service on a regular basis because of broken lifts, yet only after the London fire did it become clear the building was unsafe.

How a fatal tower block fire has exposed poor safety standards in similar buildings.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

High Street Or High And Dry Street?2012072520120729 (R4)The coalition has announced a series of measures designed to protect town centres from further decline. Mary Portas produced a report into how high streets could be rejuvenated, whilst new guidance was issued to councils asking them to prioritise town centres. John Waite hears how big retailers are still building out of town and why some local authorities are letting them do so in exchange for so-called community benefits. Jack Straw, the former foreign secretary accuses one of Britain's largest landlords - Peel Holdings - of using legal subterfuge to develop an out of town site in Blackburn, an allegation the company denies.

How the government's plan to save the high street is being undermined by big developers.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Illegal Disclosure?20080810

John Waite presents the investigative consumer series.

The Criminal Records Bureau exists solely to help protect children or vulnerable adults from workers who may pose a risk to them. But John meets some job candidates who claim to have suffered discrimination when potential employers use criminal record checks to obtain information to which they have no right of access.

John looks at claims that potential employers are illegally using criminal record checks.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Immigration Advice20100805

An asylum seeker takes his own life after his lawyers go into administration; a man and his family are thrown into detention because they've unwittingly been given false papers by an unscrupulous immigration adviser; a woman who's fled torture but hasn't been able to see her children for years because of bungling lawyers. Their experiences cost them money and heartache. But poor legal advice can cost all of us in the long run if wrongly advised clients end up appealing their decision, or people, who've been told incorrectly that they can stay, then have to be removed from the country at the taxpayers' expense.
Changes to the way legal aid is paid have made the system "unsustainable". Asylum lawyers can now wait years for legal aid payments to be settled. John Waite talks to some of the hundreds of committed advisers who have been forced out of their jobs because they either can't make it pay - or can't do the job properly any more. And he asks the Legal Services Commission to justify a false economy and a failure of justice.

A false economy and a failure of justice for both asylum seekers and tax payers.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Immigration Advice2010080520100808 (R4)

An asylum seeker takes his own life after his lawyers go into administration; a man and his family are thrown into detention because they've unwittingly been given false papers by an unscrupulous immigration adviser; a woman who's fled torture but hasn't been able to see her children for years because of bungling lawyers. Their experiences cost them money and heartache. But poor legal advice can cost all of us in the long run if wrongly advised clients end up appealing their decision, or people, who've been told incorrectly that they can stay, then have to be removed from the country at the taxpayers' expense.
Changes to the way legal aid is paid have made the system "unsustainable". Asylum lawyers can now wait years for legal aid payments to be settled. John Waite talks to some of the hundreds of committed advisers who have been forced out of their jobs because they either can't make it pay - or can't do the job properly any more. And he asks the Legal Services Commission to justify a false economy and a failure of justice.

A false economy and a failure of justice for both asylum seekers and tax payers.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

India's City of Tomorrow20100204

John reports from Lavasa, built across 12,500 acres in the Sahyadri Mountains outside Pune. One of the new residents will be a campus of the University of Oxford, and developers say the project creates jobs and much-needed housing. But what has been the effect on those who have seen their lands acquired and their livelihoods disappear, and what about wider concerns about the impact of these kinds lof luxury developments?

John Waite reports from India on a controversial development involving Oxford University.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Inside St Patrick's20150226

MPs are furious that for-profit, private higher education colleges have had access to hundreds of millions of pounds of public funding with too few checks on how the money is being spent. The Government wanted the new sector to flourish in competition with State provision and since the new system was put in place in 2012, it has. But later there were reports that some students were being registered just to get access to student loan money, then that colleges were recruiting en masse and then that the standard of academic work being produced was inadequate.

John Waite speaks to former staff and students at one college, London's St Patrick's College, who allege a chaotic learning environment with large classes, over-crowding and some students claiming to be motivated mainly by getting access to student loan money. Some student work has been rejected as sub-standard by the examining body on eight separate occasions in the last twelve months - meaning some students have to redo work they thought had been passed. Regulator, the Quality Assurance Agency, is investigating. St Patrick's denies any wrong-doing or failure in standards.

Public money going to these colleges has now been capped, after this Coalition policy designed to widen access to higher education for those who missed out first time round on leaving school, became a drain on public resources. Architect of the policy, former Universities Minister David Willetts, insists it has succeeded in giving thousands of people the funding to study, when it would have been impossible otherwise.

Presenter: John Waite
Producer: Paul Waters
Editor: Andrew Smith".

Colleges attracting millions of pounds of public funding are under fire.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Inside the Young Footballer Industry20140625

Face the Facts investigates how the professional club academies recruit thousands of young footballers - some of them only five years-old. Critics say it's a system that operates on an industrial scale which damages grass roots "fun" football and guarantees disappointment for thousands of players and their families. Yet, when the 2013-14 Premier league season kicked off last August, only 75 of the 220 starting players were qualified to play for England. And despite often being described as "the best club league in the world," the English Premier League (EPL) has seen a gradual decline in the performance of the national team. Greg Dyke responds for the Football Association and General Secretary Nic Coward responds for the EPL

Presenter:John Waite
Producer:Nick Jackson
Editor:Andrew Smith.

Professional football club academies accused of over-recruiting young footballers.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Inside the Young Footballer Industry2014062520140629 (R4)

Face the Facts investigates how the professional club academies recruit thousands of young footballers - some of them only five years-old. Critics say it's a system that operates on an industrial scale which damages grass roots "fun" football and guarantees disappointment for thousands of players and their families. Yet, when the 2013-14 Premier league season kicked off last August, only 75 of the 220 starting players were qualified to play for England. And despite often being described as "the best club league in the world," the English Premier League (EPL) has seen a gradual decline in the performance of the national team. Greg Dyke responds for the Football Association and General Secretary Nic Coward responds for the EPL

Presenter:John Waite
Producer:Nick Jackson
Editor:Andrew Smith.

Professional football club academies accused of over-recruiting young footballers.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Iraqi Interpreters20070722

John Waite investigates the dangers faced by local interpreters who work for British and US forces in Iraq. Seen as collaborators by some of their compatriots, an estimated 250 have been killed. Some are in hiding for fear of their lives, claiming that their pleas for help remain unanswered. Mounting pressure has forced the Government to review whether they should be offered asylum in Britain.

