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The proposed 1.5 per cent annual charging cap, falling to 1 per cent after 10 years, represents an advance for the industry on the flat 1 per cent rate originally proposed, but is still a long way short of what providers think they'll need to give the stakeholder suite of products adequate marketing support Deloitte quite plainly agreed. Costs can thereby be reduced, making them better value to consumers If only it was as simple as that. Yet the truth is that most of this is just fiddling while Rome burns. For most low-income earners, there's no point in saving, even into these new, low-cost stakeholder products, for by doing so they only deprive themselves of the pensions credits they would otherwise be entitled to.The Government wants the stakeholder products to be so commoditised that only very limited advice is required as to suitability in selling them. In advice to the Government published for the first time yesterday, Deloitte said that such a cap would be "very attractive to consumers, but very unattractive to distributors and providers, producing low sales, few providers and few distributors". The Treasury seems to have ignored the warnings of its own advisers, the accountancy firm Deloitte, in the price caps it announced yesterday for stakeholder savings products.

If there is no model change, we can accelerate immediately."Mr Brooks said production could be ramped up anyway using the existing mould. He stood by Monday's results statement promising accelerated production by the end of 2004, adding that sales of "5,000 by Christmas" were possible. Mr DiNello yesterday said "more than a dozen" beds had been produced, while Mr Brooks said "less than 100" existed.. Asked how many beds could be produced this year, Mr DiNello said: "If we have to make a new mould, that is going to take time, and that could push the timeframe back a bit. They have halved in value since the start of June.There was confusion, too, over the status of the most eagerly anticipated new product - a "bed", or base, for the back of a DaimlerChrysler truck, made of a plastic as strong as steel. The company's US development partner said work on parts for a DaimlerChrysler truck has been suspended until the autumn and could be delayed for months - just days after 3DM's annual results struck a bullish note.Mario DiNello, head of 3DM's US manufacturing partner, Global Tech International, said he was waiting for DaimlerChrysler to supply the blueprint for the 2005 model by September before proceeding to ramp-up production. The London Stock Exchange was looking into the affairs of the plastics company 3DM yesterday, amid allegations of misleading investors and deepening confusion over the status of its most eagerly anticipated new product. The retail investor favourite is at the centre of a vicious raid by short-sellers, who have passed information on the company to the LSE, which regulates the AIM where 3DM shares are traded.They claim a major shareholder - Battlebridge, a Jersey-based company owned by a friend of 3DM's chairman, Ken Brooks - has sold shares without the market being informed.

The company denies this and says it is mischief-making by the raiders who include the notorious short-seller Simon Cawkwell, known in the City as Evel Knievel.Grant Thornton, 3DM's adviser, said last night it was looking at this and other claims that the company misled the market.The developments came as 3DM shares plunged 20 per cent to 62.5p. Peter McHugh, the group's chief executive, will take responsibility for the UK until an appointment is made.Mr Jansen will step down from the board immediately, but will remain at the group until the end of September. Seven executives, including two finance directors, a chief executive and a chairman, have left in that time.MyTravel said it would not replace Mr Jansen but would instead divide the business by geographical regions. "We all recognise these results are not satisfactory," Mr O'Donoghue said. About 50 per cent of sales are generated in the US, where the weak dollar also impacted on results.The sale of its All-Clad cookware division to a French rival for $250m will be used to pay down debt. It is also reviewing its manufacturing processes to free up to £40m of capital.. MyTravel, the tour operator struggling with huge debts and sluggish sales, yesterday said Philip Jansen, its chief operating officer, had resigned to join the catering group Sodexho Alliance.

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