1,327 ingested motions from United Kingdom introduced in 2000. Year filters use the introduced date shown on each card. Walk years back as far as this source still publishes.
That this House, in light of the new Employment Relations Act introduced this month, welcomes the positive result of the voluntary ballot for trades union recognition within NCH Action for Children; congratulates the MSF trades union, UNISON trades union and NCH Action for Children for their proactive approach; and encourages other organisations in the charitable and not-for-profit sector to follow this example of good employment relations.
That this House welcomes the publication of the Burns Report into the impact of a ban on the hunting of animals with hounds and the announcement by the Home Secretary that the Government is to introduce a Bill into this House to give the opportunity to resolve the debate and implement a ban if it is the will of Parliament; welcomes the contribution offered to the debate by the objective findings of the report; urges the Government to recognise the shared judicial system common to both Wales and England when considering this legislation; and condemns attempts by Plaid Cymru Members (who have failed to support those calling for an end to the cruel and barbaric practice of hunting animals with hounds) to ignore this factor in pursuing a separatist agenda for Wales.
That this House congratulates the BMA on the launch of its campaign for a radical review of the organ donation system, which is supported by a wide group of professional and patient groups; welcomes the BMS's report Organ Donation in the 21st Century: Time for a Consolidated Approach, endorsed by organisations including the Patients Association, Royal College of General Practitioners, Transplants in Mind and the National Kidney Federation, as a significant contribution to stimulating an informed public debate; notes that over 5,000 people are on the active national transplant waiting list in the United Kingdom at a time when the gap between the number of organs available and people awaiting a transplant is continuing to increase; believes that a more positive view of organ donation should be encouraged to increase the availability of organs for transplantation; recommends changes to the existing organisational structure and established practice, including the development of a national transplant service, an expanded network of organ donor co-ordination, addressing the shortage of transplant surgeons, and increasing the number of critical care beds; recognises the inability of the current system to meet increasing demands; and calls for the Government to initiate a radical review of the whole system, including a thorough review of the existing legislation.
That this House welcomes the proposal announced in the Budget to lower VAT on women's sanitary products to 5 per cent. from 1st January 2001; agrees that women's sanitary products are not luxury consumer products; notes that continence products also classify as sanitary products and are not luxury consumer products; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to ensure that their definition of sanitary products will allow for the lowering of VAT to 5 per cent. on continence products, which are required, according to Government estimates in Good Practice in Continence Services, by up to 20 per cent. of the female population under 65 years, 40 per cent. of women aged over 65 years and between 7 to 10 per cent. of men aged over 65 years.
That this House notes the recent report by Columbia University which describes America's capital punishment system as flawed because more than two-thirds of convictions have to be overturned on appeal; notes with concern that the state of Texas has executed 218 people, more than any other state and about a third of the country's total, since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976; welcomes the fact that the state of Illinois has recently suspended all executions because of doubts about the guilt of those on death row; and calls on the Government to urge all American states to suspend capital punishment in the interests of justice and humanity.
leave out from 'dissertation' to end and add 'urges Oxford and Cambridge to award its MA degrees on that basis but insists that all those still living who have paid for MAs shall have their payment refunded provided they stop using their title, including the honourable Member for Grimsby who paid ú30 for his MA degree from Oxford University.'.
at end add '; and further urges that those sitting in the Second Chamber should cease to use their titles and that the House of Lords should be renamed the Senate.'.
That this House is appalled at the destabilising effect the illicit diamond trade is causing across two-thirds of Africa; welcomes the UK Government's calls for a UN embargo on diamonds from Sierra Leone, but is concerned that further action must be taken in Liberia, the Ivory Coast and Guinea; calls on the Government to support an international, independently verifiable certification system; further calls on the Government to press the EU, UN and G8 to take action on the diamond trading centres of Antwerp, Tel Aviv, Bombay and Dubai for their failure to curtail the trade in conflict diamonds; recognises that a boycott of diamonds would cause significant loss of trade for legitimate African exporters such as Botswana, Namibia and South Africa; and therefore calls on de Beers and all other diamond traders urgently to end the trade in conflict diamonds by supporting a system of independently verifiable certificates of origin and legislation on trade in rough diamonds thus ensuring that those who choose to buy diamonds can be certain they are not unwittingly funding brutal civil wars.
