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 recognises that any attempt to introduce top-up fees or to allow universities to charge differential tuition fees would discourage access by students from state schools and students from under-represented groups; and calls upon the Government to extend the provisions of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998 to prohibit the introduction of differential tuition fees and to re-affirm its opposition to other forms of top-up fees.
That this House welcomes the return of first class rugby to Reading; and hopes London Irish have a successful time at the Madjeski Stadium next season.
That this House recognises and supports the Committee Representing the People's Parliament in Burma which has been established due to the military junta's refusal to comply with the 1990 election results and allow parliament to convene since that time; notes that the Committee Representing the People's Parliament has already received statements of support from the European Parliament, the Danish Parliament, the Belgium Parliament and the Norwegian Parliament; and believes that international recognition of this kind will serve to strengthen the pro-democracy movement in Burma.
That this House congratulates Rotherham United Football Club on gaining promotion at the end of this season; looks forward to seeing Britain's and Europe's top rugby teams playing in Rotherham; and confidently expects the Millers to be in the First Division before long.
That this House expresses concern at the process whereby, unlike at other universities in the UK, Bachelor of Arts graduates from Oxford and Cambridge can apply for the automatic granting of an MA degree; notes that this practice enables graduates from Oxford and Cambridge to claim an apparent advantage in the jobs market over graduates attaining a Bachelor of Arts degree from other universities and devalues and undermines the efforts and achievements of those students earning an MA after a period of further study and assessment by examination or dissertation; and calls for either the phasing out of the 'free of effort' MA Oxbridge degree or alternatively the provision of automatic MA degrees for all graduates in a spirit of equality and fairness regardless of their universities.
That this House is concerned at the stated intention of the National Grid Company to amend its group rules of the Electricity Supply Pension Scheme so as to allow themselves, retrospectively, to profit from their failure to make payments to the fund, to cover deficiencies arising from the company's redundancy programme; notes that this was found to be unlawful by the Pensions Ombudsman in the first instance, and finally by the Court of Appeal which upheld the complaints of Messrs Laws and Mayes against the company and trustees and that the wide power of amendment, highlighted in the Appeal Court judgement of 10th February, was contained in rules designed for a nationalised industry with ultimately democratic control of the employer by Parliament; and believes that now in the hands of private employers such powers have been abused by employers in their goal to keep their hands on the windfalls raided from the pension fund.
That this House, while appreciating the fact that the German Government continues to pay pensions to Holocaust survivors, notes with concern that these pensions have been reduced by eighteen and a half per cent. because of the decline in the value of the euro; is aware that the uncertainties of the financial markets could result in further adjustments; considers that this is an unfair burden and worry for Holocaust survivors; and believes that there is a strong case for such pensions to be paid to UK residents and to residents in other nations in their national currencies.
That this House recognising the outstanding support given to Peterborough Utd FC by tens of thousands of local people and club supporters, appreciating the skill and professionalism of its players, valuing the leadership of its directors, managers and staff, and saluting the selfless and dedicated generosity of Mr Peter Boisot, congratulates the POSH on its promotion to the second division of the Football League; and wishes it more success next season.
That this House notes the release of the feature film U571 in the UK, which purports to tell the tale of the capture by the United States Navy of a Nazi submarine during World War II, with the intention of retrieving an Enigma code machine and code books, and that this story is entirely fictional; notes that the capture of the Enigma machine actually took place in May 1941 when the British destroyer HMS 'Bulldog', commanded by Captain Joe Baker Cresswell, disabled and seized submarine U-110, after which members of its crew, led by Lt. Davide Balme and including, amongst others, Chief Engineering Officer G.E. Dodds, then risked their lives to board the stricken submarine, facing the danger that it might sink at any time; notes that members of the boarding party were decorated for their heroism in retrieving the encoding device and that King George VI described their actions as perhaps the most important single event in the war at sea; and regrets that Hollywood has chosen to distort the truth and detract from the valour of the British sailors concerned by appropriating the story for its own financial gain.
