Written By Unknown on Selasa, 31 Maret 2015 | 16.50
Leanne Wood says people are sceptical of the 'establishment' parties at Westminster
Plaid Cymru will use its influence in a hung parliament to "bring austerity to an end" and rebuild the Welsh economy, party leader Leanne Wood has said.
The party launched its general election manifesto on Tuesday, and has already announced plans to negotiate jointly with the SNP and the Greens.
All three parties have already ruled out supporting a Tory government.
Plaid wants similar funding and powers to Scotland and aims to "rebalance" UK power and wealth, Ms Wood said.
"The four Westminster leaders offer us nothing more than further swingeing cuts to our public services and no commitment to securing an economic recovery for all," she said.
Plaid has said giving Wales the same level of public spending per head as Scotland for devolved services would result in an extra £1.2bn a year for the Welsh government.
Almost half of Nigeria's states have yet to declare their results
Several key states have yet to declare in the south, where Mr Jonathan, a southerner, enjoys strong support.
The candidate with the most votes will only avoid a run-off if they gain at least 25% of the votes in two-thirds of Nigeria's 36 states.
A victory for Mr Buhari would make President Jonathan the first incumbent in Nigeria to lose his re-election bid.
But the BBC's Will Ross in Abuja says that at this point, neither side is mentioning the possibility of losing the election.
Our correspondent says that international observers have broadly praised the conduct of the vote but there has been some concern over possible efforts to rig the outcome during the count.
Nigeria's election process: Key facts
Candidate with the most votes is declared the winner in the first round
The winning candidate also needs at least 25% of the votes in two-thirds of Nigeria's 36 states
If there is no outright winner, the law says a run-off election must be held within seven days
Victory in a run-off election is by simple majority
The US and UK have expressed their concerns over possible "political interference" during the count.
A spokesman from Inec dismissed these fears, saying that "there is absolutely no basis" to talk of meddling.
Authorities in the undeclared Rivers State reportedly announced a curfew on Monday night after protests over alleged vote rigging.
Earlier, police in the state used teargas against female opposition protesters who were attempting to lodge complaints with election officials.
Voting spilled into Sunday in some parts of Nigeria after problems were encountered with new electronic card readers.
President Jonathan, whose PDP has dominated Nigerian politics since 1999, was among those whose registration to vote was delayed by the technology, which was introduced to prevent fraud.
Election commission chief Attahiru Jega said only a fraction of the 150,000 card readers being used nationwide had failed.
Nigeria at a glance:
Two main presidential candidates: Muhammadu Buhari, All Progressives Congress (APC), Muslim northerner, ex-military ruler, fourth presidential bid; and Goodluck Jonathan, People's Democratic Party (PDP), Christian southerner, the incumbent
Years of military rule ended in 1999 and the PDP has been in power ever since
Nigeria is Africa's largest economy and leading oil producer
With a population of more than 170 million, it is also Africa's most populous nation
The UN gave an upbeat assessment of the vote on Sunday, with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praising the "determination and resilience" of voters, despite the reports of attacks by Boko Haram militants and others.
The National Human Rights Commission said 50 people were killed during the balloting.
The presidential and parliamentary elections had been delayed by six weeks because of the insurgency by Boko Haram.
Police fired teargas at female protesters in Rivers State on Monday
The Islamists attacked polling stations in north-eastern states, with a curfew declared in Bauchi State after fighting between the security forces and the group.
As well as a president, voters are electing members of the house of representatives and the senate.
Aidan Brunger, left, and Neil Dalton were in the last few days of a six-week medical placement
A Malaysian court has found a local man guilty of murdering two British medical students in Borneo.
Newcastle University students Aidan Brunger and Neil Dalton, both 22, were stabbed in a bar in Kuching, Sarawak, in August 2014.
Fishmonger Zulkipli Abdullah, 23, had denied their murder, but admitted being involved in a street fight with them along with two other men.
The penalty for murder in Malaysia is a mandatory sentence of death by hanging.
In a joint statement, the parents of Mr Dalton, from Ambergate, Derbyshire, and Mr Brunger, from Hempstead, Kent, paid tribute to their sons.