That this House calls upon the Government to instigate, as a matter of urgency, a full medical review of the Lasik Technique used to correct sight impediments through laser surgery, and the procedural guidelines governing it, given the increasing body of medical evidence which suggests that it causes long-term damage to the cornea, including the partial erosion of tissue and in some cases its eventual dislodgement; and further believes that all patients undergoing the operations should be made fully aware of the potential health risk of such a procedure.
That this House welcomes the proposal of the Organisation of African unity at the end of the recent Proximity Talks in Algiers for an Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities between Ethiopia and Eritrea; is of the view that this plan is the best hope for peace and stability in the region; notes that, according to the terms of the OAU proposal, both parties will agree to seek a resolution of the present crisis and any other dispute between them through peaceful and legal means in accordance with the principles enshrined in the charters of the OAU and United Nations, that both countries will commit to an immediate cessation of hostilities including the cessation of all armed air and land attacks, that the armed forces of both countries will withdraw to the positions held before fighting broke out on 6th May 1998 and that both parties will accept the deployment of a UN/OAU peacekeeping mission to monitor the cessation of hostilities and the redeployment of Ethiopian troops; welcomes the fact Eritrea has accepted the OAU proposal; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to use all its influence to persuade the Government of Ethiopia also to sign up to ensure a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
That this House views with alarm the Government's refusal to either fund or allow local authorities to borrow directly to invest in repairing council housing, the Housing Green Paper's aim to transfer 200,000 homes per year over 10 years, the support for PFI, even though it is an expensive way of financing public services, the terms attached to the 'arms-length housing companies' that make them unavailable to all but a handful of authorities and suggest that they will be so 'arms length' as to be effectively privatised, support for 'market forces' that will cause real financial hardship as council rents rise and the amount of money being spent by local authorities to win transfer ballots without equal resources to opponents preventing a fair debate; notes that the Government has recognised the injustice of this but had not yet stopped this tax or returned the money to fund housing repairs; believes that the experience of 'market forces' in housing has caused immense misery and poverty and necessitated that the provision of decent, affordable, secure and accountable housing be an essential component of the comprehensive welfare state and that this policy should be defended today; and resolves to join with council tenants, local authority trade unionists and others to ensure that further privatisation of council housing is halted to allow a proper debate including allowing local authorities to borrow directly and the long-term cost and other consequences of council housing privatisation.
That this House welcomes the Instrument Amnesty from the National Foundation for Youth Music in collaboration with BBC Music Live; notes the cross-party support for the initiative which aims to increase access among children and young people to music-making; notes that well over 4,000 instruments have so far been donated; congratulates the BBC on its successful five day Music Live festival; applauds the National Foundation for Youth Music's commitment to supporting and encouraging access to a wide variety of music-making opportunities for children and young people, particularly those with least opportunity; and applauds the BBC's continuing commitment to nurturing new talent and supporting and promoting the arts.
That this House supports the policy to encourage employers and places of work to adopt green travelplans; agrees with the Government's statement that it wants to encourage employers to develop green transport plans, aimed at reducing car use for travel to work and for travel on business; supports the Government target to introduce the travel plans across all departments by March 2000, but is concerned to find that the House of Commons does not have a green transport plan; and calls on the House authorities to remedy this situation by developing a green travel plan for the House of Commons.
That this House congratulates Gloucestershire County Cricket Club on their third successive one-day competition victory; and welcomes what the team has done to demonstrate the strengths of West Country sport.
That this House condemns the shooting of Brigadier Stephen Saunders, Britain's Defence Attache in Greece, by terrorists; urges the Greek authorities to use every means available to track down the criminals; notes that the car he was driving had no security protection; remembers him as a distinguished and decorated Army officer who joined the Army in 1965, served in Berlin, Cyprus and Northern Ireland and was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service; appreciates the warm tributes by family, friends and fellow officers; expresses sincere heartfelt condolences to his wife Heather and two daughters Nicola and Catherine; and supports the Government's determination to assist Greece in finding those responsible.