That this House congratulates Voluntary Service Overseas on its efforts to tackle global disadvantage for over 40 years by sending volunteers to work all over the world; notes that VSO is currently supporting 2000 volunteers aged 17 to 70 drawn from almost every parliamentary constituency who share their skills in 74 of the world's poorest countries; takes note of VSO's latest work including new partnerships to encourage secondments from business and local authorities, international teams of young people tackling social exclusion in the United Kingdom and programmes involving volunteers from developing countries; endorses the forthcoming campaign to tackle the HIV/AIDS crisis engulfing Southern Africa where, over the next three years, VSO will be sending 700 volunteers to support the preventative work of local employers and communities in the region while encouraging the Government and industry in the United Kingdom to support better access to medical treatment for associated infections; and welcomes the recognition of the work of VSO at a reception in the Jubilee Room.
That this House notes the full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory in compliance with United Nations Resolution 425; appreciates that this fulfils the pledge made by Prime Minister Ehud Barak to the Israeli electorate that Israel would be out of Lebanon within a year of the election; acknowledges that the purpose of the Israeli presence in Lebanon was to protect the citizens of Israel's northern towns and villages from terrorist attacks; further notes that any pretext for violence against Israel has been removed; urges UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces to gain full control over south Lebanon to ensure the peace; insists that UN Resolution 425 requires the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanese territory, including the 35,000 Syrian troops so that Lebanon may exercise its sovereignty throughout its territory; welcomes Israel's acceptance of 6,600 Lebanese Christian, Druze and Shia Muslim refugees who fear Hizbollah reprisals; deplores that fact that Iran, Hizbollah's long term patron, has sought to encourage more attacks against Israel and has used every effort to undermine peace efforts in the Middle East; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to put all possible pressure on the Governments of Lebanon, Syria and Iran to ensure that the Israeli redeployment is not seen as an opportunity for attacks on Israeli sovereign territory that would only lead to a renewed escalation, destroying this opportunity of a new era of peace for all the peoples of the region.
That this House condemns proposals by the Russell Group of Universities that students be required to pay up to ú6,000 on top of existing tuition fees; believes that top-up fees would restrict poorer students' access to the leading universities; and calls on the Government to rule out the introduction of top-up fees as a means of funding higher education.
That this House congratulates the Board of Science and Education of the British Medical Association for the publication of its report 'Eating Disorders, Body Image and the Media' which considers the role that the media can play in the causation of eating disorders; notes that eating disorders have one of the highest mortality rates of all psychiatric illnesses, and are an increasing problem in modern western societies; welcomes the Government summit which is to take place on this issue on 21st June; and calls upon the Government to implement the recommendations in the BMA's report which call for clearly defined targets for the reduction in the number of eating disorders through preventative measures, extra resources to be given for mental health services, specifically eating disorder clinics, and increased public education on the connections between dieting, physical activity and health, and the health risks associated with eating disorders and being underweight.
That this House notes with the most serious concern the relentless state-sponsored violence in Zimbabwe where blacks and white alike are being savagely murdered almost daily with an apparent impunity; deeply regrets that, following the brutal attack and wounding on Monday 29th May of Mr Nick Syrett, a British diplomat, only a few days later yet another white farmer was murdered; unequivocally condemns the perpetrators of these brutal acts; declares that the Zimbabwean government is ultimately responsible, under international laws, for the protection of the lives and property of all its citizens and other people who legally reside in that country; and supports all measures which Her Majesty's Government has taken, and continues to take, both in concern with other nations and in the United Nations, to facilitate the return to the rule of law and the active promotion of democracy, peace and prosperity in that country; and believes that until such comprehensive change is brought about, no British Government or EU funds should be offered to the government of Zimbabwe.