Phil and Jan Dalton and Paul Brunger and Sue Hidson spoke of the devastation their deaths had caused.
"They were two exceptional young men with such promise - kind, funny and full of life. Their deaths have left their families and many good friends utterly devastated," it read.
"Our sons would soon have qualified as doctors. Their unprovoked and senseless murders as they were walking home after a night out with other medical students mean that Aidan and Neil will never have the chance to spend their lives caring for and helping others.
"They would have given so much to the world. We are so very proud of both of them and in what they achieved in their all too short lives.
"Although we are pleased that the man responsible for their murders has been held accountable, the guilty verdict does not bring our sons back."
Paul Brunger was in court and said the loss of his son was "devastating"
Jennifer Pak, BBC News, Kuching
The case itself has been very shocking to people here. Many have told us that this is a peaceful place, a tourist town where foreigners are welcome.
People said such violent incidents are rare, and they hope it will not tarnish their image and prevent tourists from coming here in the future.
We spoke to officials at the Sarawak General Hospital and they did not say any students were scared of attending the programme since these murders. They did, however, say they have warned the students to be careful about staying out too late in the bar district.
They have not added any extra security protection for them. They see this as a one-off incident, that it is not common.
Mr Dalton and Mr Brunger had almost completed a work placement at a hospital in Kuching.
They were found sprawled in the road by cafe workers in the Jalan Padungan area of the city in the early hours of 6 August last year.
The trial heard Zulkipli Abdullah admitting being involved in a fight with the two students and punched one of them.
But he denied stabbing them or carrying a knife.
He is expected to appeal against the judgement.
Zulkipli Abdullah admitted he had been in a fight with the students
A tenth of 12 to 13-year-olds fear they are "addicted" to pornography, an NSPCC ChildLine survey has concluded.
One in five of nearly 700 youngsters surveyed said they had seen pornographic images that had shocked or upset them, researchers found.
The charity also says that 12% of those surveyed said they had taken part in, or had made, a sexually explicit video.
It says that viewing porn is "a part of everyday life" for many of the children who contact its helpline.
ChildLine has launched a campaign to raise awareness and provide advice to young people about the harmful implications of an over exposure to porn following the survey results.
'Aggressive'
One boy under the age of 15 told ChildLine that he was "always watching porn, and some of it is quite aggressive".
He said: "I didn't think it was affecting me at first but I've started to view girls a bit differently recently and it's making me worried.
"I would like to get married in the future but I'm scared it might never happen if I carry on thinking about girls the way I do."
A girl, who is now 17, told the BBC that she was sexually assaulted by her boyfriend when they were both 12 years old.
"He thought it was OK on some level," she said.
"I felt dirty, confused, shocked.
"Pornography isn't just a 10-minute video - it has consequences."
The ChildLine Fight Against Porn Zombies (FAPZ) campaign uses a series of animations looking at the implications of overexposure to porn for boys and girls.
The animations link to a range of information and advice to help young people understand the effects of replicating pornographic content in real life and to protect them from putting themselves at risk.
'Easy access'
Peter Liver, director of ChildLine, said that it was important to talk openly about the issue.
"Children of all ages today have easy access to a wide range of pornography," he said. "If we as a society shy away from talking about this issue, we are failing the thousands of young people it is affecting.
"We know from the young people who contact ChildLine that viewing porn is a part of everyday life, and our poll shows that one in five 12 to 13-year-olds thinks that watching porn is normal behaviour.
"They tell ChildLine that watching porn is making them feel depressed, giving them body image issues, and making them feel pressured to engage in sexual acts they're not ready for."
He welcomed the announcement last week of plans to teach children from the age of 11 about rape and sexual consent as part of personal, social and health education (PSHE) in schools.
"Our campaign clearly complements this proposal," he said.
"Across society, we need to remove the embarrassment and shame that exists around talking about porn - which is why we are launching this activity and helping young people to make more informed choices."
'Damaging and upsetting'
Dame Esther Rantzen, ChildLine's founder, said it was shocking that children as young as 11 are approaching the helpline with concerns about pornography.