That this House deplores the use of live animals in circus acts, in particular Little Fred, an eight-year old Canadian Black Bear in the Circus King Company, which is currently touring the Midlands, this apparently being the only remaining performing bear in the UK; notes that it is a practice that harks back to the dark ages; deplores the use of any other live animals as circus acts, especially the elephants, lions, horses, tigers and llamas used in the Circus King Company; and urges honourable Members to actively encourage their constituents to boycott all performances by the Circus King Company.
That this House notes that more than 100 asylum seekers have been sent to Derby from Kent County Council by West Midlands Housing Ltd; expresses its concern that such a large number of asylum seekers could be transferred to Derby without the prior knowledge or consent of the local authority; regrets that as a consequence the asylum seekers are having to live in substandard unfit accommodation; notes that this practice does not give asylum seekers use of good services provided by local authorities, such as translation, education, housing and other essential services; and calls on the Government to take action against Kent County Council over their use of West Midlands Housing Ltd. in order that this situation does not arise again.
That this House notes the allegation in Henry McDonald's recent book, Trimble, that a Unionist politician from the anti-agreement camp, who had had links to Billy Wright's mid-Ulster Ulster Volunteer Force, visited the Portadown home of Mark Fulton, then the Chief of Staff of the breakaway Loyalist Volunteer Force, in the autumn of 1998 to seek to persuade that organisation not to decommission any of its weapons as decommissioning might help the cause of the Right honourable Member for Upper Bann; is deeply disturbed to discover the serious allegation that the politician in question was the former Member for Mid Ulster, William McCrea; condemns him for this terrible act of political and moral opportunism; and urges his party, for which he is a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Northern Ireland, to disavow his action and thus demonstrate that it is, as a party, totally committed to democratic and constitutional politics.
That this House regrets the harmful effect on children of the break-up of family relationships; suggests that, before the break-up of a family takes place, parents should be encouraged to enter into a contract regarding care of their children; believes that a parent intending to leave his or her children should be obliged to apply in writing for leave to do so, outlining their intentions regarding visiting and financial support; and urges parents to recognise the right of children to continuity of care in their lives.
That this House believes that the quality of school grounds is an important factor in children's development; notes that 66 per cent. of junior school children who participated in a recent survey, commissioned by the educational charity, Learning through Landscapes, claimed that playing in their school grounds actually reduces stress and anxiety, that two-thirds of children said that the playground was the best place to make friends, and that 36 per cent. said playing in their school grounds makes them feel happiest at school; believes that National School Grounds Week 2000, organised by Learning through Landscapes and drawing attention to the schools which develop and manage their school grounds in various innovative ways, has made a real difference to the educational and social development value of school grounds in all parts of the country; believes further that improving school grounds has a positive impact on the lives of thousands of children and their families and contributes to raising standards in schools; and calls on honourable Members to provide support for participating schools in their constituencies by visiting the school to see for themselves how improvements in design and management of their grounds benefit children and local communities.
at end add 'but regrets that London Irish should find it necessary to move from the capital and that a team of rugby players from Reading will not be based at their town's stadium.'.
That this House notes with extreme concern the recent difficulties facing Mrs Joan Ibbitson of Lupset, Wakefield, a foster carer with Wakefield MDC, looking for some 56 youngsters over many years, who took out a mortgage in 1998 with the former Springdale Mortgage Corporation Ltd, now Simplicity Mortgages Ltd, of Eastleigh, Hampshire, in order to purchase under Right-to-Buy legislation her council house; further notes that, as part of an agreement signed with Mrs Ibbitson, the company undertook to provide five years' sickness, accident and redundancy insurance but reneged on this agreement after she was unable to follow her occupation as a result of stress-related illness; regrets the fact that as a consequence of their failure subsequently to honour this agreement, allegedly because of her status as a foster carer, which was know to the company at the time of the original agreement, Mrs Ibbitson has had her family home of 30 years repossessed; calls upon the company to publicly apologise to Mrs Ibbitson and fully compensate her financially for the trauma and inconvenience she has experienced; and calls upon the Government to investigate the way in which companies of this kind have exploited the Right-to-Buy legislation to the detriment of people such as Mrs Ibbitson.