That this House congratulates anaesthetists throughout England on National Anaesthesia Day on 25th May; notes that anaesthetists are often not recognised for being trained to an extremely high standards after qualifying as doctors and are involved in many areas of delivery of care to patients, ranging from pain relief, care of patients in intensive care units, women in labour and anaesthesia during surgery; and thanks them for their dedication and professionalism.
That this House notes that Mrs Manjit Basuta, a British citizen, has been convicted in the United States and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment after an unsafe trial; further notes that the trial did not comply with Article 14 of the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights stating that all persons shall be equal before the courts and tribunals, everyone is entitled to be heard by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal, everyone is entitled to examine, or have examined the witnesses against him and to obtain the attendance and examination of witnesses on his behalf on the same conditions as those against him; further notes that this unfairness is shown by the unsupervised vetting of the jury, the prejudicial refusal to admit relevant and expert evidence, the questionable reliability of the main prosecution witness and the judge's apparent greater concern for expediency than fairness; and supports Manjit Basuta's lawyers' and Fair Trials Abroad's call for an immediate retrial.
That this House regrets the delay in informing the National Assembly of Wales about the release of genetically-modified oil seed rape seed; believes this shows contempt for a body established by this House to deliver environmental protection in Wales; and calls for the National Assembly to be considered a full partner in all United Kingdon and European discussions on genetically-modified agriculture.
That this House firmly rejects the proposal of the European Seeds Association that a threshold of 1 per cent. of GM seeds in conventional seed stocks be adopted by the EC as a legal basis for the sale of conventional seeds; and calls on Government ministers to oppose any such measures.
after 'environment;', insert 'contrasts this with the fact that not a penny of public money has been forthcoming for JC2000, the largest arts festival for schools ever staged in the UK in which over 18,000 schools serving more than six million pupils have been given the chance to learn the true meaning of the Millennium;'.
That this House notes with interest the adoption by the European Commission of a proposal for a directive on food supplements; observes that the purpose of the directive is to remove barriers to trade in vitamin and mineral supplements throughout Europe; welcomes the principle underlying the provisions of the directive, namely that consumers should be able to purchase vitamin and mineral supplements on general retail sale, provided that they are safe; notes that the proposed directive has the support in principle of the Health Food Manufacturers Association, Consumers for Health Choice and the National Association of Health Stores; invites Her Majesty's Government to continue to use its influence in Europe to ensure that this liberal but safety-based approach is maintained at the heart of the legislation during the coming debates, whilst at the same time working to remedy some of the other defects in the detail of the directive which do need to be addressed; and welcomes the exhibition in the Upper Waiting Hall mounted by the Health Food Manufacturers Association in the week commencing 5th June explaining the role of a wide range of health foods and natural health products in promoting a healthier nation.
That this House congratulates Halifax on their decision to drop charges for the use of their cash machines; urges them to implement their decision without delay; and calls on all the other banks urgently to follow their example.
That this House welcomes the announcement by the Chief Executive of British Nuclear Fuels plc of the immediate closure of the Hinckley Point A nuclear reactor and the closure dates of Dungeness A, Sizewell A, Calder Hall and Chapelcross; further welcomes the closure date of the B205 reprocessing plant at Sellafield which contributes almost 70 per cent. of radioactive discharges into the Irish Sea; notes the continuing unacceptable level of discharges into the Irish Sea from the THORP reprocessing plant, the presence of technetium from these discharges in Icelandic and Norwegian fishing grounds and the continuing opposition to THORP in Ireland and the Nordic countries; and calls on the Government to respond positively to the proposals to be tabled at the forthcoming OSPAR conference for the closure of THORP by urging the new management of BNFL plc to actively investigate the benefits of renegotiating existing contracts for reprocessing at THORP into contracts for the dry storage of spent nuclear fuel.
That this House expresses its deep concern that Southern Water has received over ú100 million since 1989 by charging 595,000 customers in Sussex approximately ú18 per year for drainage of surface water even though a high proportion of their houses have soakaway systems and, therefore, do not use the service; welcomes the intervention of OFWAT which brought this to light; and calls upon Southern Water to take urgent steps to identify all of its customers who do not use this service and to make a full refund to them for all charges incorrectly and unfairly levied since 1989.
