Round-up of Friday's business pages

LONDON (Reuters) - Here is a summary of the main stories in Friday's business pages.

Financial Times

CALL FOR MINIMUM WAGE FOR TRAINEES

The Trades Union Congress has called the Government to introduce a new minimum wage for apprentices, in a move that is expected to face resistance by business leaders. It has called for an overhaul of the existing rules in a submission to the Low Pay Commission, saying that it was unfair that 70 percent of trainees were not covered by the minimum wage. Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary said: "Apprentices need to complete their training if it is to fully benefit themselves or their employer, so increasing completion rates is absolutely vital to the success of apprenticeships." The CBI's employers' body said a full salary should not necessarily be given to trainees as they are often receiving education "over the shoulder" of professionals.

INDUSTRY WARNS OVER LIFTING STAMP DUTY

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has urged the Treasury to immediately clarify its plans over a potential abolishment of stamp duty as part of a package of measures aiming to revive the economy. Estate agents reported that buyers were confused over the situation, asking whether they should delay their purchase before the move. Property industry insiders warned that the plan could prove to be a disaster, similar to the one that was caused in the 1980s by the lifting of dual income mortgage tax relief for homebuyers. Peter Bolton King, chief executive of the National Association of Estate Agents, expressed his disappointment if the plan ended up being merely a delay: "If it is just deferment that would be a complete waste of time. Buyers will still be worried about finding the money in the future."

15 BILLION POUNDS SPENT ON REGIONS 'HAS BEEN THROWN AWAY'

The regional development agencies have failed in their core mission of increasing employment and economic growth and decreasing inequalities between local economies, a new report by the Taxpayers' Alliance will claim on Friday. The pressure group will call the Government to abolish the regional quangos, as the 15 billion pounds spent on RDAs since their establishment in 1999 "has effectively been thrown away." The report is expected to increase pressure by the Tory right for David Cameron to hold a tougher stance on RDAs. On Thursday, the Government defended the quangos, as they had managed to attract 8.2 billion pounds of investment to deprived areas in the last six years.

LIVERPOOL BREWER GOES INTO ADMINISTRATION