The price is wrong say MPs

YOUR starter for ten: Where do you draw the line between being dumb and being defrauded? MPs will have their fingers on the buzzers this week as they prepare to publish a damning report into TV quiz shows that calls for tighter regulation of controversial games that, according to Labour MP Paul Farrelly, were "tantamount to theft".

The Tory chair of the Commons culture, media and sport committee, John Whittingdale, said that Thursday's report will demand greater protection for viewers and more stringent action from regulators. He was speaking in the wake of Ofcom's damning report into the ITV programme Quizmania, which was found to be in breach of the advertising code after posing a question about the contents of women's handbags, the answer to which was a balaclava and rawlplugs.

The stakes are high: ITV last year made 20 million in profit from its quiz show division ITV Play, on a turnover of about 60m.

Channel 4 should take note: Big Brother counts as a game show.

GOOD DAY

Airbus

AIRBUS claims to have fixed electrical problems related to its A380 superjumbo, which have led to major delivery delays for the planemaker. The group said the news meant it had "passed a major milestone" for the plane's production and that deliveries to Singapore Airlines, its launch customer, were now on track to arrive in October.

BAD DAY

UK working population

ACADEMIC studies have confirmed that today is "the most depressing day of the year", a combination of weather, the failure of New Year's resolutions, debt and low motivation. Privilege Motor Insurance yesterday warned that distraction caused by "introspection and self-loathing" on 22 January causes a spike in road accidents.

FACT OF THE DAY: 7,999

AVERAGE debt of 18-29 year olds, according Alliance & Leicester, building society, which said that a record number of young adults were victims of a transfer of wealth from the young to the old, as rising property prices make it hard for them to get a stake in the property market, meaning young people are borrowing more to buy their first home. The research found the young struggling with high unsecured borrowings, with 9 per cent in the red by 15,000 or more.

KILLER QUOTE

THROUGH almost all of its history, the SNP has been a high-tax party. Angus Roberston let the cat out of the bag, I don't think people will believe they are a low-tax party"

Shadow chancellor George Osborne referring to the SNP MP for Moray Angus Robertson's recent hints that the nationalists would raise income tax.