That this House congratulates Mr Arthur Smith on successfully completing sixty-five years as organist and choirmaster of Christ Church, Walmersley, in the constituency of Bury North; notes that Mr Smith is almost certainly both the organist and the choirmaster with the longest record of continuous service at any church in the United Kingdom; commends his good humour, dedication, patience, universal popularity and admirable record of service to his community; and calls on the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to consider the means by which the contribution to the local community of talented and dedicated musicians and teachers such as Arthur Smith could be formally recognised.
That this House notes the number of tragic deaths caused through young children drowning in garden ponds; and calls on the Government to initiate a campaign through the national media and to work with DIY stores and garden centres to highlight the potential dangers of ponds and water features in relation to young children.
That this House is alarmed to discover that up to 100,000 hectares of this year's maize crop in Europe may be subject to GM contamination; is concerned that this is on a larger scale than the recently admitted GM contamination of oilseed rape; believes it is grossly dishonest of the European seed industry and EU officials to respond by demanding a reversal of current European zero contamination rules rather than tackling the central issue of genetic pollution; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to follow Sweden and France in destroying GM-contaminated seeds and crops, to arrange compensation for farmers, to hold seed suppliers fully liable for contamination under the polluter pays principle, and to halt seed imports which lack comprehensive verification as being GM-free.
That this House notes the conclusions of the report of the Policy Action Team on Jobs that local exchange trading schemes could offer the opportunity to acquire valuable work experience and demonstrate a work ethic to potential employers in the open labour market, but that despite these potentially positive outcomes, existing benefit rules create barriers to participation; welcomes the report's recommendation that benefit entitlements should not in future be affected by participation in a LETS; and calls upon the Government to follow the report's recommendations to make the appropriate changes to benefit rules with a view to ensuring that LETS are able to play their full part in promoting social inclusion.
That this House, recognising that many of the nation's senior citizens experience serious difficulty in understanding fully the intricacies of the welfare benefit payment procedures, noting that many pensioners lose out in failing to make claims as required for benefits to which they may become entitled by virtue of increasing age, noting too that with the inevitable introduction of amendments to benefit conditions and the onset of advancing years, increasing numbers of the nation's elderly become even more confused in regard to these claims, therefore calls on the Government, when pensioners qualify initially for their national insurance pensions, to offer a service helping them to claim all other help available; and urges Her Majesty's Government to put to full use the advantages offered by today's information technology to institute a system of automatic triggering of the pensioner premium, the enhanced pensioner premium and the higher pensioner premium to individuals and couples so entitled as soon as they reach the qualifying age thus removing the prospect of them suffering loss by failing to register a claim.
at end add 'and calls on the Government to declare a moratorium on further planning applications for new telecommunication masts pending the outcome of the review of planning policy announced by the Government.'.
That this House is saddened by the news that Sir John Gielgud has passed away aged 96; recognises that he was one of the greatest classical actors of the twentieth century who made his stage debut at the Old Vic in 1921 in Henry V and went on to play Trofinov in The Cherry Orchard, Richard II and Hamlet, and helped modernise Shakespearean productions to appeal to a wider public; notes that he starred in many cinematic roles including Disraeli in The Prime Minister in 1940, Cassius in Julius Caesar in 1953, was nominated for an Oscar in Becket in 1964 as Henry II, Lord Raglan in The Charge of the Light Brigade in 1968 and in Providence in 1977; further notes he also played many famous cameo roles in films such as Murder on the Orient Express in 1974 and Chariots of Fire in 1981 and he won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor in Arthur; further notes that he starred in many television roles and was a respected author; also notes that in 1994 he was honoured by the Globe Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue which was renamed the Gielgud Theatre, he was Knighted in 1953, appointed Companion of Honour in 1977 and received the Order of Merit in 1996; and notes that he will be sorely missed, especially his distinctive voice, once described by Alec Guinness as a silver trumpet muffled in silk.
