Barometer | 16 November 2017

No. 2 iron

English Heritage launched a crowdfunding campaign for repairs to Abraham Darby’s 1779 bridge at Ironbridge, Shropshire. This is often called the first iron bridge in the world but in fact one was built ten years earlier to carry the Great North Road over the River Ure in North Yorks. While Darby’s bridge was built to show off its iron structure, the Ure bridge’s cast-iron beams were disguised by stone paving slabs. As the main road from London to Scotland, it bore far heavier loads than the Darby bridge — until 1945 when it finally collapsed.

Carbon culprits

Global carbon emissions are predicted to rise by 2 per cent this year — the first increase for several years. Which countries are, officially, the worst offenders?

Qatar	45.4
Curacao	37.7
Trinidad-Tobago	34.2
Kuwait	25.2
Bahrain	23.4
Brunei	22.1
Saudi Arabia	19.5
Sint Maarten	19.5
Luxembourg	17.4
US	16.5
UK	6.5

Pay stations

Southern Railway train drivers accepted a 28 per cent pay rise over five years, taking their basic salary for a four-day week to £63,000 and putting them in the top 7 per cent of UK earners. With overtime, they get £75,000, lifting them into the top 5 per cent. How much pre-tax pay is needed to reach each stage of the top 10 per cent?

10%	£51,400
9%	£54,000
8%	£57,000
7%	£60,700
6%	£65,400
5%	£71,700
4%	£80,300
3%	£92,900
2%	£112,000
1%	£162,000

Source: ONS

Leave or Remain?

Has the NHS in England really been losing EU nationals from its staff since Britain voted to leave the European Union?

	in post 30 June 2016 / in post 30 June 2017
Doctors	9,695 / 10,136
Registrars	3,190 / 3,215
Trainee doctors (foundation years 1 and 2)	779 / 950
Nurses and health visitors	20,907 / 20,618
Midwives	1,220 / 1,247
Ambulance staff	250 / 386
Scientific/therapeutic/technical	6,112 / 6,957