John Waite looks at the plight of interpreters who work for British and US forces in Iraq.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Iraqi Interpreters20070915

John Waite investigates the dangers faced by local interpreters who work for British and US forces in Iraq. Seen as collaborators by some of their compatriots, an estimated 250 have been killed. Some are in hiding for fear of their lives, claiming that their pleas for help remain unanswered. Mounting pressure has forced the Government to review whether they should be offered asylum in Britain.

John Waite looks at the plight of interpreters who work for British and US forces in Iraq.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Islamophobia20110127lslamophobia: Are sections of the British press increasing tensions within communities by publishing negative stories about Muslims? John Waite investigates the link between inaccurate anti-Muslim stories and the increased membership of the English Defence League. The organisation, which claims to oppose Islamic extremism, has been inspired by one long-running story: the Winterval myth - the unfounded claim that councils are rebranding or renaming Christmas to appease Muslims. And it's threatened to visit any town or city that bans Christmas. So why are newspapers publishing distorted, islamophobic stories that provoke far-right extremists? Should the Press Complaints Commission impose tougher sanctions? Or do editors need to take more responsibility for the consequences of what they print?

John Waite investigates negative stories about Muslims in the UK press.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Jobcentre Plus - Not Working20090816

At a time of record unemployment, more and more people are visiting the Jobcentre Plus. There are now over one and a half million people claiming Jobseekers Allowance, and nearly twice as many people sign on at one of 747 jobcentres across the UK than since the start of the recession.

This where the new jobless meet their Personal Advisor, who is there to help them find a job and assess whether or not they are entitled to benefits. It is a key service in helping tackle unemployment. But there is concern that advisors are not able to deliver the personalised and professional service promised by the government because they are so badly stretched.

John Waite asks whether the tough targets imposed on Personal Advisors mean they don't have time to help jobseekers look for work, only administer benefits. This is despite assurances from the Jobcentre Plus that there are jobs out there - it boasts that an average of 10,000 new vacancies are advertised in its offices every day.

John examines claims that Personal Advisors are under-resourced, under-trained, under pressure and unprepared for the demands of this growing unemployment crisis, and asks how they can provide the personal and professional service that is promised, and so desperately needed, during the recession.

John Waite examines claims that the jobcentre service is badly stretched.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Licensing the Landlords20090802

John Waite presents the investigative consumer series.

John Waite investigates how laws designed to raise the standard of living conditions in 'Bedsitland' are being undermined by unscrupulous landlords. He reveals what measures the landlords use and asks why some local authorities have failed to take advantage of the new powers given to them by the government. He visits Rhyl in north Wales and Haringey in London.

How local authorities are struggling to tackle the scourge of unlicensed bedsits.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Life in Gangland London20150305

John Waite enters what can only be described as a parallel world - in which gangs are simply part of life for generations growing up. Where violence - or the threat of it - is an everyday reality, where children as young as nine are used to carry drugs and where sex is used as weapon. He investigates how gangs are changing, how they recruit new members and how they try to stay one step ahead of the police.

There are now calls for compulsory gang education in every primary in school in Britain. Calls backed by former Home Office Minister Norman Baker who tells the programme that any school wanting to opt out must first justify why.

And one of Britain's most famous children's charities reveal their concerns about gang manufactured music videos which they now constantly monitor to protect the children they work with. The videos are often used to recruit new gang members - advertising the glamour and money that can come with gang life - as well as issuing threats to rivals. John speaks to one of just a handful of people banned by the courts from releasing music because the police believe it is linked to gang violence.

John also finds out what its like to lead a gang, to grow up in an area dominated by gangs and to lose a loved one to gang violence.

(The picture shows John standing near the spot where 20 year old Dwayne Simpson was stabbed to death a year ago).

Producer: Joe Kent
Editor: Andrew Smith.

John Waite investigates life in London's street gangs.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Little in Reserve?20140409

John Waite investigates why so few reservists are signing up to the British Army. Last year more left than joined - but 11,000 extra part-time soldiers are needed to plug the gap left by large-scale redundancies prompted by budget cuts. Officials have admitted a flawed application system is partly to blame, and we hear from one hopeful new recruit rejected because he suffers from indigestion. Face the Facts has learned that many companies are reluctant to let their staff sign up, and there could be a deeper cultural problem to overcome too. John visits the US, where reservists have long formed an important part of the country's military strength. So why is Britain failing to replicate the success of countries whose systems helped inspired the changes to British Army? Minister for Defence Personnel, Anna Soubry, responds to the criticisms.

Producer: Dan O'Brien
Editor: Andrew Smith.

John Waite investigates why the British Army is failing to recruit enough reservists.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

London's Hidden Homes20140423Converted shop storerooms, freezing ex-factories, so-called 'slum' houseboats and busy car repair garages - rents in London are driving more and more people to live in desperate and sometimes dangerous places. The London Fire Brigade tells Face The Facts of its 'grave concerns' over safety in properties that were never meant for human habitation. In the last nine months alone, it's attended over thirty fires in such makeshift homes, and two people have died. John Waite meets some of the residents of London's 'shadow' housing market, and asks what's being done to prevent people risking their lives every time they shut their front door.

Producers: Joe Kent and Nick Jackson

Editor: Andrew Smith.

The desperate measures some are taking to get themselves a home in the capital.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Losing out to Lehman's20090823

John Waite presents the investigative consumer series.

When the Wall Street bank Lehman Brothers collapsed in September 2008, thousands of UK investors were shocked to learn that the financial products they had bought from other companies were tied up with the humbled financial giant.

As John Waite discovers, many of those who now stand to lose their life savings had never been told their investments were backed by Lehman Brothers. Now they want their money back, claiming they had no idea that their capital could be at risk.

The investors who unknowingly bought into Lehman Brothers and could now lose their capital

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Mind The Funding Gap2011081020110814 (R4)Trams should be back running along the streets of Edinburgh. More than half a billion pounds of public money was set aside to make it happen. But the project is in chaos. The best guess now is for trams to arrive three years late on a route much shorter than envisaged and at an extra cost of around £230m which the city needs to find within weeks. The trams themselves have been built... but Edinburgh now has more of them than it actually needs. John Waite investigates what's gone wrong and why costs have spiralled.

