| 46 | EX-SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN | 3:12:08 |
| Colin Challen | | Andrew George | | Bob Spink | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Ian Cawsey | | Sandra Gidley |
| | David Cairns | Mr Douglas Carswell |
| That this House believes that all ex-servicemen and women should be treated equally in the payment of pensions, regardless of when they served in Her Majesty's armed forces. |
| 57 | DIABETES UK'S YOUR VISION CAMPAIGN AND ACCESS TO RETINAL SCREENING | 3:12:08 |
| Mr Adrian Sanders [R] | | Bob Spink | | Andrew George | | Peter Bottomley | | Dr Desmond Turner | | Sandra Gidley |
| That this House welcomes the Diabetes UK's campaign Your Vision; recognises that diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the UK working age population; considers that all people with diabetes should have access to free annual retinal screening with a digital camera and that each primary care trust should have a systematic call and recall system to ensure that people with diabetes receive an annual letter inviting them for screening; notes with concern that Government targets, of all people with diabetes being offered free digital retinal screening by the end of 2007, were not met and as a result one in four, up to 470,000, people with diabetes in England, are needlessly being put at risk of losing their sight; further notes that retinal screening is one of the most cost-effective interventions known in medicine, with 90 per cent. of cases of retinopathy being treatable with early intervention; and calls on the Government to ensure that primary care trusts put in place the appropriate facilities and allocate the necessary budget to their screening programme to prevent people with diabetes from needlessly losing their sight. |
|
[R] Relevant interest declared |
| 74 | DIABETES UK MEASURE UP CAMPAIGN | 3:12:08 |
| Mr Adrian Sanders [R] | | Bob Spink | | Andrew George | | Peter Bottomley | | Dr Desmond Turner | | Paul Rowen |
| | Mr Russell Brown | David Cairns |
| That this House welcomes the Diabetes UK campaign Measure Up, which aims to raise awareness of diabetes; recognises that there are currently an estimated 750,000 people in the UK who have diabetes who are not aware of their condition; notes that the campaign aims to identify at least 25 per cent. of these people; further notes the seriousness of diabetes, which if left untreated can lead to blindness, kidney disease, heart attacks and other life-threatening complications; supports the key messages of the campaign that if you are a white or black male and your waist is 37 inches or more, a woman and your waist is 31.5 inches or more, or a South Asian man and your waist is 35 inches or more, you could need a test for diabetes; observes that keeping people with the condition healthier will also reduce the long-term impact on limited NHS resources; expresses its concern over Department of Health figures which show that only 72 per cent. of the diabetic population has been diagnosed across the UK; further notes that some primary care trusts have only diagnosed around half of their diabetic population; and calls on the Government to encourage primary care trusts to spell out their plans for early identification of people with diabetes in their local area. |
|
[R] Relevant interest declared |
| 85 | ROBBIE AND MARGARET HUGHES | 3:12:08 |
| Tom Brake | | Andrew George | | Lynne Jones | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Mrs Betty Williams | | Jeremy Corbyn |
| That this House draws attention to the serious assault suffered by Robbie Hughes whilst in holiday in Crete; notes that the alleged perpetrators of the assault have been allowed to return to the UK; calls on the Greek authorities to pursue the case vigorously and the Greek and UK police to work closely together to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice; and commends Margaret Hughes for seeking to set up an effective support mechanism for families affected by violent crimes or serious accidents whilst abroad. |
| 86 | ORANG-UTANS AND PALM OIL | 3:12:08 |
| Bill Wiggin | | Mr Peter Ainsworth | | Mr James Paice | | Miss Anne McIntosh | | David Maclean | | Andrew George |
| That this House expresses concern about the growth of oil palm plantations in Borneo; notes that many oil palm plantations have replaced the rainforest, which is the habitat for the orang-utan; is further concerned that increasing habitat destruction could lead to the extinction of the orang-utan within five years; welcomes the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil; and urges the palm oil industry to take responsible action to protect orang-utan habitats and become sustainable. |
| As Amendments to Bill Wiggin's proposed Motion (Orang-utans and Palm Oil): |
| Line 1, after `Borneo', insert ` and Sumatra'. |
| Dr Rudi Vis | | Kelvin Hopkins |
| Line 4, leave out from `welcomes' to end and add `deplores the failure of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil to act against members who continue to convert forest lands and peatlands to oil palm plantations; further notes the value of tropical peatlands in protecting rare megafauna such as the orang-utan, and the carbon dioxide emissions when such land is drained to support plantations of any kind; and urges the governments of Indonesia and Malaysia to rescind all licences for new plantations on peatland and implement a moratorium on further forest conversions to monoculture plantations.'. |
| 92 | ACCESS TO INSULIN PUMP THERAPY FOR PEOPLE WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES | 3:12:08 |
| Mr Adrian Sanders [R] | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr David Amess | | Dr Desmond Turner | | Sandra Gidley | | Sir Nicholas Winterton |
| | Mr Russell Brown | David Cairns |
| That this House welcomes Diabetes UK's campaign to end the postcode lottery for insulin pump therapy; believes that making a small change through providing the technology can make a big difference to the lives of people with diabetes; notes the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommendation that insulin pump therapy should be available as a treatment option for people with Type 1 diabetes in cases where multiple dose insulin therapy has failed, and the person is willing and able to use insulin pump therapy effectively; notes with concern that this guidance is not being adhered to locally in a uniform manner; is aware that currently only two per cent. of people with Type 1 diabetes use pumps in the UK, compared to 10 to 20 per cent. in other European member states and around 15 to 20 per cent. in the United States; believes that the use of pumps can have cost benefits to the local NHS through a reduction in primary care contracts and a reduction in hospital admissions and hospital outpatient contracts; and calls on the Government to oversee the implementation of NICE guidance by primary care organisations to end the postcode lottery. |
|
[R] Relevant interest declared |
| 135 | ANIMAL PROTECTION POLICY | 4:12:08 |
| Mr Mike Hancock | | Jeremy Corbyn | | John McDonnell | | David Taylor | | Paul Flynn | | Mr David Drew |
| That this House notes the growing body of scientific evidence demonstrating that animals have complex mental and emotional lives; considers animals to be conscious, feeling beings with an interest in living, avoiding suffering and experiencing pleasure; acknowledges that each animal has inherent value and is worthy of serious moral consideration; further considers respect for animals to be indicative of the level of civilisation; is concerned that policy making is led by industries that inevitably compromise animals' welfare and interests, and that the most essential interests of animals and the public's concern for their protection are given insufficient consideration; endorses the Prime Minister's call for constitutional reform that entrusts more power to Parliament and the British people; further notes that there is no Government body whose primary purpose is to protect the interests of animals in policy-making; and calls upon the Government to establish an animal protection commission or similar body, answerable to Parliament via a Minister, with a remit which includes the ongoing examination of the ethical status and rights of animals and how they are affected by policy-making, the facilitation of genuine public participation throughout policy processes which affect animals, and the development of a cross-Government agenda for animal protection. |
| As an Amendment to Mr Mike Hancock's proposed Motion (Animal Protection Policy): |
| Line 6, leave out from `civilisation' to end and add `notes that there is no Government body whose primary purpose is to protect the interests of animals in policy-making; and is concerned that policy-making may be led by industries that inevitably compromise the welfare and interests of animals, and that the most essential interests of animals, and the public's concern for their protection, are given insufficient consideration.' |
| 161 | LEARNING DISABILITY COALITION | 8:12:08 |
| Mr Tom Clarke | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Greg Mulholland | | Roger Berry | | Peter Bottomley | | Bob Russell |
| | Mr Eric Martlew | Sir Alan Beith |
| That this House is alarmed by the report from the Learning Disability Coalition, Tell It Like It Is, which reveals that 34 per cent. of people with a learning disability surveyed had had their daytime activities cut; is further alarmed by the number of people with a learning disability who are being squeezed out of the social care system by the tightening of eligibility criteria; is concerned that these cuts will worsen across the country as demographic and social changes and medical advances mean the number of people with a learning disability requiring social care continues to rise; is further concerned by a report from the Joint Committee on Human Rights which found that failures in social care were contributing to the social exclusion, poverty and isolation experienced by people with a learning disability; welcomes the work of the Learning Disability Coalition to highlight these cuts to services; and calls on the Government to ensure that all of these issues are directly addressed in the forthcoming Green Paper on adult social care. |
| 174 | FIREFIGHTER SAFETY | 8:12:08 |
| Mr Andrew Dismore | | Mr Michael Clapham | | John McDonnell | | Mr David Drew | | Ian Stewart | | Mr Martin Caton |
| That this House notes the recent increased number of firefighter deaths highlighted in the Fire Brigades Union report In the Line of Duty; further notes the lack of safety-critical operational guidance for fire authorities highlighted in that report, and the absence of a properly resourced national body with overall responsibility for recording and investigating firefighter deaths and other serious incidents; and calls for work to be commenced with stakeholders leading to the creation of such a body with responsibility for developing and agreeing safety-critical operational guidance arising from those investigations. |
| 176 | HM REVENUE AND CUSTOMS OFFICES IN WALES | 8:12:08 |
| Mark Williams | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Robert Key | | Lynne Jones | | Mr John Leech |
| That this House expresses concern at the recently announced closure of nine HM Revenue and Customs offices across Wales, including the office at Aberystwyth, which was scheduled to stay open under the original proposals; believes that compliance staff in Aberystwyth have not been given the opportunity of fully responding to the consultation as they were unaware of the threat to their jobs; notes the importance of public sector employment at a time when many private sector jobs are being lost and acknowledges the Government's moratorium on Jobcentre Plus closures; and calls on the Government to postpone closures and staffing cuts until a full reassessment of the impact on local economies has been made, and staff who were not aware that they would lose their jobs have been able to respond to a further consultation. |
| 273 | DIABETES MANAGEMENT IN SCHOOLS | 11:12:08 |
| Paul Rowen | | Mr Lee Scott | | Bob Spink | | Mr Adrian Sanders | | Mr David Drew | | John McDonnell |
| | Laura Moffatt | David Cairns |
| That this House notes that the UK has the highest number of children with diabetes in Europe with 20,000 children below the age of 15 years diagnosed; urges the Government to ensure that children suffering from diabetes receive vital checks required for good diabetes management; further notes with concern the recent Diabetes UK campaign highlighting the lack of support for children at school in the management of their diabetes; further urges the Government to aid schools in ensuring children with diabetes have a safe environment and are able to receive full access to medication and health monitoring in schools; and concludes that all schools should have trained staff to deal with medical emergencies concerning children suffering from diabetes to assist with and if required administer insulin injections and blood glucose tests. |
| Tom Brake | | Chris Huhne | | Lynne Jones | | Lynne Featherstone | | Peter Bottomley | | Jeremy Corbyn |
| That this House expresses concern at the decision to arm 30,000 police officers with Taser stun guns; believes that such weapons should be in the hands of a select group of highly trained officers and used for specific threat purposes; further believes that strict procedures are needed to prevent misuse of such guns; asks that Tasers should not be deployed any more widely than firearms; recalls that Tasers must be used as a weapon of last resort, in situations which fall only just below the point when lethal force should be used; and rejects any move towards fully-armed, US-style policing. |
| As an Amendment to Tom Brake's proposed Motion (Taser Guns): |
| Mr Gregory Campbell | | Dr William McCrea |
| Line 2, after `guns', insert `; but accepts, given the increasing threat to the lives of both police officers and other members of the public, that there is a need for an effective weapon to prevent violent law breakers from causing injury.'. |
| 299 | EMISSIONS PERFORMANCE STANDARD | 16:12:08 |
| Mr Tim Yeo | | Colin Challen | | Malcolm Bruce | | Joan Walley | | Lynne Jones | | Nick Harvey |
| | Tony Baldry | Mr Andrew Love | Miss Julie Kirkbride | | | Mr Paul Keetch | Mr Jim Cunningham | Mr Kevin Barron | | | Mike Wood | Sir Gerald Kaufman | Mr Martyn Jones | | | Alistair Burt | Gregory Barker | Mr Alistair Carmichael | | | Stewart Hosie | Mr Ben Wallace | Mr John Leech | | | Mr Dai Davies |
| That this House believes that, in light of the strong recommendation made by the Climate Change Committee that the power sector should be almost fully decarbonised by 2030, and its warning of the potential dangers of a purely market-led approach leading to carbon lock in, the Government should bring forward early legislation to introduce a greenhouse gas emissions performance standard to apply to all new power generation capacity. |
| 308 | RECENT ATTACKS AGAINST CHRISTIANS IN ORISSA INDIA | 16:12:08 |
| Mr Virendra Sharma | | Mark Pritchard | | Andrew George | | Mr Martin Caton | | Mr Mike Weir | | Peter Bottomley |
| | Sandra Gidley | Hugh Bayley | Mr Peter Robinson | | | Sarah Teather | Norman Lamb | Julia Goldsworthy |
| That this House is deeply disturbed by the systematic attacks perpetrated against the Christian community in Kandhamal and other districts of Orissa state in India following the deplorable assassination of Swami Lakhmananda Saraswati, which has been characterised by brutal murder, arson, destruction of Christian institutions and places of worship, looting of property and retributive rape and which has resulted in a significant number of deaths; notes the European Parliament resolution of 24 September 2008 which `expresses deep concern at the recent attacks on Christians in Orissa'; further reports that Christians in the area have been coerced into renouncing their faith; observes that anti-Christian violence has intensified in other states since the outbreak in Orissa; strongly condemns the violence; further notes that no effective prosecutorial action was brought after an outbreak of anti-Christian violence in Kandhamal district in December 2007; further notes that relatively few complaints have been registered by police in Orissa and that the capacity of the police force to investigate the violence is very limited; and calls for bilateral representations to be made to the Indian government to call for the restoration of peace and stability in Orissa and the bringing to justice of inciters and perpetrators of the violence, and to consider what assistance the UK may offer for relief and rehabilitation and addressing the root causes of the violence. |
| 331 | RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS | 17:12:08 |
| Greg Mulholland | | Mr Eric Illsley | | Mr Brian Binley | | Andrew George | | Bob Spink | | Peter Bottomley |
| That this House is appalled at the use of restrictive covenants by pub operating companies, where a pub or licensed premises is sold with a condition of sale preventing the premises from being used as a pub in the future; believes that this is a scandal whereby the company concerned is taking an entirely self-interested decision permanently to shut pubs against the wishes of the community served by the pub simply to serve their own commercial interests; believes that this is against free and fair competition, and prevents other operators, individuals or co-operatives taking on such pubs; is further concerned that this will lead to the permanent closure of many community pubs up and down the country, when these pubs could be successful if another operator were allowed to run them; is aware of the benefits which pubs bring to their local community, particularly as a social hub and meeting point; and calls on the Government to act to outlaw the use of restrictive covenants on pubs and prevent the permanent loss of even more pubs from high streets and communities across the country. |
| 337 | MARINE RESERVES | 17:12:08 |
| Bill Wiggin | | Mr Peter Ainsworth | | Mr James Paice | | Miss Anne McIntosh | | Ms Katy Clark | | Mark Durkan |
| | Mr Tom Harris | Mr David Anderson |
| That this House notes the recommendation made by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution in their 25th Report in 2004 that a widespread network of highly protected marine reserves throughout all UK seas is an important marine management tool which is required in order to rebuild UK commercial fish stocks and to halt the serious damage being caused to marine ecosystems; and calls upon the Government to develop selection criteria under the Marine Bill for establishing a network of protected marine areas based around science-based decision making. |
| As Amendments to Bill Wiggin's proposed Motion (Marine Reserves): |
| Line 5, after `ecosystems;' insert `further notes that the main damage to fish stocks and the marine environment come from fishing by the non-British EU fishing fleet.'. |
| Bob Spink | | Mrs Iris Robinson |
| Line 7, at end add `and the need to enable sustainable fishing by the British fishing fleet.'. |
| 344 | TREATMENT OF CHRISTIANS IN IRAQ | 17:12:08 |
| Mr Edward Leigh | | Tim Farron | | Mr Russell Brown | | Mr Gregory Campbell | | David Simpson | | Mark Durkan |
| That this House is deeply concerned by the mass exodus of Iraqi Christians, which has decimated much of Iraq's ancient Assyrian-Chaldean community; notes that the Assyrian-Chaldeans make up over 95 per cent. of Iraq's Christians and that this exodus has largely been caused by escalating violence against Christians from fanatical extremists, including the bombing of churches and the assassination of Iraqi Christians; further notes that there has been illegal expropriation of Assyrian-Chaldean land and villages in Dohuk province and the Nineveh Plain in northern Iraq; recognises that Iraqi Christians are a major force for moderation, who can act as a significant buffer against the spread of extremism in Iraq; calls on the British and Iraqi governments urgently to encourage and support the creation of a self-governing province in Iraq for the Assyrian-Chaldeans, linked to the central government in Baghdad, situated in and around the Nineveh Plain and including the Tel Kaif, Al-Hamdaniya and Al-Shikhan districts, and governed by the Assyrian-Chaldeans and other ethnic groups living in that area, as these lands form part of the ancestral homeland of the Assyrian-Chaldeans and are still heavily populated by them; and urges the United Kingdom and Iraqi governments to support financially the reconstruction of the region, to end the political marginalisation of the democratically-elected Assyrian-Chaldean representatives in Iraq, to assist the Assyrian-Chaldeans in reclaiming their land and villages in Dohuk province and the Nineveh Plain, and to financially support internally displaced Assyrian-Chaldeans and the return and resettlement of Assyrian-Chaldean refugees. |
| 357 | UNITED UTILITIES CHARGES FOR PLACES OF WORSHIP | 17:12:08 |
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mark Durkan | | John McDonnell | | Robert Key | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Mike Hancock |
| That this House expresses concern at the decision by United Utilities to introduce a new method of calculating surface water charges and highways drainage services, known as site area charging; recognises the negative impact this will have on churches and places of worship which, in some cases, will now face increases in their charges in excess of £1,000 per year as they are being treated in the same way as all other non-household customers; and calls on United Utilities to review the decision to impose site area charging on churches and places of worship which cannot afford such huge increases in their water bills. |
| As an Amendment to Mr Lindsay Hoyle's proposed Motion (United Utilities Charges for Places of Worship): |
| Line 1, leave out from `House' to end and add `does not believe that ordinary consumers should have to pay higher utility and water charges so that places of worship can benefit from lower charges just because they are places of worship, and that any reduction in utility charges should apply to all community facilities regardless of their purpose or religious affiliation.'. |
| 361 | FIREFIGHTER SAFETY AND DATA COLLECTION | 18:12:08 |
| Mr Stewart Jackson | | Mr Simon Burns | | Mr Lee Scott | | Peter Bottomley | | Mrs Betty Williams | | Mr Mike Hancock |
| That this House notes with profound gratitude the selfless commitment of firefighters to their role, often in very stressful and dangerous circumstances; further notes the increased number of firefighter deaths in recent years, as highlighted in the Fire Brigades' Union report, In the Line of Duty; further notes the lack of safety-critical operational guidance for fire authorities highlighted in that report, and the deficiency of data collection in regard to firefighter deaths and other serious incidents; and therefore calls for greater clarity and standardisation in the recording and investigation of firefighter fatalities and injuries and for more comprehensive safety guidance for fire authorities. |
| 377 | 200th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF CHARLES DARWIN | 12:1:09 |
| Dr Ashok Kumar | | Peter Bottomley | | Andrew George | | Ian Stewart | | Dr Brian Iddon | | Kelvin Hopkins |
| That this House notes the extraordinary achievements of Charles Darwin; notes that 2009 marks both the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species; welcomes proposals for the creation of a Darwin Day in recognition of the ground-breaking work of the British scientist responsible for the theory of evolution by natural selection; and calls for Darwin's birthday, 12 February, to be designated a public holiday in honour of one of the fathers of modern science and one of Britain's greatest, if not the greatest, scientific minds. |
| 394 | FLOOD RESPONSE AND FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE | 12:1:09 |
| Mr Andrew Dismore | | Mr David Drew | | Mr Michael Clapham | | John McDonnell | | Chris McCafferty | | Mr Eric Illsley |
| That this House recognises the tremendous efforts of the Fire and Rescue Service in responding to the major floods in 2007; notes however the finding of the Pitt Review that the public and rescuers were put at unnecessary risk by the current lack of clarity over who is responsible for emergency response to flooding; recognises the Pitt Review's very strong backing for the Fire and Rescue Service to have a statutory duty for flood rescue; welcomes the Government's positive response to the recommendation of the Pitt Review that there should be a fully funded national capability for flood rescue, with fire and rescue authorities playing a leading role, underpinned, as necessary, by a statutory duty; and therefore calls on the Government to introduce legislative proposals for a statutory duty on the Fire and Rescue Service for flood rescue, supported by funding for adequate equipment and training. |
| 405 | CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAUX | 12:1:09 |
| Nick Herbert | | Mr Alan Duncan | | Mr Henry Bellingham | | Mr Edward Garnier | | Mr Jonathan Djanogly | | Mr David Burrowes |
| That this House recognises the vital contribution of citizens advice bureaux in providing advice on debt to those in need during the recession; notes that personal debt is now the single biggest problem dealt with by bureaux; further notes that there has been a 51 per cent. increase compared to the previous year in cases involving mortgage or loan arrears, a 69 per cent. increase in redundancy cases and a 22 per cent. increase in bankruptcy cases dealt with by bureaux; is concerned that the way in which the Legal Services Commission is commissioning Community Legal Advice Centres and Networks may undermine the citizens advice bureaux network; further notes the Government's review of the funding and provision of civil legal advice; urges the consideration of a public interest test in the future commissioning process, as recommended by Citizens Advice; and believes that in the current economic downturn, and pending the outcome of its review, the Government should suspend the roll-out of Community Legal Advice Centres and Networks to ensure that citizens advice bureaux can maintain their services at a time when they are needed most. |
| 426 | FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPENSATION SCHEME LEVY ON BUILDING SOCIETIES | 13:1:09 |
| Mrs Ann Cryer | | Mr Marsha Singh | | Colin Challen | | Mr David Curry | | Chris McCafferty | | Bob Russell |
| That this House notes the disproportionate impact on building societies of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) levy, resulting from the failure of Bradford and Bingley plc, the Icelandic banks and London Scottish Bank; recognises that building societies' share of the levy, approximately £200 million per annum in each of the next three years, is equivalent to about 15 per cent. of the sector's pre-tax profit for 2007-08 financial year ends; notes that building societies' share of the levy for years beyond 2011 is uncertain, but could well be higher than £200 million per annum; acknowledges that the impact on building societies contrasts starkly with the banking sector, where the FSCS levy is typically well below five per cent. of pre-tax profits over a similar accounting period; further notes that the current allocation of the FSCS levy works to the detriment of building societies' members, their savers and borrowers; acknowledges that no building society has ever made a call on the FSCS or its predecessor schemes; and calls on the Government to introduce a more equitable scheme for funding the insurance of deposits of failed banks. |
| 431 | INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE IN CARDIFF | 13:1:09 |
| Julie Morgan | | Alun Michael | | Jenny Willott | | John Smith | | Mr Dai Havard | | Mr Elfyn Llwyd |
| That this House is gravely concerned by proposals by the International Baccalaureate to move out of Cardiff to another city in Europe; notes it has been based in Wales for nearly two decades and at its headquarters in Cardiff Gate Business Park since 2001, which offers head office functions for the worldwide organisation and employs 330 highly-trained staff; notes there is no reason related to staff recruitment, quality or loyalty to justify such a move; and urges the board of the International Baccalaureate to reject proposals that will result in the disruption of such a successful organisation and the loss of 330 jobs in Cardiff. |
| 441 | EPILEPSY IN ENGLAND | 14:1:09 |
| Chris McCafferty | | Mr Paul Truswell | | Dr Evan Harris | | Andrew George | | Mr David Amess | | Mr Kevin Barron |
| | Mrs Louise Ellman | Tim Farron |
| That this House notes the Epilepsy Action survey of January 2009; agrees that it is time for change for people with epilepsy; recognises that the majority of primary care trusts and acute trusts in England are failing to meet National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Guidelines of 2004 for adults and children with epilepsy; congratulates Epilepsy Action for highlighting these issues in its campaign Epilepsy in England: time for change; believes that all health commissioners should carry out a review of their implementation of the NICE epilepsy guidelines and develop plans to ensure these are met; and calls on the Government to take a lead in driving improvements in epilepsy service provision and appoint a national clinical director to review service provision in England and lead change. |
| 446 | BARKING TO GOSPEL OAK LINE ELECTRIFICATION | 14:1:09 |
| Jeremy Corbyn | | Harry Cohen | | Mr Neil Gerrard | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Mr Alan Meale | | Mr Gordon Prentice |
| That this House recognises that the Barking to Gospel Oak line is a very valuable part of the rail network; notes that it is the only section of the North London line without electrification; believes that to become an even more effective part of the passenger and freight network it should be electrified; and calls upon the Secretary of State to support this development and to open negotiations with Network Rail and Transport for London to achieve it. |
| 458 | EQUALITY BILL AND AGE DISCRIMINATION | 14:1:09 |
| Mr Gordon Marsden | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Hywel Williams | | John Mason | | Kelvin Hopkins | | Andrew George |
| That this House notes the Government's manifesto commitment to bring in a single comprehensive Equality Bill within the lifetime of this Parliament; welcomes the Government's commitment to banning age discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services as part of this Bill; urges all hon. Members to support this Bill; recognises that health and social care is one of the key areas in which older people face unfair discrimination; is concerned that this discrimination has a major impact on their quality of life and, in extreme circumstances, can deny them potentially life-saving treatment; understands that the Government intends to introduce provisions on age discrimination in health and social care by secondary legislation; and is concerned that the provision for this and detailed guidance should be brought forward as soon as possible after Second Reading of the Bill and not be subject to a lengthy delay before enactment. |
| 465 | NEW WATER CHARGES AND THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR | 15:1:09 |
| Mr Peter Ainsworth | | Mr Jeremy Hunt | | Greg Clark | | Mr Eric Pickles | | Miss Anne McIntosh | | Hugh Robertson |
| | Laura Moffatt | Gregory Barker |
| That this House notes with concern that the imposition of new surface water drainage charges comes at the worst possible time for the voluntary sector, ranging from churches to sports clubs to local scout and guide huts, many of which are already suffering from a fall in donation income and investment income as a result of the crisis in the economy; regrets what is yet another sign of the Government's failure to appreciate the vital role of faith-based and voluntary sector organisations to our communities; and calls for the implementation of these new charges to be delayed until a proper assessment of their impact has been made. |
| 496 | SHARED SURFACES AND DISABLED PEOPLE | 19:1:09 |
| Roger Berry | | Mr David Amess | | Mr Paul Burstow | | Bob Russell | | Bob Spink | | Mrs Joan Humble |
| | Mr David Drew | Mr David Clelland | Jo Swinson |
| That this House supports the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (Guide Dogs) and the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee in calling for a moratorium on new shared surface schemes in our towns and cities until the Department for Transport has published the results of its forthcoming research; recognises that in these schemes it is not possible for certain groups of vulnerable road users to use such areas independently because they cannot tell where the pavement ends and the road begins; and welcomes the research that Guide Dogs has already carried out to highlight the issue and to try to find an effective solution. |
| 522 | TIME TO CHANGE CAMPAIGN TO END MENTAL HEALTH DISCRIMINATION | 20:1:09 |
| Lynne Jones | | Paul Rowen | | Mr Kevin Barron | | Mark Fisher | | Tim Loughton | | Bob Russell |
| That this House supports Time to Change, England's biggest and most ambitious campaign to end mental health discrimination; notes that one in four people will experience a mental health problem in their lifetime; further notes that nine out of 10 people with mental health problems have been discriminated against at home, work or in the community; acknowledges that the stigma surrounding mental health problems must be challenged at every level of society; encourages greater and more open discussions in Parliament of the ways in which mental illness has impacted on the lives of hon. Members, their families and friends; and calls on the Government to speak out publicly in support of the Time to Change initiative. |
| 545 | SCIENTIFIC PROCEDURES ON ANIMALS AND THE USE OF NON-ANIMAL ALTERNATIVES | 21:1:09 |
| Martin Horwood | | Mr Oliver Letwin | | David Taylor | | Bob Russell | | Mark Durkan | | Andrew George |
| | Mr John Whittingdale | Mr James Arbuthnot | Sandra Gidley | | | Dr Howard Stoate | Mr Michael Fallon | Laura Moffatt | | | Mr Tim Yeo | Mr Paul Keetch | Charlotte Atkins | | | Mr Richard Shepherd | Mr Geoffrey Robinson | Mr Alan Meale | | | Mr Graham Allen | Mr Elliot Morley | Mr Kevin Barron | | | Mr Clive Betts | Ian Stewart | Geraldine Smith | | | Mr Frank Field | Mr Peter Atkinson | Dr Kim Howells | | | Lembit Öpik | Julie Morgan | Alun Michael | | | Mr Russell Brown | Sir Menzies Campbell | Sir Robert Smith | | | Mr David Hamilton | Angus Robertson | Norman Lamb | | | Mr Alistair Carmichael | Mr Richard Bacon | Dr Richard Taylor | | | Albert Owen | Stewart Hosie | Mr Robert Goodwill | | | Mr Jeremy Hunt | Mr Edward Vaizey | John Penrose | | | Tim Farron | Willie Rennie | Mr David Davis |
| That this House is concerned that for the sixth successive year the number of scientific procedures on animals has steadily increased, reaching over 3.2 million in 2007, the highest level since 1991; notes that the use of animals in scientific procedures continues to outstrip the development of non-animal alternatives in spite of the valuable work of the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) and other organisations involved in the development and promotion of non-animal alternatives, replacing the need for animal testing and offering hope of humane scientific research; further notes that this year it is 50 years since the 3Rs approach (replacement, refinement and reduction) was first advocated; considers that progress towards implementing the 3Rs has been desperately slow; and urges the Government to introduce measures to deal with barriers to implementing non-animal alternatives, halt increases in the numbers of animals used, and encourage more widespread implementation of non-animal alternatives across all sectors involved in research. |