That this House congratulates the five permanent members of the UN Security Council on their unequivocal declaration that they will eliminate all nuclear weapons; urges Israel, India and Pakistan to declare those nuclear devices currently in their possession; and encourages these countries to sign the 1970 Non-Proliferation Treaty.
That this House notes that according to the Fees Office, 182 honourable and Right honourable Members of all parties overspent their office costs allowance in the last financial year by an average of ú2,500, and that the majority will have been obliged to make up the deficit by contributing to their staff salaries and other administrative costs from their own pockets; notes that honourable and Right honourable Members accrue no personal benefit from the OCA; further notes that the current level of the allowance compares unfavourably with those available to members of many overseas legislatures, including those of the USA, Australia, Canada, France and Germany; believes that honourable and Right honourable Members should be adequately supported in providing to their constituents the efficient and high quality service to which they are entitled, while offering reasonable rates of pay to their staff; recognises that even greater strain will be placed on the OCA as honourable and Right honourable Members seek to improve their and their staff's personal security following the appalling attack on the honourable Member for Cheltenham and his assistant earlier this year; and calls on the House authorities to ensure as a matter of urgency that the OCA is reviewed and uprated to meet the reasonable administrative costs of honourable and Right honourable Members.
That this House, notes that new creations to the House of Lords, following the recent reforms, will be persons nominated by the Prime Minister of the day without any democratic element or accountability; recalls that it has long been the practice of the House to recommend to the Crown in a Humble Address that retiring Speakers should be granted peerages, creating a precedent for a wider reform that gives this House authority to act in these matters; believes that any legitimate second chamber must be based upon election rather than patronage but recognises that such a system may take some time to introduce; resolves that until such a democratic chamber has been established, no persons shall be put forward for peerages unless and until a list of those so recommended has been submitted to the House of Commons for its approval on a formal motion; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to follow this practice forthwith and place before the House the names of all those whom it wishes to recommend for creation as peers before such recommendations are made to the Crown.
That this House notes that the Home Affairs Committee, in its Third Report, has recommended a relaxation of the double jeopardy rule under certain conditions; respects the opinions of the committee and understands the concerns that have led to them but believes their recommendation to be deeply flawed; notes that protection against double jeopardy dated from Roman times and is a fundamental protection for the individual citizen and any relaxation, however well motivated or restricted, would undermine this essential safeguard against wrongful conviction; believes that its relaxation may allow some apparent injustices to be addressed in the short term but would lead to far more and far greater injustices in the long term; and calls on the Government, when it considers this matter, to reject calls for any change to the law in this regard.
That this House believes that it's time to rescue the apostrophe from its current state of abuse and neglect; deplores the way in which it is routinely mutilated in publications by public bodies, companies and in advertisers' campaigns; asserts its crucial role in establishing meaning, especially when it's important to understand its importance, or to distinguish the one from the many, and believes it is the Government's duty to launch a campaign to restore the apostrophe to its proper place before it's too late.
That this House notes that there are an estimated one million people in the United Kingdom with undiagnosed diabetes, and that untreated diabetes can result in heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and neuropathy leading to amputations; further notes that diabetes and its complications cost the NHS ú4.9 billion a year, and that early intervention can delay or prevent complications, saving resources and lives; and urges Her Majesty's Government to support Diabetes UK's 'Missing Million' campaign by directing resources to diagnosis and intervention, including a national screening programme for diabetes.
That this House welcomes the latest report from the TUC, Campaigning to Close the Gap, which marks the 30th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act, which heralded major changes in women's pay, but recognises that the pay gap remains unacceptably large, despite the Government's commitment to tackle inequality by measures such as the minimum wage, tax credits and a national child care strategy, with women in full-time work earning around 80p for every ú1 earned by a male in full-time work; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to take further positive action to end the continuing unfairness of unequal pay.