Producer: Jon Douglas.

Why Edinburgh now needs \u00a3228m of public money to salvage its part-built tram line.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Mister Bollywood And The Case Of The Missing Millions2011080320110807 (R4)Ramzan Nasir goes by the stage name 'Zain' and styles himself as a former star of Bollywood. Having moved into property investment, his company 'Heaven on Earth' sold off-plan apartments in Dubai on the promise of high returns on outlays which ran into millions of pounds. John Waite meets the man and his clients, who include doctors, shopkeepers and a former Minister of Health for Tanzania - many of them claim they've nothing to show for their money.

Producer Richard Hooper.

John Waite meets the owner of a Dubai property company and some of his unhappy clients.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Money To Burn20100826

Firefighters need the right equipment and back up if they are going to save lives. But millions of pounds have been spent on state of the art control rooms that may never be used, fire engines that are so heavy they can't be driven at speed and a fire training house - that caught fire.
Just some of the costly procurement decisions made on behalf of fire and rescue services across Britain - but paid for by us.

The Fire Service is wasting millions of pounds of public money.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Money To Burn2010082620100829 (R4)

Firefighters need the right equipment and back up if they are going to save lives. But millions of pounds have been spent on state of the art control rooms that may never be used, fire engines that are so heavy they can't be driven at speed and a fire training house - that caught fire.
Just some of the costly procurement decisions made on behalf of fire and rescue services across Britain - but paid for by us.

The Fire Service is wasting millions of pounds of public money.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

New Deal for Communities20070819John Waite investigates allegations of mismanagement in the New Deal for Communities.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

NHS 111 - A Bad Call?20130814

Face the Facts investigates the new NHS 111 helpline service which opened this spring to a chorus of criticism. Allegations include that the service is too cheap, offering too little medical expertise. We hear from people who have used the service and found it wanting, and to professional medical bodies who say they warned it would not be an adequate replacement for NHS Direct.

Presenter: John Waite
Producers: Richard Hooper, Louise Corley
Editor: Andrew Smith.

Is the new health helpline fit for purpose? John Waite investigates.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

NHS 111 - A Bad Call?2013081420130818 (R4)

Face the Facts investigates the new NHS 111 helpline service which opened this spring to a chorus of criticism. Allegations include that the service is too cheap, offering too little medical expertise. We hear from people who have used the service and found it wanting, and to professional medical bodies who say they warned it would not be an adequate replacement for NHS Direct.

Presenter: John Waite
Producers: Richard Hooper, Louise Corley
Editor: Andrew Smith.

Is the new health helpline fit for purpose? John Waite investigates.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Northern Ireland Water20110210After tens of thousands of people were left without running water over the holidays John Waite investigates the troubled history of Northern Ireland Water. It's had four chief-executives in just four years and is neither a fully independent commercial organisation nor a traditional public body.

Why after decades of under-investment in its infrastructure has the company under-spent by £32 million this year?

Why were people left to melt snow and gather water from streams just to flush their toilets?

And could the introduction of direct water charges be the solution to some of its problems?

John Waite investigates what went wrong at Northern Ireland Water.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Open For Tourist Business?2012071120120715 (R4)The tourist industry says it is losing millions of pounds in revenue because of the lengthy and laborious visa system. The demand from new markets in China, India and the Far East is growing rapidly and tourists from these countries are among the highest spending visitors to the UK. However many are put off by a visa system which requires them to fill out lengthy forms, submit biometric data including finger prints and a retina scan and once granted only gives entry to the UK and Ireland. Alternatively visitors to Europe can apply for a three page Schengen visa which is not only cheaper but gives access to 27 countries in the Schengen zone. Could this explain why France welcomes eight times more Chinese visitors than the UK? The Prime Minister has urged the tourist industry to do better but what can be done to turn around the image of 'Fortress UK'?

Presenter:John Waite Producer:Steven Williams.

Foreign tourists are shunning the UK because of laborious visa requirements.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

The tourist industry says it is losing millions of pounds in revenue because of the lengthy and laborious visa system. The demand from new markets in China, India and the Far East is growing rapidly and tourists from these countries are among the highest spending visitors to the UK. However many are put off by a visa system which requires them to fill out lengthy forms, submit biometric data including finger prints and a retina scan and once granted only gives entry to the UK and Ireland. Alternatively visitors to Europe can apply for a three page Schengen visa which is not only cheaper but gives access to 27 countries in the Schengen zone. Could this explain why France welcomes eight times more Chinese visitors than the UK? The Prime Minister has urged the tourist industry to do better but what can be done to turn around the image of 'Fortress UK'?

Presenter:John Waite Producer:Steven Williams.

Foreign tourists are shunning the UK because of laborious visa requirements.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Pardon For The Disowned Army2012080820120812 (R4)The thousands of Irish soldiers who swapped uniforms to fight with the British against Hitler went on to suffer years of persecution on their return home John Waite's first investigation into their plight, which was broadcast earlier this year, generated huge interest from listeners and was debated in the Irish Parliament.

This was the first broadcast to highlight the injustice they suffered and to hear from them about the on-going repercussions and their continued fight for a pardon.

The programme led directly to the Irish Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, undertaking an urgent review and, just six months after the broadcast, he announced an official pardon.

As John Waite now hears, one of those relieved by the news is 92-year-old Phil Farrington, took part in the D-Day landings and helped liberate the German death camp at Bergen-Belsen. Up until now he has had to wear his service medals in secret after having spent time in a military prison in Cork for deserting the Irish army. He returned to a British unit on his release but has had nightmares that he would be re-arrested by the authorities and punished again for his wartime service.

They would come and get me, yes they would, he said in a frail voice at his home in the docks area of Dublin. Mr Farrington was one of about 4,500 Irish soldiers who deserted their own neutral army to join the war against fascism and who were brutally punished on their return home as a result. They were formally dismissed from the Irish army, stripped of all pay and pension rights, and prevented from finding work by being banned for seven years from any employment paid for by state or government funds.

