Today - 15/10/2009

Presented by James Naughtie and Sarah Montague. The EU's farm subsidies system has been criticised by the National Audit Office (NAO). Its report described the current European Single Farm Payment Scheme in England as expensive, cumbersome and inefficient. Faming minister Jim Fitzpatrick examines the scheme and the reports findings. The Arctic Ocean could lose most of its ice in summertime in as little as 10 years, according to new research - far sooner than previously forecast. Professor Peter Wadhams, head of the Polar Ocean Physics Group at Cambridge University, which carried out the research, explains the findings. A third of official investigations into cases of serious child abuse in England are inadequate, according to a report from Ofsted. The reviews are meant to identify lessons to be learned where a child has died or been seriously harmed, but inspectors are concerned that important opportunities to improve child protection are being missed. Chief Inspector of Schools, Christine Gilbert, and Joanna Nicholas, an independent social worker and author of a number of serious case reviews, discuss the quality and adequacy of child abuse case reviews. Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy has become a Swedish international literary phenomenon. Two films, tours around Stockholm and websites in homage to the author and his characters have taken over Swedish society. Larsson's third book in the trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest, has now hit the bestsellers list. Europe correspondent Jonny Dymond went to Stockholm to investigate the novels' success. Almost 50 NHS trusts are failing to improve beyond the minimum standards and face new sanctions unless they make progress before next year, say health standards inspectors. Health correspondent Adam Brimelow reports from Stafford Hospital, which earlier this year was strongly criticised by the health service regulator, and Chair of the Care Quality Commission Lady Young discusses the report. Acclaimed artist Maggi Hambling will be exhibiting her seascapes this weekend in Manchester, alongside little-known seascapes by painter LS Lowry. Sarah Montague met the artist on a beach in Suffolk to discuss art, sculpture and the inspiration of the sea. Thought for the Day with Rev Angela Tilby, Vicar of St Bene't's Church in Cambridge. What effect is the expenses scandal having on the families of MPs? While parliamentarians go off to work in Westminster, it is their families who bear the brunt of public anger. Linda MacDougall, wife of Labour backbencher Austin Mitchell, discusses how MPs' families are dealing with public anger over the expenses scandal. Pakistani authorities say that at least 18 people have been killed after a police station and two training academies in Lahore were attacked by gunmen. There has been an upsurge in violence in Pakistan in recent weeks, as the Pakistani army prepares to launch an offensive against the Taliban in the country's South Waziristan tribal region. Danyal Hasan from Dawn News in Pakistan and the BBC's Islamabad correspondent, Aleem Maqbool, report on the attacks. A group of public figures, including Stephen Fry and Alastair Campbell, have called for more investment in mental health research. Of the 700 million pounds spent by the Medical Research Council each year, less than 20 million goes on mental health. More than 5,000 people with mental illness kill themselves each year in the UK. Til Wykes, Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College, London and Professor Chris Kennard of the Clinical Neurology unit at Oxford, and Chair of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Board at the Medical Research Council, which allocates medical funding, examine the problems around tackling mental health. Yesterday on Today, John Humphrys interviewed Harriet Harman about MPs' expenses, and they discussed the case of the former home secretary Jacqui Smith. Ms Smith has been in touch with us to complain that we had made a mistake. In the interview we stated that 'the Standards Commissioner himself found that Jacqui Smith had not been entirely honest in what she told us, and she had broken the rules.' Today is happy to clarify that the Commissioner did find Ms Smith had broken the rules, but he did not make any judgement about her honesty. The Prince Philip Designers' Prize is awarded for the 50th year at Buckingham Palace today. The Prince has recently said that 'to work out how to operate a television set, you practically have to make love to the thing. And why can't you have a handset that people who are not actually ten can actually read?' Chief executive of the Design Council, David Kester, and author Stanley Johnson discuss whether Prince Philip's views on the design of electronics is fair. The government has brought in two troubleshooters to try to resolve why thousands of students still have not received their student loans. David Willetts, shadow secretary of state for in