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Episode details

Radio 4,23 May 2011,57 mins

23/05/2011

You and Yours

Available for over a year

Consumer news with Julian Worricker. What the government is doing to bring the UK's empty houses back into use. More than 300,0000 houses have been empty for more than six months in England alone. We hear from innovative social enterprises about their ideas for putting them back to use and what the Dutch are doing to keep their vacancy rates so low. The tsunami in Japan continues to cause a global shortage in key components, particularly in the car industry. Factories around the world are closing temporarily as they wait for the supply of parts manufactured in Japan. We discuss instant messaging - is it a useful tool for supporting and informing consumers or is it simply a gimmick? And we look at the future of the railways - will passengers have a say?

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