A special list was drawn up containing their names and addresses, and circulated to every government department, town hall and railway station - anywhere the men might look for a job. It was referred to in the Irish parliament - the Dail - at the time as a starvation order, and for many of their families the phrase became painfully close to the truth.

John Stout served with the Irish Guards armoured division which raced to Arnhem to capture a key bridge. He also fought in the Battle of the Bulge, ending the war as a commando. On his return home to Cork, however, he was treated as a pariah. What they did to us was wrong. I know that in my heart. They cold-shouldered you. They didn't speak to you.

It was only 20 years since Ireland had won its independence after many years of rule from London, and the Irish list of grievances against Britain was long - as Gerald Morgan, at Trinity College, Dublin, explains. The uprisings, the civil war, all sorts of reneged promises - I'd estimate that 60% of the population expected or indeed hoped the Germans would win. To prevent civil unrest, Eamon de Valera had to do something. Hence the starvation order and the list.

Today, thanks largely to this BBC investigation, those Irish servicemen have at last been recognised for the part they played in helping defeat fascism.

John Waite follows the plight of thousands of forgotten soldiers.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

The thousands of Irish soldiers who swapped uniforms to fight with the British against Hitler went on to suffer years of persecution on their return home John Waite's first investigation into their plight, which was broadcast earlier this year, generated huge interest from listeners and was debated in the Irish Parliament.

This was the first broadcast to highlight the injustice they suffered and to hear from them about the on-going repercussions and their continued fight for a pardon.

The programme led directly to the Irish Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, undertaking an urgent review and, just six months after the broadcast, he announced an official pardon.

As John Waite now hears, one of those relieved by the news is 92-year-old Phil Farrington, took part in the D-Day landings and helped liberate the German death camp at Bergen-Belsen. Up until now he has had to wear his service medals in secret after having spent time in a military prison in Cork for deserting the Irish army. He returned to a British unit on his release but has had nightmares that he would be re-arrested by the authorities and punished again for his wartime service.

They would come and get me, yes they would, he said in a frail voice at his home in the docks area of Dublin. Mr Farrington was one of about 4,500 Irish soldiers who deserted their own neutral army to join the war against fascism and who were brutally punished on their return home as a result. They were formally dismissed from the Irish army, stripped of all pay and pension rights, and prevented from finding work by being banned for seven years from any employment paid for by state or government funds.

A special list was drawn up containing their names and addresses, and circulated to every government department, town hall and railway station - anywhere the men might look for a job. It was referred to in the Irish parliament - the Dail - at the time as a starvation order, and for many of their families the phrase became painfully close to the truth.

John Stout served with the Irish Guards armoured division which raced to Arnhem to capture a key bridge. He also fought in the Battle of the Bulge, ending the war as a commando. On his return home to Cork, however, he was treated as a pariah. What they did to us was wrong. I know that in my heart. They cold-shouldered you. They didn't speak to you.

It was only 20 years since Ireland had won its independence after many years of rule from London, and the Irish list of grievances against Britain was long - as Gerald Morgan, at Trinity College, Dublin, explains. The uprisings, the civil war, all sorts of reneged promises - I'd estimate that 60% of the population expected or indeed hoped the Germans would win. To prevent civil unrest, Eamon de Valera had to do something. Hence the starvation order and the list.

Today, thanks largely to this BBC investigation, those Irish servicemen have at last been recognised for the part they played in helping defeat fascism.

John Waite follows the plight of thousands of forgotten soldiers.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Park Homes20070805

John Waite reports on the lot of those - usually elderly - who've opted for life on a mobile home park, only to find they are subject to the control of the park site owner. John investigates how some have found attempts to sell their homes blocked - with legislation meant to protect them offering no real help.

John Waite reports on the lot of those who've opted for life on a mobile home park.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Parking Services20070812John Waite investigates attempts to clean up the image of the private parking industry.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Payment Holiday20100211

John Waite investigates the payment processing company which refused to pass on vast sums of money from customers who bought holidays online, undermining the balance sheets of struggling travel firms. Yet at the same time, the company's chief executive was promising to save one of those travel firms from failure with major investment of his own. Despite the fact his business is based in England and handles hundreds of millions of pounds, it was not regulated by the UK's financial services watchdog. The travel firms involved have had to resort to threats of legal action to try to get the disputed money back.

The payment processors who refused to pass on customers' money to online travel firms.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Prescribed Addiction2011072720110731 (R4)Prescribed Addiction: John Waite investigates the 'scandal' that has left up to 1.5 million people addicted to drugs prescribed to them by their GPs. Experts in the field tell us that addicts to benzodiazepine tranquillizers, the most popular of which are diazepam and temazepam, far outnumber those addicted to illegal drugs. There's evidence that some family doctors are ignoring guidleines by prescribing the drugs for much longer than is recommended, while successive Governments are accused of turning a blind eye to the problem and offering little by way of treatment to the victims who want to withdraw.

Producer: Kathryn Takatsuki.

The scandal that has left up to 1.5 million people addicted to prescription drugs.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Prostitution: Red Light? Green Light?20140730

John Waite investigates the varying approaches to street prostitution across the UK - from open tolerance in some areas to zero tolerance in others. Eight years ago five women were murdered in Ipswich while working as prostitutes. It was a wake-up call for how the sex industry is policed across the country. But with critics now saying that policing tactics contributed to yet another murder of a prostitute in London recently - what has really changed?
Producer: Paul Waters
Research: Craig Lewis
Editor: Gavin Poncia.

John Waite investigates the varying approaches to street prostitution across the UK.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Prostitution: Red Light? Green Light?2014073020140803 (R4)

John Waite investigates the varying approaches to street prostitution across the UK - from open tolerance in some areas to zero tolerance in others. Eight years ago five women were murdered in Ipswich while working as prostitutes. It was a wake-up call for how the sex industry is policed across the country. But with critics now saying that policing tactics contributed to yet another murder of a prostitute in London recently - what has really changed?
Producer: Paul Waters
Research: Craig Lewis
Editor: Gavin Poncia.