That this House welcomes the stakeholder pension scheme proposed by B&CE Benefit Schemes; notes that B&CE's scheme will provide more than 150,000 construction workers, a key target group, with a stakeholder pension; further notes that B&CE's not-for-profit status means that it will provide its stakeholder pension free of charge for the first five years; and calls on the Government to recognise and endorse B&CE's achievement.
That this House condemns the deplorable conduct of First Line Mobile Communications, which sacked 2,000 workers in Swansea and Cardiff without any warning; regards their contempt for the well-being of their workforce as being in keeping with nineteenth century worst practice; calls upon the Government and the Welsh Assembly to take all appropriate action to ensure that sacked workers receive redundancy payments; and urges that its conduct in South Wales is borne in mind if ever this firm seeks financial support from public funds.
That this House congratulates the Government of the Philippine Republic on their Act of 1998 which promotes animal welfare in the Republic; notes with great concern that despite the legislation the illegal killing of dogs for food still continues; respectfully requests the Philippine Government to recognise the repugnant nature of this practice to many countries around the world; and calls upon the relevant authorities to enforce the terms of the 1998 Act by stamping out the selling of dogs for food.
That this House congratulates the Social Security Select Committee on its report on the operation of the Benefits Agency medical services, which concludes that the system in place is guilty of penalising claimants unfairly and leads to benefits being withheld from genuine cases; further notes the report's conclusion that Sema Group Limited, which runs BAMS, is cutting costs at the expense of service, resulting in undeserving claims going undetected whilst genuine cases are overlooked; is aware that welfare groups estimate many genuinely disabled people could be losing up to ú70 or ú80 per week; is concerned that amongst the major criticisms are that consultations with doctors are rushed through without the proper checks, that some doctors are not performing to adequate standards and that the medical service could be guilty of institutional racism in its treatment of ethnic minorities; and calls on the Benefits Agency urgently to review decisions made by doctors known to be underperforming, and on ministers to renegotiate the contract with BAMS to bring real improvements in service to the public.
That this House congratulates Councillor Muhammad Javed and the Labour Group on their election to the leadership of Redbridge Council; notes that this follows the resignation of the previous Conservative administration which will not go into opposition; draws attention to the strange and destructive posturing of the small Liberal Democrat Group in Redbridge, whose frequent changes of position included initial support for a Tory budget, then voting for a Tory council leadership, then voting for some Labour committee chairs, and now, when they have failed to get their own way, boycotting committee meetings; and believes that this shows how Liberal Democrats are unfit to be in government, that Conservatives cannot stand the heat and that only Labour is prepared to take responsibility.
That this House condemns the overthrow of the democratically-elected government of Fiji and the illegal detention of its Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, in a military coup; expresses its deep concern at the reimposition of a racially-biased constitution and the scrapping of the existing constitution, which had made Fijian Indians eligible for the post of Prime Minister for the first time; and congratulates Her Majesty's Government for its role in the decision to suspend Fiji from the Commonwealth and for the pressure it is bringing to bear on the coup leader, Mr George Speight, and his military supporters to restore democratic rule forthwith.
That this House welcomes the lobby of Parliament on Wednesday 7th June by mental health service users, carers and mental health staff; believes their paper, Common Themes, which aims to increase rights and reduce wrongs deserves detailed attention and helpful responses; and regrets that the speech by the Secretary of State for Health to the New Health Network on Tuesday 6th June made no reference to mental health issues or to the interests of the users of mental health services.
That this House congratulates New Zealand on its decision to abolish titular state honours; notes that titles with honours have been discontinued in Australia, Canada and elsewhere in the Commonwealth; believes that this country also needs a modern and inclusive honours system; and therefore calls upon the Government to abolish titular honours as the first stage reform.
That this House notes the recommendation in the Report of the Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords that membership of the second chamber should be separated from the honours system; believes that this recommendation should be implemented forthwith, including appointments to the transitional chamber; further believes that the end of a house of peers removes any basis for the continuance of the peerage; and therefore calls upon the Prime Minister not to recommend any future creations.
