Insiders believe that with the Transport and General Workers' Union reducing its affiliation to Labour Unison could emerge as the new

Insiders believe that with the Transport and General Workers' Union reducing its affiliation to Labour, Unison could emerge as the new dominant force.Although the normally discreet Mr Bickerstaffe distanced himself from the Labour leadership over party reform, his candidature will be seen as far more acceptable than two of his opponents from the far left.Mr Bickerstaffe, currently associate general secretary of Unison, is being challenged by Roger Bannister, who is backed by Militant Labour, and Yunnus Baksh, endorsed by the Socialist Workers' Party. BARRIE CLEMENT Labour Editor One of Tony Blair's main tormentors over Clause IV is expected to be the next leader of Britain's biggest union and potentially the Labour Party's largest affiliate.As nominations opened yesterday, Rodney Bickerstaffe, a veteran of the 1979 "Winter of Discontent", emerged as the clear favourite to take over as general secretary of the public service union Unison.While only part of Unison is now affiliated to Labour, next January the 700,000 members who do not donate money to the party will be asked to do so. "It's obviously showing these reforms, which take many years to work through, are starting to improve for carers."He added that it was local authorities' responsibility to look at help on an individual level for carers and that pounds 30m - pounds 10m more than last year - had been allocated for local authorities to spend on home and respite care.. Eight out of 10 considered that carers received little or not much help and support from the Government.Norman Warner, senior research fellow at Kent University, and author of the report, said while for some there had been limited improvements, these did not go nearly far enough."We urgently need to recognise that supporting carers makes sound practical and economic sense - if just one in 10 carers felt unable to continue caring, the cost of funding alternative care would be pounds 2bn a year."A spokesman for the Department of Health said that the number of those who felt the changes had made no difference had dropped 10 per cent from 79 per cent last year. This was finally put on the statute books last week as the Carers' Bill completed its parliamentary stages.They also want a guaranteed package including a regular weekly break of at least four hours; occasional weekend breaks; an annual holiday of at least one week; access to a 24-hour helpline and membership of a carers support group.And a MORI study published at the same time puts public support firmly behind the carers, with over 90 per cent wanting more public funds to be used to provide carers with services free of charge.

While nearly 90 per cent of social services departments say they confirm community care assessments in writing, only 40 per cent of carers said they had written confirmation.The carers questioned wanted a legal right to an assessment of their needs and respite care. Women account for 70 per cent of carers, and nearly 80 per cent are aged between 45 and 74. Nearly 70 per cent had disposable incomes in the lowest 10 per cent of 1993 earnings.The views of social services departments, which were also contacted, showed a sharp division in perception. It said that over 60 per cent did not even realise that they can ask social services to have their needs assessed.There are almost 7 million carers in Britain looking after a frail, disabled or ill child, relative or friend. GLENDA COOPER Four out of five carers believe that the Government's care in the community reforms have made no difference to them or services have deteriorated, a survey for the Carers National Association reported yesterday. Better Tomorrows?, which contacted over 2,300 carers, calls for "dramatic improvements" to the information available to carers and to services and support. The three seriously injured pupils have needed skin grafts and will have to undergo further surgery, the court was told.

Three other pupils were slightly injured.The case continues.. He admitted burning the home of his brother, for whom he felt "intense loathing". He said he would have tried to kill his brother if he had been home at the time.Bell told the court that since the attack he has "become aware of how irrational I was".During three-and-a-half hours of testimony, the Lord Chief Justice for Northern Ireland, Sir Brian Hutton, repeatedly reminded Bell to answer questions directly.The jury have been told that they have to decide upon Bell's intent in carrying out the flame-thrower attack.During the prosecution case, the injured teenage pupils told the court how they fought to escape a fireball in the classroom and saw the skin on their hands melting. I would say the person was profoundly confused because there are arrows all over the place".Bell said that he held no grudge against the school except for the fact that they had not given him "appropriate career advice".He told the court he had taken prescription drugs on the day of the attack and said he had received psychiatric treatment while a pupil at Sullivan.Earlier Bell pleaded guilty to a separate arson incident on the day of the attack. I would say this was some sort of cracker barrel plan to go to the school.

He later said the flame-thrower, a converted fire extinguisher, "turned out to have been rather more powerful than I believed it was" but denied it was designed to be used against people.Bell said a map of the school found at his flat with writing on it was "the most half-baked plan I've ever heard of in my life. "I have thought about this for a long time and I cannot conceive what this could possibly have been intended to achieve."He recalled walking into the hall, lighting the flame-thrower, seeing flames flaring out of it, and then some people burning "That constitutes everything I saw in the hall. That is the absolute truth," he said.Ronald Appleton QC, for the prosecution, asked Bell if he knew what the effects of the flame would be on skin "I wouldn't wish to discuss it," said the defendant. Garnet Bell, 46, sprayed flaming petrol into an assembly hall where 31 pupils were sitting A-level exams, seriously burning three of them. He told Antrim Crown Court he had "intended to spray fire on them" but had not meant to kill or cause them serious injury.Bell, from Belfast, denies eight charges - including attempted murder - related to the attack at Sullivan Upper School in Holywood, Co Down, on 17 June last year.He said he felt remorse for the attack "because the young men were so terribly hurt".Bell admitted carrying out the attack but could not explain his actions. But he said he had not been warned that it could explode in his hands.The hearing continues today.. A man who turned a flame-thrower on pupils at his former school told a court yesterday that he did not know why he had carried out the attack and that he felt "very bad indeed" about it. Sister groups in France and Germany are also planned.The group will avoid taking legal action against individual animal exporters but hope to challenge fundamental aspects of the trade..