John Waite investigates the varying approaches to street prostitution across the UK.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Radioactive Legacy20120502A pretty town on the Fife coast remains under threat of an unwelcome distinction. A corner of Dalgety Bay could still become the first place in Britain to be branded as radioactive contaminated land if the Ministry of Defence does not follow through on a plan to deal with radioactive particles washing up on its shore. The MOD's accused of causing the contamination in the first place: aircraft containing potentially hazardous radium were smashed up and buried after the Second World War. The MOD's investigating the scale of the problem and ways it might be put right, but has not promised a full and final clean-up of the bay. That's despite calls for it to do so from the local MP and former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and a recent discovery of particles far more radioactive than those previously found. Yet Face the Facts reveals how the MOD has cleaned up other sites deemed far less radioactive; how it's sold off contaminated land for development with radium undetected; how a lack of records means it does not know where similar sites might be and how a confidential government report we've seen from the 1950s warned of the danger of radium dumps being forgotten or, in the case of privately-owned land, deliberately concealed.

Presenter: John Waite

Producer: Jon Douglas.

John Waite investigates radioactive waste buried and forgotten by the Ministry of Defence.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Remploy Factories - No Place to Shelter20130515

John Waite investigates the closure of the Remploy factories, which provided 'sheltered' employment for workers with disabilities. Fewer than a third of those who lost their jobs have found alternative employment. Furthermore we hear concerns about the tendering process for one Remploy division. There are concerns that the chosen company was always destined to win the bid and one MP has accused the firm of "asset-stripping." We hear from Disabled People's Minister Esther McVey who denies any wrongdoing in the factory sell-off process and defends the Remploy closure programme. She says an independent assessment revealed most of the remaining 54 factories were commercially unviable and that disabled people are best employed in "mainstream" workplaces alongside non-disabled workers.

Producer: Mark Ansell
Editor: Andrew Smith.

Remploy closure and sale programme leaves around 2000 disabled staff out of work.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Safety On The Line?2013052920130721 (R4)
20130717 (R4)
John Waite investigates how a culture of rule-breaking and corner-cutting has crept into contractors carrying out work for Network Rail. Many contractors now rely on labour agencies for manpower, and railway workers reveal their concerns at the short notice of shifts they often receive and the long distances they sometimes travel before starting work. They describe how they are expected to work without rest breaks, ignore rules on shift length, and why they do not report safety incidents for fear of being blacklisted. John meets the mother of Scott Dobson, a 26 year old railway worker who was killed in an accident near Saxilby in December 2012. He finds evidence that the contractor now under investigation has a history of breaking safety rules and how before the accident it had been warned by the regulator to improve.

Presenter: John Waite

Producer: Richard Hooper

Editor: Andrew Smith.

John Waite investigates the railway contractors who have broken the rules.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

John Waite investigates how a culture of rule-breaking and corner-cutting has crept into contractors carrying out work for Network Rail. Many contractors now rely on labour agencies for manpower, and railway workers reveal their concerns at the short notice of shifts they often receive and the long distances they sometimes travel before starting work. They describe how they are expected to work without rest breaks, ignore rules on shift length, and why they do not report safety incidents for fear of being blacklisted. John meets the mother of Scott Dobson, a 26 year old railway worker who was killed in an accident near Saxilby in December 2012. He finds evidence that the contractor now under investigation has a history of breaking safety rules and how before the accident it had been warned by the regulator to improve.

Presenter: John Waite

Producer: Richard Hooper

Editor: Andrew Smith.

John Waite investigates the railway contractors who have broken the rules.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Saving Lives In Seconds2011071320110717 (R4)Investigative series looking at stories around the UK: the hidden killer in our hospitals.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Shaky Foundations20110120In September 2010 the property maintenance firm Connaught folded leaving 1600 people without work and owing around £100m to creditors. So what has been the impact of its collapse on a sector that mainly provides social housing? John Waite investigates. He talks to former employees, subcontractors and sector experts about boxes of unpaid invoices, poor business practice and questionable accounting policies.

John Waite on the impact of the collapse of housing maintenance firm Connaught.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Sold Down River20130731

Our tap water costs less than a tenth of a penny per litre. Most of it comes from rivers. A licensing system designed more than half a century ago means water companies can legally, and easily, extract large quantities of good quality water from water courses to deliver cheaply to the consumer. But, as John Waite reveals, it's the environment that is all too often paying the price for our low water bills. In this week's Face the Facts, we hear why the country's water framework is in desperate need of reform. As climate change and a growing population puts water supplies under increasing pressure, John investigates an outdated licensing system which is depleting many water courses. He hears of the 'lamentable stewardship' of iconic chalk streams, some of which now run completely dry; the missed opportunity in the recent Water Bill to tackle the long-known problem of over abstraction, and the dilemma facing the government and the water companies - put prices up to pay for costly alternatives, or let rivers pay the price?

John Waite investigates how rivers are paying the price for our cheap water.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Sold Down River2013073120130804 (R4)

Our tap water costs less than a tenth of a penny per litre. Most of it comes from rivers. A licensing system designed more than half a century ago means water companies can legally, and easily, extract large quantities of good quality water from water courses to deliver cheaply to the consumer. But, as John Waite reveals, it's the environment that is all too often paying the price for our low water bills. In this week's Face the Facts, we hear why the country's water framework is in desperate need of reform. As climate change and a growing population puts water supplies under increasing pressure, John investigates an outdated licensing system which is depleting many water courses. He hears of the 'lamentable stewardship' of iconic chalk streams, some of which now run completely dry; the missed opportunity in the recent Water Bill to tackle the long-known problem of over abstraction, and the dilemma facing the government and the water companies - put prices up to pay for costly alternatives, or let rivers pay the price?

John Waite investigates how rivers are paying the price for our cheap water.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

The affordable housing that's unaffordable20140108

John Waite investigates why some new housing developments have been given planning permission without any affordable housing.

Councils set a target for what percentage of new build homes in their area should be affordable to people on lower incomes and will only grant planning permission for a scheme on condition that the developers include a proportion of low-cost homes. But following a change in the law in April 2013, some of Britain's biggest house-builders have told councils that they are no longer able to meet their obligation because it unfairly cuts their profit margins.

Face the Facts hears the allegation that some councils have been presented with out-of-date calculations that make a housing development appear less profitable than it actually is.