That this House notes with pleasure the 10th anniversary of the elections on 27th May 1990 in Burma, in which the National League for Democracy, headed by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, won 392 out of the 495 parliamentary seats; but regrets the action of the military regime in failing to respond to the democratic wishes of the country; condemns the regime for retaining in prison 55 MPs elected in 1990 and for detaining 1,000 political activists last year; further condemns the regime for its brutal and inhumane treatment of ethnic minorities, such as the Karens, who have suffered from a brutal campaign of murder, forced relocation and slave labour during this period; and calls upon the British Government to exert the maximum pressure on the regime, including pressing for international court action against those responsible for crimes against humanity.
That this House congratulates the Government on its own amendments to the Children (Leaving Care) Bill, which extend statutory duties to 21; and believes that, together with 'Quality Protects', the establishment of 'A National Voice' and the Children's Rights Director within the Care Standards Commission, this will eventually transform the care system, at last providing something which is worthy of the brave, resilient and amazing children within it and of dedicated staff who have kept going during the most difficult times, laying sound foundations for a service of which this country will eventually be proud rather than utterly ashamed.
That this House notes with deep concern that consumers using pre-payment meters are currently being charged higher prices for their gas and electricity than those who pay by direct debit; regards this excessive charging of many people on low incomes, including those without access to bank accounts, as unacceptable; and urges Ofgem to ensure that this practice ends as soon as possible.
That this House notes with concern the exclusion of Arbroath from the revised assisted area boundary proposals; recognises that while significant gains have been made in recent years to restructure the local economy, the case for re-inclusion is strong, given the consistently high levels of unemployment, the significant dependence on a declining manufacturing sector, and the opportunities which exist to benefit from regional selective assistance; understands that without assisted area status recent gains in Arbroath will be reversed; and calls on the Department of Trade and Industry to reinstate the excluded areas.
That this House condemns the company Focus Do-It-All for selling live animals in their do-it-yourself stores through their in-store Petworld outlets; regrets the concept of trading in live animals; believes that the purchase of an animal requires a pre-conceived idea and planning more appropriately carried out at an animal re-homing centre with dedicated and informed staff; regrets the fact that there are already thousands of unwanted animals requiring re-homing as a result of whim-buying encouraged by such stores; and urges the Government to legislate to prevent the opening of such stores.
That this House urges that any person convicted of cruelty to animals should in future be automatically banned for life from keeping an animal or working with animals; deplores the lenient sentences handed down to the two people convicted in the Chipperfield Circus Case in April 1999, when one was fined for 12 counts of cruelty to a chimpanzee and one was fined for cruelty to an elephant; and calls on the Government to amend the Protection of Animals Act 1911, the Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act 1988 and the dangerous animals and wildlife acts accordingly.
That this House deeply regrets the potential threat to the environment and farmers' livelihoods arising from the growing of oilseed rape contaminated by GM oilseed rape seeds sold by Advanta Seeds UK; believes that primary responsibility lies with the company for failing to test prior to marketing its own seed produced alongside GM crops of the same species; notes that these GM seeds have no European licence for commercial planting and are currently being grown only under test conditions in the UK; welcomes the Government's proposals for an international protocol on seed purity and domestic spot checks; urges the Government to investigate safe post-harvest destruction of the affected crops with compensation for farmers; and further calls upon the Government to seek the advice of English Nature to ensure post-harvest 'volunteer' plants are destroyed to minimise the risk of herbicide tolerant genes being passed to wild relatives of oilseed rape.