"Young people are turning to the internet to learn about sex and relationships," she said.
"We know they are frequently stumbling across porn, often unintentionally, and they are telling us very clearly that this is having a damaging and upsetting effect on them.
"Girls in particular have said they feel like they have to look and behave like porn stars to be liked by boys."
Dame Esther said that improved education was vital.
"We absolutely have to talk to young people about sex, love, respect and consent as soon as we feel they are ready, to ensure that they gain a proper perspective between real-life relationships and the fantasy world of porn," she said.
Kingfisher, the owner of DIY chains B&Q and Screwfix, is to close about 60 B&Q stores in UK and Ireland over the next two years.
But it plans to open 60 new outlets under its Screwfix brand.
"Kingfisher has said for some time that B&Q UK & Ireland can adequately meet local customer needs from fewer stores and that some of the store should be smaller," it said in a statement.
Kingfisher also announced a 15.2% fall in pre-tax profit to £644m for 2014.
And in a separate announcement, it said that Kevin O'Byrne, chief executive for B&Q UK & Ireland, would leave the firm on 15 May 2015 "allowing a smooth handover of his responsibilities" with further details to be announced "in due course".
The store closures, which will result in a £350m one-off cost, mark Veronique Laury's first major move as chief executive. The former Castorama boss took over from Sir Ian Cheshire as chief executive last September.
The firm, which currently has 360 B&Q stores, has so far confirmed the locations of six store closures: Southampton, Dundee, Baums Lane in Mansfield, Station Road in Stechford in Birmingham, Hyde in Greater Manchester, and Barnsley.
But it said the impact on jobs from the B&Q store closure plan is expected to broadly neutral due to the planned Screwfix openings and plans to redeploy staff to other parts of the business.
Ms Laury said it was "clear" the firm needed to organise itself "very differently to unlock our potential", and described the move as part of a set of "first sharp decisions" she was taking.
She said the group could achieve "significant benefits" from unifying the group, noting that "customers needs are already largely the same" with the markets it serves "fundamentally more similar than different".
B&Q said top executives' roles would now be more focused on the entire company, it would cut the number of products it sold, as well as unify its IT platform across the group.
Other plans include making the most of its vacant store space and it said it was in discussions with several retailers about sub-letting opportunities.
"We are getting on with this at real pace," it added.
The announcement comes a day after the group, which also owns Castorama and Brico Depot in France, walked away from its planned €275m purchase of French DIY chain Mr Bricolage after one of the latter's shareholders opposed the deal.
The firm's performance in France continued to be weak, with sales down 6.6% for the year, which it blamed on "an ongoing soft market", driven by weak consumer confidence and a declining housing and construction market.
But in the UK and Ireland, sales rose 5.4%, which it said reflected a stronger UK economy and more buoyant housing construction.
Do you work for B&Q? Will your store be affected by the closures? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you are available to talk to a BBC journalist please include a telephone number.
The UK's economy grew at a faster pace than initially estimated last year, revised official figures show.
The economy grew by 0.6% in the final three months of 2014, up from the previous estimate of 0.5%, the Office for National Statistics said.
The unexpected increase meant growth for the year was 2.8%, higher than the earlier estimate of 2.6%.
The increased rate marks the highest rate of annual growth since 2006, when the economy grew by 3%.
An expansion in both production and services as well as a number of industries such as agriculture and fishing in the fourth quarter helped to drive the increase, the official data suggested.
But the biggest contribution to the revised figure was a strong performance of exports, the ONS said.
The revised figure was revealed alongside data showing that the UK's current account deficit - the gap between the income paid to, and received from, the rest of the world - narrowed in the final quarter of last year.
The deficit in the three months to December was £25.3bn, down from the record-high of £27.7bn recorded in the previous quarter.
But for the year as a whole, the deficit widened to 5.5% of GDP, marking the largest annual deficit since records began in 1948.
Separately, UK consumer confidence rose to its highest level in more than 12 years in March, a survey from researchers GfK showed.
Andy Scott, from foreign currency specialists HiFX, said he expected household spending to help continue boosting growth in 2015.