| 554 | PLAIN PACKAGING OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS | 22:1:09 |
| Dr Richard Taylor | | David Taylor | | Dr Doug Naysmith | | Mr Kevin Barron | | Charlotte Atkins | | Dr Howard Stoate |
| That this House notes the recently adopted Article 13 guidelines to the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which define tobacco packaging and display as a means of advertising and promotion; acknowledges that research has found that current tobacco packaging is misleading by implying that some tobacco products are less harmful than others; believes that misleading packaging is in contravention of the EU directive on tobacco products and that research also shows that removing colours and brand imagery from packs increases the effectiveness of health warnings; supports the prohibition of retail display of tobacco products; and urges the Government to introduce measures to require plain packaging of all tobacco products by regulation. |
| 566 | FREE PRESCRIPTIONS FOR LONG-TERM CONDITIONS | 26:1:09 |
| Mr Neil Gerrard | | Norman Lamb | | Bob Spink | | Bob Russell | | Peter Bottomley | | Mrs Ann Cryer |
| | Mr Mike Hancock | Laura Moffatt | Mr Anthony Wright | | | Stephen Pound | Mike Gapes | Mr Edward Davey | | | Dr Vincent Cable | Mr Robert Walter | Mr David Davis |
| That this House is concerned that large numbers of people with long-term conditions are struggling to afford vital medication and that some are unable to pay; welcomes the commitment given by the Prime Minister in September 2008 to abolish prescription charges for people with cancer from April 2009 and for people with long-term conditions over the next few years; notes that the new Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme will deliver substantial savings to the NHS drugs budget; further welcomes the announcement that Professor Ian Gilmore will conduct a review to consider how to implement this policy; and supports the Campaign for Free Prescriptions for Long-term Conditions in urging the Government to abolish prescription charges for all people with all long-term conditions before the next General Election. |
| As an Amendment to Mr Neil Gerrard's proposed Motion (Free Prescriptions for Long-term Conditions): |
| Mr Angus MacNeil | | John Mason | | Mr Mike Weir | | Angus Robertson | | Pete Wishart | | Stewart Hosie |
| Line 10, at end add `, and notes the steps taken by the Scottish National Party-led Government in Scotland in this regard.'. |
| 569 | SAFETY OF MEDICINES | 26:1:09 |
| Bob Spink | | Jeremy Corbyn | | Mr David Amess | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Mr Gordon Prentice | | Dr Desmond Turner |
| That this House believes that the safety of medicines should be established by the most reliable methods available in order to reduce the large and increasing toll of serious adverse drug reactions; and calls on the Government to initiate an unprecedented comparison of currently required animal tests with a set of human biology-based tests, as required by the Safety of Medicines (Evaluation) Bill, to see which is the most effective means to predict the safety of medicines for patients. |
| 581 | FOOD LABELLING AND THE WELFARE OF CHICKENS | 26:1:09 |
| Mr Mike Hancock | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | Bob Spink | | Peter Bottomley | | Bob Russell | | Andrew George |
| | Laura Moffatt | Mr Anthony Wright | Shona McIsaac | | | Mr Kevin Barron | Mr Nigel Dodds | John Mason |
| That this House believes that all chicken meat, including imported chicken meat, should be labelled as to farming method and preferably stocking density; further believes the labelling regulation that requires packs of shell eggs to be labelled as to production method should be extended to chicken meat; congratulates Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Compassion in World Farming on their Chicken Out! campaign calling on supermarkets to introduce labelling as to farming method to allow consumers to make informed choices; notes that most UK chickens are still reared intensively in overcrowded conditions and have been bred to grow so quickly that many suffer from lameness and heart problems; and calls on the Government to make it a requirement for all chicken producers to meet the conditions of the RSPCA's Freedom Food scheme. |
| As an Amendment to Mr Mike Hancock's proposed Motion (Food Labelling and the Welfare of Chickens): |
| Line 9, after `Government', insert `to work with the European Union to'. |
| 588 | BLINDNESS PREVENTION AND PEOPLE WITH DIABETES | 26:1:09 |
| Mr George Howarth | | Helen Southworth | | Rosemary McKenna | | Jeremy Corbyn | | Peter Bottomley | | Graham Stringer |
| That this House regrets that diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness among the working age population in the UK; considers that all people with diabetes should have access to free annual retinal screening with a digital camera; welcomes the progress made by many primary care trusts across England in implementing retinal screening programmes for people with diabetes, but is concerned that the latest figures from the Department of Health show that 28 per cent. of people with diabetes are at risk of losing their sight because they have not received screening and 6.9 per cent. of these have not even been offered it; commends the ongoing campaign from Diabetes UK that calls for everyone with diabetes to have access to high quality, annual retinal screening and appropriate follow-up treatment as necessary; and calls on primary care trusts to do more to reduce the number of people who do not respond to screening invitations. |
| 616 | SOUTH WEST REGIONAL SPATIAL STRATEGY | 28:1:09 |
| Annette Brooke | | Martin Horwood | | Steve Webb | | Mr Oliver Letwin | | Mr David Heath | | Mr Robert Walter |
| That this House notes that around 35,000 responses from individuals and organisations have been submitted on the latest consultation on the South West Regional Spatial Strategy, and that this is the largest number ever received to such a consultation; further notes that the assumed growth rate of 3.2 per cent. on which the strategy is based now has no economic validity; calls on the Government to recognise that the protection of long-established Green Belt, flood risk areas and other valued green spaces from large-scale development is a priority, whilst recognising the need for small scale developments of social housing determined at local level; and further calls for the abandonment of the South West Regional Spatial Strategy. |
| 653 | REPORT ON MAP OF GAPS: FUNDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN SERVICES | 2:2:09 |
| Julie Morgan | | Lynne Featherstone | | Mr Terry Rooney | | Peter Bottomley | | Judy Mallaber | | Bob Russell |
| That this House welcomes the `Map of Gaps' report and website by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the End Violence Against Women coalition; notes with alarm that three million women across the UK experience violence each year; further notes that over a quarter of local authority areas across Britain have no specialised violence against women support services such as rape crisis centres, refuges, domestic violence outreach projects and services for black and minority ethnic women; recognises the need for local authorities and other public bodies to undertake needs assessments under their gender equality schemes and to ensure both sufficiency and diversity of provision; encourages local strategic partnerships to prioritise tackling violence against women, including within local area agreements; welcomes the Government's commitment to consult on a Violence Against Women strategy; and calls on the Government urgently to establish a funding strategy and work with local strategic partnerships to ensure that women's access to support does not depend on where they live. |
| 660 | PARLIAMENTARY SCRUTINY OF TRIDENT REPLACEMENT | 3:2:09 |
| Jeremy Corbyn | | Mr Austin Mitchell | | Mr Dai Davies | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Bob Spink | | Mr Andrew Pelling |
| | Laura Moffatt | Mr John Horam | Albert Owen | | | Julia Goldsworthy |
| That this House recalls the commitment given during the parliamentary debate on the prospective programme for the replacement of the Trident system on 14 March 2007, Official Report, column 309, by the then Foreign Secretary, the right hon. Member for Derby South, that the Government would ensure regular reports to Parliament as the programme proceeds; contrasts this with the answer given by the Permanent Under Secretary at the Ministry of Defence, Sir Bill Jeffrey, in oral evidence to the Public Accounts Committee on 19 November 2008, when it was highlighted that the Ministry of Defence had announced its intention to conclude the Initial Gate decision in September 2009, during the parliamentary recess, that these would normally be decisions taken by Ministers; notes that the Secretary of State for Defence said in a written Answer on 10 December 2008, Official Report, column 341W, that decisions will be taken on the Initial Gate in autumn 2009 and that the Government proposed to update Parliament on progress after Initial Gate; believes this undermines the commitment made to Parliament by the Foreign Secretary in March 2007; and requests that the Initial Gate decision be delayed until Parliament is in session and can be presented with the report for scrutiny. |
| 663 | DAIRY FARMERS AND MILK PRICES | 3:2:09 |
| Tim Farron | | Bob Spink | | Mr Andrew Pelling | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mr John Leech |
| That this House welcomes the beginning of National Dairy Week; notes with regret the reduction in the number of UK dairy farms; further notes with concern Wiseman's decision to reduce its milk price by 2.2 pence per litre and the announcement by Dairy Crest that it would cut its February milk price by 1.75 pence per litre and its Davidstow price by one pence per litre; expresses concern that the quota price of milk has crashed from approximately 32 pence per litre in 1988 to approximately one pence per litre in 2008; recognises that although the selling price of milk has increased, the share going to farmers has fallen since 1995 from 24.5 pence to 18 pence; acknowledges the role played in this by major supermarket chains in pushing down the price of dairy products with little regard for the need to get a fair price for farmers; and calls on the Government to act to protect dairy farmers by introducing a genuine supermarket regulator to establish a proper pricing calculation, based on a transparent pricing formula, that is detached from commodity pricing and which develops long-term, trusting relationships with the supply chain. |
| 666 | UNITED UTILITIES AND SURFACE WATER CHARGING | 3:2:09 |
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Jim Dobbin | | Mr David Crausby | | Mr Nigel Evans | | Mr Andrew Pelling | | Peter Bottomley |
| That this House welcomes the decision taken by United Utilities to introduce a moratorium on the implementation of its new system of charging for surface water and highway drainage for 2009-10 for three categories of customer, faith buildings, community amateur sports clubs and Guide and Scout Association properties; recognises the huge financial burden this has already placed on places of worship and voluntary organisations since its introduction in April 2008, threatening the future viability of these organisations; notes the huge amount of public opposition to the new charging system; further notes that the new system of charging comes as a recommendation from OFWAT and is not compulsory; and calls on United Utilities to abolish this new form of charging permanently. |
| 668 | POST OFFICE NETWORK | 3:2:09 |
| Lorely Burt | | Bob Spink | | Mr Andrew Pelling | | Sir Robert Smith | | Bob Russell | | David Taylor |
| That this House notes the vital importance of the Post Office network to communities both urban and rural; believes that the Post Office network is well placed to deliver a range of financial services and products which would assist in combating financial exclusion; further believes that the Post Office network offers an opportunity to act as an advisory interface between the state and the citizen in matters such as benefit and tax credit; and further believes that in light of the Hooper Review the Post Office network must be ring-fenced as a discrete, publicly owned network, and that the Government should invest in the network to create a postbank and advisory service. |
| As an Amendment to Lorely Burt's proposed Motion (Post Office Network): |
| Line 6, leave out from `believes' to `publicly' in line 7 and insert `the Post Office network must remain a'. |
| 671 | CLOSURE OF CHURCHES IN RANGOON | 3:2:09 |
| Mr Alistair Carmichael | | Mr Stephen Crabb | | Bob Spink | | Bob Russell | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Peter Bottomley |
| That this House expresses deep concern at recent events in Burma with authorities in Rangoon ordering that services cease in at least a 100 local churches with a threat of prison for non-compliance; notes the concern of some of the local Christians who believe that the immediate cause of the crackdown is church involvement in providing relief for victims of Cyclone Nargis; further notes continued widespread discrimination against religious minorities and in some places violent persecution of Christians and Muslims in other parts of Burma; calls on the Government to raise concerns about religious freedom with the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC); urges the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion and Belief to investigate violations of religious freedom in Burma; and calls on the United Nations Secretary General to increase and intensify efforts to urge the SPDC to cease its widespread violation of human rights, including violations of religious freedom, to release all political prisoners, to open all parts of the country to unhindered access for international humanitarian organisations and to engage in meaningful tripartite dialogue with the National League for Democracy and the ethnic nationalities. |
| 675 | ACCESS TO LOCAL LEGAL ADVICE | 3:2:09 |
| Mr Austin Mitchell | | Bob Russell | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr John Leech | | Jim Dobbin |
| That this House welcomes the Local Legal Advice Review undertaken for the Ministry of Justice; notes that the economic recession has triggered a significant rise in the demand for legal aid and legal advice at the very time when the future of local advice agencies has been put in doubt by the Legal Service Commission's decision to proceed with plans to commission community legal advice centres and networks through a competitive tender process; further notes the very real concerns voiced by Citizens Advice and others that the procurement model adopted by the Legal Service Commission will result in services which do not best meet the needs of clients and communities and do not protect those multiple points of access that are so vital in making certain that help and advice is available where it is most needed; and calls on the Ministry of Justice to ensure that the existing community legal advice centres are evaluated for their effectiveness in meeting advice needs in communities, particularly the needs of vulnerable groups, those in debt, and those living in less accessible parts of the community, before any further tenders are rolled out. |
| Colin Challen | | John Hemming | | Mr David Chaytor | | Kate Hoey | | Mr Roger Williams | | Mr Peter Ainsworth |
| | Laura Moffatt | Mr Anthony Wright | Mr Geoffrey Robinson | | | Mr Kevin Barron | Mr Paul Murphy | Mr Peter Robinson |
| That this House welcomes the launch of the We Support Solar campaign; notes that globally solar photovoltaic (PV) will be a key climate change mitigation technology and that solar PV in the UK can play an important role in contributing to the UK 2020 renewable energy target; expresses its concern at the negative treatment of solar photovoltaics in the Government's 2008 renewable energy strategy consultation; and urges Ministers to ensure that the potential of the technology to deliver significant carbon dioxide reductions in the built environment, to make a significant contribution to the 2020 target and to deliver many tens of thousands of new green UK jobs is supported in the final renewable energy strategy document. |
| 713 | BRITISH MILITARY ASSISTANCE TO COLOMBIA | 5:2:09 |
| Tony Lloyd | | Mr Frank Doran | | Mr Edward Davey | | Peter Bottomley | | Jim Dobbin | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle |
| | Keith Vaz | Derek Twigg | Geraldine Smith |
| That this House notes with concern the increase in trades unionists assassinated in Colombia during 2008 as compared to the number killed in 2007; further notes the recent statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights that she believes the Colombian security forces to be involved in `widespread and systematic' killings of civilians; welcomes the findings of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee in relation to British policy towards Colombia, and specifically draws attention to the Committee's conclusion that UK military assistance to Colombia is `inappropriate' given the `serious' human rights situation in Colombia; and calls on the Government to freeze UK military assistance to Colombia until the Colombian regime fully implements the repeated human rights recommendations made by the UN. |
| 715 | ALL PARTY PARLIAMENTARY SAVE THE PUB GROUP | 9:2:09 |
| Greg Mulholland | | Mr Brian Binley | | Mr Eric Illsley | | Mr Andrew Pelling | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Bob Russell |
| That this House welcomes the formation of the All-Party Parliamentary Save the Pub Group; shares the belief of the group that British pubs are an important part of this country's history and heritage and are hugely important to the communities they serve; believes that well-run community pubs are sociable, controlled environments in which to enjoy alcohol and so are part of the solution to problem drinking; further believes that too many pubs up and down the country are being closed, for a variety of reasons, and often when they do not need to and should not close; further believes there is an urgent need for the Government to take action in terms for support and legislative changes to address this; recommends that a range of measures are needed, from lower levels of beer duty, a more level playing field between on and off-trade pricing, reform of the current model of the tie to make it fairer and more transparent and addressing the market dominance of a few huge companies, the outlawing of restrictive covenants and changes to planning law that would offer much more protection to pubs; and further recommends that local authorities use all available powers to protect and support community pubs. |
| 735 | BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR PARENTERAL AND ENTERAL NUTRITION'S REPORT ON COMBATING MALNUTRITION | 9:2:09 |
| Mr Paul Burstow | | Bob Russell | | Andrew George | | Mark Hunter | | Mr Adrian Sanders | | Lynne Jones |
| That this House welcomes the report Combating Malnutrition by the Advisory Group on Malnutrition led by British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition; thanks the Advisory Group's members for giving up their time to identify the steps which can be taken by the Government and by all those with caring responsibilities to address the condition; expresses concern over the Advisory Group's finding that three million people are malnourished in the UK at any one time and that the total costs to the public purse of disease-related malnutrition are in excess of £13 billion per annum; notes the findings of the Advisory Group that malnutrition is closely linked to socio-economic factors such as deprivation and that as a result the burden of malnutrition exacerbates health inequalities; endorses the Advisory Group's recommendation for joined-up action by the Government, the NHS, the voluntary sector and other parties to work together to tackle malnutrition; calls on the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to consider the case for including malnutrition in the Quality and Outcomes Framework of the General Medical Services contract from 2010-11; and further calls on the Government to ensure that as many of the Advisory Group's recommendations are implemented in full and as soon as possible, including the requirement to undertake nutritional screening in line with the recommendations already made by NICE. |
| Mr Nigel Evans | | Graham Stringer | | Mr Angus MacNeil | | Lynne Jones | | Mr Elfyn Llwyd | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle |
| That this House is opposed to the European Commission's proposal to force British sheep farmers to tag electronically and identify every single animal in the 30 million-strong national flock; recognises that the UK has more sheep than anywhere else in Europe; realises that farmers across the UK are already under enormous financial pressure and that these measures could have a crippling effect on the industry; believes that the proposals are unnecessary, disproportionate and not practicable; and calls on the Government to support the British sheep farming industry by making the strongest representation possible to the European Commission in order that these proposals may be abandoned. |
| 768 | SALE OF TOBACCO FROM VENDING MACHINES | 11:2:09 |
| Chris Ruane | | Mr Roger Williams | | Dr Howard Stoate | | Mr Brian Binley | | Bob Russell | | Andrew Miller |
| | Sandra Gidley | Laura Moffatt | Mr Russell Brown | | | Julia Goldsworthy |
| That this House supports the call of over 100 health organisations for urgent action to ensure a new generation of young people do not become smokers; believes that children's easy access to cigarettes through tobacco vending machines undermines other important tobacco control measures; notes that the British Heart Foundation estimates that over 46,000 11 to 15 year-old regular smokers bought cigarettes through vending machines in England and Wales in 2006; recognises that this number may now be higher as the age limit for purchasing tobacco has been extended from 16 to 18 years; expresses concern that age verification systems for vending machines using remote-controls, tokens, identity cards or other means are insecure; further notes the UK's commitments as a party to the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and its guidelines which recommend banning sales of tobacco from vending machines as they constitute a means of advertising and promotion for smoking; and therefore calls on the Government to bring forward legislative proposals to bring an immediate end to all sales of tobacco products from vending machines in England and Wales through the Health Bill. |
| 779 | THALIDOMIDE AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE (No. 2) | 11:2:09 |
| Mr Martin Caton | | Bob Spink | | Andrew George | | Mr John Leech | | Dr Desmond Turner | | David Taylor |
| | Mr David Wilshire | Jim Dowd | Mr John Horam | | | Hugh Bayley | John Battle | Geraldine Smith | | | Mr Gordon Prentice | Dr Ashok Kumar | Mr Stephen Hepburn | | | Nick Ainger | Mr Paul Murphy | Ann Clwyd | | | Mr Mohammad Sarwar | Paul Holmes | Mark Lazarowicz | | | Mr David Hamilton | Angus Robertson | Greg Mulholland | | | Mr Peter Bone |
| That this House recalls that side effects of the drug Thalidomide, prescribed for prevention of morning sickness in the 1960s and 1970s, caused nearly 500 babies to be born with a range of severe disabilities; pays tribute to the campaign by journalists, politicians and others that eventually resulted in the manufacturers having to increase their compensation offer tenfold; nevertheless recognises, however, that this could not take account of unforeseen future problems arising from Thalidomide; notes that, as the surviving victims enter their 40s and 50s, many of them face a host of new problems as their bodies suffer from the wear and tear that the overuse of certain muscles has caused, dramatically restricting movement and pushing the cost of mobility up; believes that these people should now receive direct help from the state; and calls on the Government to introduce a financial assistance package to improve the lives of Thalidomide victims. |
| As an Amendment to Mr Martin Caton's proposed Motion (Thalidomide and Financial Assistance (No. 2)): |
| Frank Cook | | Mark Durkan | | Mrs Iris Robinson | | Mr Phil Willis |
| Line 11, at end add `at the earliest date.'. |
| 784 | UN SECURITY COUNCIL AND THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT | 11:2:09 |
| Paul Rowen | | John Hemming | | Mr David Laws | | Mr Don Foster | | Mr Michael Moore | | Mr Adrian Sanders |
| That this House is disappointed that the Government has not requested the Security Council of the UN to refer allegations of war crimes to the International Criminal Court; notes that both the UN Secretary General and Israel have agreed to undertake inquiries but is concerned that Israel has not ratified the Rome Statute and believes that without reference to the International Criminal Court it is unlikely that anyone will be indicted for war crimes. |
| 826 | STEPS RESEARCH INTO DEVELOPMENT DYSPLASIA OF THE HIP | 23:2:09 |
| Mr David Anderson | | Ian Stewart | | Peter Bottomley | | Dr Doug Naysmith | | Dr Desmond Turner | | Mr Gordon Prentice |
| | Dr John Pugh | Mr Andy Slaughter |
| That this House warmly welcomes Baby Hip Health Awareness Week from 23 to 28 February 2009, organised by the STEPS charity, which provides support and information for lower limb conditions in children and young adults; notes that the aim of the national screening policy is to identify and treat infants with a hip abnormality at an early stage, with a post-birth hospital check and another check at six to eight weeks, because late diagnosis can lead to complex surgery and lifelong problems, often impacting on psychological development; further notes that up to 2,000 children a year are diagnosed with development dysplasia of the hip (DDH) which requires treatment involving splints and plaster body casts; is concerned, therefore that a STEPS survey of acute trusts and of primary care trusts (PCTs) showed a staggering gap in health policy which, if it were correctly followed, could detect DDH at an early age and prevent years of pain and emotional distress; is disappointed that many PCTs refuse to take responsibility for checking babies' hips, leaving it to GPs and creating massive inconsistency in procedure; further welcomes the STEPS survey of parents with children affected by lower limb conditions which shows that while many praised the care received during treatment for DDH, the majority felt that they were not informed about the condition, which was not clearly explained to them; and urges the Government to meet STEPS to investigate how these shortcomings can be overcome. |
| 845 | DEFORESTATION, CLIMATE CHANGE AND LIVESTOCK | 23:2:09 |
| Andrew George | | Mr Peter Ainsworth | | Lynne Jones | | Mr Elfyn Llwyd | | Mr David Drew | | Tony Baldry |
| | Mr Edward Davey | Mr Jim Cunningham | Dr Brian Iddon | | | Mrs Louise Ellman | Mr Fraser Kemp |
| That this House notes that global livestock and animal feed production contributes to 18 per cent. of global greenhouse gas emissions and is currently the most significant driver of biodiversity loss worldwide; further notes that the large-scale conversion of forests and other valuable habitats into croplands for the production of animal feeds such as soy for intensive livestock farming is a cause of particular concern; recognises the associated impacts on small farmers and communities in developing countries who are often forced off their land; urges the Government to undertake an assessment of the scale and impact of this trend and the UK's role in it, and to gauge whether the UK's livestock industry has become overly dependent on soy-based animal feed which has such an unwelcome and unsustainable impact upon the environment; and calls on the Government to bring forward the measures necessary to reduce the UK's impact on global greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss from the livestock sector whilst avoiding the export of these impacts overseas and supporting a viable, sustainable and thriving UK farming industry. |
| 866 | VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN | 24:2:09 |
| Mr Alan Meale | | Ms Diane Abbott | | Dr Rudi Vis | | Joan Walley | | Bill Etherington | | Rosemary McKenna |
| That this House is alarmed to note that every year about 3 million women in the United Kingdom experience violence, which alone costs the nation over £40 billion per annum, is aware that the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the End Violence Against Women Campaign, Amnesty International UK and a range of other like-minded organisations have published a new Map of Gaps Report which highlights inadequate services provisions available in certain areas of Britain for women who experience rape, forced marriage, domestic or other violence; and calls upon the Government to take action to fill such gaps to ensure that women who find themselves in violent situations are given the necessary level of support they need. |
| 880 | ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND AND CLIMATE CHANGE | 25:2:09 |
| Martin Horwood | | Mark Durkan | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | Mr David Drew | | Lynne Jones | | John McDonnell |
| | Norman Baker | Steve Webb | Mr Adrian Sanders | | | Hugh Bayley | Paul Holmes | Mr Alistair Carmichael | | | Tim Farron |
| That this House notes that one of the most significant outcomes of the recent financial crisis has been the Government's acquisition of a majority stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS); further notes that RBS has been identified by campaign groups People and Planet and Platform as the UK bank that is the most heavily involved in financing the expansion of fossil fuel projects around the world, and that the carbon dioxide emissions embedded in RBS's project finance in 2006 were calculated to be greater than the carbon dioxide emissions of Scotland itself; believes that the fact that banks play such a large role in providing finance to projects that are exacerbating climate change has been wholly unaddressed in Government policy; further believes that there is an urgent need for the Government's new banking regulations to include environmental concerns as well as financial concerns; calls on the Government to use its majority share in RBS to prioritise climate change as a principal concern in RBS's lending decisions; further calls on the Government to require RBS to calculate, publish and cap embedded emissions resulting from its lending to fossil fuel projects, and to set annual targets for reducing these emissions; and further calls on the Government to promote RBS investments in renewable energy, new green jobs and the infrastructure needed to decarbonise the economy. |
| 909 | INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY | 26:2:09 |
| Colin Challen | | Peter Bottomley | | Mark Durkan | | Lynne Jones | | John McDonnell | | Mrs Ann Cryer |
| That this House regrets that the UK is not giving the establishment of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) its wholehearted support; notes that global subsidies to renewable energy have amounted to one-eighth of those given to fossil fuels and that a global approach to the promotion of renewable energy is urgently called for; and therefore urges the Government to recognise that it cannot claim to be a global leader on tackling climate change if it is not prepared to will the means to mitigate it and join with 76 other signatory countries seeking to make IRENA work. |
| 912 | UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES (No. 2) | 26:2:09 |
| Jim Dobbin | | Mark Durkan | | Lynne Jones | | John McDonnell | | Bob Spink | | David Taylor |
| That this House congratulates the Government on its commitment to the protection and recognition of the rights of disabled people across the world by leading the way on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; applauds the current plans to ratify this Convention and praises the commitment to equality for disabled people by 2025; regrets however that the Government now plans to place a reservation on Article 24 on Education in the Convention, thereby preventing disabled and non-disabled people from living and learning together in their own local communities; and urges the Government to secure a full ratification of the Convention without reservations in order to guarantee that there will be no educational apartheid for future generations of disabled people. |
| 918 | NATIONAL HOUSING FEDERATION AND PREPAYMENT METER CUSTOMERS | 26:2:09 |
| John Austin | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Paul Holmes | | Lynne Jones | | John McDonnell |
| | Mr Anthony Wright | John Battle | Geraldine Smith |
| That this House welcomes Government assurances that, if necessary, legislation would be introduced to outlaw the overcharging of prepayment meter customers; notes that E.ON, Scottish Power and npower have equalised charges which they make to their prepayment meter customers with those who pay by quarterly bill, but that British Gas, EDF and Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) continue to charge their prepay customers more; further notes that the National Housing Federation calculates that British Gas, EDF and SSE will overcharge their 1.7 million prepay customers by £8.6 million every month over the next year, with British Gas charging its prepayment customers £77 more over 2009 than those on quarterly bills, SSE charging £38 more and EDF charging £19 more; refutes the claim by Ofgem that it has been successful in its campaign to stop this overcharging; congratulates the National Housing Federation on championing the cause of some of the most vulnerable people on low incomes; and believes it is time for the Government to introduce legislation to equalise prepay bills with those charged to people on a quarterly basis. |
| 923 | AVAILABILITY OF VITAMINS AND MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS | 2:3:09 |
| Mike Penning | | Mr Andrew Lansley | | Chris Grayling | | Mr Stephen O'Brien | | Mr Mark Prisk | | Mr David Amess |
| That this House notes that the United Kingdom has a rigorous and effective regime for permitting onto the market under the provisions of the Food Safety Act 1990 only such higher potency vitamin and mineral supplements as are accepted as safe and appropriately labelled by the Food Standards Agency; is deeply concerned that the future availability of such safe and popular supplements is now threatened by the current process through which the European Union is proposing pan-European limits on the potencies of such supplements under the provisions of Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive; further notes that successive Ministers have pledged to defend the future availability of such supplements but have not yet secured sufficient support from other member states and the European Commission to ensure that the policy objectives of the Government can be achieved; and calls on the Prime Minister personally to intervene with the President of the European Commission to ensure that the right of UK manufacturers to produce, specialist retailers to sell, and informed consumers to choose to buy such safe and popular supplements is not unacceptably curtailed through an unnecessarily restrictive interpretation of the legislation. |
| 937 | ARREST AND TRIAL OF BAHÁ'ÍS IN IRAN | 2:3:09 |
| Lembit Öpik | | Peter Luff | | David Lepper | | Ian Stewart | | Peter Bottomley | | Andrew George |
