"The majority of them are still not known to the authorities, are not part of any support network of survivors and have been left to fend for themselves," the committee concluded. As a result of the communication breakdown, some emergency services personnel at the blast site could not communicate with each other or in some cases even with their control rooms. The report concluded: "The plans, systems and processes intended to provide a framework for the response to major incidents in London must be revised and improved. "Communications within and between the emergency services did not stand up on July 7." The report added: "It's unacceptable that the emergency services, with the exception of the British Transport Police, are still not able to communicate by radio when they are underground." The committee said there was "no excuse" for failing to rectify this by the end of next year. If not, we will certainly be asking why." The report revealed that radios used by most blue-light emergency services still did not work underground, despite recommendations made 18 years ago in the wake of the King's Cross fire. It is vital that these plans are reviewed and updated to address this major issue. "In November we will be asking the authorities for progress work on the recommendations we have made and want to see some significant changes.

"They focused on incidents but not individuals, and processes rather than people. "London's emergency plans have been tested, practised and refined, but on July 7 it was clear that they ignored the needs of many individuals caught up in the attacks. Richard Barnes, who chaired the committee, said today: "There is no doubt that lives were saved by individual acts of incredible bravery and courage by members of the emergency services, other passengers and members of the public. The committee said London's emergency plans for the aftermath of a major incident must be changed to address the failings. The report revealed that as many as 6,000 people were likely to have been severely psychologically affected by the explosions but that the majority were still not known to the authorities or part of any support network This was "completely unacceptable", the report said.

There was also an over-reliance on the mobile phone network, it said. The committee found that the most striking failure was the lack of planning to care for people who survived or were traumatised by the bombings. Communications within and between the emergency services failed on the day, thousands of survivors were left to fend for themselves and there was a lack of basic medical supplies, the report found. The London Assembly's July 7 review committee said it was "unacceptable" that the emergency services were still unable to communicate by radio when underground. They may give you conservative advice, but it's a great start.". A series of major failings in the emergency services' response to the July 7 terror attacks were exposed by a damning official report today. "It makes me feel I can look at the books next to my desk and believe life is in order."Anyone toying with the idea of self-employment needs to do a lot of research, she stresses."It's critical to talk to people who have been there before and gone freelance."And talk to the people at Revenue & Customs, who can be surprisingly helpful. This should cover you when the bill arrives.'I got into trouble over tax'Freelance consultant Tira Shubart learnt the hard way about keeping records and setting money aside for Revenue & Customs."I got into trouble over tax a number of times due to a lack of forward planning," she says."The idea of simply keeping a deposit account, and regularly putting money into it, eluded me for a number of years."Or I would be convinced that more work would suddenly come in and that would cover my tax bill," she adds.Thankfully, the taxman was able to help her work out a payment plan.Tira now does her own bookkeeping each month in ledger books and finds the process therapeutic.

Come January, and then June, you will receive the demand that gives you just under a month to pay Revenue & Customs.So set up a high-interest savings account (go online and look at www.moneyfacts.co.uk or www.moneysupermarket for the best deals) and transfer around 10 per cent of your earnings into it each month. Most will charge a flat fee depending on what kind of work it is, though for basic bookkeeping expect no more than £100.A recommendation from a family member or friend can be a good start, or you could search the website of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants: wwww.acca-business /dom/Keep money asideWhen you first get paid as a freelancer, you might think you're doing better than ever, but that could be because your money hasn't been taxed. These are expensive (with hefty charges) and largely pointless for the freelancer.Simply open a "Number 2" account with your existing bank and make sure your business transactions go through it.Number-crunchersYou might be tempted to get an accountant to handle all aspects of your finances but this will add costs that, in the early days, can hit you hard. Try to input your information regularly - at least once a month - so it doesn't become a gargantuan job at the end of the year.Set up a separate bank account for your work but, in the early days at least, don't bother with a "business account". Check www.businessadviceday.co.uk for availability.BookkeepingYou can keep records of income and outgoings either in actual ledger books (from WH Smith or Ryman, for example) or on the computer using Excel spreadsheets or bespoke packages such as Sage. These include: "subsistence" - lunch, hotel costs and dinner if you go away for business; "sub-contractors", such as the researcher you brought in for a day to help with a project; and "workwear" - Wellington boots for a gardening business, say.It's worth attending one of the many free talks and workshops given by the taxman for newly self-employed people.