"Concerns over slowing house price increases and the General Election don't seem to be fazing consumers who are seeing real term wage growth for the first time recently in the past few years, thanks to significantly lower energy costs.
"This bodes well for the overall picture of the UK economy since individual spending affects so many industries - from coffee houses to DIY chains," he added.
Westminster's party leaders have made new pledges on employment, taxation and health while continuing to come under pressure to be clearer about planned cuts and tax rises after the election.
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has made a manifesto commitment to spend an extra £3.5bn on mental health services.
The Conservatives are promising two million more jobs by 2020, while Labour will offer rate cuts for small firms.
Plaid Cymru has urged more funding for Wales at its manifesto launch.
In the main developments on day two of the official election campaign:
Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood called for £1.2bn in extra annual funding to "unleash the economic potential of Wales".
The UK economy grew faster than previously thought in 2014, expanding by 2.8% - according to the latest official figures
David Cameron defended plans to cut a further £12bn from the welfare bill and refused to rule out taxing disability benefits after Chancellor George Osborne said there would no further details before the election
The Conservative leader has also defended the number of personal attacks on Ed Miliband, saying he "makes no apology for putting Labour on the table"
UKIP leader Nigel Farage will accuse David Cameron of making a "sham promise" on immigration at the last election
There are 37 days to go until the general election on 7 May.
Mr Clegg kicked off a series of policy announcements by Westminster's three largest parties by unveiling more plans for mental health investment.
This would include £250m over five years for new services for mothers suffering from depression and to help reduce waiting times.
In the Budget earlier this month, the coalition government said it would invest an extra £250m a year into improving mental health services for children.
'Liberal mission'
The Lib Dems say their manifesto would commit to increasing the total spend on mental healthcare to £3.5bn over the next six years.
Equality for people with mental health issues is a "liberal mission", Mr Clegg said, and the party would "make sure mental health is treated with the same urgency as physical health, with money to back that up, and challenge the stigma every day".
Mr Cameron says the UK could have higher employment rates than Germany and Japan
Mr Clegg challenged the Conservatives and Labour to commit to filling the £8bn gap in overall funding facing NHS England between now and 2020, saying his party would pay for this by ensuring NHS budgets rose in line with growth in the overall economy.
Asked whether voters would know the details of the Lib Dems' planned tax rises before the election, including a new council tax band for high-value properties and raising capital gains tax, Mr Clegg replied that "on taxes we will be pretty specific".
Pollwatch
David Cowling, editor, BBC Political Research
Following the flurry caused by YouGov's 4% Labour lead this Sunday, we had three polls on Monday telling a different story. Populus had Conservative and Labour tied on 34%; Ashcroft had a 2% Conservative lead (36% versus 34%) and ComRes had a 4% Conservative lead (36% versus 32%).
Among all four polls, the average Lib Dem rating was 8%, UKIP's was 13% and the Greens at around 6%. We've barely started our long road to 7 May but perhaps this campaign will develop into a battle of methodologies - telephone versus internet polls.
The two telephone polls (Ashcroft and ComRes) had the highest Conservative ratings - 36% each; and the two internet polls (YouGov and Populus) had the lowest - 34% and 32%. YouGov represented a 5.5% swing from Conservative to Labour, enough to give Labour a majority: ComRes suggested a 1.5% swing to Labour, barely a ripple on the election pond.
Mr Cameron, who has ruled out tax rises after the election in favour of spending cuts, said the Conservatives were focusing on their "positive vision" for the country amid criticism about the frequency of his attacks on the Labour leader Ed Miliband in recent days.
The UK could create two million more jobs by 2020 - similar to the 1.9 million created in the last Parliament under the coalition, he said.
The Office for Budget Responsibility has forecast just under a million new jobs in the next five years, but Mr Cameron said his government had a "record of economic success" and had exceeded OBR predictions since 2010.
This issue includes the wider economy and deficit reduction but also employment and the role of business.
"We have kept tax low for business, we have encouraged people to invest in our country, we have invested in skills, we have trained two million apprentices in this Parliament," he told BBC Breakfast.