The house builders who claim they are too poor to build affordable homes.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

The Country Rogue20140416

John Waite investigates why dozens of farmers from across the UK say they face ruin after borrowing money from a Somerset based finance company. The high-interest loans came with the promise that cheaper finance would follow. But when that promise failed to materialise, farmers were left with a spiralling debt that could never be repaid. Many have seen their land repossessed and sold off at auction. Some have been left homeless. Face the Facts reveals that the man behind the company has a history of failed businesses, running up large debts and personal bankruptcy. In 2010 he managed to form a partnership with a £20 million investment scheme backed by some of Britain's biggest pension funds.

Dozens of farmers say they face ruin after borrowing money from a Somerset finance company

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

The Defiance of Science20130821

Face the Facts investigates a commonly used medicine, licensed for use since the 1980s, that may have caused thousands of unnecessary deaths in UK hospitals until its suspension 2 months ago. It's one of the most common sights in a hospital - a drip hanging from a stand by a patient's bed. We hear from doctors who have been calling for a ban on one type of starch-based drip since the late nineties and how their concerns were drowned out by supporters of the drug including a German doctor, who, we now know, falsified scientific research to support the use of the drug.

The commonly used medical 'drip' that may have caused thousands of unnecessary deaths.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

The Defiance of Science2013082120130825 (R4)

Face the Facts investigates a commonly used medicine, licensed for use since the 1980s, that may have caused thousands of unnecessary deaths in UK hospitals until its suspension 2 months ago. It's one of the most common sights in a hospital - a drip hanging from a stand by a patient's bed. We hear from doctors who have been calling for a ban on one type of starch-based drip since the late nineties and how their concerns were drowned out by supporters of the drug including a German doctor, who, we now know, falsified scientific research to support the use of the drug.

The commonly used medical 'drip' that may have caused thousands of unnecessary deaths.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

The Disowned Army20120104John Waite reports on the campaign to recognise 5,000 Irish soldiers who deserted their own country's army to fight Nazism alongside the British in World War 2. When they returned home their names were placed on The List and they were denied jobs and treated as outcasts. Many in Ireland now see their treatment as inhumane and unjustified and there is a campaign underway to have the Irish Government officially erase the stain on their names.

John Waite reports on the Irish war heroes shunned for fighting in the Second World War.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

The Dyslexia Dilemma20080817

John Waite presents the investigative consumer series.

He investigates a controversial treatment that claims to have helped tens of thousands of people with learning difficulties. Insiders tell of their concerns over the way courses were sold, and others question the research the company relies on to show that the treatment works.

John Waite investigates a controversial treatment for people with learning difficulties.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

The Hotels of Last Resort20130102

John Waite investigates why increasing numbers of homeless families are being housed in bed and breakfast hotels, sometimes for months at a time. The law states families should be placed in properly equipped temporary accommodation, but over the last year the number of families staying in B&Bs for over 6 weeks has more than doubled. Councils blame the rise in homelessness on the government's reform of housing benefit. A new cap on the amount of housing benefit that the State will pay has reduced the number of properties which poor families can afford and their local authorities have started looking beyond their boundaries, sometimes in completely different parts of the country, to fulfil their legal obligations to the homeless. The consequences are felt particularly acutely in relatively cheap outer London boroughs such as Barking and Dagenham and Croydon. There, competition from inner London authorities for suitable private rented accommodation has driven up rents and landlords prefer to rent their properties to students or working families. One local authority housing officer called it a "perfect storm." For its part, the Government says the payment of housing costs on behalf of tenants, direct to landlords was out of control and had to be tackled in an era of austerity.

Presenter:John Waite
Producer:Richard Hooper.

The rise in homeless families being moved into bed and breakfast accommodation.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

The Loan Cowboys2011072020110724 (R4)Debt management can be a crucial tool in helping people get to grips with their finances. But some companies have left many of their vulnerable customers owing more than ever. John Waite investigates how these companies offered to help hard-up families ease their debts but held on to their cash, leaving many of them close to the financial edge.

Debt management companies sprung up in the mid Nineties, offering to save struggling people from the threats of banks and creditors by settling their debts. For a monthly fee, customers believed their debts were being paid off but, as Face the Facts discovers, some companies took advantage of a weak regulatory system and accepted money from their desperate clients without passing it on to the creditors.

Producer: Paula McGinley.

John Waite investigates the debt management firms which have left people worse off.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

The Long Wait for a Law20090830

John Waite presents the investigative consumer series.

Imagine a series of arson attacks on the homes next door to you, or bulldozers demolishing homes their owners have been forced to sell. These ares the antics of some of the unscrupulous landlords working in the mobile home industry. John Waite investigates why the government is only now consulting on new legislation to stop thousands of elderly people living in fear.

How can a landlord be allowed to bulldoze your mobile home?

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

The Marcos Mystery?20130724

John Waite goes on the trail of the woman who, he's told, claims to be the daughter of the former President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos, and is about to inherit his missing millions.

She says she is a good Samaritan but her critics disagree. Claiming to be on the verge of a huge inheritance she's borrowed tens of thousands of pounds from Filipinos in London, they say. Claiming to be employed by the Home Office she's said to have accepted hundreds of pounds for immigration advice. Claiming to be an investment guru it's alleged that she has taken hundreds of thousands more from Swedish investors, and as a fish trader it's said that she's left a trail of out-of-pocket fishmongers at Billingsgate Fish Market. They also say she's claimed to be an airline pilot and daughter of a former Miss Spain. Never interviewed before she tells John why she believes her many critics are simply just jealous liars.

Producer: Joe Kent
Presenter: John Waite.

John Waite investigates the Marcos mystery.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

The Marcos Mystery?2013072420130728 (R4)

John Waite goes on the trail of the woman who, he's told, claims to be the daughter of the former President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos, and is about to inherit his missing millions.

She says she is a good Samaritan but her critics disagree. Claiming to be on the verge of a huge inheritance she's borrowed tens of thousands of pounds from Filipinos in London, they say. Claiming to be employed by the Home Office she's said to have accepted hundreds of pounds for immigration advice. Claiming to be an investment guru it's alleged that she has taken hundreds of thousands more from Swedish investors, and as a fish trader it's said that she's left a trail of out-of-pocket fishmongers at Billingsgate Fish Market. They also say she's claimed to be an airline pilot and daughter of a former Miss Spain. Never interviewed before she tells John why she believes her many critics are simply just jealous liars.