That this House notes with grave concern that Mohammed Chaudhry, a British citizen, has been held without charge by the Saudi authorities since his arrest on 23rd June 1999 following a five month internal investigation first by Colonel Abdullah Al-Mugari of the Military Police and then by Colonel Ali Johani from the Ministry of Defence into variances resulting from stock-take amounting to approximately ú1.5 million of medical supplies at Riyadh Military Hospital where Mr Chaudhry worked in storage and distribution; notes that the stock-take was cancelled in writing by the Chief Executive of the hospital before the variances could be completely investigated; notes that the investigating authorities never carried out a stock-take to establish facts; notes that, despite the fact that no further questioning by the police investigating the case has taken place since the first few days after his arrest, Mr Chaudhry, who has always denied any wrong-doing, remains in prison, without access to his lawyer, whilst other employees, including his immediate superior; Captain Meshal, are free; believes that a year is more than sufficient time to investigate any crime of this nature, and that the continued detention of Mr Chaudhry is a breach of natural justice and internationally accepted human rights; and therefore calls on the Saudi authorities to either release him to return home or, in the unlikely event that there is any case to answer, to bring that case forward against Mr Chaudhry to enable him to defend himself in open court.
That this House believes that a prerequisite for any bidder for the Connex South Central service must be inclusion in their bid of firm proposals to reopen the Lewes-Uckfield railway line early in the new franchise period.
That this House notes that Thursday 8th June is World Oceans Day and welcomes the work of the wildlife trusts and WWF through their Joint Marine Programme; congratulates them on highlighting the problems that face the UK's marine environment and promoting solutions that properly balance the social, economic and environmental needs of the sea and the communities who depend upon it; believes that the UK's seas are of incalculable value because they are home to more than 40,000 species, from plankton to the mightly blue whale, representing up to fifty per cent. of the UK's wildlife; acknowledges that the UK's waters contain most of Europe's most important commercial fishing grounds, providing essential protein for millions of people and a livelihood for thousands of fishermen and their dependent communities; believes that the seas around the UK play a vital part in regulating the climate and re-cycling nutrients upon which life depends; is deeply concerned that much that is precious and important goes unnoticed and merits little thought as people go about their daily lives; and notes the initiatives the Government has already taken to mark World Oceans Day.
That this House is alarmed that the Belfast Coroner has decided not to authorise an inquest into the death of Robert Hamill in Portadown because he is concerned for the safety of witnesses; and therefore calls upon the Secretary of State to hold a judicial inquiry into this tragedy as a matter of urgency.
That this House believes the Prime Minister should not have invited himself to speak to the Womens Institute members, that he should have respected their non-party political position and that he should approach similar audiences with less complacency and greater humility.
leave out from 'recognises' to 'jobs' in line 7 and insert: 'notes that by removing the specific references to fuel poverty, the requirement for the Secretary of State to lay his findings before Parliament, the power to make regulations and the references to specific action to provide households with a comprehensive package of home insultation, the Government has severely limited the original intent and effect of the Bill; calls on the Government to reinstate these areas of the Bill so that the Bill can be an effective tool in reducing fuel poverty,'.
leave out from 'sea' to end and add 'and welcomes the fact that, following representations in this House and to the film-makers directly by the honourable Member for Pudsey and by the honourable Member for New Forest East, where Lt Commander David Balme DSC resides, this exciting movie now closes with a prominent tribute to the Royal Navy for its role in capturing Enigma secrets.'.
That this House believes that the use of recreational cannabis should be allowed under strictly controlled conditions for an experimental period on the lines of the licensed cannabis cafes in the Netherlands.
That this House congratulates Super Furry Animals on their chart topping new album, Mwng; notes that Mwng is the best selling Welsh language album of all time; and notes that the Welsh language is re-establishing itself as a central part of popular youth culture and that this album is a celebration of Welsh culture embracing the new wave of confidence in the Welsh nation.
That this House welcomes the launch earlier this year of the UK Noise Association; notes that Wednesday 7th June has been designated as National Noise Action Day; recognises the growing problem of environmental noise from a variety of sources including traffic and aircraft; draws attention to the fact that, according to official figures, 32 million people in this country are exposed to high levels of noise; and urges the Government to develop a strategy to combat this forgotten pollutant.