| That this House notes the arrests in March and May 2008 of Mahvash Sabet, Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Behrouz Tavakkoli and Vahid Tizfahm, members of an informal leadership council of the Iranian Bahá'i community; further notes with concern the announcement of 12 February 2009 by the deputy-prosecutor of Tehran that these seven Bahá'is are to face a revolutionary court to answer charges including, espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the Islamic republic, despite no evidence produced against them to date; observes that such accusations can merit capital punishment under Iranian law; is concerned that the charges against these Bahá'i community leaders may be motivated by a growing culture of anti-Bahá'i repression in Iran; and calls on the Government to protest to the Iranian authorities and press for the immediate release of these seven individuals. |
| 940 | FUNDING FOR THE TRAINING OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGISTS | 2:3:09 |
| Mr Greg Pope | | Harry Cohen | | Mr Paul Keetch | | Mr Gordon Prentice | | Mr Fabian Hamilton | | John Mann |
| That this House expresses concern that the basis of funding for the training of educational psychologists in England is undermined by the lack of long-term stability or security; notes that the funding of the training is the responsibility of individual local authorities; believes that a national need for educational psychologists should be met by a national supply, funded nationally; and calls on the Department for Children, Schools and Families to investigate methods of providing secure national funding for the training of educational psychologists. |
| 948 | ANIMAL WELFARE IN CIRCUSES | 3:3:09 |
| John Austin | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mr Lee Scott | | Bob Russell | | Lynne Jones | | Mark Hunter |
| That this House shares the RSPCA's deep concern at the recent introduction of elephants into a circus in Nottinghamshire; hopes that the public will boycott the circus in protest; believes that the Government should intervene in this case and state categorically that it opposes the use of wild species in circuses; and urges the Government to bring forward proposals to ban the use of wild animals in circuses without further delay. |
| 960 | LET THEM WORK CAMPAIGN | 3:3:09 |
| Lynne Jones | | Andrew George | | Peter Bottomley | | Mark Durkan | | Bob Russell | | Mr Martin Caton |
| | Joan Walley | Ruth Kelly | Mr Edward O'Hara | | | Mr Denis Murphy | Mr Chris Mullin | Sir Menzies Campbell | | | Mr David Hamilton | Norman Lamb |
| That this House welcomes the Let Them Work campaign to allow asylum seekers permission to work while they are waiting for a decision about their claim; notes with concern that asylum seekers who fled persecution in their own countries are among the most vulnerable people in the UK and are being denied the opportunity to work to support themselves and their families, to pay taxes, and to contribute to the economy; is additionally concerned about the situation of those asylum seekers without status who are unable to return home, many of whom spend years in limbo and are reliant on charity hand-outs or forced into illegal work just to survive; is alarmed that this leaves already vulnerable people open to destitution and exploitation; and therefore calls on the Government to allow asylum seekers to work if they have been waiting longer than six months for a full resolution on their asylum claim and to ensure that permission to work remains for people whose claim for asylum is refused, but who are unable to return home immediately through no fault of their own. |
| 963 | ARCHER REPORT INTO CONTAMINATED BLOOD AND BLOOD PRODUCTS | 3:3:09 |
| Mr Edward O'Hara | | Jenny Willott | | Charlotte Atkins | | Bob Spink | | Mark Durkan | | Mr Andrew Dismore |
| | Patrick Hall | Miss Julie Kirkbride | Hugh Bayley | | | Mr Eric Martlew | Frank Cook | Mr Frank Doran | | | Sir Menzies Campbell | David Howarth | Stewart Hosie | | | Philip Davies | Mark Hunter |
| That this House welcomes the publication of the Archer Report on the use of contaminated blood and blood products in NHS treatments and hopes that the victims of the use of such products will receive swift and appropriate recompense; and calls on the Government to make a full and speedy response to the report's findings and to make a commitment to implement its recommendations as soon as possible. |
| 976 | ANIMAL WELFARE IN CIRCUSES (No. 2) | 4:3:09 |
| Mark Pritchard | | Mr Lee Scott | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | David Taylor | | Mr David Drew | | Lynne Jones |
| | Mr Michael Mates | Sarah Teather |
| That this House notes with concern the continuing use of non-domesticated animals in circuses and more recently the re-introduction of elephants by the Great British Circus; is increasingly concerned by the delay of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in reporting on increasing amounts of evidence surrounding poor animal welfare standards in circuses; believes that the report of the Chair of the Circus Working Group fails to provide reliable information on this subject; supports the work of the Captive Animals Protection Society and others in achieving an end to animal use in circuses; and urges the Government to maintain its commitment to ban the use of non-domesticated animals in travelling circuses and to limit the use of domesticated species under a strict, accountable and open licensing system. |
| 979 | BRISTOL TO LONDON RAIL LINE ELECTRIFICATION | 4:3:09 |
| Stephen Williams | | Mr Don Foster | | Steve Webb | | Mr David Heath | | Norman Baker | | Mr David Drew |
| That this House notes that the Great Western main railway line uses diesel trains originally brought into service in the 1970s and designed to travel at 125 miles per hour; believes that in the 21st century modern rolling stock travelling at higher speeds than those envisaged 40 years ago is a reasonable expectation for passengers; and further believes that the journey should be along a sustainable electrified line and that investment in high-speed rail for the West Country and other regions is preferable to an unsustainable expansion of aviation and a third runway at Heathrow Airport. |
| As an Amendment to Stephen Williams's proposed Motion (Bristol to London Rail Line Electrification): |
| Line 5, leave out from `line' to end. |
| 985 | WATER CHARGES FOR SCOUT GROUPS | 4:3:09 |
| John Battle | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | David Taylor | | Jim Dobbin | | Mr David Drew | | Lynne Jones |
| | Gwyn Prosser | Laura Moffatt | Steve Webb | | | Miss Julie Kirkbride | Charlotte Atkins | Clare Short | | | Derek Twigg | Mr Paul Murphy | Annette Brooke | | | Paul Farrelly |
| That this House notes the enormous contribution scout groups and other voluntary organisations make in helping local communities; notes with dismay the water regulator Ofwat's decision to change the way water companies charge small charities and community groups for surface water run-off, and the impact that this will have on the financial future of organisations that rely on fund-raising and members' subscriptions for income, and are therefore particularly ill-placed to afford the huge increases in bills as a result; considers that this highlights the need to protect the ability of such organisations and the communities they serve to access water services; and therefore calls on Ofwat to support the Scout Association's call for a social tariff regime for community and voluntary groups by enabling such a pricing system to be used by water companies. |
| 994 | JOBS AND BUSINESSES IN THE UK LOGISTICS SECTOR | 5:3:09 |
| Gwyn Prosser | | Mr Greg Knight | | Mr Eric Martlew | | Mr Tim Boswell | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Paul Rowen |
| That this House supports the goals of the Every Penny Counts campaign which is supporting jobs and businesses in the road freight sector; notes that the success of the British economy is dependent on the success of its logistics sector, which directly employs some 2.3 million people and indirectly supports the work of many millions of others; recognises that the current economic downturn has had a severe and highly damaging impact on the logistics sector, causing insolvencies in the sector to double from fourth quarter 2007 to fourth quarter 2008; notes with concern that increases in costs to the logistics sector's operations, such as increases to fuel duty and road vehicle testing charges are specifically targeting UK logistics companies that are struggling to stay afloat; and calls on policymakers to give greater priority to the impact of economic measures on the freight sector before more companies are forced out of business and more jobs are lost. |
| 1008 | LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND THE PROVISION OF LAND FOR ALLOTMENTS | 9:3:09 |
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mr David Crausby | | Jim Dobbin | | Dr Brian Iddon | | Bob Spink | | Mr Colin Breed |
| That this House recognises the importance of allotments within the local community; notes local authorities' statutory obligation to provide land for allotments is not being met; further notes that demand from the public for allotments exceeds current provision and is increasing; and calls on the Government to bring forward legislative proposals to deliver an increase in the volume of land provided by local authorities for allotments. |
| As an Amendment to Mr Lindsay Hoyle's proposed Motion (Local Authorities and the Provision of Land for Allotments): |
| Mr Mike Weir | | Sammy Wilson | | Pete Wishart | | Angus Robertson | | Dr Kim Howells |
| Line 5, at end add `; further urges private owners to consider the provision of unused land for allotments; and applauds the decision of Dalhousie Estates to provide a portion of land in Brechin for allotments.'. |
| 1034 | POLITICAL SITUATION IN TIBET | 10:3:09 |
| Norman Baker | | Peter Bottomley | | Andrew George | | Bob Russell | | Graham Stringer | | Mark Durkan |
| That this House condemns the state of de facto martial law that Tibet has been subjected to by the Chinese government on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising and the flight of the Dalai Lama; recognises the severe impact on basic human rights and freedoms the present Chinese approach is having on the Tibetan people; notes that Tibetans continue to be tortured and killed and that thousands are subject to arbitrary and heavy-handed restrictions of movement; and calls on the Chinese government to end the de facto martial law and to lift the official ban on access to Tibet for journalists and aid organisations. |
| 1042 | EXPERIMENTS ON PRIMATES | 10:3:09 |
| Bob Spink | | Andrew George | | Bob Russell | | David Taylor | | Mr Mike Weir | | Mrs Ann Cryer |
| That this House is concerned to note that thousands of primates are used in experiments across Europe each year; further notes with deep regret that the European Commission refuses to implement a ban on live primate experiments across Europe; further notes that this is contrary to the wishes of 80 per cent. of the population; and therefore calls on the Government to promote strongly a timetabled replacement of all primate experiments in Europe. |
| 1060 | NATIONAL DEMENTIA STRATEGY | 11:3:09 |
| Robert Key | | Mrs Betty Williams | | Greg Mulholland | | Mr Tim Boswell | | Mr Gordon Marsden | | Dr Richard Taylor |
| | Mr Mark Oaten | Laura Moffatt | Mr Tom Harris | | | Mr David Hamilton |
| That this House welcomes the publication of the National Dementia Strategy; is concerned that within 30 years dementia will affect 1.4 million people in the UK alone, costing the economy at least £50 billion annually; agrees with the Alzheimer's Research Trust that dementia research must have substantially more financial support than its current 2.5 per cent. share of the medical research budget; and urges the Government to increase support for the UK's world-class dementia scientists in their search for new prevention, treatments and cures for Alzheimer's and other dementias. |
| As Amendments to Robert Key's proposed Motion (National Dementia Strategy): |
| Line 5, after `budget' insert `where funding bodies, through peer review, agree that the quality of applications merits funding approval.'. |
| Line 7, at end add `; and recognises the important part played by animal research in such work as well as the potential of embryonic stem cell science.'. |
| 1064 | LOCAL SPENDING REPORTS AND THE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES ACT 2007 | 11:3:09 |
| Mr David Drew | | Mr Nick Hurd | | Julia Goldsworthy | | Bob Russell | | Bob Spink | | Tony Baldry |
| | Sir John Stanley | Mrs Maria Miller | Willie Rennie | | | Robert Neill |
| That this House welcomes the provisions of the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 requiring the publication of local spending reports; believes that people have a right to know how their money is spent by public bodies; especially welcomes the assurances given by the Minister for Local Government, the hon. Member for Oldham East and Saddleworth, that the local spending reports will include all public agencies; further welcomes the Minister's assurance that the purpose is to achieve a report that identifies how much will be spent in each area by the authorities; is therefore very alarmed that the consultation now issued on the local spending reports proposes only to include local authorities, including fire authorities and police authorities, and primary care trusts, and to exclude all other public bodies despite the assurances of the Minister; believes it to be unacceptable that this document is now in blatant contravention of the expressed assurances of the Minister; and calls for proper local spending reports to be published, which give effect to those assurances. |
| 1069 | FUEL POVERTY BILL | 11:3:09 |
| Alan Simpson | | Mark Williams | | Dr Brian Iddon | | Mr David Drew | | David Taylor | | Nick Ainger |
| That this House notes that 418 hon. Members of all parties supported the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 during its passage through Parliament; notes that the Act brought about a statutory duty to end fuel poverty in vulnerable households by 2010 and in the rest of the sector by 2016; regrets therefore that a recent High Court judgment ruled that that statutory duty set pursuant to the Act was merely a duty to make efforts and that the targets were merely aspirations; further notes with concern that five million UK households will be unable to afford to heat their homes this winter and that a recent Help the Aged survey found that 4.5 million pensioners were planning to live in one room to keep warm; welcomes the introduction with cross-party support by the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome of the Fuel Poverty Bill, which reinstates the statutory duty to end fuel poverty by requiring the homes of the fuel poor to be brought up to the energy efficiency standards currently required for new homes and by the use of social tariffs for vulnerable customers in the short term; and calls on the Government to support this Bill and do everything that it can to ensure that it becomes law in this session of Parliament. |
| 1078 | POSTAL SERVICES BILL [LORDS] | 12:3:09 |
| John Thurso | | Dr Vincent Cable | | Lorely Burt | | Danny Alexander | | Mr David Heath | | Mr Paul Burstow |
| That this House notes the introduction of the Postal Services Bill in the House of Lords; notes that it fails to offer the investment needed to modernise the Post Office network and to enable it to develop new services, fails to facilitate the creation of a Postbank to offer banking services to all, fails to give the Royal Mail the ability to borrow on capital markets, fails to provide the enabling powers to widen the remit of the Post Office and Royal Mail to enable them to compete in new markets, fails to facilitate the creation of any form of employee shared ownership scheme or staff council for Royal Mail and fails to give customers a proper voice to hold the activities of Royal Mail and Post Office Limited to account; believes that the Bill will not therefore secure a sustainable and competitive future for either the Royal Mail or the Post Office network; and calls on the Government to incorporate all these features within the Bill and in addition to ensure that there is a universal service obligation in place on a statutory basis six days a week throughout the UK and to ensure that the Post Office network is ring-fenced as a discrete, publicly-owned network. |
| 1081 | 30th ANNIVERSARY OF HEADWAY THE BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION | 12:3:09 |
| Bob Russell | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | Lynne Jones | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Mr Gordon Prentice | | Mr Robert N. Wareing |
| That this House congratulates Headway, the brain injury association, for providing outstanding help and support to brain injury survivors and their families for the last 30 years; acknowledges the vital role that the charity plays in helping to improve quality of life after brain injury; notes that half a million people live with the long-term effects of brain injury; wishes the charity well in its future endeavours; and encourages hon. and right hon. Members to support the charity on a local and national level. |
| 1082 | POST BANK COALITION | 12:3:09 |
| Jon Cruddas | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Colin Burgon | | Mr Gordon Prentice | | Mr Robert N. Wareing | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle |
| | Richard Burden | Mr Kevin Barron |
| That this House congratulates the Post Bank Coalition of the Communication Workers Union, Federation of Small Businesses, New Economics Foundation, Unite the Union, National Convention of Pensioners and Public Interest Research Centre, on its plans for a new state-owned Post Bank based on the Post Office network; recognises the importance such a Bank could have in underpinning the future sustainability of the Post Office network; and calls on the Government, as a matter of urgency, to set up a Post Bank to combat financial exclusion and allow communities and local businesses to access a fair and trusted banking system. |
| 1100 | INDEPENDENT INQUIRY INTO IRAQ WAR | 16:3:09 |
| John Barrett | | Mr Edward Davey | | Paul Holmes | | Mark Hunter | | Jeremy Corbyn | | Lynne Jones |
| That this House believes the invasion of Iraq was a serious foreign policy error that has destabilised the Middle East; notes that public opinion is strongly in favour of a full public inquiry into the UK's role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq; believes that such an inquiry would in no way detract from the efforts of UK armed forces personnel in Iraq who have served with bravery and distinction while helping to rebuild the country; and calls on the Government to launch a full independent inquiry into the invasion of Iraq without delay. |
| 1107 | ARCHER INQUIRY INTO CONTAMINATED BLOOD AND BLOOD PRODUCTS | 17:3:09 |
| Bob Spink | | Andrew George | | Mr Mike Weir | | Mr John Leech | | Mr Martin Caton | | Peter Bottomley |
| | Mr John Whittingdale | Lorely Burt |
| That this House congratulates Lord Archer on his Independent Public Inquiry into Contaminated Blood and Blood Products; welcomes his recommendations on forms of relief for the haemophilia community; notes with concern that these forms of relief are restricted to that community and therefore discriminate against other patient groups that have been similarly affected; and calls on the Government to extend the scope of the relief to include all other patient groups which have been infected. |
| Lorely Burt | | Dr Vincent Cable | | Sir Robert Smith | | Chris Huhne | | Bob Spink | | Andrew George |
| | Dr Tony Wright | Julie Morgan | Mr Mike Weir | | | Albert Owen | David Simpson | John Mason |
| That this House notes with concern the 10 year anniversary of the Government's implementation of IR35; further notes that the 1.4 million freelancers in the United Kingdom face a perpetual threat of a costly and distressing HM Revenue and Customs investigation under IR35; further notes that IR35 obliges freelancers to spend time and money assessing their status as best they can, with contract reviews, tax investigation insurances and negotiations with clients and agencies, and that this effort would be better spent generating wealth for the UK economy; highlights concerns expressed by the Professional Contractors Group (PCG) that 1,462 of the 1,468 cases known to PCG have resulted in no extra tax being owed; further notes that there is no evidence that IR35 is raising any money for the Exchequer; and calls on the Treasury, in light of the current economic difficulties, to remove unnecessary barriers to enterprise and to abolish IR35 at the earliest opportunity. |
| John McDonnell | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | David Taylor | | Jeremy Corbyn | | Peter Bottomley |
| That this House notes the continuing reports of allegations of cruelty and animal suffering associated with puppy farms; and calls upon the Government to review the effectiveness of the current procedures and legislation relating to animal safety in puppy farms. |
| 1148 | ANIMAL WELFARE AND THE PRODUCTION OF FOIE GRAS | 23:3:09 |
| Bob Spink | | Peter Bottomley | | Kelvin Hopkins | | Mark Durkan | | Bob Russell | | Lynne Jones |
| That this House notes that foie gras is traditionally produced by forcing metal pipes down the throats of ducks and geese and over-feeding them, causing their livers to swell to 10 times the normal size; further notes that the production, but not the sale, of foie gras is banned in the UK; applauds the work of banfoiegras.org.uk; calls on restaurants to use brands of faux gras which are supported by the RSPCA and Compassion in World Farming and are produced from free-range ducks and geese without force-feeding; and further calls on the Government to prohibit the sale of traditionally-produced foie gras in the UK. |
| 1154 | TENANTS IN THE PRIVATE RENTED SECTOR AND REPOSSESSIONS | 23:3:09 |
| Ms Sally Keeble | | Martin Linton | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Colin Breed | | Andrew George | | Mark Durkan |
| That this House recognises that tenants in the private rented sector risk losing their homes through repossession when landlords default on mortgages; notes that many tenants are evicted with little or no notice, sometimes only finding out when the bailiff arrives on their doorstep; further notes that many of these tenants could be at risk of homelessness through no fault of their own; and calls on the Government to take urgent action to avert a potential crisis by giving courts the discretion to defer possession and allow tenants sufficient time to find another home. |
| 1163 | 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE | 24:3:09 |
| Mr David Blunkett | | Tony Lloyd | | Mr David Anderson | | Jon Cruddas | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Andrew George |
| That this House welcomes the 10th anniversary of the introduction of the National Minimum Wage on 1 April 2009; applauds the fact that employees in more than one million jobs have benefited, two-thirds of them women; believes that annual uprating and effective enforcement are the key to its continued success; regards the current economic climate as an opportunity to increase the spending power of the low paid; calls for an end to discriminatory lower age rates for young workers; and further calls on the Low Pay Commission and Government to end the exemption of some apprenticeships from the national minimum wage. |
| 1166 | GET WALKING DAY 30 MAY 2009 | 24:3:09 |
| Ms Angela C. Smith (Sheffield, Hillsborough) | | Bob Russell | | Peter Bottomley | | Andrew George | | Graham Stringer | | Mr Mike Hancock |
| That this House welcomes the Ramblers' second annual Get Walking Day on 30 May 2009, offering thousands of people in England, Scotland and Wales the opportunity to enjoy a short walk with the Ramblers; applauds the Get Walking Day goal to inspire families and individuals of all ages to go for a walk and to continue walking regularly; notes that doctors agree that moderate exercise like walking helps protect people from many illnesses and conditions including obesity, depression, heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, the most common type of diabetes and many cancers; recognises that walking for a total of 30 minutes a day, or 60 minutes for children, meets the Chief Medical Officer's minimum recommendations for physical activity; is alarmed that 70 per cent. of adults and 40 per cent. of children do not meet the target, with serious consequences for public health; further notes that the cost to the NHS of obesity alone will rise to £10 billion a year by 2050 if current trends continue; believes that walking is the easiest form of exercise for the greatest number of people and that almost everyone can do it, anywhere and at any time, for free, with no special equipment or training; and urges hon. Members to support Get Walking Day and to encourage people to join in by going for a local walk. |
| 1171 | UK RELATIONS WITH CUBA | 24:3:09 |
| Mr Ian Taylor | | Paul Holmes | | Robert Key | | Mr Elfyn Llwyd | | Colin Burgon | | Sir Peter Viggers |
| | Sandra Gidley | Mr Mark Todd | Mr Frank Field | | | Mrs Louise Ellman | Mr Roger Williams | Richard Younger-Ross | | | Julia Goldsworthy | Tim Farron | Sir Peter Soulsby | | | Willie Rennie |
| That this House welcomes the fresh approach to international relations with Cuba including recent legislation in the US to lift family visiting restrictions on Cuban-Americans; notes the recent formal visits to Cuba by the Irish and Spanish Foreign Ministers and Presidents of Chile and Argentina; further notes the recent visit by the Shadow Foreign Secretary to Cuba; welcomes the fact that the UK enjoys excellent relations with Cuba in the fields of sport, biotechnology and the arts; and calls on the Government to send a high level Ministerial delegation to Cuba, led by the Foreign Secretary, to build on UK-Cuba relations and UK interests in the region. |
| Martin Horwood | | Mr Richard Benyon | | Mr Russell Brown | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Nigel Evans | | Mr Mike Hancock |
| | Norman Lamb | Jo Swinson | Emily Thornberry |
| That this House notes that over 70 per cent. of UK sharks, skates and rays are categorised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as threatened or near threatened with extinction; further notes the recent publication of the European Community Plan of Action for Sharks, and the context of EU legislation EC No. 1185/2003, prohibiting the removal of shark fins at sea; believes the UK Government should build on the foundation of previous shark conservation actions and lead the way in Europe as a champion of shark conservation, promptly implementing effective shark conservation and management measures; further believes that, on no occasion should the UK Government approve any derogation from the shark finning legislation in order to allow UK-registered vessels to remove shark fins at sea; and urges the Government to lead the way in Europe by ceasing provision of special permits to remove shark fins at sea, thus enforcing the original intention of the shark finning legislation, and supporting improved shark fisheries monitoring, management and conservation measures. |
| 1196 | TAX STATUS OF NON-PARTY POLITICAL PEERS | 26:3:09 |
| Mr Gordon Prentice | | Peter Bottomley | | Paul Flynn | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Mr Martin Caton | | Mrs Janet Dean |
| That this House notes with approval the revised criteria to be used by the House of Lords Appointments Commission in respect of new non-party political peers, requiring nominees to be resident in the UK for tax purposes and to confirm their acceptance of the requirement to remain so. |
| 1201 | WINTER FUEL PAYMENTS FOR PEOPLE WITH SPINAL CORD INJURIES | 26:3:09 |
| Ms Katy Clark | | Mr Charles Kennedy | | Lindsay Roy | | Peter Bottomley | | Sandra Osborne | | Sir Robert Smith |
| That this House notes that people with paralysis and serious spinal cord injury have an impaired ability to regulate their body temperature due to an inability to constrict their blood vessels; further notes that this often leads to people with serious spinal cord injuries having to heat their homes at higher temperatures than other households and therefore increasing many of their fuel bills; expresses concern that many single people with spinal cord injury who have a carer or who do not live alone only have access to a minimum income of £84.40 or £96.70 depending on the level of disability living allowance they receive; and calls on the Government to make people with spinal cord injury eligible for either the £200 annual winter fuel payments currently paid to pensioners or an equivalent winter fuel payment scheme. |
| 1208 | OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING SAVE XMAS CAMPAIGN | 27:3:09 |
| John Mason | | Bob Spink | | Peter Bottomley | | Dr Brian Iddon | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | Lynne Jones |
| That this House supports the Office of Fair Trading Save Xmas campaign which was established in response to the Farepak collapse and encourages households to start saving now for Christmas 2009; welcomes the campaign's sensible advice for savers at a time of economic uncertainty, with jobs at risk and poor interest rates; and expresses continued concern that victims of the Farepak Christmas collapse in 2006 are still waiting to receive compensation. |
| 1212 | SAVE OUR HIGH STREETS CAMPAIGN | 27:3:09 |
| John Mann | | Bob Spink | | Peter Bottomley | | Sir Nicholas Winterton | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Jeremy Corbyn |
| That this House welcomes the Daily Mirror and Federation of Small Businesses' Campaign to Save Our High Streets which calls for monthly instead of quarterly rents to ease bills, the abolition of upward only rent reviews, and measures to force banks to lend to small business firms again; believes that local town centres are the lifeblood of the local community, providing jobs, services and entertainment; and calls on the Government to work with partners to save the UK's high streets and help communities through this difficult period. |
| 1213 | TEACHER TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT | 30:3:09 |
| Mr Fabian Hamilton | | Mr Phil Willis | | Mr Tim Boswell | | Kelvin Hopkins | | Bob Spink | | Mr John Leech |
| That this House is concerned that initial teacher training and continuing professional development available for teachers does not adequately train them to use the resources available in a twenty-first century classroom; believes that because of this the potential of ICT resources such as interactive whiteboards and virtual learning environments is not being fully exploited; and calls on the Government to support teachers' development in the context of their schools' present and future needs. |
| 1221 | SATURATED FATS | 30:3:09 |
| Mike Penning | | Mr Andrew Lansley | | Mr Mark Prisk | | Greg Mulholland | | Mr Peter Bone | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle |
| That this House congratulates Asda, Boots, The Co-operative Group, Iceland, Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose for their commitment to reducing the levels of saturated fat consumed in the UK; welcomes retailers proactively taking voluntary steps to reformulate existing foodstuffs, introduce lower fat alternatives of popular products, use labelling to inform consumers of the levels of saturated fat in their food and use their understanding of consumer purchasing behaviour to raise awareness and develop long-lasting change; recognises that tackling the nation's obesity crisis requires a multi-faceted approach; and further welcomes members of the British Retail Consortium leading by example and playing their part. |
| 1233 | CLIMATE CHANGE (SECTORAL TARGETS) BILL | 31:3:09 |
| Mr Martin Caton | | Mr David Heath | | Joan Walley | | Mr David Chaytor | | Colin Challen | | Mr Michael Meacher |
| | Mr Ronnie Campbell | Jo Swinson |
| That this House welcomes the Climate Change (Sectoral Targets) Bill introduced on 11 February by the hon. Member for Gower, which would require the Secretary of State to set long-term targets for energy efficiency in the domestic and non-domestic sectors, for renewable energy, for microgeneration and for other low carbon sources of energy generation in order to satisfy all of the UK's energy needs, provide for security of supply and also help achieve carbon reduction targets; notes that the Bill would also require a strategy to be drawn up and implemented by the Secretary of State in order to achieve those targets, and believes that such an approach will provide an immediate, flexible, realistic and cost-effective way of delivering the stated objectives of energy policy which would also create jobs and help regenerate the economy. |
| 1235 | ALLEGATIONS OF WAR CRIMES IN GAZA (No. 2) | 31:3:09 |
| Martin Linton | | Ms Karen Buck | | Dr Phyllis Starkey | | Richard Burden | | Andrew George | | Bob Russell |
| That this House notes the allegations which have been made in respect of war crimes committed during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009 on the basis of investigations by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and The Guardian newspaper; notes that these allegations include the use of human shields, unmanned aerial vehicles and the targeting of medical staff and medical facilities, all of which are prohibited under the Fourth Geneva Convention; recalls that Britain is a High Contracting Party to the Convention and is, therefore, legally required to uphold its provisions; and urges the Government to call for an independent inquiry sanctioned by the UN Security Council into allegations of war crimes during Operation Cast Lead. |
| 1239 | CONTACTPOINT DATABASE | 31:3:09 |
| Annette Brooke | | Mr David Laws | | Bob Russell | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Paul Holmes | | Mr Colin Breed |
| That this House notes the announcement of another delay to the implementation of ContactPoint because of further concerns about the accuracy and security of the database; expresses concern over the safety implications of such a vast database containing potentially sensitive information in the light of security breaches in various Government departments; further expresses concern over the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's recent report stating that the database is almost certainly illegal under human rights and data protection law; further notes continued concerns over the projected cost of ContactPoint; further notes the conclusion of the House of Lords Select Committee on the Merits of Statutory Instruments that the Government has not conclusively demonstrated that a universal database is a proportionate response to the problem being addressed; and therefore calls on the Government to scrap the database. |
| 1240 | SIZES OF MODELS | 31:3:09 |
| Richard Younger-Ross | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | Paul Holmes | | Peter Bottomley | | Bob Spink | | John Hemming |
| That this House notes that approximately 24,000 16 to 18 year old women and men suffer from anorexia; further notes that for many the desire to be thin is driven by societal pressures that determine thin as beautiful; further notes that such pressures are fuelled by the media and fashion magazines, and therefore welcomes those positive images for average-sized and larger women such as the selection of Crystal Renn, a size 16, as the face and body of Evans and the promotion of this in the April edition of Cosmopolitan magazine; and therefore calls on all in the fashion industry to select models who are of larger sizes for inclusion in magazines. |
| 1248 | CONFLICT PREVENTION | 1:4:09 |
| Simon Hughes | | Mr Gary Streeter | | John McDonnell | | Peter Bottomley | | Bob Spink | | John Hemming |
| That this House recognises that for every dollar spent globally on conflict prevention nearly two thousand times as much is spent on defence and the military; applauds the many local initiatives around the world that help to prevent conflict; calls on the Government to carry out a study into the cost-effectiveness of local and regional peace building initiatives in the run up to the Global Summit on Security and Peace Building in 2010; and encourages the Government through the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to give greater priority to conflict prevention work and in particular to fund from existing resources more local conflict prevention initiatives. |