"We are building an economy that can sustain these extra jobs... just as we doubled the OBR forecast in the last Parliament, we are going to double it in the next one too."
'Right tone'
However, Mr Cameron said he would not stop making Labour's tax and spending plans an issue, saying the opposition had "not even reached base camp" in terms of setting out their deficit reduction plans.
Plaid want to use their influence in a hung Parliament to get more funding for Wales
"The tone was absolutely right because this election is a choice," he told Radio 4's Today.
Shadow chancellor Ed Balls, meanwhile, is highlighting Labour's existing plan to cut business rates for small business properties and then freeze them by promising to take action in his first Budget.
The party says the measure would save businesses an average of £400 and would be funded by cancelling a planned cut in corporation tax for large companies planned by the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition.
"So instead of another corporation tax cut for large companies which helps fewer than one in ten firms, we will cut and then freeze business rates for small firms instead," shadow chancellor Ed Balls will say.
"This is the right priority when money is tight. And it will mean that the tax burden on small businesses will be lower with Labour than under the Tories."
Written By Unknown on Senin, 30 Maret 2015 | 16.50
Councils have used public spaces protection orders to ban street drinking in some towns
A law that allows councils in England and Wales to ban certain activities in public is leading to "bizarre new criminal offences", campaigners say.
The Manifesto Club, which campaigns against over-regulation, says the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act is creating "a patchwork" of laws, with discrepancies from town to town.
Councils have used it to ban activities such as begging or drinking in places.
Council leaders say the measures help to prevent anti-social behaviour.
Under the act - which became law last year - local authorities can use public spaces protection orders (PSPOs) to ban certain activities they believe are having a "detrimental impact" on the quality of life.
People who do not comply can be required to pay a £100 fixed penalty fine or face prosecution.
Examples of PSPOs include:
Restrictions placed on motorists entering a retail park in Colchester, Essex after 18:00 if they are not using shops and facilities
Young people in Oxford being banned from entering a tower block unless they are a visitor or resident
Making it a crime to beg for money in certain areas of Poole, in Dorset
A ban on the consumption of alcohol and legal highs in public spaces in the city centre by Lincoln Council
Making it a crime to have an open container of alcohol in Cambridge
The Manifesto Club said there were eight PSPOs in force in England and Wales. Another four PSPOs are out for public consultation and 19 are under consideration across the country.
They include proposals to ban the use of amplified music, unlicensed busking, pigeon feeding and the sale of lucky charms.
Josie Appleton, director of the campaign group, said the powers were "so broad" they allowed councils to ban "pretty much anything".
"The result is a patchwork of criminal law where something is illegal in one town but not in the next, or in one street but not the next.
"This makes it hard for the public to know what is criminal and what is not."
Poole Borough Council has banned begging in some areas
However, councils have defended the use of the orders.
Colchester Borough Council said its order to restrict motorists entering a retail park after 18:00 prevented anti-social car meets and nuisance motorists.
Oxford City Council, which has prohibited some people under 21 from entering a tower block, said the "unacceptable behaviour of a few has caused a great deal of misery".
"It is important that we tackle this problem robustly," Councillor Dee Sinclair said.
Councillor Ric Metcalfe, leader of City of Lincoln Council, said the authority recognised there was a problem with street drinking and the use of legal highs, saying: "We want our city centre to be a safe and welcoming place for residents and visitors alike."
Poole Borough Council, which has banned begging in some areas, said it had not had any reported breaches of the order.
In Cambridge, where open containers of alcohol are prohibited in some places, council leader Lewis Herbert said the three community areas subjected to the orders had suffered "a decade of being taken over by groups of drunks".
The local elections are receiving extra attention ahead of 2017's presidential poll
France's conservative UMP Party and its allies appear to have come first in the final round of departmental elections.
The UMP, led by former President Nicolas Sarkozy, appeared set to secure at least 65 local councils, exit polls suggested, up from 41.
Marine Le Pen's far-right National Front also appeared to have made gains, while the ruling Socialists and their allies may lose about 30 departments.