Producer: Joe Kent
Presenter: John Waite.

John Waite investigates the Marcos mystery.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

The Promised Land20080803

John Waite presents the investigative consumer series.

He investigates the business of selling small plots of land to investors with the promise of a return of four hundred per cent on their outlay. The scheme assumes the land will one day get planning permission, but instead thousands of people are left with a ridiculously expensive picnic site. Financial regulators are trying to crack down on the practice.

John investigates the business of selling small plots of land to investors.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

The Recruits20100128

As youth unemployment continues to rise, John Waite investigates a training operation which has left hundreds of young people around the country without the training they signed up for or the jobs they were promised. Instead they are thousands of pounds in debt. The training provider folded, the recruitment company is apparently no longer operating and now the first payments on the loans are being demanded. How did one of Britain's biggest banks get involved in a programme which proved so worthless for many of its students?!

A recruitment scheme which left jobseekers thousands of pounds in debt and without work.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

The RSPCA - A law unto itself?20130807

For almost 200 years, the RSPCA has been the nation's conscience on animal welfare. The UK's biggest animal charity has also been in the forefront when it comes to enforcing decent standards of animal care. But more recently questions are being asked about how the organisation is changing.

There are claims that it is too quick to prosecute vulnerable people - the elderly, people with mental health issues or mobility problems - rather than advising them or helping them better look after their pets. Some never get over the shock of being raided by the police and RSPCA - even if they're later completely cleared of any wrongdoing. They suspect that front page coverage of RSPCA raids may be at least partly motivated by a desire for donation-boosting publicity.

And vets and lawyers claim to have been unfairly targeted because they've stood up against the RSPCA in court.

Face the Facts investigates how the RSPCA is changing and whether it is in danger of losing its way.

Presenter:John Waite
Producer:Paul Waters
Editor:Andrew Smith.

Is too much prosecuting undermining the RSPCA's animal welfare mission?

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

The RSPCA - A law unto itself?2013080720130811 (R4)

For almost 200 years, the RSPCA has been the nation's conscience on animal welfare. The UK's biggest animal charity has also been in the forefront when it comes to enforcing decent standards of animal care. But more recently questions are being asked about how the organisation is changing.

There are claims that it is too quick to prosecute vulnerable people - the elderly, people with mental health issues or mobility problems - rather than advising them or helping them better look after their pets. Some never get over the shock of being raided by the police and RSPCA - even if they're later completely cleared of any wrongdoing. They suspect that front page coverage of RSPCA raids may be at least partly motivated by a desire for donation-boosting publicity.

And vets and lawyers claim to have been unfairly targeted because they've stood up against the RSPCA in court.

Face the Facts investigates how the RSPCA is changing and whether it is in danger of losing its way.

Presenter:John Waite
Producer:Paul Waters
Editor:Andrew Smith.

Is too much prosecuting undermining the RSPCA's animal welfare mission?

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

The Stolen Families2012071820120722 (R4)John Waite investigates the growing number of international child abduction cases where a parent flees abroad with their children to keep custody and evade the law. So does the law need strengthening to protect the rights of the 'left-behind' parent? And how effective is the international convention which is designed to ensure children are returned home quickly?

Produced by Joe Kent & Jon Douglas

Research by Fiona Napier.

The rise in parents abducting their children, fleeing abroad and evading custody orders.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

John Waite investigates the growing number of international child abduction cases where a parent flees abroad with their children to keep custody and evade the law. So does the law need strengthening to protect the rights of the 'left-behind' parent? And how effective is the international convention which is designed to ensure children are returned home quickly?

Produced by Joe Kent & Jon Douglas

Research by Fiona Napier.

The rise in parents abducting their children, fleeing abroad and evading custody orders.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

The UK Boomtown: North Sea industry suffers staff shortages20130522

At a time when the UK government is supporting billions of pounds worth of investment in the oil and gas industry to help economic recovery and secure thousands of jobs, John Waite asks how the 'threat' of the skills shortage can be overcome. The industry is being promoted as a vital strategic resource that helps fulfil our energy needs and insulates the UK from volatile global markets. However, filling the skills gap is widely considered to be one of the biggest challenges the industry faces. John hears how high levels of activity, global competition and the misconception of UK oil and gas being a 'sunset industry', is leading to talent overlooking a career in the sector. How a shortage of skilled labour drives up costs and impacts on project schedules, and leads to wider concerns over reliability of supply and, therefore, higher prices. He investigates why successive governments and the industry, despite foreseeing this problem, have so far failed to implement adequate policies and measures to tackle it, and asks what is now being done to develop sufficient levels of manpower. Business Secretary Vince Cable and a representative of the industry respond.

Producer: Katy Takatsuki
Editor:Andrew Smith.

John Waite investigates the 'threat' of a skills shortage in the oil and gas industry.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Tried and Tested?20140122

New drugs undergo strict testing. New medical devices often don't have to. But with thousands of women damaged by vaginal surgery, surgeons and patients are calling for tougher safety rules. It's the latest in a series of controversies around new medical devices stretching back years - including metal-on-metal artificial hip joints and PIP breast implants.

Concerned surgeons say a compulsory register for all devices is long overdue, so we can track success and failure. But might insisting on too rigorous a testing regime have the unintended consequence of stifling medical innovation and making it too expensive for all but the biggest companies?

Presenter: John Waite
Producer: Paul Waters
Editor: Andrew Smith.

Calls for reform of safety testing rules after thousands of women are damaged by surgery.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Trouble in Paradise20080720British property owners in Goa fear they may lose their homes.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

University Waste20100729

With universities facing swingeing funding cuts, a handful are already officially classified as "at risk" and in danger of complete financial collapse. Vince Cable, the Secretary of State with responsibility for Universities has warned that if that does happen - there'll be no Government bail-out. Meanwhile as the cuts bite, courses are being scrapped and jobs are being axed. The University of Cumbria has seen one third of the Board of Governors step down after a report into their effectiveness described them as naive after presiding over an unsustainable annual deficit. At Leeds Metropolitan University a former Vice Chancellor pursued a 'low-charging, high impact' policy offering cut price courses and pouring over £20m into partnership deals with local sports teams. Critics say the policy left it with a deficit approaching £7-million.

