THIS week, 15 years ago, Tony Blair's hopes of reaching a compromise on his controversial school reforms were damaged when it emerged that a powerful committee of MPs were split over the plans.

Labour and Conservative members of the Commons education select committee were understood to have failed to reach agreement on their inquiry into the schools White Paper.

The Labour-dominated committee criticised key elements of the White Paper and called for more safeguards to stop schools excluding pupils from poor families.

But Conservative MPs had drawn up their own rival report, backing the Government's plans.

The disagreement came as ministers faced continuing opposition to the schools White Paper from a group of about 100 Labour backbenchers and senior party figures.

Critics of the proposal for a new breed of "independent" state schools which would be free to set their own admissions policies included former Labour leader Lord Kinnock and Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

It had been thought that the Government could use the committee's report as a basis for compromising on the reform proposals to win the support of both sides of the House.

The committee's main report, backed by Labour MPs, is now expected to be made public tomorrow.

It will demand more powers for local authorities - not less, as the the White Paper proposed, one source said.

Meanwhile, marine rescue experts saved a dolphin which had been trapped in a marina for almost a month.

Medics from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) lifted the two-metre-long bottlenose dolphin from Maryport harbour, Cumbria, before it was released back into the sea almost a mile from shore.

The Northern Echo: Animal medics lifted the two-metre-long bottlenose dolphin from Maryport harbour, Cumbria, before it was released back into the seaAnimal medics lifted the two-metre-long bottlenose dolphin from Maryport harbour, Cumbria, before it was released back into the sea

The animal, nicknamed Marra, had begun to suffer health problems because of the cold and being forced to live in predominantly freshwater.

Scientists monitored its condition and spotted pale spots and skin bleaching caused by the lack of salt water.

Tony Woodley, national spokesman for the BDMLR, said: "It was a fantastic rescue and everything went just like clockwork.

"The decision was made to leave the lock gates open as the tide went out so the water level in the harbour decreased. A rescue team went into the water when it was around one metre deep and formed a semi-circle around the dolphin.

"It was captured and put onto a waiting stretcher and then lifted onto the harbour by a crane.

"We then loaded it on to a trailer and took it to a waiting boat where it was taken around a mile out to sea and released. The whole operation took about 20 minutes.

"It was seen to dive and surface around four or five times and then, just like a Hollywood ending, it was seen to meet up with another dolphin and they swam away together. A really happy ending."