| 1250 | REPORTING ON CARBON LIABILITIES | 1:4:09 |
| Colin Challen | | Mr Tim Yeo | | Simon Hughes | | Peter Bottomley | | John Hemming | | Mr David Drew |
| | Mr Ian Taylor | Ms Diane Abbott | Charlotte Atkins | | | Mr Jim Cunningham | Mr Phil Willis | Tony Lloyd | | | Mrs Joan Humble | Mr Joe Benton | Alun Michael | | | Lady Hermon | Jim Sheridan | Jenny Willott | | | Jo Swinson | Greg Mulholland | Lorely Burt |
| That this House acknowledges the need to mitigate and adapt to climate change; looks forward to a successful global deal on climate change at Copenhagen later this year; notes that in a future carbon-constrained world businesses will need to account for the carbon intensity of their operations and products, particularly in the oil, gas and power sectors; believes that transparent reporting of the lifecycle carbon impacts of these operations and products as financial liabilities is the best way to enable investors and pension funds to factor in carbon risks to investment analysis and support emissions reductions and low-carbon growth; further notes the massive hidden carbon costs of the exploitation of unconventional fossil fuels such as oil sands, which emit on average three times more carbon dioxide in their extraction and production than conventional oil and represent a significant carbon risk for investors; also notes that new coal-fired power stations have lifespans of over 40 years; and therefore calls on the Government to require all UK-listed companies in the oil, gas and power sectors to report on their total carbon liabilities. |
| 1251 | CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING | 1:4:09 |
| Mr Fraser Kemp | | Mr Lee Scott | | Peter Bottomley | | Bob Spink | | Mr David Drew | | Jeremy Corbyn |
| That this House welcomes the recent Written Ministerial Statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health announcing that the Independent Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening will now formally review all available evidence relating to the issue of screening women under 25 years old and take evidence from interested parties; and congratulates families, individuals and the cervical charity Jo's Trust on their campaigning work; and hopes the results of the review will result in a reduction in the number of women who develop invasive cervical cancer and the number of women who die from it. |
| 1252 | SATELLITE NAVIGATION DEVICES | 1:4:09 |
| Norman Baker | | Mr John Leech | | Mark Hunter | | Peter Bottomley | | Bob Spink | | John Hemming |
| That this House is extremely concerned that satellite navigation devices (sat navs) continue to direct large vehicles down narrow and unsuitable routes; notes with regret that this has a serious impact upon other road users and many communities; and calls on the Government to eradicate this problem by ensuring that sat navs take account of the height, width and length of the vehicle before selecting a route. |
| 1253 | FURTHER PARLIAMENTARY OMBUDSMAN REPORT ON EQUITABLE LIFE | 1:4:09 |
| Daniel Kawczynski | | Peter Bottomley | | Bob Spink | | John Hemming | | Jeremy Corbyn | | Sir Nicholas Winterton |
| That this House notes the findings of the report by the Parliamentary Ombudsman on Equitable Life; further notes the Ombudsman's letter to all hon. Members in which the Ombudsman indicated her intention to take the unusual step of using powers under the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 to present Parliament with a further report; recognises the vital role the Ombudsman plays in public life; reaffirms the duty of Parliament to take adequate account of the Ombudsman's decisions; and further notes with concern that over 30,000 Equitable Life policyholders have died without seeing their situation resolved since the Society's near-collapse in 2000. |
| 1260 | WOMEN IN AFGHANISTAN | 1:4:09 |
| Ms Katy Clark | | Jo Swinson | | Ms Diane Abbott | | Laura Moffatt | | Michael Connarty | | Mark Fisher |
| That this House deplores the actions of President Hamid Karzai for recently introducing a law severely curtailing the rights of Afghan women; expresses its gravest concerns that reportedly under this law women must seek the permission of their husband to work, go into education or seek medical treatment; condemns the fact that this law may legalise marital rape and believes that this would violate both the United Nations Convention on Human Rights and the Afghan constitution; notes that the United Nations and leading human rights activists have expressed serious criticisms about the law; and calls on the Government to condemn strongly this law and seek immediate talks with President Karzai on the subject and urge him seriously to reconsider the move. |
| 1261 | PRESCRIPTION CHARGES (No. 2) | 1:4:09 |
| Mr Russell Brown | | Michael Connarty | | Sandra Osborne | | Mr David S. Borrow | | Mr Bob Laxton | | Mr Tom Harris |
| That this House notes that from 1 April 2009 cancer patients will be exempt from prescription charges in England, whereas in Scotland they will be required to pay £4 per prescription; congratulates the Government for this targeted and responsive measure and is disappointed that the devolved Scottish administration has failed to provide similar support to those requiring prescription drugs to deal with cancer in Scotland in a similarly timely manner. |
| 1263 | OFGEM AND PREPAYMENT METER PRICES | 1:4:09 |
| Bob Spink | | Peter Bottomley | | David Taylor | | John Hemming | | Kelvin Hopkins | | Mrs Ann Cryer |
| That this House welcomes Ofgem's proposals to ban unjustified price differences; notes that Ofgem's measures will prevent the very worst differentials of up to £500 but feels these new proposals do not go far enough as online direct debit prices will be far lower than prepayment meter prices; and calls on Ofgem to ensure that prepayment meter customers do not pay a penny more than quarterly billed customers. |
| 1271 | RAILWAY SERVICES AND JOBS | 1:4:09 |
| John McDonnell | | Mr David Drew | | David Taylor | | Jeremy Corbyn | | Kelvin Hopkins | | Lynne Jones |
| That this House notes rail transport can provide a lower carbon emission alternative to the car and lorry; believes the railways during the recession can be a powerhouse for promoting green jobs, a green stimulus to the economy and managed in a way which alleviates the effects of the economic downturn; is therefore dismayed that despite being heavily reliant on billions of pounds of Government subsidy, thousands of passenger services, infrastructure and freight jobs are being threatened or have been lost on the railways and London Underground with the Government in effect subsidising redundancy; is appalled that these cuts will also affect the level and quality of service and are taking place despite private railway companies continuing to pay a dividend to shareholders and presiding over the most expensive fares in Europe; supports the call of the rail unions for an immediate industry-wide moratorium on cuts in jobs and services on the railways and London Underground and a freeze in dividends with all profits instead invested to protect services and jobs; and further believes that the Government should create an integrated, publicly-owned and accountable people's railway where passengers and workers have a real voice, which puts people before profit by ensuring all revenues are used to safeguard and expand rail services, jobs and skills, to expand electrification, develop high speed lines and introduce affordable and fair fares. |
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mr Nigel Evans | | Mr David Crausby | | Jim Dobbin | | Jon Cruddas | | Mr Alan Meale |
| That this House notes with concern the number of pubs and clubs that are struggling to survive, particularly during the current economic downturn; recognises that the most significant difficulty facing pubs is being tied into contracts with the brewers in relation to the purchase of alcohol which restricts the ability to make profits; and calls on the Government to outlaw the pub tie and allow landlords greater flexibility in the purchasing of alcohol in addition to reviewing the duty placed on alcohol in order to ensure that this reflects alcohol volume rather than flat rate increases in duty. |
| 1278 | ON-PACK RECYCLING LABEL | 2:4:09 |
| Miss Anne McIntosh | | Mr Richard Benyon | | Angela Watkinson | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Mr James Gray |
| That this House welcomes the launch of the British Retail Consortium's (BRC's) On-Pack Recycling Label, which is supported by the Waste and Resources Action Programme; notes that the label will help to support consumers to recycle more packaging; further notes that the label will help local authorities and others to increase recycling rates for those materials that could be recycled but that currently have low collection and recycling rates; supports the BRC's aim to encourage at least 60 retailers and suppliers to join the scheme by the end of 2009; and calls on as many companies as possible to support the scheme. |
| 1280 | HEALTH SUPPORT IN SCHOOL | 2:4:09 |
| Mr Jim Cunningham | | Peter Bottomley | | Andrew George | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Bob Spink | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle |
| That this House notes with considerable concern that the health of around a million children with specified health conditions, including asthma, cancer, coeliac disease, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, epilepsy, heart conditions, HIV, mental health problems, multiple sclerosis, sickle cell disease and conditions that can cause stroke, is put at risk because they are not receiving sufficient support at school; further notes that poor support at school stops children from fulfilling their potential; recognises that while guidance on medicines in schools remains voluntary, inequality of experience will continue; and acknowledges that by providing better support, children with medical needs will have improved health outcomes and reduce the financial burden on the NHS. |
| 1282 | NUCLEAR WEAPONS CONVENTION | 2:4:09 |
| Jeremy Corbyn | | Frank Cook | | Paul Holmes | | Peter Bottomley | | Paul Flynn | | Michael Connarty |
| That this House notes the forthcoming 41st anniversary of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty; further notes the continued failure of the international community to abolish nuclear weapons or prevent their further proliferation; endorses the unanimous opinion of the International Court of Justice that there exists an obligation to pursue in good faith, and bring to a conclusion, negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control; further notes the recent 10th anniversary of the submission of a model nuclear weapons convention by Costa Rica to the United Nations for discussion; and calls upon the Government to work to achieve progress on multilateral negotions with the aim of achieving implementation of a nuclear weapons convention by 2020. |
| 1286 | SAVINGS SUMMARY BOX | 2:4:09 |
| Dr Vincent Cable | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Peter Bottomley | | Bob Spink | | Mr Adrian Sanders | | Bob Russell |
| | Mr Edward Davey | Angus Robertson | Jo Swinson |
| That this House recognises that recent cuts in interest rates have led to a significant loss of income for many savers; condemns the fact that most savings statements do not clearly indicate the correct current interest rate of the account and that Bank of England interest rates have changed dramatically over the last six months, leaving many savers confused about the level of interest which they are receiving; notes that there is no technical barrier to publishing a bespoke rate; calls on the Financial Services Authority to give savers the same protection as credit card holders by mandating savings account providers to include a savings summary box in every online and paper statement; further calls on the Financial Services Authority to require that this summary box include the current bespoke interest rate, bonus rates including expiry date, penalties for withdrawal and lay out what institution the account is linked to for the purposes of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme; and anticipates that this simple step will greatly improve the transparency of many savings accounts, enabling hard-pressed savers to ensure they are maximising their savings. |
| 1287 | SCIENTIFIC PROCEDURES USING ANIMALS AND THE 3RS APPROACH | 20:4:09 |
| Mr George Howarth | | Peter Bottomley | | Bob Spink | | Mr Martin Caton | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | Lynne Jones |
| That this House notes that it is 50 years since the introduction of the 3Rs approach of replacement, refinement and reduction with regard to scientific procedures using animals; recognises the continuing importance of the use of animals in developing cures and treatments for several serious and life threatening diseases; further notes the excellent work of the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction in this field; celebrates the fact that the welfare of animals monitoring and control in the UK is more ethically focused and effective than in many other parts of the world; and urges the Government to continue to promote the 3Rs. |
| 1296 | MARGARET HAYWOOD AND STANDARDS OF CARE | 20:4:09 |
| Mr Paul Burstow | | Mr Adrian Sanders | | Peter Bottomley | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | Mr John Leech | | Andrew George |
| That this House supports nurse Margaret Haywood who raised issues of concern around poor patient care; believes that Margaret was justified in exposing the worrying conditions at her local hospital and that the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) was wrong to strike her off the nursing register; notes the e-petition in support of Margaret Haywood organised by the Royal College of Nursing; calls on the NMC to reverse its decision; and further calls on the Government to take steps to ensure that the procedures and protection afforded to whistleblowers are understood and applied by all in positions of responsibility in the NHS. |
| As an Amendment to Mr Paul Burstow's proposed Motion (Margaret Haywood and Standards of Care): |
| Line 8, at end add `including the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and the University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust.'. |
| 1298 | DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN THE UK | 20:4:09 |
| Ms Diane Abbott | | Bob Russell | | Lynne Jones | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Bob Spink | | Jim Dobbin |
| That this House is concerned at the consistently high levels of domestic violence taking place in the UK; is alarmed that recent statistics suggest two women a week are killed by their male partner or former partner; recognises the severe effects of domestic violence on children who witness or experience incidents of violence; further recognises the links between domestic violence and homelessness, miscarriage and mental health problems; notes the estimated overall costs of domestic violence to the Government for England and Wales is £25 billion per year; and calls on the Government to increase funding for organisations working to support victims of domestic violence, including specific provisions for children staying in refuges with their mothers, to increase awareness-raising work in schools and medical centres and to address the variation in quality of service provision across the country. |
| 1299 | RIGHTS OF TRIBAL AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES | 20:4:09 |
| Martin Horwood | | Mr David Drew | | Harry Cohen | | Andrew George | | Bob Russell | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle |
| | Jo Swinson | Lynne Featherstone |
| That this House welcomes the 20th anniversary of International Labour Organisation Convention 169 on Tribal and Indigenous Peoples, which recognises and respects the land rights of indigenous peoples; notes that protecting the land rights of indigenous peoples is the most effective way to protect the world's rainforests, crucial in the battle against climate change; further welcomes a memorandum submitted to the Environment Audit Committee by the Department for International Development and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which recognises the importance of ensuring indigenous peoples' rights are respected in terms of ownership of the carbon asset; notes the Government's continued refusal to put these rights on a firm legal footing and ratify Convention 169, on the grounds that there are no indigenous peoples in the United Kingdom; further notes that this has not prevented either the Netherlands or Spain from joining the list of 20 countries, including Brazil, that have ratified the Convention; believes that protecting the rights of indigenous peoples is a matter of international concern; and calls on the Government to ratify Convention 169 without delay. |
| 1301 | OVERSEAS AID BUDGETS | 20:4:09 |
| Pete Wishart | | Bob Spink | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Martin Caton | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | Lynne Jones |
| That this House recalls the commitments made by the UK Government at the G8 in 2005 to increase aid spending and reduce poverty; is very concerned by reports that the Chancellor of the Exchequer is considering cuts to the overseas aid budget; and believes that economic downturns should not be used as an excuse to renege on aid commitments. |
| 1306 | RADIO SPECTRUM FOR PORTS AND AIRPORTS | 21:4:09 |
| Mr Austin Mitchell | | Peter Bottomley | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | John McDonnell | | Kelvin Hopkins | | Mr Mike Hancock |
| That this House, concerned that the radio spectrum used by United Kingdom ports and airports is essential for the safety of aircraft and shipping and mandated under international agreement, rejects the proposal from Ofcom that administered incentive pricing should be applied to the spectrum used by ports and airports, on the grounds that this would be a tax on safety which would have to be passed on to customers in higher charges and would therefore damage the competitiveness of British ports and airports; and proposes that the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform veto any proposal to apply charges to the spectrum used by ports and airports. |
| 1307 | HON. MEMBER FOR ASHFORD | 21:4:09 |
| Sir Menzies Campbell | | Mr Frank Field | | Mr Michael Howard | | Mr William Cash | | Peter Bottomley | | Andrew George |
| That this House notes the statement of the Director of Public Prosecutions on 16 April 2009 announcing his decision that no charges would be brought against the hon. Member for Ashford in relation to the documents leaked and stating that, `Mr Green's purpose in using the documents was apparently to hold the Government to account'; and calls for the House to be given the opportunity to debate a motion to refer the matter to the Committee on Standards and Privileges. |
| 1308 | SECRET EVIDENCE | 21:4:09 |
| Ms Diane Abbott | | Mr David Drew | | David Lepper | | Sarah Teather | | Lynne Featherstone | | Peter Bottomley |
| | Mr Paul Keetch | Clare Short | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | | Mark Lazarowicz | Norman Lamb | Pete Wishart | | | Jo Swinson | Julia Goldsworthy | Mr Angus MacNeil |
| That this House believes the use of secret evidence in UK courts is fundamentally wrong; notes that secret evidence is evidence held by the Home Office against an individual that neither the individual, nor their legal representation, may see; further notes that in recent cases secret evidence has been used to detain individuals in prison for up to three years without charge or trial; further notes that these individuals may also be put under a control order or severe bail conditions, greatly limiting their movements and ability to lead a healthy life; further believes that the use of secret evidence by the state against individuals runs entirely contrary to Habeas Corpus; recognises the European Court of Human Rights' ruling that detaining individuals on the basis of secret evidence is unlawful because detainees had not been able to effectively challenge the allegations against them; and calls on the Government to begin an immediate independent review into the use of evidence that is not ever heard by the defendant or their lawyer but which is used to justify indefinite detention, severe bail conditions or control orders. |
| 1309 | ENERGY PRICES (No. 2) | 21:4:09 |
| John Barrett | | Andrew George | | Bob Russell | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mrs Ann Cryer |
| | Mr David Clelland | David Cairns | Jo Swinson |
| That this House notes that natural gas wholesale prices have declined by 54 per cent. in the last year while the average British household has seen their gas bill decline by only around three per cent.; is aware that approximately 54 per cent. of the cost of supplying gas to consumers is made up by natural gas wholesale prices; recognises that if household gas bills had reduced at the same rate as wholesale prices, the average UK household would save over £200 per year; and calls on the Government to ensure that the prices charged by energy companies better reflect reductions in wholesale energy prices. |
| 1312 | OVERNIGHT ALLOWANCES FOR HON. MEMBERS | 21:4:09 |
| Mr Gregory Campbell | | Mr Peter Robinson | | Mr Nigel Dodds | | Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson | | Mrs Iris Robinson | | Sammy Wilson |
| That this House notes the statement from the Leader of the House regarding hon. Members' allowances and expenses; welcomes the move towards openness; notes with alarm that, in connection with the flat rate allowance proposal for overnight accommodation while engaged in parliamentary duties, some distinction may be drawn between hon. Members representing constituencies in Northern Ireland and other hon. Members; and would be appalled by and would totally oppose any outcome of this section of the proposals which would lead to payments being made to those who do not attend and carry out their duties in the House. |
| 1314 | SPEED LIMIT AND ROAD SAFETY | 22:4:09 |
| Keith Vaz | | Mark Durkan | | Andrew George | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Bob Russell | | Mr Mike Hancock |
| | Laura Moffatt | David Cairns |
| That this House welcomes proposals that would result in speed limits being reduced in areas where there is a high risk of accidents, in particular the recommendation that there be a 20 mph speed limit around schools and in residential areas; notes that between 2005 and 2007, 2,376 people were killed and 14,577 were seriously injured in road accidents where excessive speed was recorded as a contributory factor and that on average eight people die on the road every day; recognises the need for roads to be made safer; and calls for these recommendations to be implemented as soon as possible throughout the country. |
| 1317 | WORLD HEPATITIS DAY 2009 | 22:4:09 |
| Mr Bob Laxton | | Mr David Amess | | Dr Brian Iddon | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Jim Dobbin | | Mr David Crausby |
| That this House notes that 19 May 2009 is World Hepatitis Day; is concerned that more than 500 million people worldwide have either chronic hepatitis B or C which is equivalent to one in 12 of the global population; is deeply concerned that these two diseases kill one million people annually; believes that worldwide action is needed in order to save millions of lives; hopes that World Hepatitis Day will increase public awareness of hepatitis B and C in the UK and internationally; and urges the Government to give its full backing to World Hepatitis Day and to support the resolution calling for a world day for the struggle against viral hepatitis at the 62nd meeting of the World Health Assembly in May 2009. |
| 1318 | PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION TREATMENT CAMPAIGN | 22:4:09 |
| Chris Ruane | | Andrew George | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Mr Alan Meale | | Mr Greg Pope |
| That this House welcomes the announcement by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) that it has, following an outcry from patient groups and clinicians and with the agreement of Ministers, removed from its work programme the proposed appraisal of drugs for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PH); notes that 75 per cent. of PH patients are now alive two years after diagnosis and that if the earlier, preliminary, recommendations from NICE had been carried out, it would have been a sentence of death for a significant number of the PH patient community; further notes that these lifesaving treatments are subject to national specialist commissioning arrangements and are only available in eight specialist and world-renowned PH centres in the UK; is pleased that NICE and Ministers recognise that NICE could not add value to this existing guidance and so removed it from the work programme; congratulates the Pulmonary Hypertension Association UK on its campaign to ensure patients have access to these lifesaving drugs; and congratulates Ministers and NICE for taking a common sense approach to this issue. |
| 1326 | OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING SCAMS AWARENESS MONTH | 22:4:09 |
| Mark Williams | | Mr Roger Williams | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Mr Alan Meale | | Mr Mike Weir | | Paul Holmes |
| That this House welcomes the events organised as part of the Office of Fair Trading's Scams Awareness Month; notes with concern that an estimated three million United Kingdom consumers fall victim to scams sent by email, internet, post, text and the telephone, collectively losing £3.5 billion; recognises the success of the Scamnesty campaign, run in partnership with nearly 90 Local Authority Trading Standards Services, which calls on consumers to drop scam mailings they have received into designated Scamnesty bins or boxes at local libraries and public areas across the country, and which last year collected more than 15,000 mailings; and believes that widespread advice on how to spot scams will help people avoid being deceived in future. |
| 1328 | CHILD POVERTY IN MUMBAI | 22:4:09 |
| Keith Vaz | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Mr Alan Meale | | Hugh Bayley | | Paul Holmes | | Mrs Ann Cryer |
| That this House notes the serious problem of child poverty in Mumbai; congratulates Celador Films and Film4, the makers of Slumdog Millionaire, for their commitment to provide a £500,000 funding package to tackle child poverty in Mumbai; notes with grave concern recent media coverage regarding the child actors in the film, in particular Rubina Ali; welcomes the efforts of the Indian authorities to investigate these allegations; encourages other filmmakers to provide sufficient support for the communities in which they produce films; and calls on the Government to work with the Indian government and the organisations involved in the delivery of the funding package to ensure that the film leaves a positive legacy in Mumbai. |
| 1330 | FUTURE OF ROYAL MAIL (No. 2) | 22:4:09 |
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Jon Cruddas | | Mr David Crausby | | Jim Dobbin | | Colin Burgon | | Mr Alan Meale |
| That this House expresses concern following figures published by Compass which show that the sale of Royal Mail at this time would raise £900 million less than just a year ago; recognises that this significantly weakens the case set out by the Government for the part-privatisation of Royal Mail and also raises concerns about achieving value for money; believes that the involvement of the private sector is not required given that all sectors of the Royal Mail Group are now profitable; and calls on the Government to abandon its plans for part-privatisation of the Royal Mail as a matter of urgency, particularly given the current economic downturn, and to pursue alternative funding options which keep the Royal Mail wholly public and competing on a level playing field. |
| 1332 | MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS | 22:4:09 |
| Mr James Gray | | Mr Lee Scott | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Mr Alan Meale | | Mr Mike Weir | | Mr Nigel Waterson |
| That this House congratulates the MS Society, MS Trust, MS Resource Centre and MS Therapy Centre for their outstanding work in supporting people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) across the UK; but notes with concern the results of a recent YouGov survey that revealed common myths and misconceptions among the general public about how MS affects people's lives; regrets that only one in four people know that MS is most commonly diagnosed in people aged 25 to 34 years old and that 40 per cent. of the public were unable to name a single symptom associated with MS; but commends MS Awareness Week, taking place from 27 April to 3 May 2009, for helping to address these misconceptions about the often variable and fluctuating nature of multiple sclerosis. |
| 1333 | 100th ANNIVERSARY OF SUFFRAGETTES' PROTEST | 23:4:09 |
| Jo Swinson | | Lynne Featherstone | | Ms Katy Clark | | Ms Diane Abbott | | Mrs Eleanor Laing | | Mrs Theresa May |
| That this House commemorates the 100th anniversary on 27 April 2009 of the day that Margery Humes, Theresa Garnet, Sylvia Russell and Bertha Quinn, suffragettes from the Women's Social and Political Union, chained themselves to statues in St. Stephen's Hall to protest for the right of women to vote; pays tribute to those and all other heroic women who fought for the rights of women during a time when society, and Parliament, thought them undeserving of equal rights; admires their courage and dedication; encourages women to make full use of the hard-earned right to vote and to stand for election; calls on all parties to encourage women's political participation; and looks forward to a day when gender balance in Parliament becomes a reality. |
| As an Amendment to Jo Swinson's proposed Motion (100th Anniversary of Suffragettes' Protest): |
| Line 9, at end add `without positive discrimination but by the will and support of the electorate at the ballot box.'. |
| 1342 | WARM FRONT SCHEME (No. 2) | 24:4:09 |
| Mr David Crausby | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Dr Brian Iddon | | Jim Dobbin | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | Kelvin Hopkins |
| That this House welcomes the announcement in the recent Budget Statement to increase the level of grant available to householders through the Warm Front Scheme; recognises the maximum grants currently available are £2,700 and £4,000 and will be increased to £3,500 and £6,000 respectively; and calls on the Government to ensure that this increase will be administered exclusively to benefit people in households vulnerable to fuel poverty rather than the Warm Front service provider and the sub-contractors. |
| 1350 | FREE REGIONAL RAIL TRAVEL FOR PENSIONERS | 27:4:09 |
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mr David Crausby | | Mr Nigel Evans | | Jim Dobbin | | Mr Lee Scott | | Bob Spink |
| That this House welcomes the success of free bus travel for pensioners and disabled people; recognises the huge boost this has created in the use of bus services and the benefit this has brought to many pensioners, particularly those on lower incomes; realises that there are limits to the distance an individual can travel by bus; and therefore calls on the Government to work with rail operators to introduce a scheme of free regional rail travel helping pensioners travel even further afield free of charge. |
| As an Amendment to Mr Lindsay Hoyle's proposed Motion (Free Regional Rail Travel for Pensioners): |
| Line 6, at end add `but notes that first the Government should keep its promise of April 2008 and fully fund the cost of the national concessionary bus fares scheme instead of underfunding at least 10 councils by over £1 million per year, including Chesterfield Borough Council by £1.6 million per year, equal to 11 per cent. of that council's entire annual revenue, having wiped out the council's financial reserves and caused 45 job losses to pay for the bus scheme.'. |
| 1351 | UNITE FOR JOBS CAMPAIGN AND NATIONAL MARCH | 27:4:09 |
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mr David Crausby | | Jim Sheridan | | Jim Dobbin | | Jeremy Corbyn | | Kelvin Hopkins |
| | Mr Anthony Wright | Angus Robertson | Mr Alistair Carmichael | | | Dr John Pugh | Richard Younger-Ross | Stewart Hosie |
| That this House supports the Unite for Jobs national march organised by Unite; fully supports the union's Unite for Jobs campaign which calls for urgent action to defend jobs across the economy; particularly supports the need for a national strategy for creating and protecting jobs and having a clear road map out of this recession, for speedier access to credit from state-supported banks to ensure immediate cash for businesses and jobs, for the implementation of a temporary short-time working subsidy, for investment in schools, hospitals and homes to create green jobs and to support those most in need during the recession, and for greater protection for UK workers by increasing statutory redundancy pay, giving agency workers full redundancy rights and putting the UK on a level playing field with the rest of Europe; believes that hard working people across the country would significantly benefit from the introduction of these measures; and calls on the Government to work with Unite to ensure their implementation. |
| 1352 | BURTON ALBION FC BLUE SQUARE PREMIER CHAMPIONS | 27:4:09 |
| Mrs Janet Dean | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Bob Russell | | John McDonnell | | Colin Burgon | | David Taylor |
| That this House congratulates Burton Albion Football Club on winning the Blue Square Premier title and its promotion to the Football League; notes that this is the first time that Burton Albion will be playing in the Football League; commends the players and the leadership of Chairman Ben Robinson, Manager Roy McFarland and former Manager Nigel Clough; thanks the fans for their magnificent support over the course of this historic season; and looks forward to the Brewers building on this success in the future. |
| 1354 | AFGHAN WOMEN PARLIAMENTARIANS | 27:4:09 |
| Ms Sally Keeble | | Nick Ainger | | Mr Jim Cunningham | | Jim Sheridan | | Bob Russell | | John McDonnell |
| | Sandra Gidley | David Cairns |
| That this House supports the brave stance taken by women members of the Afghan parliament to attack the now shelved family law proposals drafted by the Karzai government, which potentially could have decriminalised rape; furthermore expresses concern that the Afghan government has drawn up legislation which amounts to severe restrictions to women's rights; and calls on the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to continue to express concern at the highest level over this issue and ensure that the Karzai government acts in a way that is consistent with the UN Charter on Human Rights and the Afghan constitution. |
| Mrs Anne McGuire | | Tony Baldry | | Mr Terry Rooney | | Hywel Williams | | Richard Younger-Ross | | Dr Hywel Francis |
| That this House expresses its gratitude to and respect for the six million people in the UK who provide unpaid help, care and support to a relative or friend who has an illness or disability; notes that the huge contribution that carers make is often unrecognised by society, communities and sometimes within carers' own families and that as a consequence of this lack of recognition carers go without the support they need; acknowledges that most will provide care at some point in their lives and need to have access to information and services and to be listened to; is concerned that professionals may not always understand the role of a carer, nor offer them appropriate support, which risks damaging carers' own health; further notes that Carers Week, a partnership of 10 national charities, takes place this year from 8 to 14 June, with the theme Carers: the UK's Secret Service; and believes that carers need to have a higher profile across all services and be prioritised alongside other groups at risk of social exclusion at a local and national level. |