These elections are seen as a test case ahead of 2017's presidential election.
Paris and Lyon, France's two biggest cities, were excluded from Sunday's election.
The National Front appeared to have won a significant number of seats in Sunday's second round of elections, but did not appear to have gained control of any councils, the exit polls said.
UMP leader Nicolas Sarkozy said voters had rejected the policies of President Hollande Prime Minister Manual Valls acknowledged the Socialists had suffered a "setback"
Nonetheless, leader Marine Le Pen hailed a "historic" day for the FN, saying: "I thank all our voters for this magnificent success."
"The goal is near, reaching power and applying our ideas to redress France."
French Prime Minister Manual Valls admitted it was "incontestable" that the Socialist Party had lost ground.
"The French have declared... their anger at a daily life that is too difficult," he said. He vowed to redouble efforts to boost the economy, and said his focus was "jobs, jobs, jobs".
He added that the rise in the National Front's popularity was "a sign of a lasting upheaval of our political landscape and we will all need to draw lessons from it".
Mr Sarkozy said voters had "massively rejected" the policies of his successor as president, Francois Hollande.
"Never has our political family won so many councils," he told supporters. "The repudiation of those in power is without question."
Marine Le Pen said the results were a "magnificent success" for her party
Mr Hollande has suffered from slumping personal ratings, boosted only briefly by his response to January's terror attacks in Paris.
One presidential adviser told AFP: "Everyone is scared they will be eliminated in the first round in 2017."
Bastions of the Socialists like the Nord department around Lille have swung to the right, as has President Hollande's own fiefdom of the Correze in central France, the BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris reports.
However, as ever in France's two-round elections, voters from left and right united in round two to keep the National Front from power, our correspondents adds.
Turnout on Sunday was 41.94% at 17:00 (15:00 GMT), three hours before polls closed. Surveys suggested about 50% of those eligible took part in the polls, Le Monde reported.
Voters have been electing representatives in 101 departments, or counties, in the two rounds of the local elections. The departments are charged with issues like schools and welfare.
The team, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the UCL Institute of Child Health, gave questionnaires to nearly 3,000 families asking if their child was obese, overweight, underweight or a healthy weight.
The results showed that nearly a third, 31%, of parents underestimated the weight of their child.
An accurate diagnosis kicked in only at the very high end of the scales.
Prof Russell Viner, from the Institute of Child Health, told the BBC News website: "Modern parents don't recognise children as obese.
"If parents don't recognise a child is obese then they're very unlikely to do anything to help their child move to a more healthy weight.
"Then it's a potential major public health crisis being stored up."
The main explanation for parents not identifying their child's weight problem is that society as a whole has become so fat we have collectively lost our sense of a healthy weight.
The chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, raised this issue of overweight becoming the new norm in her annual report last year.
"We need to find some tool to educate parents, when their child is born, what they should expect a child's size to be and not to be afraid of talking to parents over fears they, or the child, will react badly," Prof Viner said.
'Role models'
Commenting on the findings, the chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health, Shirley Cramer, said: "School education from a young age should focus on the importance of active lifestyles and healthy diets to ensure our society is one that understands the relationship between diet and good health.
"Parents are key role models for their children and it is imperative they are aware of all the factors that can influence health.
"However, it is not just the role of the parents, society as a whole needs to help enforce messages about eating well."
She said restricting junk food advertising would help as would better calorie labelling on food.
Tam Fry, from the Child Growth Foundation, told the BBC: "To the obesity specialist it is incomprehensible that parents cannot tell if their children are overweight.
"You sometimes have to wonder if they are in total denial, but when you realise that even health professionals may often have difficulty in recognising obesity in their patients, the enormity of our obesity epidemic sinks in.
"The knock-on risk of extreme overweight to the individual's and country's health cannot be emphasised enough."
An investigation has been launched into claims the details of millions of people's pensions are being sold to fraudsters and cold-calling firms.
Companies are selling information about people's salaries, investment values and pension size for as little as 5p without consent, the Daily Mail said.
It is feared it will be used to scam pensioners who can access their full pension pots under new rules in April.