Professor Simon Lee the former Vice Chancellor emphatically rejects these criticisms and told us that:
- The decisions made whilst he was Vice Chancellor were done with the full support of the Board of Governors and senior managment team
- The 51% share in Leeds Rugby Club bought by the university offered students the opportunity to study there during the day then watch games at night as well as take part in community projects
- The contribution of £14m to the building of the new Headlingley Carnegie Cricket Pavilion offered first class opportunities to students to study and work there
- By offering lower fees than other universities in England applications to Leeds increased dramatically.

With swingeing cuts in the pipeline, how well are universities managing their money?

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

University Waste2010072920100801 (R4)

With universities facing swingeing funding cuts, a handful are already officially classified as "at risk" and in danger of complete financial collapse. Vince Cable, the Secretary of State with responsibility for Universities has warned that if that does happen - there'll be no Government bail-out. Meanwhile as the cuts bite, courses are being scrapped and jobs are being axed. The University of Cumbria has seen one third of the Board of Governors step down after a report into their effectiveness described them as naive after presiding over an unsustainable annual deficit. At Leeds Metropolitan University a former Vice Chancellor pursued a 'low-charging, high impact' policy offering cut price courses and pouring over £20m into partnership deals with local sports teams. Critics say the policy left it with a deficit approaching £7-million.

Professor Simon Lee the former Vice Chancellor emphatically rejects these criticisms and told us that:
- The decisions made whilst he was Vice Chancellor were done with the full support of the Board of Governors and senior managment team
- The 51% share in Leeds Rugby Club bought by the university offered students the opportunity to study there during the day then watch games at night as well as take part in community projects
- The contribution of £14m to the building of the new Headlingley Carnegie Cricket Pavilion offered first class opportunities to students to study and work there
- By offering lower fees than other universities in England applications to Leeds increased dramatically.

With swingeing cuts in the pipeline, how well are universities managing their money?

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Wed-locked2012080120120805 (R4)Today on Face the Facts we reveal how scores of people with learning disabilities are ending up in illegal forced marriages.

It ranges from immigration scams, right through to well meaning relatives who hand pick a sometimes unwitting spouse, as a carer for the disabled person.

It predominantly, but not exclusively, involves South Asian families. It has also happens in some East European , African, Mediterranean and traveller families.

The key issue is to do with consent. If someone does not have mental capacity they can't consent to marriage, and no one else can consent on their behalf.

However, many families do not know about the Mental Capacity Act, and presume they are simply 'arranging' a marriage, which they have done for generations, and which is perfectly legal.

John Waite speaks to families of people with learning disabilities who have ended up in a forced marriage. We hear from a mother who is planning her disabled son's wedding for the end of the year.

We report about a couple who say their marriage is happy, even though experts agree the husband does not appear to have capacity to consent, and the wife is acting as his carer.

Plus we hear from a woman who was unwittingly married to a man who turned out to have learning disabilities and who has described how they are both victims.

The Government's recent announcement to criminalise Forced Marriage in general has been welcomed by some campaign groups, but opposed by others who say it will only push the practice underground.

For those working with people with learning disabilities, they view the reported cases of forced marriage involving people with learning disabilities as only the 'tip of the iceberg'.

Join John Waite for Face The Facts, Wednesday August 1st at 12.30pm.

Producer;Carolyn Atkinson.

Scores of people with learning disabilities are ending up in forced marriages.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Today on Face the Facts we reveal how scores of people with learning disabilities are ending up in illegal forced marriages.

It ranges from immigration scams, right through to well meaning relatives who hand pick a sometimes unwitting spouse, as a carer for the disabled person.

It predominantly, but not exclusively, involves South Asian families. It has also happens in some East European , African, Mediterranean and traveller families.

The key issue is to do with consent. If someone does not have mental capacity they can't consent to marriage, and no one else can consent on their behalf.

However, many families do not know about the Mental Capacity Act, and presume they are simply 'arranging' a marriage, which they have done for generations, and which is perfectly legal.

John Waite speaks to families of people with learning disabilities who have ended up in a forced marriage. We hear from a mother who is planning her disabled son's wedding for the end of the year.

We report about a couple who say their marriage is happy, even though experts agree the husband does not appear to have capacity to consent, and the wife is acting as his carer.

Plus we hear from a woman who was unwittingly married to a man who turned out to have learning disabilities and who has described how they are both victims.

The Government's recent announcement to criminalise Forced Marriage in general has been welcomed by some campaign groups, but opposed by others who say it will only push the practice underground.

For those working with people with learning disabilities, they view the reported cases of forced marriage involving people with learning disabilities as only the 'tip of the iceberg'.

Join John Waite for Face The Facts, Wednesday August 1st at 12.30pm.

Producer;Carolyn Atkinson.

Scores of people with learning disabilities are ending up in forced marriages.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Who wants to be a trader millionaire?20130508

We investigate concerns that more and more people are taking up trading the foreign exchange market, and stocks and shares, in search of well-paid careers or as a lucrative hobby. Expensive training courses offer the chance to learn the 'secrets of the trade' leaving participants to believe they can easily beat the market from the comfort of the computer in their spare bedroom or their laptop on the beach. With unemployment high, and interest rates low, a growing number of job seekers are turning themselves into d-i-y traders. So are all too many of those who sign up being fooled - or fooling themselves - into thinking that making money through financial trading is a pretty straightforward skill to acquire?

Producer:Joe Kent.

John Waite enters the world of the DIY financial traders.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud

Wide Berth To Justice20120118John Waite investigates the policing of crimes that take place on board cruise ships and the case of Rebecca Coriam, who disappeared from a Disney cruise ship earlier this year. With many ships flagging away from the UK, to countries like the Bahamas, Bermuda and Panama, does international law needs to be changed to ensure the safety of passengers and to protect victims of crime?

John Waite investigates the policing of crimes that take place on board cruise ships.

Original investigations into social injustice, public policy, inefficiency and fraud