| 1356 | HOUSE OF COMMONS CLEANERS | 27:4:09 |
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mr David Crausby | | Jim Dobbin | | Bob Russell | | John McDonnell | | Bob Spink |
| That this House recognises the invaluable contribution made by the House of Commons cleaners; notes that hon. Members depend on the vital services provided by these workers to ensure the smooth running of the House; expresses concern and disappointment that the House of Commons cleaners are receiving an hourly wage below the London Living Wage and that they have been waiting months for an agreed 45 pence rise in their hourly rate; and calls on KGB Cleaning and Support Services, the cleaners' employers, and the House authorities urgently to resolve this unacceptable situation and give these workers the pay they deserve. |
| 1359 | WORKERS' MEMORIAL DAY (NO. 2) | 27:4:09 |
| Mr Michael Clapham | | Jim Sheridan | | Mr Stephen Hepburn | | Jim Dobbin | | Mr David Crausby | | Sir Menzies Campbell |
| That this House notes that Tuesday 28 April is International Workers' Memorial Day; joins in remembering those who died as a result of work; calls on the Government to take measures to reduce the death toll caused by work by increasing resources for the prevention of ill-health and injury in the workplace; and welcomes the Government's consultation on official recognition for Workers' Memorial Day. |
| 1360 | ENGLISH HERITAGE AND THE PROPOSED PAY SYSTEM | 27:4:09 |
| John McDonnell | | Bob Russell | | Mark Fisher | | Mr David Drew | | Jim Cousins | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle |
| | Sandra Gidley | Ms Sally Keeble | Mrs Joan Humble | | | Sarah Teather | Dr John Pugh | Lynne Featherstone |
| That this House values the expertise and hard work of English Heritage staff based on sites across the country who preserve heritage sites for future generations; is concerned that over 800 staff who work in visitor operations are facing proposals for a new pay system that will have a drastic impact by introducing a complex pay system which rewards staff on higher salaries and penalises those on lower salaries and in visitor operations by introducing market rates, performance-related bonuses and regionalised levels of remuneration, setting levels for lower bands that are considerably below the current statutory salary; notes that visitor operations are the main source of revenue through on-site shops, membership sales, guide books, events and entry charges, and that visitor operations staff take tours, assist with site conservation and maintenance and educate school children; is concerned that many staff claim benefits to support working for English Heritage and under these proposals may find it financially impossible to do the job they are so proud of; and therefore urgently calls on the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to demand that English Heritage management scrap these proposals and ask HM Treasury for the maximum paybill increase of 3.7 per cent. to address the low pay issues in English Heritage. |
| 1365 | BREAKTHROUGH BREAST CANCER'S LYMPHOEDEMA SERVICES CAMPAIGN | 28:4:09 |
| Annette Brooke [R] | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | Dr Doug Naysmith | | Sir Nicholas Winterton | | Anne Main | | Dr Evan Harris |
| | Laura Moffatt | Richard Ottaway | Mr Michael Ancram | | | Sir Alan Beith | Mr Roger Williams | Mr Andrew Pelling | | | Lynne Featherstone |
| That this House believes that people with breast cancer who develop symptoms of lymphoedema should be able to access services which enable them to manage their condition more effectively; notes that current service provision may not in all areas provide the specialist services and treatment needed by people with lymphoedema; further notes that local services are vital to ensuring that the pain and discomfort of lymphoedema can be reduced; further notes that healthcare policies and initiatives have been introduced which if delivered would provide much needed lymphoedema services to those areas where they currently may not exist; further notes that more effective data gathering on the incidence of lymphoedema should be implemented at local and national level to ensure that high quality services can be developed and delivered where needed; and supports Breakthrough Breast Cancer's campaign Constant Reminder? - Living with Lymphoedema, which seeks to improve services for people who develop lymphoedema after breast cancer. |
|
[R] Relevant interest declared |
| 1366 | GANGMASTERS LICENSING AUTHORITY | 28:4:09 |
| John McDonnell | | Geraldine Smith | | Jim Sheridan | | Paul Holmes | | Stephen Pound | | Mark Durkan |
| That this House notes that the Gangmasters Licensing Authority was created in the aftermath of the Morecambe Bay tragedy to protect workers from exploitation in agriculture, horticulture, shellfish gathering and food processing and packaging; congratulates Gangmasters Licensing Authority staff for the good work they do to safeguard the welfare and interests of workers while ensuring that labour providers operate within the law; further notes that the limitations of the Authority's remit leaves workers in other industries vulnerable as gangmasters are diversifying into construction, textiles, catering and cleaning trades, outside the remit of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority; and therefore calls for a widening of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority remit to incorporate all vulnerable workers whether migrant or casual workers, and improved resourcing to enable the Gangmasters Licensing Authority to carry out its functions to achieve the best results possible. |
| 1369 | DEPRESSION AND ITS TREATMENT | 28:4:09 |
| Dr Brian Iddon | | Dr John Pugh | | Mrs Joan Humble | | Mr Nigel Evans | | Kelvin Hopkins | | Mr Andrew Pelling |
| | Laura Moffatt | Mr David Clelland |
| That this House welcomes the launch of the Depression Alliance's report Daring to Choose: ten ways to deliver choice for people with depression and anxiety; supports the work of the Depression Alliance and Depression Awareness Week, 20 to 26 April 2009; notes with concern that one in six people in the UK will suffer from depression in their lives; believes that choice is vital to empower people and combat stigma and discrimination; welcomes the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme but recognises that it needs to be integrated with a wide range of other services for it to be effective; and calls on the Government to make depression and anxiety an urgent public health priority, make available a full range of treatment options, psychological, pharmacological, social and others, and implement the recommendations set out in the Depression Alliance's report. |
| 1370 | ZERO-GRAZED LIVESTOCK | 28:4:09 |
| David Taylor | | Mr David Drew | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Mr Eric Martlew | | Bob Russell | | Stephen Pound |
| | Mr Edward Davey | Mr Jim Hood | Martin Horwood | | | Greg Mulholland |
| That this House notes the growing trend towards the zero-grazing of dairy cows, lambs and milk-producing goats; further notes that this process confines animals to sheds for all or most of the year; is concerned that such systems are unduly restrictive and oppressive and that the limited investigations that have so far been carried out point to a higher incidence of health problems such as lameness, mastitis, laminitis, acidosis and infertility; and calls on the Government to commission and make publicly available independent research that assesses the scale of zero-grazing of dairy cattle, goats and sheep in the UK, as well as the physical and behavioural problems associated with this method of livestock farming. |
| 1371 | CARERS' ALLOWANCE | 28:4:09 |
| Mr David Clelland | | Mr David Anderson | | John Cummings | | Mark Durkan | | Bob Spink | | Kelvin Hopkins |
| That this House believes that to mark the end of Carers Week positive action should be taken to improve support to carers by ending the anomaly of the cliff edge effect of earnings rising slightly above the carers' earnings limit, resulting in the loss of the whole allowance; and calls on the Government to make carers' allowance a fixed allowance, up-rated at the same time as other state benefits and paid to all carers, regardless of income and including retired carers, in the same way as child benefit is paid to all parents regardless of income. |
| 1373 | DEATH PENALTY IN TIBET | 28:4:09 |
| Kate Hoey | | Norman Baker | | Mr Frank Field | | John Mason | | Mr Chris Mullin | | Mr George Howarth |
| | Sandra Gidley | Richard Younger-Ross |
| That this House opposes the use of the death penalty; condemns the recent imposition of the death penalty by the Lhasa Intermediate People's Court on Tibetans, Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak, having found them guilty of arson attacks in Lhasa in March 2008 which led to confirmed deaths; further condemns the recent imposition of the death penalty, each with a two year reprieve, by the same court on Tibetans Tenzin Phuntsok, Kangtsuk and on a 21-year-old Tibetan woman, Penkyi, also for arson attacks in Lhasa in March 2008, which led to confirmed deaths; is concerned that evidence against these individuals is unsound, with one of the convicted found guilty on the basis of a confession only months after the UN Committee Against Torture concluded that China regularly uses torture as a means of extracting confessions in criminal proceedings; is further concerned that the trials of those named above were not conducted in accordance with judicial standards and that the death sentences passed are therefore unsafe; calls on the relevant Chinese authorities to rescind the aforementioned death sentences and to provvide unfettered access to Tibet and all Tibetan-populated regions, including court proceedings, for journalists, consular staff based in Beijing and independent observers; and further calls on the British Government publicly to raise its concerns regarding the cases with the Chinese government. |
| Andrew Rosindell | | Bob Spink | | Mr Lee Scott | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Sir Nicholas Winterton |
| That this House remembers the heroic campaign that followed the landings of allied forces at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli, on 25 April 1915; joins with all Australians and New Zealanders in commemorating the bravery of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who, together with their British colleagues and others, sacrificed so much in defence of freedom; expresses its pride at the close association that exists between the people of the three nations, bound together by language, history, culture and in sharing Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as Head of State; and commends all those involved in the organisation of this year's Anzac Day commemorations in London. |
| 1375 | ADVERTISING AND THE FUTURE OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL MEDIA | 28:4:09 |
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mr David Crausby | | Mr Nigel Evans | | Jim Dobbin | | Mr Alan Meale | | Bob Spink |
| That this House recognises the important role played by local and regional media; expresses concern about the huge difficulty facing local newspapers as advertising revenues plummet during the current downturn, resulting in staff, sub editors and editors facing redundancy, such as Vanessa Taylor at the Chorley Guardian, who is taking voluntary redundancy after over 20 years of providing quality journalism at the local newspaper; and looks to the Government and local authorities to support local newspapers through placing adverts in the paper as opposed to producing their own publications, which attracts advertising away from local newspapers and only further challenges the future of local newspapers. |
| 1376 | DEAF AWARENESS WEEK 2009 | 28:4:09 |
| Bob Spink | | Peter Bottomley | | Andrew George | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mark Durkan | | Mark Hunter |
| That this House notes that there are nine million deaf and hard-of-hearing people in the UK; and welcomes the opportunity to promote deaf awareness across all parts of society through Deaf Awareness Week, running from 4 to 10 May, involving over 100 deaf charities and organisations. |
| 1378 | IMPACT OF THE ECONOMIC RECESSION ON VOLUNTARY SECTOR | 28:4:09 |
| Bob Spink | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mark Durkan | | Sir Nicholas Winterton | | Jim Dobbin |
| That this House notes with concern the wide-ranging and adverse effects of the global economic recession; recognises the growing problem of unemployment facing British workers; commends those unemployed workers who have turned to the voluntary sector as a way to gain new skills, get a head-start in an highly competitive job market and make valuable use of their time out of work; and calls on the Government to further promote the merits of voluntary work and the benefits it offers people seeking a route back into employment. |
| 1379 | UNEMPLOYMENT AND OLDER WORKERS | 28:4:09 |
| Bob Spink | | Peter Bottomley | | Mark Durkan | | Sir Nicholas Winterton | | Mr David Drew | | David Simpson |
| That this House expresses concern at the recent sharp increases in unemployment; welcomes the Government's announcement of £1.7 billion of funding for Jobcentre Plus; notes that those over 50 years old have lost their jobs at the highest percentage rate over the past year and that the chance of older men finding future employment falls by a quarter each year they are out of the labour market; recognises that the skills, experience and contribution of older workers should not be lost to the economy; and calls on the Government to introduce a new package of support for unemployed people over the age of 50 years to be made available within three months of them losing their jobs and to train Jobcentre Plus staff to improve the support provided to older clients, including targeted work with older clients who need to change their careers, who face age discrimination and who sometimes need confidence-building for interviews. |
| 1381 | ACOUSTICS IN SCHOOLS | 28:4:09 |
| Bob Spink | | Mr David Drew | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | Dan Rogerson | | Glenda Jackson | | Jeremy Corbyn |
| | Charlotte Atkins | Mrs Joan Humble | Albert Owen |
| That this House is deeply concerned that new schools are being built which do not comply with government standards on acoustics; notes that children suffering from deafness are much less likely to get five good GCSEs than hearing children; agrees with the National Deaf Children's Society that deafness is not a learning disability and that poor quality acoustics is one of several barriers preventing deaf children being able to achieve their full potential; and calls on the Government to require new schools to be tested for acoustics pre-completion, to monitor and review the quality of acoustics in schools annually, and to ensure that all schools adhere to acoustic standards. |
| 1385 | SPECIALIST HELP FOR VETERANS | 29:4:09 |
| Angus Robertson | | Mr Mike Weir | | Stewart Hosie | | Bob Spink | | John Mason | | Mr Mike Hancock |
| That this House notes that Scotland is leading the way in helping ex-servicemen and servicewomen rebuild their lives as civilians; welcomes the establishment of a dedicated veterans' hub which will help those leaving the armed forces to access specialist help and support to get into work, find a home and increase their wellbeing; understands that this is the first time in the UK that specialist help and advice has been brought under one roof for veterans and their families; and believes that this is an excellent example of the Scottish government, Ministry of Defence, NHS and veteran charities all working together to deliver services that will improve the lives of veterans in Scotland. |
| 1389 | EXCHEQUER CONTRIBUTION TO THE PARLIAMENTARY CONTRIBUTORY PENSION FUND | 29:4:09 |
| Steve Webb | | Mr Frank Field | | Dr Vincent Cable | | Peter Bottomley | | Bob Spink | | Andrew George |
| That this House welcomes the fundamental review of the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund (PCPF) being undertaken by the Senior Salaries Review Board; but believes that until that review is complete the Exchequer contribution to the PCPF should not be increased beyond its 2008-09 level. |
| 1392 | PROTECTION OF RIVER HABITATS | 29:4:09 |
| Mr Oliver Heald | | Mr Peter Lilley | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Jeremy Corbyn | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Mr Gregory Campbell |
| | Mr Dominic Grieve | Mr Bernard Jenkin | Mr Simon Burns | | | Mr Humfrey Malins | Mrs Jacqui Lait | Nadine Dorries | | | John Hemming | David Howarth | David Mundell | | | Mr Ben Wallace |
| That this House believes that the chalk rivers of England provide a unique habitat for a rich diversity of fish, riparian creatures and rare plant species which is under serious threat; expresses concern at the recent Environment Agency finding that less than 20 per cent. of the rivers and lakes of England and Wales are currently at good status due to growing pollution, over-abstraction of water and habitat destruction; and calls on the Government to develop a plan to protect and enhance the condition of rivers, including the chalk rivers, setting firm and demanding targets. |
| 1394 | CHARITIES AND ICELANDIC BANKS | 29:4:09 |
| Mr Graham Brady | | Mr Michael Fallon | | Jim Cousins | | John Thurso | | Nick Ainger | | Mr Colin Breed |
| That this House urges the Government to accept the recommendations of the Treasury Select Committee report into the Banking crisis and the impact of the failure of the Icelandic banks (Fifth Report from the Treasury Committee, Session 2008-09, HC 402); notes the recommendation that on this occasion, all charities be compensated for their losses; and further urges the Government to take immediate action to compensate charities so that they can continue with their important work. |
| 1399 | RACIST BULLYING IN SCHOOLS | 30:4:09 |
| Keith Vaz | | Bob Spink | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Mr Alan Meale |
| That this House notes with concern the Teachers TV survey of education employees which found that 55.1 per cent. of respondents are aware of racist bullying in their school; further notes with alarm that 68.3 per cent. of respondents commented that their school does not have a strategy to help combat racist bullying; commends the work of the Anti-Bullying Alliance in attempting to counter bullying of all kinds; applauds the makers of Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks for drawing public attention to this important issue; and calls on the Government to provide sufficient resources to help ensure that schools successfully implement comprehensive strategies against racist bullying. |
| 1410 | WOMEN AND CYCLING | 30:4:09 |
| Jo Swinson | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Alan Meale | | Mr Martin Caton | | Bob Spink |
| That this House welcomes the Bike Belles initiative, recently launched by Sustrans, that seeks to persuade more women to take up cycling; notes that fewer than one in 10 women cycle more than once a month and that 79 per cent. of women think cycling is not suitable for them; further notes the many health benefits that cycling brings at comparatively low cost compared with many other methods of keeping fit; and therefore encourages more women to visit the Bike Belles website to see whether cycling could be right for them. |
| 1415 | PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS FOR STATE RETIREMENT PENSION | 5:5:09 |
| David Heyes | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Bob Russell | | Peter Bottomley | | Andrew George | | Bob Spink |
| That this House believes that the state retirement pension should become payable from the actual date that a person reaches pensionable age, rather than from the first Monday thereafter, as is currently the case; and calls on the Government to take the necessary steps to facilitate payment of pension from the actual date that a person reaches the age of entitlement. |
| 1416 | WELSH POLICE FORCES FUNDING | 5:5:09 |
| Jenny Willott | | Mark Williams | | Lembit Öpik | | Mr Roger Williams | | David T. C. Davies | | Mr Gregory Campbell |
| That this House is deeply concerned that the current system for funding Welsh police forces is leaving them seriously underfunded; calls on the Home Office to reform the central government grant funding system so that all Welsh police forces receive a fair grant based on their respective policing needs; and calls on the Home Secretary, Welsh Secretary and Welsh Assembly Government to ensure that the costs of both the extra duties involved in policing the Welsh capital city, and the large, sparsely populated rural areas of Wales are properly covered. |
| 1419 | MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY CAMPAIGN AND THE TRAILBLAZERS REPORT | 5:5:09 |
| Jo Swinson | | Bob Russell | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | Peter Bottomley | | Andrew George | | Bob Spink |
| | Mr Russell Brown | Mrs Iris Robinson |
| That this House welcomes the launch of a hard-hitting report by Trailblazers revealing that young disabled people face a more limited choice when travelling by public transport and pay more for the privilege; notes that this reduces independence and quality of life; commends Trailblazers on their very first campaign; further notes that Trailblazers is the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign's new exciting v-funded young campaigners' network which will turn the aspirations of young disabled people into action; and calls on the Government, local authorities and transport providers to act on the recommendations of Trailblazers and undertake a major review of accessibility policies. |
| 1422 | REPLACEMENT OF TRIDENT MISSILES | 5:5:09 |
| Mr Roger Godsiff | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | Bob Spink | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Mr Ken Purchase | | Mr Martin Caton |
| That this House believes that the spending of upwards of £20 billion capital on the replacement of the Trident missile system cannot be justified in view of the Government's other spending commitments, particularly as the Vanguard Class submarines which carry the missiles, supplied from the United States, will remain useable until 2024. |
| As an Amendment to Mr Roger Godsiff's proposed Motion (Replacement of Trident Missiles): |
| Mr Dai Davies | | John McDonnell |
| Line 4, at end add `but believes that in order to comply with obligations as a member state of the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Trident should immediately be entered into multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations.'. |
| 1423 | PARLIAMENTARY OMBUDSMAN AND EQUITABLE LIFE POLICYHOLDERS | 5:5:09 |
| Dr Vincent Cable | | Susan Kramer | | Daniel Kawczynski | | Derek Wyatt | | Mr Andrew Tyrie | | Dr Tony Wright |
| | Martin Salter | Joan Ryan | Mr David Heathcoat-Amory | | | Ms Gisela Stuart | Hugh Bayley | Mr Michael Jack | | | Geraldine Smith | Mr Stephen Hepburn | Mr Mark Francois | | | Richard Younger-Ross | David Mundell | Stewart Hosie | | | Mr Philip Dunne | Robert Neill |
| That this House notes the Parliamentary Ombudsman has taken the unusual step of using powers under the 1967 Act to present Parliament with a further and final report on Equitable Life; also notes that the Public Administration Select Committee's second report on Equitable Life, Justice denied? concluded that the Government response to the Parliamentary Ombudsman's report was inadequate as a remedy for injustice; recognises the vital role the Ombudsman plays in public life; reaffirms the duty of Parliament to support the office of the Ombudsman; believes the Government should accept the recommendations of the Ombudsman on compensating policyholders who have suffered loss; welcomes the formation of the All-Party Group on Justice for Equitable Life Policyholders; and notes with regret its necessary formation and the fact that over 30,000 people have already died waiting for a just resolution to this saga. |
| 1424 | NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE DISTRIBUTION MARKET | 5:5:09 |
| Simon Hughes | | Bob Russell | | Peter Bottomley | | Andrew George | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Mark Hunter |
| | David Lepper | Sandra Gidley | Julia Goldsworthy |
| That this House notes that newsagents across the country, as represented by the National Federation of Retail Newsagents and the Association of News Retailers, have expressed serious concern about the recent consolidation of the newspaper and magazine distribution market and the likely emergence of two regional monopolies; values the important role of independent newsagents and is concerned that these changes in the market may force many to close, restricting consumer choice and harming local communities, as well as causing up to 2,800 job losses in news distribution branches across the UK; and calls on the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to request that the Office of Fair Trading looks urgently at these recent developments in the distribution market and takes action to safeguard competition for the benefit of consumers, independent newsagents and distribution employees alike. |
| 1425 | RACISM IN FOOTBALL | 5:5:09 |
| Keith Vaz | | Peter Bottomley | | Andrew George | | Bob Spink | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Mr George Howarth |
| | Mr David Clelland | David Cairns |
| That this House welcomes the steps being taken by the Football Association to counter racism in football; applauds the proposals of the Football Association's working group on tackling Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in football to introduce tribunals to investigate racist and religious abuse at all levels of the game; encourages the football authorities fully to utilise the powers at their disposal to tackle all forms of abuse; recognises the need for the football community as a whole to unite to stamp out intolerance in the sport; and looks forward to the publication of the working group's report containing their full recommendations later in the year. |
| 1431 | SAFETY IN NUMBERS FOR CYCLISTS | 6:5:09 |
| Gwyn Prosser | | Sir Peter Soulsby | | Andrew George | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | Emily Thornberry | | Mr Don Foster |
| | Dr Howard Stoate | Mr Michael Fallon | Mr Anthony Wright | | | Mr Kevin Barron | Tony Lloyd | Stephen Hesford |
| That this House acknowledges the evidence that cyclists gain from safety in numbers, in other words cycling gets safer the more cyclists there are; welcomes the target in the Government's draft Road Safety Strategy to halve the risks of cycling within 10 years; believes that this target can best be met by also aiming for substantial increases in cycle use in order to maximise the safety in numbers effect, thereby also benefiting health, communities, the economy and the environment; urges that the Road Safety Strategy should tackle the fears which deter people from cycling, such as traffic speeds, irresponsible driving, hostile roads and junctions and lorries; and calls for cycle training to be made available to people of all ages so as to achieve more as well as safer cycling. |
| 1432 | LEHMAN-BACKED STRUCTURED PRODUCTS | 6:5:09 |
| Mr Edward Vaizey | | Tony Baldry | | Bob Spink | | Sir John Butterfill | | Adam Price | | Dr Richard Taylor |
| | Mr Keith Simpson | David T. C. Davies |
| That this House notes that more than 6,000 people invested more than £200 million of their savings in structured products backed by Lehman Brothers; further notes that such products were marketed as 100 per cent. secure by the companies that sold them, such as NDFA; is dismayed that, following the collapse of Lehman Brothers, investors appear to have lost their savings; and urges the Financial Services Authority to conduct a rapid and detailed investigation into the marketing of these products. |
| 1433 | CAROL ANN DUFFY'S APPOINTMENT AS POET LAUREATE | 6:5:09 |
| Mr John Leech | | Andrew Stunell | | Mark Hunter | | Mr Don Foster | | Andrew George | | Mr Edward Vaizey |
| | Mr David Clelland | David Cairns |
| That this House congratulates Carol Ann Duffy on being appointed Poet Laureate; notes that she is the first woman to hold the position; celebrates her contribution to the British literary landscape as well as that of Manchester; notes also her involvement in local events such as the Chorlton Arts Festival; and wishes her every success in the coming years. |
| Mr Michael Clapham | | Mr Dennis Skinner | | Mr Denis Murphy | | John Cummings | | Bill Etherington | | Mr David Hamilton |
| That this House welcomes the Government's acceptance of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council recommendations that osteoarthritis of the knee be declared an industrial disease for coal miners and payments under the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit scheme be made available shortly for those disabled by the condition; notes that certain firms of solicitors are seeking to make yet more money out of disabled miners by offering to assist them complete their application forms at a cost of £300 when applications to the Department of Work and Pensions are cost-free; and believes that this activity combined with the likelihood that litigation will grind on for years at an enormous cost makes an overwhelming case for the introduction of a no-fault compensation scheme. |
| 1440 | REGULATION OF VULTURE FUNDS | 6:5:09 |
| Ms Sally Keeble | | Tony Baldry | | Mr David S. Borrow | | Susan Kramer | | Mr David Anderson | | Mr Lee Scott |
| | David Lepper | Sandra Gidley | Gwyn Prosser | | | Mr Don Foster | Charlotte Atkins | Tom Levitt | | | Hugh Bayley | Ann Winterton | Mr George Howarth | | | Mr Denis Murphy | Mr Michael Moore | Sarah Teather | | | David Heyes | Annette Brooke | Angus Robertson | | | Mr Alistair Carmichael | Julia Goldsworthy | Emily Thornberry | | | Tim Farron |
| That this House expresses concern at the activities of vulture funds which seek to profiteer from the defaulted debts of developing countries; notes that the international community has already deemed many of these countries' debts unsustainable and agreed to cancel them; further notes the continuing actions brought by vulture funds which try to claim payment via international trade and even aid transactions with poor countries; is concerned at the use of UK courts for a high proportion of these cases; welcomes the work by the Jubilee Debt Campaign to highlight the activities of the vulture funds; supports the provisions of the Developing Country Debt (Restriction of Recovery) Bill introduced, with the support of a cross-party group of hon. Members, by the hon. Member for Northampton North to limit the activities of vulture funds; and calls on the Government to support this bill. |
| 1444 | SUPPLEMENTARY CHARGES FOR OXYGEN BY AIRLINES | 6:5:09 |
| Nick Ainger [R] | | Dr Richard Taylor | | Dr Vincent Cable | | Chris Ruane | | Mr Michael Clapham | | Sir Nicholas Winterton |
| | Robert Key | Mr Kevin Barron | Geraldine Smith | | | Mr Martyn Jones | John McFall | Richard Younger-Ross | | | Stephen Williams | Jo Swinson | Robert Neill |
| That this House recognises that patients with pulmonary hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, muscular dystrophy and other conditions require supplemental oxygen when travelling by air; is dismayed that the vast majority of airlines operating in the UK currently charge passengers requiring supplemental oxygen on flights; applauds the work of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, the British Lung Foundation and the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign to end the unfair financial impact of what is effectively a tax on the disabled; calls on all airlines flying from or through UK airports to allow passengers requiring in-flight supplemental oxygen to either bring personal oxygen equipment on board and use it, subject to necessary security checks, or to have supplemental oxygen provided for them by the airline, in both cases without charge; welcomes the recent decision by British Airways, Emirates and Cathay Pacific to drop all charges; notes that as of 1 May 2009 airlines in the United States of America will have to allow passengers requiring supplemental oxygen to be able to use their own portable oxygen concentrator free of charge; and urges all airlines operating in the UK to follow suit. |
|
[R] Relevant interest declared |
| 1447 | SCHOOL REPORT CARDS | 7:5:09 |
| Mr David Laws | | Mr David Heath | | Annette Brooke | | Stephen Williams | | Peter Bottomley | | Lynne Jones |
| That this House would welcome the introduction of school report cards provided that they give a broader and more meaningful assessment of school performance and quality; awaits the publication of the Government's White Paper on report cards later this year; welcomes the decision to abolish compulsory national curriculum tests at Key Stage 3; and believes Key Stage 2 tests are an important accountability measure but should be reformed and slimmed down with more teacher assessment coupled with external moderation to ensure high standards are maintained. |
| 1450 | PRISONS AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR | 7:5:09 |
| Paul Rowen | | Lynne Jones | | Jim Dobbin | | Mrs Linda Riordan | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mr Robert N. Wareing |
| That this House notes the recent trend towards privatisation of prisons; further notes the persistently low performance of such privatised prisons in the prison service league table and the prison quarterly league tables; questions the ability of privatised prisons to maintain prison discipline and a safe environment for prison employees; agrees with the Prison Officers' Association in its opposition to prison privatisation; and calls for an end to further privatisation of prisons including HMP Buckley Hall in Rochdale which is currently tendering private applications. |
| 1452 | POLITICAL PRISONERS IN BURMA | 7:5:09 |
| Andrew Stunell | | Mr Nigel Evans | | Peter Bottomley | | Lynne Jones | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Jim Dobbin |
| | Sandra Gidley | Mrs Iris Robinson |
| That this House welcomes the Free Burma's Political Prisoners Now campaign being organised by former political prisoners from Burma; congratulates the organisers on securing 250,000 signatures in support of the campaign; notes that more than 2,100 political prisoners languish in Burma's gaols, having committed no crime other than to want freedom and democracy, or to deliver aid to victims of Cyclone Nargis; expresses deep concern that political prisoners are deliberately being denied medical treatment; supports the call for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to make it his personal priority to secure the release of all of Burma's political prisoners; and calls on the Government to do all it can to assist the UN Secretary General in this objective. |
| 1455 | MIND WEEK CAMPAIGN ON MEN'S MENTAL HEALTH | 11:5:09 |
| Lynne Jones | | Tim Loughton | | Sandra Gidley | | Mr Lee Scott | | Peter Bottomley | | Andrew George |
| That this House supports the Mind Week campaign to raise awareness of men's mental health in England and Wales; notes that 75 per cent. of all suicides are by men and that one in seven men who experience prolonged unemployment will develop a mental health problem; is concerned that the recession will have a disproportionately negative effect on the mental health of men in England and Wales; and further supports Mind's call for greater awareness of men's mental health problems. |
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mr David Crausby | | Jim Dobbin | | Bob Russell | | Andrew George | | Bob Spink |