Information Commissioner Christopher Graham said he was investigating.
He told the BBC that the claims were "very serious" and said he was in touch with the Pensions Regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority and the police.
"There are lots of people out there who are trying to take advantage of leads that they get to sell you stuff," he said.
"In this particular area with large sums of money at stake because of pensions liberalisation, the very simple message is don't take big financial decisions on the back of a phone call."
'Huge spike' in scams
The Daily Mail said its undercover reporters were able to buy pension details by claiming they were from a cold-calling company.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has previously said the pension changes coming into effect on 6 April could lead to more people being conned.
Steve Eckersley, head of enforcement at the ICO, said the information being sold could be used to target people "at a critical point in their financial lives" - and warned of a potentially "huge spike" in scam texts and calls.
He said the claims pointed to "a frequent disregard of laws that are in place specifically to protect consumers" and said the ICO would "be launching an investigation immediately".
"We're aware of allegations raised against several companies involved in the cold-calling sector, and will be making inquiries to establish whether there have been any breaches of the Data Protection Act or Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations," he said.
Analysis: Brian Milligan, personal finance reporter
About 300,000 people are expected to be able to take immediate advantage of changes in pension rules on 6 April, and the industry has repeatedly warned about the dangers of scams.
The Association of British Insurers, which represents many of the big pension companies, is among those who have already called for a tightening of the rules.
One suggestion is that it should be made illegal for fraudsters to pose as regulated investment advisers.
But perhaps the real question is: How are these data firms obtaining personal details of salaries and pensions in the first place? Pension companies themselves naturally deny selling information.
Steve Webb - pensions minister in the coalition government - has already admitted there will be a lot of crooks wanting to take advantage of the pension reforms, and has advised people to take professional advice.
The ICO has the power to issue fines of up to £500,000 for the most serious breaches and can pursue criminal prosecutions around unlawfully obtaining or accessing personal data.
"We'll be speaking to the Pensions Regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority and the police about the information the Daily Mail has shown us," Mr Eckersley added.
Shadow work and pensions secretary Rachel Reeves called the revelations shocking, and urged ministers to "act quickly to protect savers from these serious threats to people's hard earned retirement income".
Pension changes 2015
People aged 55 and over can withdraw any amount from a Defined Contribution (DC) scheme, subject to income tax
President Jonathan was among those unable to cast his vote using the technology, which was introduced to prevent fraud.
Opposition protesters in Rivers State took to the streets, demanding a recount
His Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which had opposed the card readers, called it a "huge national embarrassment".
Election commission chief Attahiru Jega said only a fraction of the 150,000 card readers being used nationwide had failed.
The presidential and parliamentary elections had been delayed by six weeks because of the insurgency by Boko Haram militants.
Two main presidential candidates: Muhammadu Buhari, All Progressives Congress (APC), Muslim northerner, ex-military ruler, fourth presidential bid; and Goodluck Jonathan, People's Democratic Party (PDP), Christian southerner, the incumbent.
Years of military rule ended in 1999 and the PDP has been in power ever since
Nigeria is Africa's largest economy and leading oil producer
With a population of more than 170m, it is also Africa's most populous nation
The Islamists attacked polling stations in north-eastern states, with a curfew declared in Bauchi State after fighting between the security forces and the group.
The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praised the "determination and resilience" of Nigerian voters, despite the reports of attacks by Boko Haram and others.
He said in a statement voting had been "largely peaceful and orderly".
His comments have been echoed by the regional bloc Ecowas, which urged Nigerians to accept the result.
Nigerian churchgoers on Sunday prayed for peace
But there has been tension in the southern Rivers State, where thousands protested against alleged killings of opposition workers and voting irregularities.
Inec said it was "concerned" by the complaints, adding that one of their offices was set on fire during the unrest.
Results of the voting were expected to arrive overnight but so far there is no official indication of which party is in the lead.
The PDP has dominated Nigerian politics since 1999, but Gen Buhari's All Progressives Congress is viewed as a serious challenge.
Voters are also electing members of the house of representatives and the senate.