| | Sandra Gidley | Mr David Clelland |
| That this House welcomes the Government's announcement to equip all homes with smart meters by 2020; notes that smart meters will be a significant step forward in reducing the UK's energy use, cutting carbon emissions, making headway in the Government's pledge to create a smart grid and, further, significantly saving customers money; further notes that smart meters will end the need for utility companies to dispatch meter readers, estimate bills and employ large numbers of call centre staff, resulting in cost savings that can responsibly be passed on to customers; and looks forward to smart meters allowing customers increased awareness of their energy consumption and enabling an estimated two to three per cent. saving of their energy use each year, thereby cutting £100 million from UK bills by 2020 and reducing national carbon dioxide emissions by 2.6 million tonnes. |
| 1461 | EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES BILL | 11:5:09 |
| Mr John Prescott | | Mr Kevin Barron | | Mrs Betty Williams | | Clive Efford | | Mrs Anne McGuire | | Helen Southworth |
| That this House, in celebrating 10 years of the minimum wage, welcomes the above-inflation overall increase in its value over that time; notes with concern the proposal to give the Employment Opportunities Bill, which would abolish the minimum wage, a second reading; calls on the Leader of the Opposition to distance his party from attempts seeking to impoverish low paid workers by this means; and welcomes the Wage Concern campaign to protect the minimum wage. |
| As Amendments to Mr John Prescott's proposed Motion (Employment Opportunities Bill): |
| Mr Christopher Chope | | Mr James Gray | | Mr Greg Knight | | Philip Davies | | Mr John Whittingdale | | Mr Brian Binley |
| Line 1, leave out `celebrating' and insert `noting'. |
| Mr Christopher Chope | | Mr James Gray | | Mr Greg Knight | | Philip Davies | | Mr John Whittingdale | | Mr Brian Binley |
| Line 1, leave out from `welcomes' to end and add `the publication of the Employment Opportunities Bill which would inter alia give a right to work to asylum seekers whose applications for asylum are awaiting determination and which would also enable any employee who would otherwise qualify for entitlement to the national minimum wage to elect to opt out from such entitlement; notes that the Bill does not abolish the minimum wage; regrets that the right hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull East and his colleagues have failed to comprehend the contents of the Bill; and calls on them to bring to the attention of the public the contents of Clause 2(5) of the Bill which makes clear that nothing in the Bill shall require a person to take employment below the minimum wage and that no person shall suffer any detriment to their entitlement to national insurance benefits by reason of their unwillingness to take employment below the minimum wage.'. |
| 1462 | ARRESTS OF DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY PARTY MEMBERS IN TURKEY | 11:5:09 |
| John Austin | | Graham Stringer | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | David Lepper | | Bob Russell | | Peter Bottomley |
| | Mr Paul Keetch | Mr Tom Clarke | David Howarth |
| That this House is concerned about the recent wave of arrests in Turkey of members of the Democratic Society Party (DTP), a legal political party which, in the recent Turkish local elections, achieved a resounding endorsement from Kurdish voters; notes that the Party's success awakened hope for many millions of Kurds that their voice would be heard in Turkish politics; regrets that in responding to the DTP's electoral victories with repression, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is revealing itself to be little different from previous administrations which have refused to acknowledge the existence of a Kurdish issue and thus offered no solutions for resolving it; believes that it is the duty of all those who seek peace and stability in Turkey to support the responsible calls for a just democratic solution to the issue of the rights of the Kurdish people; calls for the immediate release of all those DTP members who have been arrested; and urges the UK Government to put the utmost diplomatic pressure on Turkey to turn away from conflict and to open negotiations with DTP leaders forthwith as it believes the DTP has a key role to play in any peace process and bringing stability to the region. |
| 1463 | INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY | 11:5:09 |
| Mr David Anderson | | Andrew George | | Mr Lee Scott | | John Cummings | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Bob Russell |
| | Mr David Clelland | Mr Paul Murphy | Mrs Iris Robinson |
| That this House joins the rest of the UK in celebrating International Nurses Day on 12 May which is also the birthday of the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale; recognises the vital role the nursing workforce plays in maintaining the health of the nation and the dedication and commitment they show in providing patient care in a wide variety of settings in which they work in the NHS, private sector and elsewhere; acknowledges the expertise, compassion and professionalism nurses display in treating patients of all ages from neonatal care to end-of-life provision; praises the wide range of specialist settings where nurses work as practitioners at the forefront of modernising the healthcare system and the role nurses play in the leadership and innovation of the NHS; and gives thanks to those nurses serving in the armed forces and recognises the essential role they play both in the UK and areas of conflict abroad. |
| 1465 | 64th ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION OF THE CHANNEL ISLANDS | 11:5:09 |
| Andrew Rosindell | | Jim Dobbin | | Mr Henry Bellingham | | Daniel Kawczynski | | Geraldine Smith | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle |
| That this House joins with the people of the Channel Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark in celebrating the 64th anniversary of their liberation by British military forces from German occupation on 9 May 1945; pays a heartfelt tribute to the courageous stand for freedom taken by the Channel Islanders during their years of occupation when, despite the extreme persecution and hardship they faced, they never lost hope that their liberation would take place; and calls on the Government to continue to fulfil its historic duty to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of the Channel Islands, guaranteeing their safety, freedom and independence for centuries to come. |
| 1471 | BOGUS COLLEGES | 12:5:09 |
| Mrs Janet Dean | | Mr Gary Streeter | | Tom Brake | | Martin Salter | | Peter Bottomley | | Jeremy Corbyn |
| | Mr Oliver Heald | Frank Dobson | Mr Graham Allen | | | Sarah Teather | Stewart Hosie |
| That this House believes that bogus colleges set up with the express purpose of enabling prospective immigrants to bypass ordinary UK immigration controls, and not providing education and training, prey on unsuspecting students from overseas and are damaging the reputation of UK education; and further believes that the future use of the word `college' in business titles should be restricted under the Companies Act 2006. |
| Mr Eric Martlew | | Miss Ann Widdecombe | | Mr David Drew | | Stephen Williams | | Ms Diane Abbott | | Mark Durkan |
| | Mr Don Foster | Dr Doug Naysmith | Tom Levitt | | | Andrew Miller | Stephen Hesford | Michael Connarty | | | Annette Brooke | Norman Lamb | David Howarth | | | Jenny Willott | Gordon Banks |
| That this House congratulates the League Against Cruel Sports for producing the report War on Wildlife highlighting the indiscriminate suffering caused by snares; notes a recent poll conducted by the League Against Cruel Sports in conjunction with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons which found that 90 per cent. of respondents were strongly behind a ban on snares; and therefore calls on the Government to outlaw the manufacture, sale and use of all snares. |
| 1475 | HOUSE OF COMMONS CATERING STAFF | 12:5:09 |
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Jon Cruddas | | Mr David Crausby | | Jim Dobbin | | Mr Bob Laxton | | Graham Stringer |
| That this House expresses concern and disappointment that the House of Commons catering grade staff are still waiting for their pay settlement from April 2008; notes the dedication and commitment of the House of Commons catering staff to delivering a first-class catering service in the House of Commons; believes it is unacceptable that these workers have not yet received the pay increases they deserve; and calls on the House authorities urgently to resolve this unacceptable situation. |
| 1476 | DETENTION OF TRADE UNIONISTS AND STUDENTS IN IRAN | 12:5:09 |
| John McDonnell | | Harry Cohen | | Peter Bottomley | | Mark Durkan | | Mr Robert N. Wareing | | Jeremy Corbyn |
| That this House notes with concern that during the May Day rally in Laleh Park, Tehran over 100 participants were physically attacked and arrested, including leading members of the Free Trade Union, and that at the May Day rally in Sanandaj in western Iran a further attack took place with 10 arrested; further notes that the Iranian authorities continue to detain Mr Mansour Osaloo, the President of the Tehran Bus Drivers Syndicate and students from the Freedom and Equality Seeking Activists movement; and calls on the Government to condemn these human rights abuses and to urge the Iranian government for the release of these detainees. |
| 1478 | 2009 LOCAL AUTHORITY ROAD MAINTENANCE SURVEY | 13:5:09 |
| Mr Christopher Chope | | Sir Nicholas Winterton | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Peter Bottomley | | Bob Russell | | Mr Greg Knight |
| | Sandra Gidley | Mr Roger Williams |
| That this House is appalled at the waste and neglect revealed in the findings of the 2009 Annual Local Authority Road Maintainance Survey; is concerned that the number of potholes on England's local roads has increased by a third in one year, that there is now a 13 year backlog of maintenance work and that the annual cost of compensating victims of pothole related incidents now exceeds £53 million; and calls on the Government to come forward urgently with an action plan to restore road and pavement surfaces to a standard that is safe for users. |
| 1481 | EARLY SETTLEMENT BY INSURANCE COMPANIES | 13:5:09 |
| Mrs Linda Riordan | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Bob Spink | | Jeremy Corbyn | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle |
| | Mr Ian Taylor | Michael Connarty | Mr Nigel Dodds |
| That this House is concerned that people who have been injured through no fault of their own are being subjected to high pressure tactics from some insurance companies; notes that such tactics can impede proper access to justice for injured people and compound their distress; believes that all injured people should be made aware of their right to independent legal advice; and calls on the Government to work with the Financial Services Authority to introduce regulation in this area to protect injured people. |
| 1482 | NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE UPRATING | 13:5:09 |
| John McDonnell | | Kelvin Hopkins | | Mr David Drew | | Ms Diane Abbott | | Mr Austin Mitchell | | Lynne Jones |
| That this House welcomes the 10th anniversary of the National Minimum Wage introduced by this Labour Government in 1999; further welcomes recent Government measures to extend the minimum wage to apprentices and to exclude tips from minimum wage calculations; notes that the Low Pay Commission states that the minimum wage has had no discernible adverse impact, in contrast to the dire warnings of the Conservative Party at the time of its introduction; is therefore disappointed that this year's uprating of the minimum wage is the lowest on record, barely over one per cent. and between 4p and 7p for different age groups; and calls on the Government to end the age discrimination in the minimum wage and to legislate so that the minimum wage should always increase above both inflation and average earnings so as to narrow the inequality gap. |
| As an Amendment to John McDonnell's proposed Motion (National Minimum Wage Uprating): |
| Mr Gordon Prentice | | Mr John Leech |
| Line 10, at end add `and to require employers to print on wage slips the rate of minimum wage in force after each uprating.'. |
| 1487 | MANDATORY MICROCHIPPING OF DOGS | 14:5:09 |
| Martin Horwood | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Adrian Sanders | | Ann Winterton | | Martin Linton |
| That this House is concerned that over 97,000 dogs are picked up as strays by local authorities annually; congratulates Speaking Out for Animals, the animal action club at Thorpe House School, Norwich for campaigning hard to promote the mandatory microchipping of dogs as a means of reducing the huge numbers of strays and for its work to promote responsible pet ownership; commends the Dogs Trust, RSPCA and other animal charities for microchipping all dogs at point of adoption; believes that microchipping should be compulsory for all dogs at the point of sale; and urges the Government to introduce legislation on the mandatory microchipping of dogs. |
| 1490 | AUNG SAN SUU KYI | 14:5:09 |
| Ann Clwyd | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Lee Scott | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Glenda Jackson | | Kelvin Hopkins |
| That this House deplores the decision of Burma's regime to move the democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi, to Insein prison to face charges relating to an incident involving a US citizen who broke into her compound last week; is dismayed by her unlawful detention under house arrest for 13 of the 19 years since the military junta refused to recognise the 1990 landslide victory of her party, the National League for Democracy; is concerned that this incident could give the military junta a convenient reason to extend her unlawful detention, which was meant to end shortly; is concerned about reports of a deterioration in Ms Suu Kyi's health; calls on the international community to do more to secure the release of political prisoners in Burma and to disregard the results of next year's elections if they are not free and fair; and applauds the European Union for extending its sanctions against the regime, including an arms embargo, a travel ban on Burma's leaders and a freezing of their assets in Europe. |
| 1491 | EQUITABLE LIFE COMPENSATION (No. 3) | 14:5:09 |
| John Barrett | | Mr Alan Reid | | Dr Evan Harris | | Richard Younger-Ross | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr George Galloway |
| | Sandra Gidley | Mrs Iris Robinson | Mr Douglas Carswell |
| That this House notes that the collapse of Equitable Life affected more than one million people; further notes that an estimated 32,000 people have died while waiting for just compensation; welcomes the Parliamentary Ombudsman's recent report Injustice Unremedied: The Government's Response to Equitable Life; accepts the report's findings that the Government's response was unsatisfactory; strongly supports the Ombudsman's previous recommendation for the establishment of a just compensation scheme; and calls for the Government to accept immediately all of the findings of the Ombudsman's original report. |
| 1497 | SEAT RESERVATION CHARGES AND NATIONAL EXPRESS | 14:5:09 |
| Norman Lamb | | Danny Alexander | | Bob Russell | | John Barrett | | Mr Phil Willis | | Greg Mulholland |
| That this House notes with disapproval the decision of National Express to introduce charges for seat reservations on its train services in East Anglia and on the East Coast Mainline; observes that the charge of £2.50 per single and £5 return journey is the highest seat-booking charge ever imposed by a private rail company in the UK and that it follows an increase of over 10 per cent. in its train fares over the last two years; further notes that the charge will only apply in standard class which will hit families and the elderly hardest as these groups often cannot risk being forced to stand on long train journeys; observes that the longest timetabled journey on National Express services is in excess of eight hours and that forcing people to pay extra to guarantee a seat on these services represents outrageous profiteering by National Express; further notes that National Express Group reported profits of £194 million last year; and calls on National Express to reconsider this unfair and disappointing policy as a matter of urgency. |
| 1499 | REDUNDANCIES IN UNIVERSITIES | 15:5:09 |
| Tony Lloyd | | Jon Cruddas | | Kelvin Hopkins | | Ms Katy Clark | | Chris McCafferty | | Frank Dobson |
| | Mr Edward Davey | Roger Berry | Mike Wood | | | Mr Marsha Singh | Mr Frank Doran | Michael Connarty | | | Annette Brooke | Colin Challen | John Hemming | | | Jo Swinson |
| That this House notes with extreme concern that up to 100 universities are currently planning redundancies, which amounts to two-thirds of higher education institutions cutting jobs; agrees that in a time of recession, higher education and higher level skills should be at the forefront of any plan for long term recovery, and that cutting jobs, course provision and student places is not in the interests of the economy or society; and calls on universities to work in partnership with the trades unions to provide a national plan to avoid cuts and defend provision, quality and access to higher education. |
| 1504 | BIG LOTTERY FUND AND HEROES RETURN 2 PROGRAMME | 18:5:09 |
| Nick Harvey | | Mr Gerald Howarth | | Dr Andrew Murrison | | Mr Gordon Marsden | | Derek Twigg | | Peter Bottomley |
| That this House welcomes the announcement of further funding from the Big Lottery Fund to support Second World War veterans wishing to attend overseas anniversary events throughout 2009 and 2010 to commemorate the end of the Second World War; notes that the Heroes Return 2 programme builds on over £16 million of previous funding from the Big Lottery Fund's Heroes Return programme that helped over 39,000 veterans, spouses, widows and carers to make commemorative trips to overseas Second World War battlesites; fully acknowledges the sacrifices that British servicemen and women made during the Second World War; recognises their bravery in defending the United Kingdom; and is pleased that this is rightly recognised through funding that will enable veterans to participate in commemorative visits across the world to mark the anniversaries of events that led to the end of the Second World War. |
| 1513 | LEGAL SERVICES COMMISSION | 18:5:09 |
| Kelvin Hopkins | | Jeremy Corbyn | | Ms Diane Abbott | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mr Martin Caton |
| That this House notes that the proposed restructuring of the Legal Services Commission (LSC) will lead to approximately 600 redundancies in England and Wales; is concerned that the level of redundancies is far too high given the current economic climate; and expresses serious concern about the negative impact this may have on the service delivery for the most vulnerable people in England and Wales requiring the services of the LSC, especially in a time of recession when the demand for legal aid services the LSC provides is increasing. |
| 1514 | MOBILE NUMBER PORTING | 18:5:09 |
| John Robertson | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Bob Spink | | Lynne Jones | | Mark Durkan |
| | Mr Paul Keetch | Mrs Joan Humble |
| That this House registers its concern about the slow progress made to fully reform the UK's mobile number porting system; believes that the current lengthy porting process undermines the ability of UK consumers properly to exercise choice; notes that the proposal made by Ofcom back in November 2007 would have enabled consumers to move their mobile number between operators within two hours rather than the two days it presently takes; regrets that the September 2009 deadline for the implementation of the new system will be missed; and calls on all mobile operators to support the delivery of two hour recipient led number porting for the benefit of UK consumers as a matter of urgency. |
| 1515 | WELFARE OF FARMED RABBITS | 18:5:09 |
| Mr Adrian Sanders | | Bob Russell | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Martin Caton | | Lynne Jones | | Mr Mike Hancock |
| | Mr David Amess | Mr Michael Mates | Sandra Gidley | | | Jim Dowd | Mike Wood | Mrs Joan Humble | | | Julie Morgan | Mr Roger Williams | Mr David Anderson | | | Martin Horwood | Mr Andrew Pelling |
| That this House notes with concern the lack of detailed regulations concerning the welfare of domestic rabbits farmed in the UK; believes that farmed rabbits should not be kept in cages as this practice is not consistent with good welfare; notes that the welfare of farmed rabbits, including breeding does, is improved by housing in enriched group pens that provide greater environmental complexity, freedom of movement and opportunities for social interaction; further believes that rabbits should be provided with sufficient height and floor space to allow them to adopt normal postures such as rearing up on their hind legs and to carry out meaningful exercise such as hopping; supports a provision for solid flooring to reduce foot injuries in rabbits; further believes that all farmed rabbits should have access to environmental enrichment, including hay or straw and wooden sticks or blocks for gnawing, and improved housing design that allows for hiding and retreat; supports the work of the Four Paws organisation in this area; and calls on the Government to introduce regulations to phase-out the keeping of farmed rabbits in cages and to make detailed provisions for their welfare. |
| 1516 | LANCE CORPORAL JOHNSON BEHARRY VC | 18:5:09 |
| Bob Russell | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mark Hunter | | Stephen Williams |
| That this House calls on all decent British citizens to condemn the British National Party (BNP) for stating on its website that Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry was awarded the Victoria Cross, not for bravery in the face of the enemy in Iraq in 2005 and saving the lives of comrades in two individual acts of great heroism as set out in the Citation, but for what the BNP disgracefully says was a `politically correct' decision by the Ministry of Defence for an action limited to the Grenada-born soldier driving away very fast from a combat zone; is proud that HM Armed Forces comprises men and women from all ethnic backgrounds, from the UK and the Commonwealth, plus Gurkhas from Nepal; notes as an historic fact that people of all racial groups served, and lost their lives, fighting fascism in the Second World War and thus helped to preserve this country's freedoms against such evils; deplores the use in BNP election literature of a false photograph of a British soldier, with false quote, claiming support for the BNP; and urges the Government to ensure that the British people are made fully aware that the BNP represents the views which Britain went to war to defeat. |
| 1517 | COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FINANCE | 18:5:09 |
| Dr Vincent Cable | | Bob Russell | | Bob Spink | | Peter Bottomley | | Stephen Williams | | Mr Martin Caton |
| | Julie Morgan | David Howarth | Julia Goldsworthy | | | Willie Rennie |
| That this House recognises that for the last decade the community development finance sector has been an effective way of providing loans and support to small businesses, social enterprises and entrepreneurs in deprived communities; further notes that these community development finance institutions have financed over 24,000 businesses and individuals, created 15,800 jobs and sustained 70,000 more; believes that this sector has the infrastructure and expertise in place quickly to deliver finance directly into the communities most affected by the downturn; and urges the Government to follow the lead set by President Obama in the United States by introducing measures to support these innovative organisations which are helping communities to help themselves out of recession. |
| 1518 | MARINE AND COASTAL ACCESS BILL [LORDS] | 18:5:09 |
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mr David Crausby | | Jim Dobbin | | Bob Spink | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Martin Caton |
| That this House congratulates the Government on the introduction of a bill to preserve the marine environment; notes the concerns expressed by the Wildlife Trust, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, World Wildlife Fund and the Marine Conservation Society to strengthen aspects of the Marine and Coastal Access Bill to ensure that effective conservation legislation is delivered; calls on the Government to bring forward amendments to provide that those causing reckless damage to marine conservation zones are as accountable as those found to be causing the damage purposefully; and further calls on the Government to address these issues and work with these organisations as the Bill progresses. |
| 1519 | SUPPORT FOR CARERS (No.2) | 18:5:09 |
| Mr Stephen O'Brien | | Angela Browning | | Tim Loughton | | Mr Simon Burns | | Mr Bernard Jenkin | | Mr Peter Bone |
| That this House recognises the vital role of carers in the lives of those they care for all year round; acknowledges the huge amount of time, effort and devotion involved; welcomes Carers Week 2009 as an opportunity to highlight the contribution of carers; thanks carers for the sacrifices they make in order to improve the lives of others; and recognises that helping carers is one of the best ways to help those they are caring for. |
| 1521 | PROBATION SERVICE | 18:5:09 |
| Mr Neil Gerrard | | David Howarth | | Mr Elfyn Llwyd | | John McDonnell | | Bob Russell | | Bob Spink |
| That this House urges the Government to ensure that the Probation Service in England and Wales has sufficient resources to ensure that it can carry out its statutory duties in an effective and efficient manner. |
| 1523 | TRIDENT REPLACEMENT | 18:5:09 |
| Bob Spink | | Mr Martin Caton | | Lynne Jones | | Mark Durkan | | Paul Rowen | | Mr John Leech |
| | Sandra Gidley | David Howarth | Jo Swinson |
| That this House values its unique role of scrutiny in the democratic process; and therefore calls on the Government to make no decision on Trident replacement during a Parliamentary recess. |
| 1524 | BRITISH ARMED FORCES RETURNING FROM IRAQ | 18:5:09 |
| Bob Spink | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Martin Caton | | Lynne Jones | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Mr Gregory Campbell |
| That this House warmly welcomes home the last of the British armed forces from Iraq; notes with great sadness the loss of 179 personnel with many others wounded or traumatised; and congratulates the UK's servicemen and women involved in the conflict on an excellent job and thanks them wholeheartedly. |
| 1527 | UK-US EXTRADITION TREATY | 19:5:09 |
| Chris Huhne | | David Howarth | | Mark Durkan | | Lynne Jones | | Peter Bottomley | | Andrew George |
| That this House notes that under the Extradition Act 2003 and UK-US Extradition Treaty, the United States is not required to provide prima facie evidence when requesting extradition from the UK, although the United Kingdom is still required to provide evidence to satisfy the US constitution's probable cause requirement when seeking extradition from the US; further notes that the Extradition Treaty was agreed without any recourse to Parliament; and calls on the Government to renegotiate the Extradition Treaty immediately to reinstate the requirement for prima facie evidence, and to reform the Royal Prerogative so that international agreements can no longer be entered into without meaningful reference to Parliament. |
| 1529 | GET FAIR COALITION AND POVERTY IN THE UK | 19:5:09 |
| John Battle | | Mark Durkan | | Bob Russell | | Lynne Jones | | Bob Spink | | Andrew George |
| | David Lepper | Hugh Bayley | Mr Jim Hood | | | Danny Alexander |
| That this House believes that as the fifth largest economy in the world it is unacceptable that 12.8 million people, 1 in 5 of the population, are living in poverty in the UK; further believes that with the economy in recession and rising unemployment, the Government must commit to further measures to protect the poorest in society; and supports calls by the Get Fair Coalition of charities, faith and community groups for the Government to increase levels of income to a minimum living standard for a lasting reduction in poverty in the UK. |
| 1531 | MOBILE TERMINATION RATES (No. 2) | 19:5:09 |
| Mr Nigel Evans | | Mark Durkan | | Bob Spink | | Mr Martin Caton | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Andrew Dismore |
| | Mr Andrew Mackay | Mr John Whittingdale | Mr Edward Davey | | | Charlotte Atkins | Mr Richard Shepherd | Clare Short | | | Shona McIsaac | Hugh Bayley | Mr Kevin Barron | | | Mr Clive Betts | Mr Fabian Hamilton | Geraldine Smith | | | Sandra Osborne | Sir Menzies Campbell | Dr William McCrea | | | Sarah Teather | Annette Brooke | Norman Lamb | | | Albert Owen | Stewart Hosie | Philip Davies |
| That this House welcomes the European Commission's recent recommendation providing clear principles to EU national telecoms regulators to set a fair cost for termination rates; further welcomes the Terminate the Rate campaign, which calls for a significant lowering of mobile termination rates (MTRs) in the future, and is supported by a number of companies and organisations including the Federation of Small Businesses and Carers UK; notes that MTRs increase the cost of calling a mobile telephone from a fixed-line or mobile telephone on another network, and hold back innovation in the telecommunications sector; further notes that significantly lowering MTRs would pave the way for an end to per-minute call charges and high bills and would enable communication providers to offer flat-rate unlimited tariffs giving consumers better value for money; and calls on Ofcom to take action to reduce excessive mobile termination charges and deliver a better deal for hard-pressed UK consumers. |
| 1536 | JOINT FORCES ALLIANCE GROUP | 20:5:09 |
| Mr Alan Meale | | Dr Rudi Vis | | Bill Etherington | | Peter Bottomley | | Bob Spink | | Mr Andrew Dismore |
| That this House commends the work of the Joint Forces Alliance Group which, with the Royal British Legion and other charities, including the Gulf War Veterans Group, is active in gaining housing and welfare support for disadvantaged ex-servicemen and women and their families; and calls on the Government to positively recognise the work done by these groups. |
| 1537 | PRIVATE MILITARY COMPANIES | 20:5:09 |
| Ms Diane Abbott | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Mr Neil Gerrard | | Lynne Jones | | Kelvin Hopkins | | Mr Mike Hancock |
| | Sandra Gidley | Roger Berry | Jo Swinson | | | Emily Thornberry |
| That this House is concerned by the recent recommendation by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that private military companies operating on behalf of the Government need not be regulated by a formal licensing system; notes that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has recommended instead drawing up a code of conduct; is further concerned that this means private military companies guilty of malpractice whilst operating on behalf of the Government in war zones would face no legal sanctions other than the loss of their contract; further notes that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is recommending private military companies be monitored by the British Association of Private Security Companies; believes a more independent body should monitor the private military industry; and calls on the Government seriously to reconsider the introduction of a formal licensing and monitoring system and to discontinue or at least reduce the use of private military staff as soldiers in war zones. |
| As an Amendment to Ms Diane Abbott's proposed Motion (Private Military Companies): |
| Mr Peter Kilfoyle | | Mr Edward O'Hara | | Mr Eddie McGrady |
| Line 9, leave out from `Companies;' to end and add `and calls on the Government to bring forward proposals for legislation against the use of private military staff on its behalf as soldiers in war zones.'. |
| 1540 | PEDIGREE DOG BREEDS AND THE KENNEL CLUB | 20:5:09 |
| Bob Spink | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Kelvin Hopkins | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Marsha Singh | | Julie Morgan |
| That this House is concerned about health problems faced by some pedigree dog breeds; is pleased that the objective of the Kennel Club is to improve the welfare, health and general well-being of all dogs and to encourage responsible dog ownership and breeding; welcomes the actions taken by the Kennel Club to improve dog health; and urges the Government to apply the basic principles of the Kennel Club's Accredited Breeder Scheme to the breeding of all dogs in the UK. |
| 1541 | MARINE CONSERVATION ZONES | 20:5:09 |
| Mrs Linda Riordan | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | David Taylor | | Lynne Jones | | Derek Twigg | | Kelvin Hopkins |
| | Michael Connarty | Jo Swinson |
| That this House congratulates the Government for bringing forward the world's first comprehensive system to plan and protect the seas now and for the future; notes the commitment of the Government to deliver an ecologically coherent network of marine conservation zones by 2012; further notes the commitment of the Government to deliver coastal access around the UK; and urges the Government to bring forward proposals to put these commitments on the statute book as soon as possible. |
| 1545 | SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES BILL | 21:5:09 |
| Mr David Drew | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Glenda Jackson | | Jeremy Corbyn | | Mr John Leech |
| | Sandra Gidley | Mr Peter Ainsworth | Frank Dobson | | | Mrs Joan Humble | Julie Morgan | David Howarth | | | Jo Swinson | Julia Goldsworthy | Willie Rennie |
| That this House notes the success of the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 as the first step towards building a bottom up democracy; further notes the enthusiasm shown by local authorities across England in deciding to use the Act, with 115 councils, nearly one third of all principal councils, having opted to use that process; notes also the genuine cross-party support that the original Act commanded; welcomes the Sustainable Communities Bill which will extend the 2007 Act in two ways, firstly by involving parish and town councils and their county associations in the process, and secondly by ensuring that the process of involvement established by the Act becomes an on-going process rather than a one-off event; and so supports the Sustainable Communities Bill. |
| 1547 | DISCRIMINATION IN RECRUITMENT AGAINST PEOPLE WITH INVISIBLE DISIBILITIES | 21:5:09 |
| Lynne Jones | | Sandra Gidley | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Marsha Singh | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Glenda Jackson |
| | Dr Evan Harris | Ms Diane Abbott |
| That this House acknowledges the current levels of discrimination suffered by people with HIV and mental health problems in the job recruitment process; notes that fewer than 50 per cent. of people with HIV are in paid employment and more than 60 per cent. of employers write off people with any form of mental illness; further notes that it is currently legal for employers to ask a wide range of questions about a job applicant's medical history when they are recruiting, regardless of whether existing conditions will have any bearing on their ability to do the job applied for; supports calls from Rethink, the Terrence Higgins Trust and the National AIDS Trust for the Government to use the Equality Bill to restrict the use of pre-employment health questionnaires; recognises that employers in many other countries, including the US, are only legally able to ask a candidate about a disability once a job offer has been made; and calls on the Government to use the Equality Bill to bring British law in this area in line with the American system. |
| 1551 | AUTISM AND THE CARER'S ALLOWANCE | 1:6:09 |
| Mr Lee Scott [R] | | Bob Spink | | Bob Russell | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Mr Martin Caton | | Glenda Jackson |
| That this House pays tribute to and acknowledges the valuable contribution made by thousands of parents and carers in supporting the needs of children and adults with autism and Asperger's Syndrome; supports the call of the UK Autism Foundation urging the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to consider a substantial increase to the carer's allowance; shares the concern of the UK Autism Foundation that the present economic crisis is plunging some parents, carers and families with autism into poverty; and backs the call of autism campaigners for the Government to increase tax credits, the disability living allowance and the carer's allowance in order for parents, carers and children and adults with autism and Asperger's Syndrome to survive the credit crunch and the deepening recession. |
|
[R] Relevant interest declared |
| 1553 | HIV TREATMENTS AND CHILDREN | 1:6:09 |
| Mr David S. Borrow | | Sandra Gidley | | Mr Neil Gerrard | | Dr Evan Harris | | Peter Bottomley | | Bob Spink |
| | Dr Phyllis Starkey | Tony Baldry | Tom Brake | | | Dr Doug Naysmith | Charlotte Atkins | Mr Bob Laxton | | | Mr Mark Todd | Mr Fabian Hamilton | Dr Brian Iddon | | | Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas | Jim Cousins | Mr Mohammad Sarwar | | | Sarah Teather | Mr Mike Weir | Hywel Williams | | | Mr Dai Havard | Mr Alistair Carmichael | Dr John Pugh | | | Richard Younger-Ross | Albert Owen | Jo Swinson | | | Willie Rennie |
| That this House notes with concern that globally most children who need treatment for HIV are not receiving it; further notes that there is a lack of appropriate HIV treatments for children and that the number of adults who have become resistant to basic HIV treatment and require more expensive medicines is increasing; recognises that the price of medicines and patents are closely linked; commends the Government's financial backing for UNITAID, the international drugs purchasing facility, and its support for the establishment of a patent pool; and calls on pharmaceutical companies to show their commitment to access to medicines for the world's poorest people by signing up to the UNITAID patent pool. |
| 1557 | BASIC STATE PENSION AND WOMEN | 1:6:09 |
| Stewart Hosie | | Bob Spink | | Lynne Jones | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Mr Martin Caton | | Glenda Jackson |
| That this House recognises the predicament of many women who took breaks from work prior to the introduction of Home Responsibilities Protection after it was introduced in 1978 and who, as a result, have been unable to accrue 39 years qualifying contributions which would entitle them to a full basic pension; further recognises that many women are willing to pay for missing contributions; and calls on the Government to reconsider the rules on qualifying contributions for those women with broken national insurance contributions prior to April 1978. |
| 1559 | ARCHBISHOP VINCENT NICHOLS | 1:6:09 |
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Jim Dobbin | | Mr Joe Benton | | Ruth Kelly | | Jon Cruddas | | Mr David Crausby |
| That this House welcomes the installation of the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols as the 11th Archbishop of Westminster; commends his strident defence of Catholic values, particularly in respect of maintaining the dignity of human life, the family, education and championing the needs of the most marginalised; and believes that his leadership will further strengthen the role of the Catholic Church and religion in society. |
| 1561 | DECRIMINALISATION OF SINGLE DISPENSING ERRORS | 1:6:09 |
| Dr Howard Stoate | | Sandra Gidley [R] | | Bob Russell | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Mr Martin Caton | | Mr Colin Breed |
| | Mr John Whittingdale | Mr Ian Taylor | Hon Nicholas Soames | | | Mr Anthony Wright | Siobhain McDonagh | Mr John Horam | | | Mr Don Foster | Mr Kevin Barron | Mike Wood | | | Mr Marsha Singh | Mr David Crausby | Ian Stewart | | | Mrs Louise Ellman | Mr Stephen Hepburn | Mr Paul Murphy | | | Michael Connarty | Eric Joyce | Sir Menzies Campbell | | | Sarah Teather | Paul Farrelly | Mr Alistair Carmichael | | | Richard Younger-Ross | Jo Swinson | Mr Andy Slaughter | | | Julia Goldsworthy | Danny Alexander | Mr Ben Wallace | | | Jeremy Wright | Mr Robert Goodwill | Willie Rennie |
| That this House recognises that community pharmacists are on the front line in providing vital services to NHS patients in a high-pressure environment; notes that under the Medicines Act 1968 pharmacists who make an error while dispensing medicines are regularly tried for a criminal offence; is concerned that this discourages healthcare professionals who fear being criminalised from reporting dispensing errors; is further concerned that this limits opportunities to record mistakes and to learn from these errors; notes that the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency is currently undertaking a project to review medicines legislation; and calls on the Government to work with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain to ensure that amended legislation offers a more proportionate response with the flexibility to recognise a genuine single dispensing error. |
|
[R] Relevant interest declared |
| 1563 | FOOTBALL AND THE SPORTING LISTED EVENTS REVIEW | 1:6:09 |
| Mr John Grogan | | Paul Rowen | | Jim Sheridan | | Sir Nicholas Winterton | | Bob Spink | | Miss Anne Begg |
| That this House welcomes the review of sporting listed events which must be made available to free-to-air broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV at a fair and reasonable price; is concerned that FIFA and UEFA want to take most of the World Cup and European Championship finals matches off the A List to allow them to be auctioned off to subscription or pay TV; believes that it would be a travesty if England were to host the 2018 World Cup finals and most of the matches could not be watched live by those who could not afford to pay; further believes that the World Cup and European Championship finals are unique sporting events of national and international significance which should remain accessible to all in their entirety; and in addition recommends that all qualifying matches of the home nations should be available live free-to-air in the home nation concerned and that the A List should be amended accordingly. |
| 1564 | IVF TREATMENT FOR OXFORDSHIRE COUPLES | 2:6:09 |
| Mr Edward Vaizey | | Tony Baldry | | Dr Evan Harris | | Robert Key | | Kelvin Hopkins | | John Hemming |
| That this House notes that National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance states that IVF treatment should be funded for people aged between 23 and 39 years; further notes with concern that Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust only funds such treatment for couples aged between 35 and 38 years and refuses treatment to those where either partner has had a child, even if that child was born in a previous relationship; is encouraged that the Trust is currently reviewing its guidelines to reduce the age range to 30 years; and calls on Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust to go further and bring its guidelines into line with NICE guidance so that this vital treatment is available to the many couples in Oxfordshire who currently require such treatment but who fall outside the Primary Care Trust's current guidelines. |
| 1565 | THE ELIZABETH FOUNDATION | 2:6:09 |
| Mr Marsha Singh | | Bob Spink | | Kelvin Hopkins | | Mr Robert N. Wareing | | John Hemming | | Philip Davies |
| That this House recognises the unique and vital service that The Elizabeth Foundation provides to deaf children from newborn to five years old and their families; notes with concern that the foundation will close at the end of July 2009 if funding of £120,000 per annum cannot be secured; and calls on the Government to help save this service. |
| 1569 | SUPPORT FOR THE BINGO INDUSTRY | 2:6:09 |
| Mr Parmjit Dhanda | | Lynne Jones | | Bob Spink | | Mark Durkan | | Jim Dobbin | | Sir Nicholas Winterton |
| | Dr Desmond Turner | Sandra Gidley | Jim Dowd | | | Mr Paul Keetch | Mr Elliot Morley | Mike Wood | | | Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas | Julie Morgan | Michael Connarty | | | Mr Roger Williams | Hywel Williams | Mr Mark Field | | | Albert Owen | Mr Douglas Carswell |
| That this House congratulates the bingo industry on the contribution it makes to leisure and the economy in the UK; is concerned about the loss of 4,000 jobs in the bingo industry since 2003; calls on the Treasury to work closely with the bingo industry to preserve this popular leisure activity; and urges the Government to work closely with the industry to consider the future impact of the increase in bingo duty from 15 per cent. to 22 per cent., whilst the duty has remained at 15 per cent. for online versions of the game and for football pools. |
| 1571 | BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT AND THE DANCE GROUP DIVERSITY | 2:6:09 |
| Keith Vaz | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | Mr David Clelland | | Dr Alasdair McDonnell | | John Battle | | Mrs Linda Riordan |
| That this House congratulates Diversity for their victory in the ITV1 show Britain's Got Talent; notes that they received 24.9 per cent. of the votes cast; praises the group for their fantastic performance and for highlighting the positive impact of multiculturalism on the UK; encourages more young people to follow their example and to engage in positive community-based activities; and calls on the Government to do more to promote ethnic minority participation in the arts. |
| Mr George Galloway | | Mark Durkan | | Lynne Jones | | Mr Robert N. Wareing | | Jeremy Corbyn | | Mr John Leech |
| That this House notes that the Indian government intends to proceed with the building of the Tipaimukh Dam near the border with Bangladesh; further notes that there is widespread and justified concern amongst many Bangladeshis, people of Bangladeshi origin, environmentalists and naturalists about the implications of this project and in particular for the future of Sylhet; further notes that many British citizens have family and property in Sylhet; and believes that the British Government should make urgent representations to the Indian government not to proceed with this project until such time as there are sufficient reassurances about water supply, the security of the dam and its full environmental impact, and that the project should be abandoned if such reassurances are not forthcoming. |
| 1573 | CITIZENS CONVENTION (ACCOUNTABILITY AND ETHICS) BILL | 2:6:09 |
| Mr Martin Caton | | Mr David Drew | | Norman Lamb | | Mr Douglas Carswell | | Julia Goldsworthy | | Jim Dowd |
| | Sandra Gidley | Tom Brake | Dr Rudi Vis | | | Ms Diane Abbott | Mr Edward Davey | Dr Vincent Cable | | | Matthew Taylor | Mr Paul Keetch | Mr Jim Cunningham | | | Mr Alan Meale | Hugh Bayley | Mrs Joan Humble | | | Mr Robert N. Wareing | Frank Cook | Julie Morgan | | | Sir Menzies Campbell | Sarah Teather | Mr Alistair Carmichael | | | Richard Younger-Ross | Martin Horwood | Lorely Burt | | | Willie Rennie | John Mason |
| That this House is concerned at the current crisis of confidence regarding the political system; maintains that electors and not just politicians should be involved in initiating change; therefore supports the Citizens Convention (Accountability and Ethics) Bill; and believes that this measure should become law expeditiously and so calls for sufficient additional time to be made available in the House to achieve that end. |
| 1574 | TAX HAVENS AND HM REVENUE AND CUSTOMS | 2:6:09 |
| John McDonnell | | David Taylor | | Mrs Janet Dean | | Alan Simpson | | Mr David Drew | | Mark Durkan |
| That this House notes that the UK plays a major role in tax dodging, with many of the world's tax havens being British dependencies or territories, and with many tax lawyers and accountants working in the City of London; believes that companies have a social responsibility to pay their fair share of tax, not only in the UK but also in the developing world; further notes that since its creation HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has pursued a programme of job cuts and office closures, and plans to close over 200 offices and cut 25,000 jobs by 2011, undermining HMRC's ability to assess, enforce and collect taxes and monies at a time when the tax gap is estimated by the Tax Justice Network to be costing the UK £100 billion a year and developing countries £250 billion a year; and calls on the Government to halt staff cutbacks and tax office closures in HMRC, to work with other countries to eradicate tax dodging practices, such as trade mis-pricing, and to promote transparency through country-by-country reporting by companies on the tax they owe, to abolish all UK tax havens, to prosecute those corporate executives, lawyers and accountants for profit laundering and tax dodging, and to use the taxes collected to help fund vital public services in the UK and in developing countries. |
| 1575 | NATIONAL HOUSING FEDERATION'S SAVE OUR VILLAGES CAMPAIGN | 2:6:09 |
| Mr Roger Williams | | Mr David Curry | | Mr David Drew | | Andrew George | | Mark Durkan | | Mr Adrian Sanders |
| | Bob Russell | Mr Michael Mates | Sandra Gidley | | | Matthew Taylor | Mr Robert Walter | Mr Paul Keetch | | | Peter Luff | Mr Frank Field | Mr Hugo Swire | | | Jo Swinson |
| That this House is deeply concerned about the desperate shortage of affordable housing in rural areas; recognises that without sufficient affordable housing many lower income earners and young people will be forced to leave the countryside, putting local businesses and services under further threat of closure; notes the lack of research about the true level of rural housing need; and therefore supports the National Housing Federation's Save Our Villages campaign calling on the Government and local authorities to ensure that every rural ward is assessed for housing need and covered by an action plan to address that need every three years. |
| 1576 | FINANCIAL COST OF CONTACTING GOVERNMENT | 2:6:09 |
| John Battle | | Bob Spink | | Mark Durkan | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Lynne Jones | | Mr David Drew |
| | Michael Connarty | Tim Farron | John Mason |
| That this House notes with concern the high cost of calls to Government helplines from mobile telephones; recognises that many people only have access to a mobile telephone and do not have a landline and therefore have no choice but to pay these high call costs; further notes the recent Citizens Advice Bureau report, Hung Up, which provided evidence from 65 citizens advice bureaux that many vulnerable and destitute people are unable to claim a crisis loan because of the expense of calling the Government freephone claim line on a mobile telephone; recognises that it is possible to make freephone numbers free to call from a mobile telephone, for example by registering the numbers with the Telephone Helplines Association; and calls on the Government urgently to ensure that its benefit claim lines, and in particular its crisis loans claim line, are made free to call from a mobile telephone. |
| 1577 | INCREASED ACCESS TO WATERWAYS IN ENGLAND AND WALES | 2:6:09 |
| Mr John Grogan | | David Taylor | | Bob Spink | | Peter Bottomley | | John Hemming | | Jim Dobbin |
| That this House applauds the British Canoe Union for staging an excellent 2009 European Canoe Slalom Championships in Nottingham, 28 to 31 May 2009, and celebrates the notable success of Team GB in taking four medals in total, two gold, one silver and one bronze; welcomes the BBC's live coverage on a busy sporting weekend; notes that over 2.5 million paddlers in Britain only have access to 1,400 miles of inland water in England and Wales, which is less than four per cent. of the total 41,000 miles of waterways over three metres wide; further notes that while the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2002 only incorporates land, the Scottish Land Reform Act 2003 and its supporting Scottish Outdoor Access Code includes waterways, ensuring that paddlers have the same rights as walkers and access to all of Scotland's waterways; and calls on the Government to set a realistic target for increased access to waterways in England and Wales by the Olympic year of 2012. |
| As an Amendment to Mr John Grogan's proposed Motion (Increased Access to Waterways in England and Wales): |
| Line 11, leave out `and Wales'. |
| 1578 | CROSS-INDUSTRY CONSTRUCTION APPRENTICESHIP TASK FORCE | 2:6:09 |
| Mr David Anderson | | Bob Spink | | Jim Dobbin | | Mark Durkan | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Lynne Jones |
| That this House supports the work of the Cross-Industry Construction Apprenticeship Task Force (CCATF); further supports its aim to reinvigorate the culture and ethos of training in the construction industry; accepts the intrinsic value of apprenticeships to young people and to the construction industry; notes the imminent skills shortage affecting the construction industry; recognises that there are currently over 3,000 displaced apprentices in the United Kingdom; further recognises the work of the CCATF in bringing industry together to effect a solution to the current crisis; and calls on the Government to help create an environment conducive to the success of apprenticeships in the construction industry. |
| 1581 | NATIONAL OBESITY FORUM AND THE MEDICAL MANAGEMENT OF WEIGHT LOSS | 2:6:09 |
| Mr Kevin Barron | | Mr Malcolm Moss | | Dr John Pugh | | John Cummings | | Mr Denis Murphy | | Sandra Gidley |
| | Mike Wood | Mr George Galloway | Mr Andrew Pelling |
| That this House notes that the levels of obesity in the United Kingdom continue to increase with serious implications for the quality of life of millions of people and for the National Health Service; welcomes the publication on 2 June 2009 by the National Obesity Forum of Medical Management During Effect Weight Loss as a useful tool which provides outline guidance for healthcare practitioners caring for patients during effective weight loss following surgical interventions and non-surgical methods such as drugs, part-formula low calorie diets and very low-calorie diets; believes that this publication will be a valuable resource for general practitioners to enable them to give the best possible advice to patients seeking and achieving significant weight loss based on sound science and best medical evidence; and congratulates the authors, Dr David Haslam, Dr Colin Waine and Dr Anthony Leeds on their work. |
| 1583 | CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY | 3:6:09 |
| John McDonnell | | Mr Marsha Singh | | Lynne Jones | | Mr Elfyn Llwyd | | Kelvin Hopkins | | Jeremy Corbyn |
| | Mike Wood | Mrs Joan Humble | Julie Morgan | | | Mr Roger Williams | Mr David Anderson | Martin Horwood |
| That this House expresses its concern over pay awards for staff at the National Museum of Science and Industry (NMSI), which includes the Science Museum in London, the National Railway Museum in York and the National Media Museum in Bradford, during a period of great success for the institution and especially when NMSI is celebrating its centenary; notes that management has imposed a pay offer for the third year running, despite its rejection by trade unions; further notes that staff pay scales have been frozen at the top for three years and at the bottom for five years, resulting in many staff receiving derisory non-consolidated awards in the last two years; acknowledges that many employees who meet targets have received a less than one per cent. pay rise in total for each of the last two years; is concerned that staff below the maximum have received half of their 2009-10 pay award on a non-consolidated basis, which is in stark contrast to substantial bonuses paid to some NMSI senior executives in 2007-08; and calls on the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to urgently intervene to resolve this dispute, with the help of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service if necessary, to bring an end to minimal pay increases based on a biased performance appraisal system and also to address the continuing damage being done to staff morale, so it does not cause harm to the NMSI role as guardian and interpreter of the nation's industrial and scientific heritage. |
| 1585 | DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILD (No. 2) | 3:6:09 |
| Bob Spink | | Jeremy Corbyn | | Andrew George | | Mr Martin Caton | | John Cummings | | Mr Elfyn Llwyd |
| That this House commemorates 16 June 2009 as the Day of the African Child; notes with concern that across the globe, 9.2 million children die before the age of five each year; supports the Save the Children global child survival campaign which aims to ensure that the global community achieves Millennium Development Goal 4; and calls on the G8 leaders assembling in Italy to declare that no low-income country in Africa or elsewhere with a credible plan to reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality should fail to achieve these objectives for a lack of donor resources. |
| 1586 | CONVENT OF THE SISTERS OF MERCY | 3:6:09 |
| Mr Jim McGovern | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | Nigel Griffiths | | Mr Ian McCartney | | Mr Phil Willis | | Jim Dowd |
| That this House notes that the Convent of the Sisters of Mercy was founded in Dundee in 1859; further notes that the Sisters were responsible for educating many in the city, not least females and the poor; further notes that their contribution to education in the city continued through many primary schools and especially in Lawside Academy; and congratulates the community at Lawside Convent on their 150th anniversary and wishes them continued success in the future. |
| 1587 | CHICKEN FARMING AND MAXIMUM PERMITTED STOCKING DENSITY | 3:6:09 |
| Mr Adrian Sanders | | Kelvin Hopkins | | Bob Russell | | Bob Spink | | Robert Key | | John Hemming |
| That this House notes with concern the proposed regulation to increase the maximum permitted stocking density for chickens from the recommended 15 to 17 to 17 to 19 chickens per square metre, with a further extension to 19 to 21 chickens if certain criteria are met; further notes that The Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare record that when stocking rates exceed 30 kg per square metre welfare problems are likely to occur regardless of indoor climate control capacity; further believes that higher stocking densities result in an increase in pathologies, reduce behavioural activities and severely affect walking ability; and calls on the Government to exclude the derogation in the EU Directive that allows member states to permit extreme stocking densities above 17 to 19 chickens per square metre from UK legislation and not to abandon its previous recommended stocking density of 15 to 17 chickens per square metre, thereby permitting chicken welfare standards to be reduced. |
| 1589 | BREATHE EASY WEEK 2009 | 3:6:09 |
| Kelvin Hopkins | | Bob Spink | | Sir Peter Soulsby | | Paul Rowen | | Glenda Jackson | | Chris McCafferty |
| That this House supports the British Lung Foundation's Love Your Lungs campaign for Breathe Easy Week 2009; praises the work of the Breathe Easy patient support network in providing help and information for people living with a lung condition and their carers; notes that less than a quarter of the estimated 3.7 million people in the UK with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have been diagnosed with the disease; calls on the Government to assess the benefits of incorporating spirometry testing into the new screening programme in order to ensure more people with a lung condition get an early diagnosis; recognises the importance of pulmonary rehabilitation for people with COPD, but observes that in many areas of the UK there is insufficient access to these courses and that they are not adequately funded; believes that more needs to be done to ensure that pulmonary rehabilitation is available to everyone who could benefit from it; eagerly awaits the publication of the clinical strategy for COPD; and urges the full implementation of the strategy in order to ensure an improved quality of life for all people with the disease. |
| 1590 | ASBESTOS IN DOMESTIC DWELLINGS | 3:6:09 |
| Mr Michael Clapham | | Colin Burgon | | Jim Sheridan | | Mr Peter Kilfoyle | | Mr David Anderson | | Mr Eric Illsley |
| That this House welcomes the survey, As Safe as Houses, commissioned by UCATT and researched and written by Dr. Linda Waldman and Heather Williams; notes that the study has uncovered deficiencies in the management of asbestos in domestic dwellings; proposes the situation be improved and tenants and maintenance workers protected by extending the duty to manage asbestos to the internal part of the properties and all identified asbestos to be recorded in a register; recommends that all power tools carry a warning to remind users of the potential danger of asbestos and that apprenticeship training courses for construction workers contain modules on asbestos risks and protection procedures; and calls of the Health and Safety Executive to review its campaign to raise awareness of asbestos amongst maintenance workers to include some of the report's recommendations. |
| 1591 | SCOUT MOVEMENT AND RECRUITMENT OF ADULT VOLUNTEERS | 3:6:09 |
| Bob Russell | | Mr David Amess | | Stephen Pound | | Bob Spink | | John Hemming | | Dr Brian Iddon |
| | Sandra Gidley | Mr Malcolm Moss | Willie Rennie |
| That this House warmly welcomes the latest membership figures from the Scout Association which show the growing popularity of Scouting; notes the record number of girls involved in Scouting, with girls now matching boys in numbers joining the Movement; notes the rising number of adult volunteers; also notes the waiting list of 30,000 young people wanting to join the Scouts; recognises that without more adult volunteers this waiting list is likely to grow; welcomes the Government's recognition of the many benefits associated with volunteering in gaining skills and experience; calls on the Government to better signpost volunteering for job seekers as a means to enhance their career prospects; and urges the Government to explicitly promote the benefits of volunteering for youth organisations for people of all ages so that they can continue to grow to meet the needs of young people. |
| 1592 | CHIEF SCOUT BEAR GRYLLS | 3:6:09 |
| Bob Russell | | Mr David Amess | | Stephen Pound | | Bob Spink | | John Hemming | | Dr Brian Iddon |
| | Mr Malcolm Moss | Willie Rennie |
| That this House congratulates Bear Grylls on his appointment as the next Chief Scout and acknowledges that under the leadership of the current Chief Scout, Peter Duncan, over the last five years the Scout Association's youth and adult membership has grown by more than 36,000. |
| 1593 | UN DECADE OF ACTION FOR GLOBAL ROAD SAFETY | 3:6:09 |
| Peter Bottomley | | Bob Spink | | Dr Brian Iddon | | Glenda Jackson | | Jeremy Corbyn | | Lynne Jones |
| | Mr Malcolm Moss | Alun Michael | David Cairns |
| That this House welcomes the proposal of the Commission for Global Road Safety, chaired by Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, for a United Nations Decade of Action for Global Road Safety with a global target to reduce the forecast 2020 level of road deaths by 50 per cent., potentially saving five million lives and avoiding 50 million serious injuries; strongly urges the Government to support the proposed decade of action during the forthcoming debate in the 64th Session of the UN General Assembly and to play a leading role in the first UN global Ministerial Meeting on Road Safety to be held in Moscow on 19-20 November 2009; recognises that road injury prevention has been a neglected issue of sustainable development and notes with concern that road crashes kill more than 1.3 million people every year mainly in low and middle income countries; calls on the Department for International Development actively to support the work of the World Bank's global Road Safety Facility and, in particular, to encourage all multilateral and bilateral donors to include in all road construction and rehabilitation projects they finance, a budget allocation dedicated to safety rating, assessment and infrastructure improvement; and encourages all UN Member States to take concerted action to make roads safe by promoting seat belt and helmet use, discouraging drink driving and inappropriate speed, encouraging further investment in safer motor vehicles and roads, and prioritising the protection of vulnerable road users. |
| 1594 | GAY PRIDE PROTESTS IN MOSCOW | 3:6:09 |
| Ms Diane Abbott | | John Hemming | | Glenda Jackson | | Chris McCafferty | | Jeremy Corbyn | | Lynne Jones |
| That this House is concerned at reports that a gay pride rally in Moscow was violently ended by police officers; notes that the protest had been banned by city authorities on the grounds of preventing `moral degradation'; recognises the right to protest peacefully; further recognises that, whilst homosexuality is no longer illegal in Russia, there are no anti-discrimination or harassment laws to protect homosexual men or women; and calls on the Government to use its membership of the Council of Europe to press for an improvement to gay rights in Russia. |
| 1596 | HUMAN TRAFFICKING | 4:6:09 |
| Ms Diane Abbott | | Peter Bottomley | | Lynne Jones | | Mr Martin Caton | | Bob Spink | | Mr Robert N. Wareing |
| That this House welcomes the entry into force of the Council of Europe Convention on Human Trafficking; notes that the Convention obliges signatories to `protect victims of trafficking and safeguard their rights'; notes that at present the Government only provides specialised accommodation for 54 victims of trafficking and then that they must be female, over 18 years old, and victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation or domestic work; is concerned that victims of all types of human trafficking need protection and support; is further concerned that the Government continues to remove vulnerable people who have been victims of trafficking from the country; and calls on the Government to widen its range of specialised support for victims of trafficking and to give special consideration to the immigration claims of victims of trafficking. |
| Greg Mulholland | | Lynne Jones | | Mr Martin Caton | | Graham Stringer | | Mr David Clelland | | Mr Mike Hancock |
| That this House welcomes the research carried out by Metro, the transport body, and notes with regret its findings which show the number of fare-paying bus passengers in West Yorkshire could drop by more than five per cent. in general and as much as 10 per cent. on certain routes due to fare increases, reductions in frequency and major services cuts; recognises the importance of affordable and frequent bus travel in providing essential and ecologically sound transport for all sectors of society; laments that in too many cases, as in West Yorkshire, bus operators hold local monopolies leaving passengers with few alternative options; condemns the decision of bus operator First to increase fares and cut services despite a reported profit increase of 9.8 per cent. in the last year; and urges the Government to put pressure on transport operators, obliging them to take account of passengers' needs. |
| 1598 | UNITED STATES NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION POLICY AND THE UNITED KINGDOM | 4:6:09 |
| Jeremy Corbyn | | Peter Bottomley | | Lynne Jones | | Mr Martin Caton | | Bob Spink | | Mr Elfyn Llwyd |
| | Harry Cohen | Dr Doug Naysmith |
| That this House warmly welcomes the statement on 5 May 2009 on behalf of the US administration by Rose Gottemoeller, Assistant Secretary at the US State Department's Bureau of Verification, Compliance, and Implementation and Head of the US Delegation to the Preparatory Committee of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference held at the UN Headquarters in May 2009; additionally welcomes President Obama's personal statement in support of progressive non-proliferation measures conveyed to the Preparatory Committee, particularly his statement that `we must define ourselves not by our differences, but by our readiness to pursue dialogue and hard work to ensure the NPT continues to make an enduring contribution to international peace and security'; notes that President Obama has stressed that the US prioritises the agreement on a new treaty that verifiably ends production of fissile materials intended for use in nuclear weapons, called a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty; believes that existing so-called civil stockpiles of plutonium, including the 108,000 kilogrammes at Sellafield, must be covered by such a treaty; further welcomes the US administration's call that nuclear weapons states outside the NPT be brought inside the Treaty with, in Ms Gottemoeller's words, `universal adherence to the NPT itself - including by India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea - a fundamental objective of the United States'; and calls on the Government to work in partnership with the US administration to achieve a secure world without nuclear weapons. |
| 1599 | SKILLS IN THE RETAIL SECTOR | 4:6:09 |
| Nick Harvey | | Mr David Crausby | | Mr Colin Breed | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mrs Joan Humble | | Mrs Betty Williams |
| | Sandra Gidley | Frank Dobson | Mr Edward Davey | | | Dr Kim Howells | Mr Dai Havard | Lynne Featherstone | | | Willie Rennie |
| That this House notes that the retail sector, as the largest private sector employer in the UK, employing 1 in 10 of the workforce, has created more new jobs in the last five years than any other sector; recognises that a skilled workforce is essential in maintaining the ongoing success of the retail sector, and that during a recession it is essential that retailers are supported in maintaining their investment in the skills of their workforce; and acknowledges the work of Skillsmart Retail, the Sector Skills Council for Retail, in working with retailers to invest in skills through its new National Skills Academy for Retail, the biggest network of retail skills shops in the UK. |
| 1601 | CROWD CONTROL TECHNIQUES | 8:6:09 |
| Ms Diane Abbott | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Martin Caton | | Mark Lazarowicz | | Lynne Jones | | Mr Colin Breed |
| That this House is concerned at the increased use of the kettle technique by police when managing large protests; notes that the kettle technique involves penning people into a confined area surrounded by riot police; further notes the use of the kettle technique during the recent protests around the G20 Summit; recognises that many innocent protesters are trapped within these pens for hours at a time; believes that preventing people from leaving the kettle, denying people access to food, water and toilet facilities, and using force to keep people in the kettle is wrong; is further concerned that the right to protest peacefully is being curtailed by the use of the kettle technique; and calls on the Government to take steps to protect the right of people to peacefully protest, whatever the outcome of current inquiries into the protests around the G20 Summit. |
| 1603 | POLITICAL PRISONERS IN LAOS | 8:6:09 |
| Tom Levitt | | Mr Oliver Letwin | | Lorely Burt | | Peter Bottomley | | Bob Russell | | Mr Andrew Dismore |
| | Mr Elliot Morley | Mr David Laws |