Talks have resumed in Switzerland ahead of Tuesday's deadline for a preliminary nuclear deal with Iran.
Foreign ministers from six world powers are meeting their Iranian counterpart, amid hopes of a breakthrough after almost 18 months of negotiations.
They want to impose limits that would prevent Iran from producing enough fuel for a nuclear weapon within a year.
Iran, which insists its nuclear programme is peaceful, wants to see crippling sanctions lifted in return.
Iranian and Western officials have said that a deal is possible, but that some issues are still to be resolved.
'No compromise'
The negotiations in Lausanne were expected to intensify on Monday, with foreign ministers from the so-called P5+1 - comprising the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany - meeting Iran's top diplomat, Mohammad Javad Zarif. The EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini is also there.
Germany's Frank-Walter Steinmeier (centre) said the "endgame" of the negotiations had begun
They are aiming to agree on a political framework by Tuesday night that would set the stage for talks on the technical details of a comprehensive accord, due by 30 June.
"We are here because we believe a deal can be done," UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond told reporters as he arrived in Lausanne on Sunday night.
"But it has to be a deal which puts the bomb beyond Iran's reach," he added. "There can't be any compromise about that."
At the scene: Lyse Doucet, BBC News, Lausanne
It's going down to the proverbial wire in this crucial round of nuclear talks. One Western diplomat spoke of "some quite important gaps".
Two main disputes continue to be which sanctions will be lifted and when, and what kind of nuclear research and development Iran can still pursue.
As Iran's team sits with all six foreign ministers, observers say it's still not clear if they're engaging in high stakes bargaining or have no more political space to move forward.
For Iran, elements like ending sanctions tied to UN Security Council resolutions matter in financial and political terms. For world powers, "putting the bomb beyond Iran's reach" is the main imperative.
All sides indicate talks could slip past Tuesday's self-imposed deadline, into the early hours of Wednesday. All sides use the word "tough" to describe this historic endgame. Even if they agree a framework, there's still a huge amount of work ahead to draft a final deal by the end of June.
Mr Zarif, who has been holding talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry since Thursday, said he believed they could "make the necessary progress to be able to resolve all the issues and start writing them down".
The BBC's Barbara Plett Usher in Lausanne says the essence of the emerging deal is to keep Iran at least one year away from being able to produce enough nuclear fuel for a single weapon.
Iran's representatives at the talks want a "precise framework" for the lifting of sanctions
Those restrictions would last at least a decade, and include rigorous inspections of its nuclear facilities, in exchange for an end to crippling sanctions, our correspondent adds.
Western officials say there has been progress on proposals to reduce Iran's nuclear technology.
But our correspondent says disagreements remain on how long Iran would be subject to constraints, and on the speed of sanctions relief.
A Western diplomat told the AFP news agency that Iran had "more or less" agreed to reduce the number of centrifuges used to enrich uranium from 20,000 to 6,000. While enriched uranium is used as fuel for nuclear reactors, it can also be used to make nuclear bombs.
Iran says it needs to be able to enrich uranium to produce fuel for the Bushehr nuclear power plant
But the lead Iranian negotiator, Abbas Araqchi, announced on Sunday that his country was no longer willing to ship its stockpile of enriched uranium abroad.
Western officials insisted there were other ways of dealing with the stockpile, including blending it into a more diluted form, the New York Times reported. That could make enriching it to weapons grade far lengthier or perhaps even impossible, the officials said.
Mr Araqchi said there also had to be a "precise framework" for the lifting of UN sanctions, as well as those imposed unilaterally by the US and EU.
Iran also reportedly wants all limits on its nuclear activities to be lifted after 10 years, while the P5+1 wants them to be removed progressively over the following five years.
What do they want?
The United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China want a suspension of Iran's most sensitive nuclear work for more than 10 years
Iranian negotiator Hamid Baidinejad has said "15 years is out of the question" but "10 years is being discussed"
Iran had originally insisted on keeping nearly 10,000 centrifuges in operation
In November, Washington indicated it could accept around 6,000
Iranian officials say they have been pushing for 6,500-7,000