| That this House expresses profound concern about the human rights situation in Laos; notes that political prisoners continue to be held in detention in harsh conditions; condemns the continuing imprisonment after more than nine years of peaceful protestors Thongpaseuth Keuakoun, Seng-Aloun Phengphanh and Bouavanh Chanhmanivong; calls for a review of the charges against ethnic Hmong Thao Moua and Pa Fue Khang, imprisoned after a politically-motivated trial in June 2003 for their involvement with European journalists in researching a news story about the plight of the Hmong hiding in the jungles of Laos; further condemns the refusal of the Lao government to allow independent observers, including UN agencies, to monitor the situation of Lao Hmong refugees and asylum seekers returned to Laos from Thailand during the past three years; and further calls on the Government to draw these violations of human rights to the urgent attention of the UN. |
| 1604 | COVENTRY RAPE AND SEXUAL ABUSE CENTRE | 8:6:09 |
| Mr Jim Cunningham | | Mr Martin Caton | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Lynne Jones | | Robert Key | | Mrs Ann Cryer |
| | Ms Diane Abbott | Shona McIsaac | Hugh Bayley | | | Mr Don Touhig | David Howarth | Mr Andy Slaughter | | | Lynne Featherstone |
| That this House commends the work of Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre, The Rape Crisis Network and the 38 groups in England and Wales that it acts as an umbrella organisation for, which support victims of rape, sexual abuse, sexual violence and incest; acknowledges the selfless dedication of the workforce of such organisations, who are often volunteers; further acknowledges the challenge these groups face in attaining sustainable funding for their work; and calls on all areas and levels of Government to work together to ensure the Rape Crisis Network and the organisations it supports have the financial backing needed. |
| Mr Mohammad Sarwar | | Michael Connarty | | Lynne Jones | | Emily Thornberry | | Mr Jim Hood | | Mr David Hamilton |
| That this House condemns the recent attempts by a single individual to claim sole and exclusive rights to the name Argyle Arcade and to profit at the expense of other traders in that shopping mall in Glasgow; recognises that the Argyle Arcade, built in the Victorian era, is Scotland's oldest indoor shopping mall and has supplied, in particular, items of fine jewellery, to several generations of Glaswegians; and further recognises that the owners and traders therein have provided a popular service for over one hundred years often by longstanding, family run firms. |
| 1607 | WORLD TRADE WEEK UK | 8:6:09 |
| Lorely Burt | | Bob Russell | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Lynne Jones | | Mr Colin Breed |
| | Sandra Gidley | Mr Alistair Carmichael | Jo Swinson |
| That this House celebrates this year's World Trade Week UK which is taking place between 9 and 12 June; notes that trade and competition are the cornerstones of UK economic prosperity and of particular importance during an economic downturn, which it is feared may result in driving exports down by roughly nine per cent. in volume terms in 2009, representing the biggest contraction since the Second World War; and encourages the Government to do all that it can to further support trade and investment in the United Kingdom, and in particular to assist small and medium-sized businesses in attracting inward investment and exporting their goods and services globally. |
| John McDonnell | | Bob Russell | | Mr Martin Caton | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Lynne Jones | | Mrs Ann Cryer |
| That this House is concerned that Covanta Energy, a US-based waste incineration company, is proposing to build incinerators in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cheshire, Lancashire, the North of Ireland and Wales; notes that regulators in the US have frequently cited Covanta for illegal air pollution, that the US National Labor Relations Board has issued a complaint against illegal work rules at all of Covanta's US locations, and that Covanta has failed to sign a collective agreement with the Utility Workers Union of America in Rochester, Massachusetts, despite workers there having voted for union represention in May 2008; and therefore urges the Government to prioritise the health and welfare of both the public and workers by denying any Covanta application in the UK, unless it demonstrates full compliance with environmental and labour standards in all countries in which it conducts business. |
| John McDonnell | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Martin Caton | | Lynne Jones | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | Mr Dai Davies |
| | Mr Stephen Hepburn | John Mason |
| That this House condemns the proposed abolition of income support which is a crucial lifeline against destitution and poverty for parents, carers, those they care for and other vulnerable people; further condemns the requirement contained in the Welfare Reform Bill that claimants with children over seven years old must find a job or work for their benefits for £1.73 an hour if they are unsuccessful in finding work after two years; notes that unemployment has risen to over two million and that many parents cannot access affordable childcare in their area; deplores this erosion of the principles of the welfare state and the minimum wage, and regrets the hardship that many families will now face; and calls on the Government to maintain income support in recognition of society's collective responsibility for childrearing and the important work of carers and parents for society. |
| John McDonnell | | Mr David Crausby | | Mrs Linda Riordan | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Mr David Anderson | | Kelvin Hopkins |
| That this House notes with concern that bakers are about 80 times more likely to develop occupational asthma than the average worker due to exposure to flour and other bakery dusts; believes that every worker has the right to work in a healthy and safe workplace and is extremely alarmed that thousands of bakers could be at risk of developing an incapacitating respiratory condition; urges employers to work with health and safety trades union representatives and the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union to implement appropriate control measures to protect bakers from developing asthma; and further urges the Government to consider reducing the maximum exposure limit to flour and to ensure that the Health and Safety Executive has sufficient resources to take the necessary action to prevent work-related illnesses such as bakers' asthma. |
| 1613 | HAMPERED BY HORMONES CAMPAIGN | 8:6:09 |
| Dr Howard Stoate | | Bob Russell | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Mr Martin Caton | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Graham Stringer |
| | Mr Edward Davey | Jim Dowd | Hugh Bayley | | | Dr Brian Iddon | Greg Mulholland | David T. C. Davies |
| That this House congratulates The Prostate Cancer Charity on launching the Hampered by hormones campaign which aims to address the needs of men with prostate cancer receiving hormone therapy; notes that the side effects of hormone therapy can have a significant impact on men's lives; expresses concern that research undertaken by the charity shows that over half of men are receiving too little information and support to help them manage the side effects of hormone therapy and are not receiving the standard of care and support they are entitled to; calls on the Government to ensure the full implementation of guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence relating to the care of men with prostate cancer; and further calls on the Government and the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative to review the charity's research findings and campaign recommendations and take action to improve the care of men living on hormone therapy. |
| 1614 | FUEL POVERTY (No. 2) BILL | 8:6:09 |
| Dr Alan Whitehead | | Mr Paul Truswell | | Ms Karen Buck | | Mr Martin Caton | | Colin Challen | | Mr David Drew |
| | Dr Desmond Turner | Dr Gavin Strang | Albert Owen | | | Mrs Siân C. James | John Mason |
| That this House remains concerned about the problem of fuel poverty; notes that the Fuel Poverty Bill introduced by the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome did not get a Second Reading on 20 March 2009; further notes that the Government's objections were the absolutist nature of the Bill and its possible inconsistency with the Government's own home refurbishment plan as set out in the Heat and Energy Savings Strategy; believes, however, that these two objections have been overcome in the Fuel Poverty (No. 2) Bill introduced by a group of Labour hon. Members; calls upon the Government to support the Fuel Poverty (No. 2) Bill, which will help them to deliver not only on their manifesto pledges to end fuel poverty but also the provisions of their Heat and Energy Saving Strategy; and therefore hopes that the Bill will become law in the current Session of Parliament. |
| 1615 | ARRHYTHMIA AWARENESS WEEK | 9:6:09 |
| Mr John Maples | | Mr Lee Scott | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Bob Spink | | Peter Bottomley | | Bob Russell |
| | Dr Desmond Turner | Sandra Gidley | Ms Diane Abbott | | | Harry Cohen | Mr Paul Keetch | Mike Wood | | | Lembit Öpik | Norman Lamb | Mr Alistair Carmichael | | | John Hemming | Jenny Willott | Mrs Linda Riordan | | | Willie Rennie |
| That this House congratulates Arrhythmia Alliance, the Heart Rhythm Charity, a coalition of healthcare professionals, patients and carers to promote better understanding, diagnosis, treatment and quality of life of individuals with cardiac arrhythmias, or heart rhythm disorders, for organising Arrhythmia Awareness Week from 8 to 14 June 2009; welcomes the Know Your Pulse initiative which aims to encourage people to have their pulse checked; notes that more than one per cent. of the population is affected by atrial flutter (AF), the most common type of heart rhythm disturbance; recognises that people with AF have a dramatically reduced quality of life and face long-term serious complications including a high risk of having a stroke; further notes that 100,000 sudden cardiac deaths occur each year due to cardiac arrhythmias, and that 120,000 unexplained incidences of loss of consciousness occur due to cardiac arrhythmia; believes that the early identification of heart rhythm disorders is crucial in reducing the number of premature deaths from heartbeat disorders; and calls on the Government to make heart rhythm disorders a priority by ensuring pulse checks are taken during a routine visit to a GP surgery, to promote timely diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disorders. |
| 1616 | DEBT AND LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS IN SCOTLAND | 9:6:09 |
| Mark Lazarowicz | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Ian McCartney | | Mr John Leech | | Mr Gregory Campbell | | David Simpson |
| | Michael Connarty | Jim Sheridan | Mrs Linda Riordan | | | John Mason |
| That this House notes the publication of Drowning in Debt: Scottish CAB Clients and Debt, by Citizens Advice Scotland; is concerned that the average debt levels for Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) debt clients seeking advice from their local CAB is £20,193, a 50 per cent. rise since 2003; further notes that the report highlights the bleak reality for low income households in debt, including the finding that debt has had a negative impact on health for nine out of 10 debt clients; is further concerned at the increasingly ruthless behaviour adopted by creditors in seeking debt repayment, which at times has been unlawful; applauds Citizens Advice Bureaux in Scotland for the free, confidential and impartial frontline advice they have provided to the people of Scotland for the last 70 years; recognises their successes in pressing for improvements in public policy; and urges the Government to assist indebted households like those mentioned in the report by pursuing the report's recommendations to curb unreasonable creditor behaviour, increase access to affordable credit and ensure that advice services are appropriately resourced. |
| 1617 | SUPPORT FOR HILL FARMERS | 9:6:09 |
| Tim Farron | | Bob Spink | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Peter Bottomley | | Jim Dobbin | | Ann Winterton |
| | Sandra Gidley | Mr Malcolm Moss | Jo Swinson | | | Mrs Linda Riordan |
| That this House opposes the decision of the House of Lords European Union Committee to back European Commission proposals to reform the definition of less favoured areas, which would mean that from 2013 the socio-economic criteria for support would be removed; believes that this would put many upland farmers in a position where they could not receive payments and would therefore endure hardship leading in many cases to people leaving the industry; acknowledges that hill farmers are the guardians of our historic upland landscapes and are the key to the preservation of biodiversity, the management of waterways, the production of food and the delivery of a huge range of environmental benefits; and calls on the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to oppose the removal of the socio-economic criteria and to campaign for fairer support for the UK's hill farmers. |
| 1618 | DAIRY FARMERS OF BRITAIN | 9:6:09 |
| Tim Farron | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Peter Bottomley | | Jim Dobbin | | Lynne Jones | | Ann Winterton |
| | Sandra Gidley | Mr John Grogan | Mr Eric Martlew | | | Mr Martyn Jones | Nick Ainger | Mr Jim Hood | | | Mr Michael Moore | Albert Owen | Jo Swinson | | | Mrs Linda Riordan | David T. C. Davies |
| That this House is appalled by the collapse of Dairy Farmers of Britain which went into receivership owing £50 million to its 1,800 members; is deeply concerned that the impact on the UK dairy industry and on individual dairy farmers and their families will be devastating; deplores the banks' deliberate timing of the calling in of the loan to Dairy Farmers of Britain, causing the calling in of the receivers to maximise the benefit to secured creditors at the expense of those member farmers' May milk cheques; calls on the Government to underwrite the payments that Dairy Farmers of Britain were due to pay to dairy farmers for milk supplied in May or to force Dairy Farmers of Britain's bankers to pay the May milk cheques; also calls on the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Prime Minister to intervene to ensure that buyers do not exploit stricken dairy farmers by paying sub-market prices; and endorses the Farmers Guardian petition which urges the dairy industry's biggest customers to both buy British and to ensure that dairy farmers receive a fair return for their produce. |
| 1619 | PUBLICATION OF SALARIES AND REMUNERATION PACKAGES PAID FROM PUBLIC FUNDS | 9:6:09 |
| Mr Roger Godsiff | | Jim Dobbin | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Mr Ronnie Campbell | | Paul Flynn | | Mark Durkan |
| | Mrs Linda Riordan | Greg Mulholland | John Mason |
| That this House recognises the understandable public interest which has been generated by the publication of salaries and expenses of hon. Members; believes that all salaries and remuneration packages paid to individuals, either directly or indirectly, from public funds exceeding three times the current national average wage of £25,123, during the tax year 2008-09, should be placed in the public domain and made available for public scrutiny; and further believes that this practice should be implemented and the figures up-rated as a standard requirement for each future tax year. |
| 1620 | BEATSON PEBBLE APPEAL | 9:6:09 |
| Jo Swinson | | Peter Bottomley | | Lynne Jones | | Mr John Leech | | Dr Rudi Vis | | Mr Martin Caton |
| | Mrs Linda Riordan | John Mason |
| That this House supports the Beatson Pebble Appeal, a £10 million campaign to raise funds to build the Beatson Translational Research Centre which will foster collaboration between scientists and clinical researchers to improve existing cancer therapies and develop new treatments; notes that more than one in three people in the UK will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime and that cancer causes one in four deaths in the UK, but that cancer research has been instrumental in reducing the overall cancer death rate by 10 per cent. over the last decade; further notes that translational research bridges that chasm between scientific discovery and successful patient treatment and that this facility will greatly enhance the capability of the Glasgow Centre for Cancer Research; and praises the efforts of the Pebble Appeal to raise the additional funds required to build this exceptional facility. |
| 1623 | FORENSIC SCIENCE SERVICE | 9:6:09 |
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mr David Crausby | | Colin Burgon | | Jim Dobbin | | Peter Bottomley | | Lynne Jones |
| | Mr Mark Oaten | Ms Diane Abbott | Dr Doug Naysmith | | | Mrs Joan Humble | Geraldine Smith | Mr George Howarth | | | Mrs Louise Ellman | Sir Alan Beith | Lembit Öpik | | | Michael Connarty | Mrs Linda Riordan | David T. C. Davies |
| That this House notes with concern the announcement made by the Forensic Science Service of a restructuring of the business which will lead to redundancies with an estimated 30 to 40 per cent. of the workforce due to lose their jobs; recognises the first class service provided by the Forensic Science Service which is the market leader in the supply of forensic services to police forces in England and Wales and which has a global reputation for excellence in the developement and deployment of new and advanced techniques; further notes that the Forensic Science Service provides world class training services which all help to provide a comprehensive service, from crime scene to court room, and analyses more than 120,000 cases each year; believes that large job losses will damage this service and result in a loss of valuable skills; and calls on the Government to enter discussions immediately with the Forensic Science Service in order to avoid unnecessary job losses and maintain the skill base which ensure the Forensic Science Service is a world leader. |
| 1625 | GUN AND KNIFE CRIME AND SERIOUS FEATHER'S THINK TWICE VIDEO | 9:6:09 |
| Tony Lloyd | | Jim Dobbin | | Lynne Jones | | Mr Ian McCartney | | Peter Bottomley | | Mr Ronnie Campbell |
| That this House recognises that young people are most likely to be the victims of gun and knife attacks; believes that whilst everyone must be part of the solution, young people are key to changing attitudes and saving lives; welcomes the release of Marvin `Crown Jewelz' Gilbert's video Think Twice which is designed to bring attention to the dangers of gun and knife attacks; applauds the work of the Manchester-based production company Serious Feather which commissioned and released the video without charge; notes the work of young people in education at Trafford College and Salford and Bolton universities which made all this possible; commends the efforts of Brett Gregory, Ann-Marie Lawrence, Nic Jackson and Alistair Topping; and hopes that the video will be widely viewed and promoted by the media. |
| 1626 | MANCHESTER ACADEMY AND EASY MONEY GUIDE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE | 9:6:09 |
| Tony Lloyd | | Jim Dobbin | | Lynne Jones | | Mr Ian McCartney | | Peter Bottomley | | Paul Flynn |
| That this House notes that during a worldwide recession young people acquiring sound financial knowledge and information is a strong foundation for recovery and future strength; applauds young enterprise programmes in schools as a creative and engaging form of academic development for young people; applauds the hard work of Manchester Academy and its students in producing the Easy Money guide for young people; welcomes a readable and highly lucid publication, providing a clear and easily understood financial guide for Britain's youth; congratulates the ingenuity and talent of the founding members of Golden Moment Ltd, Wayne Ramwell, Mohtasham Qureshi, Kevin Yap, Kaif Hussain and Muhammed Saleem, who co-authored the book; believes that simple and comprehensible money advice is important for all young people; and commends the work of Golden Moment Ltd as a shining example of social entrepreneurship serving the wider community interest. |
| 1627 | REFORM OF THE SPEAKERSHIP AND SELECT COMMITTEES | 10:6:09 |
| Mr Edward Leigh | | Alun Michael | | Mark Fisher | | Mr Iain Duncan Smith | | Dr John Pugh | | Mr Andrew Dismore |
| | Sandra Gidley | Mr Malcolm Moss | Hugh Bayley | | | Mr Michael Meacher | Mr Gordon Prentice | Mr Alistair Carmichael | | | David Howarth | Mrs Linda Riordan | Mr Douglas Carswell | | | John Mason |
| That this House believes that the Government should not control all the time on the floor of the House; considers that Parliament should be reinstated as an independent forum by empowering the Speaker, select committees and backbenchers; further believes that the Speaker, through a business committee of the whole House, should determine a significant part of debate on the floor of the House, whilst leaving adequate time for the Government to get its business through, to enable select committees and hon. Members to make substantive motions as well as Government and opposition parties; further believes that the Speaker should effectively become the non-partisan manager of the House, liaising with Government and opposition business managers; further considers that select committees, as well as scrutinising Government departments, should be upgraded to an advice and consent role on senior public appointments; further believes that Government should have to respond in detail to all select committee recommendations; further considers that select committee chairs should be selected by secret ballot of the whole House within the context of party balance; and further believes that select committees should be entitled to receive the kind of support from the National Audit Office and the Scrutiny Unit currently given to the Public Accounts Committee. |
| 1629 | VETERANS AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER | 10:6:09 |
| Mr John Leech | | Peter Bottomley | | Bob Russell | | Bob Spink | | Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Andrew George |
| | Sandra Gidley | Mrs Iris Robinson | David Howarth | | | Jo Swinson | Mrs Linda Riordan | Willie Rennie |
| That this House recognises the psychological toll that conflict operations can have on members of the armed forces; notes that according to Combat Stress: the Ex-Services Mental Welfare Society approximately 60 per cent. of British veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder; is concerned that in 2008 referrals relating to the condition were up eight per cent. on the previous year and up 66 per cent. on 2005 levels; applauds the work of organisations like Combat Stress who since 1919 have provided support to almost 100,000 veterans of every British armed forces campaign; and calls on the Government actively to address the issue of war trauma and look at further ways of assisting armed services veterans to make an integrated return to civilian society. |
| 1630 | ARRIVA AND SHREWSBURY RAILWAY STATION | 10:6:09 |
| Daniel Kawczynski | | Lynne Jones | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | Jeremy Corbyn | | Norman Baker | | Mr John Leech |
| That this House welcomes the assurance from the Commercial Director of Arriva Trains, Mr Mike Bagshaw, that he will visit Shrewsbury station; and notes that he accepts that the aesthetic condition of the buildings and environs are unacceptable and further accepts Arriva Trains' responsibility to clean up and modernise the train station to a standard appropriate to Shrewsbury station. |
| 1631 | OCCUPATIONAL PENSIONS | 10:6:09 |
| Bob Spink | | Mark Durkan | | Andrew George | | Jim Dobbin | | Mr Mike Hancock | | Mr David Drew |
| That this House acknowledges the frustration felt by more than 125,000 people who lost their occupational pensions between 1997 and 2005; notes with dismay that the compensation they receive through the Financial Assistance Scheme declines in real value every year and is far less than the promised 90 per cent. of accruement; and believes that the Government should fulfil its obligation to correct this injustice by increasing the Financial Assistance Scheme Cap and indexing pre-1997 pension compensation by inflation. |
| 1633 | SUPPORTING YOUNG CARERS OFSTED SURVEY | 10:6:09 |
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mr David Crausby | | Jim Dobbin | | Mr Nigel Evans | | Bob Spink | | Mark Durkan |
| | Jim Dowd | Mr Bill Olner | Hugh Bayley | | | Tony Lloyd | Mr David Clelland | Mrs Linda Riordan |
| That this House notes with concern the findings of Ofsted's Supporting Young Carers survey; expresses concern that despite the recent reforms to children's services, many children and young people who care for their disabled parents are often unidentified, unsupported and without a voice; further notes with concern the low level of awareness by local authorities and their partners of the number of young carers in their area and that they do not consider their needs when providing services for disabled parents; further notes with concern that young carers surveyed were unaware of their right to request an assessment; believes that this situation is unacceptable and lets down these young people; and calls on the Government to ensure that the recommendations set out by Ofsted are implemented without delay and for the Government to develop a national strategy for young carers in order better to meet their needs. |
| 1634 | POLICE COMMUNITY SUPPORT OFFICERS | 10:6:09 |
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mr David Crausby | | Jim Dobbin | | Bob Spink | | John Mann | | Mr Mike Hancock |
| | Tom Levitt | Mr Eddie McGrady | Mrs Linda Riordan |
| That this House welcomes the valuable role and contribution made by police community support officers (PCSO) in supporting police officers by providing a visible presence and in helping to improve the quality of life in communities; believes that the role of police officers is distinct and different and that PCSOs should support, not substitute, or infringe on the work of police officers; and urges the Government to launch a publicity drive to raise public awareness of PCSOs and the positive impact that they make in helping keep our towns, cities and communities safe. |
| 1635 | PROTECTION OF THE TITLE OF DOCTOR | 10:6:09 |
| John Mann | | Mr David Drew | | Lynne Jones | | Kelvin Hopkins | | Mrs Ann Cryer | | Jeremy Corbyn |
| That this House notes the title of doctor is not a protected title; further notes that practitioners of complementary medicine have an important role in health care, but believes that the title doctor implies a background in scientific orthodox medicine; further believes that the use of the term doctor by practitioners of complementary medicine is misleading and confusing; further believes that the array of other qualifications a trained orthodox doctor may hold can also be confusing; and calls on the Government either to protect the title of doctor for British Medical Association registered and suitably qualified practitioners, or to introduce a simple and popularly recognisable scheme that will distinguish between different traditions and levels of scientific evidence behind medicine. |
| 1636 | WESTMINSTER PARLIAMENTARY PASSES FOR MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THEIR STAFF | 10:6:09 |
| John Mann | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Andrew Gwynne | | Dr Desmond Turner | | Jon Cruddas | | Mr John Grogan |
| | John Hemming | Mrs Linda Riordan | John Mason |
| That this House notes that the number of parliamentary passes available for the staff of hon. Members and Peers is necessarily limited; further notes that Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are allocated passes to the parliamentary estate, but that hon. Members are not allocated passes to the European Parliament; and believes that it is unnecessary for MEPs or their staff to be allocated House of Commons passes and that new MEPs should not therefore be issued with such passes. |
| 1638 | ACCESS TO THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT FOR MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT | 10:6:09 |
| John McDonnell | | Kelvin Hopkins | | David Taylor | | Alan Simpson | | Mr Neil Gerrard | | Mike Wood |
| That this House notes with concern that Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are automatically given security passes to the Houses of Parliament; believes there is no reason why MEPs need such access to the Houses of Parliament; notes that members of the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly and the London Assembly are not given passes to the Houses of Parliament; further notes that Members of the UK Parliament are not given security passes to the European Parliament on a reciprocal basis; and therefore calls for an end to the practice of giving security passes to the Houses of Parliament to MEPs. |
| 1639 | TRADING ARM OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY | 10:6:09 |
| John McDonnell | | Mr Andrew Dismore | | Mr David Drew | | Jeremy Corbyn | | Kelvin Hopkins | | Alan Simpson |
| | Frank Dobson | Paul Flynn | Julie Morgan | | | Mr Roger Williams | Mr David Anderson | Martin Horwood | | | Mr Andrew Pelling |
| That this House deplores the attempts by the board and senior managers of the National Museum of Science and Industry (NMSI) to undermine the status of its staff as public servants through the misuse of its trading arm; notes that the clear intention of the legislation that enabled NMSI to create a trading company, the National Heritage Act 1983, was that the company would carry out commercial activities in support of museum activities, but not that it should be used as a tool to dismantle the terms and conditions of museum staff; calls on the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to intervene immediately to bring an end to this practice; and asks that the Secretary of State re-assert the principle that the responsibility for collecting, caring for, and making available to the public the national heritage in scientific and industrial artefacts ought to reside in staff directly employed by and accountable to the state. |
| 1640 | DISABLED CHILDREN AND HEALTH | 10:6:09 |
| Mrs Joan Humble | | Mrs Betty Williams | | Mr Tom Clarke | | Annette Brooke | | Tom Levitt | | Jane Kennedy |
| | Dr Phyllis Starkey | Dr Desmond Turner | Mr Simon Burns | | | Mr Michael Mates | Sandra Gidley | Mr Mark Oaten | | | Gwyn Prosser | Mr Michael Fallon | Mr Peter Ainsworth | | | Mr Humfrey Malins | Mr Andrew Love | Ms Diane Abbott | | | Mike Gapes | Mr Edward Davey | Harry Cohen | | | Mr John Horam | Mr Don Foster | Roger Berry | | | Mr Robert Walter | Robert Key | Joan Walley | | | Mr Bill Olner | Mr Richard Shepherd | Clare Short | | | Mr David Winnick | Hugh Bayley | Mr George Howarth | | | Mr Edward O'Hara | Mr Eric Martlew | Sir Alan Beith | | | Mr Fraser Kemp | Dr Richard Taylor | John Hemming | | | David Howarth | Mrs Linda Riordan | Mr Angus MacNeil |
| That this House welcomes the new report, Disabled Children and Health, produced by the Every Disabled Child Matters campaign, with the support of the Children's Trust, Tadworth; recognises the commitment made to children's health through the Healthy lives, brighter futures strategy; notes that this strategy confirms that primary care trusts in England have £340 million in their 2008-09 budgets for services for disabled children, including short breaks, community equipment, wheelchairs and palliative care, for which £30 million is earmarked specifically for children's palliative care; further notes with concern the evidence in Disabled Children and Health that disabled children have unequal access to health services and that there is confusion amongst primary care trusts regarding what is expected of them in relation to health services for disabled children and how to identify this specific funding locally; acknowledges the impact of missing out on health services on the child and families' ability to lead an ordinary life; and calls on the Department of Health, primary care trusts, local authorities and the health, social care and education inspectorates to respond positively to the recommendations in the Every Disabled Child Matters report in order to provide disabled children with health services that meet their needs. |
| 1641 | ROYAL MAIL AND THE POSTAL SERVICES BILL | 10:6:09 |
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle | | Mr David Crausby | | Jim Dobbin | | Mr Bob Laxton | | Colin Burgon | | Mrs Joan Humble |
| | Mr Michael Meacher | Mr Joe Benton | Dr Gavin Strang | | | Michael Connarty | Mark Lazarowicz | Mr Angus MacNeil | | | John Mason |
| That this House calls on the Government to withdraw the Postal Services Bill and the proposals to part-privatise Royal Mail; notes that since the publication of the Hooper Review, the environment in which Royal Mail operates has significantly changed and that subsequent analysis and reports examining the impact of the Government's proposals raises doubts over the benefits of part-privatisation; further notes that 75 per cent. of people oppose the part-privatisation of Royal Mail, with 60 per cent. of people saying it needs to be reformed but remain in the public sector; and calls on the Government to listen and respond to these wide-ranging concerns and re-examine their proposals to ensure that Royal Mail is modernised, not privatised, and remains a wholly publically-owned organisation. |
| 1642 | FALKLAND ISLANDS LIBERATION DAY | 10:6:09 |
| Andrew Rosindell | | Geraldine Smith | | Mr Henry Bellingham | | Jim Dobbin | | Lady Hermon | | Mr Gerald Howarth |
| That this House notes that this year marks the 27th anniversary of the Falklands Islands conflict; recalls the magnificent sacrifices made by Her Majesty's armed forces in heroically liberating the Islands and securing the unconditional surrender of the Argentine forces who illegally invaded the Islands on 2 April 1982; remains resolutely dedicated to strengthening the historic ties between Britain and the Falkland Islands; reaffirms the continued support of the United Kingdom in maintaining the Islands as a self-governing British Overseas Territory; and looks forward to many more years of the Union Flag flying proudly above Stanley and throughout the Islands. |
| 1643 | 12th ANNUAL NATIONAL CHILDCARE WEEK | 10:6:09 |
| Mrs Joan Humble | | Annette Brooke | | Jane Kennedy | | Tom Levitt | | Mrs Louise Ellman | | Jim Dobbin |
| | Mrs Iris Robinson | Jenny Willott | Julia Goldsworthy | | | Mrs Linda Riordan |
| That this House welcomes the 12th Annual National Childcare Week, organised by the Daycare Trust with the support of Children's Mutual; notes that the theme of the week is Foundations for the Future; and agrees that high quality and affordable childcare can build firm foundations for the future by giving children a good start in life, enabling their parents to work or train, and in the long term help to tackle social exclusion, create jobs and raise educational standards. |
| 1644 | TROOPING THE COLOUR | 10:6:09 |
| Andrew Rosindell | | Geraldine Smith | | Mr Henry Bellingham | | Jim Dobbin | | Mr Gerald Howarth | | Ann Winterton |
| That this House looks forward to the 2009 Trooping the Colour ceremony on Saturday 13 June to mark the Official Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II; notes with pride that the flags of all the nations of the Commonwealth are always displayed in and around Horse Guards Parade for this great occasion; and calls on the Government to ensure that the flags of all Her Majesty's Territories are also flown in time for the ceremony, including Her Majesty's Crown Dependencies of the Isle of Man. Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark, together with Her Majesty's Overseas Territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Ocno Islands, St. Helena, Ascension Island, Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands. |
| 1645 | VAUXHALL MOTORS | 11:6:09 |
| Andrew Miller | | Kelvin Hopkins | | Patrick Hall | | Lynne Jones | | Mr Martin Caton | | Jim Dobbin |
| | Mr Bill Olner | Mr David Winnick | Mr Dennis Skinner | | | Mr Kevin Barron | Mr David Crausby | Dr Brian Iddon | | | Mr Ian
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