That this House is appalled at Ethiopia's bombardment and invasion of Eritrea; is also alarmed that in a region of desperate poverty and famine scarce resources are being used to wage a war when human needs are so desperate; is deeply concerned that one million civilians have been displaced from their homes as a result of the invasion; calls for an immediate ceasefire and for United nations supervision to ensure that peace is maintained; calls also for urgent humanitarian assistance to help the victims of the bombardment; notes that Eritrea has accepted the peace package brokered by the Organisation of African Unity and endorsed by the United Nations; and therefore urges the Foreign Secretary to convey immediately to the Government of Ethiopia and the United Nations Her Majesty's Government's grave concerns, and to use all means at his disposal to encourage Ethiopia to sign up to the Organisation of African Unity peace package and to ensure that there is a peaceful resolution of the conflict in accordance with United Nations Resolution 1297.
That this House congratulates the Football Trust for its huge achievements, notably in helping professional clubs to implement the recommendations of the Taylor Report and to bring about the transformation of football grounds, providing venues that saw England host Euro 96 and which would be ready to host the World Cup Finals in 2006; notes that after investing ú400 million in the national game at all levels over the past 25 years the Football Trust is being wound up; welcomes the setting up of the Football Foundation as its successor body; and wishes the Foundation every success with its important work on grassroots football, community initiatives and ground improvements.
That this House expresses deep concern and alarm at the decision by the Millennium Commission to advance a further ú29 million of public money to the New Millennium Experience Company; notes that this will deprive the New Opportunities Fund of monies that would otherwise go to education, health and the environment; calls on the Government to undertake that no further public funds whether from taxation, the Lottery or otherwise shall be advanced to the NMEC; and further calls for a public judicial inquiry into the stewardship of the Millennium Fund.
That this House welcomes the efforts of the Emerging role of Sheltered Housing Consortium and their contribution to the debate about housing options for older people; notes that the 'Going on to Sheltered Housing' National Awareness Week is from 22nd to 28th May; and congratulates them on their efforts to raise public awareness about the positive and cost-effective benefits that sheltered and very sheltered housing offers to older people.
That this House supports the unanimous and firmly held view of the Board of Directors of Standard Life that mutuality is in the best interests of the company and its policy holders; recognises that the payouts from mutual insurance companies are higher than for public limited companies and that on average Standard Life's returns to policy holders have, over a long period, being around 9 per cent. higher than equivalent plcs; believes that it is vital that the option of investing in a mutual insurer should remain a vibrant and real choice for the public, and that there is a systemic interest in maintaining a competitive mutual sector for the benefit of all consumers; notes that actual windfall payments to the majority of Standard Life members will be considerably less than the 'average' quoted in the media and by those who wish the company to demutualise; endorses the view that a mutual life company has responsibilities to both current and future members; is concerned that if Standard Life, as the biggest mutual company in Europe, demutualises, then it is likely that, ultimately, a large part of the UK insurance sector will end up being controlled from abroad; and calls upon the carpetbaggers' group to state publicly that they will accept the result of the ballot on the special resolutions that they are moving at the special general meeting on 27th June.
leave out from 'remit' to end and add 'congratulates ITV on its decision to televise the pageant; and further congratulates the readers of the Daily Mail on their tremendous and effective campaign'.
leave out from 'to end and add 'review the Barnett formula to ensure an equitable distribution of spending according to a thorough needs analysis; and further urges that match-funding in Objective 1 areas be truly additional to government spending in those areas.'.
That this House considers it essential that the Government meets its reponsibilities to house people in the South East of England while at the same time protecting the countryside and advancing principles of sustainable development; deplores the confused, misguided and totally inadequate response of Conservative and Liberal Democrat honourable Members to the Government's draft regional planning guidance for the South East and believes their approach would be a recipe for homelessness and rapidly rising house prices; and welcomes the end of the outdated predict and provide approach, the confirmation of the 60 per cent. target for development on brownfield sites, the adoption of the sequential approach to ensure 'brownfield first' the promotion of a less profligate use of land, the positive approach to development in areas of economic and social need such as the Thames Gateway, the strong emphasis on raising the quality of housing development, and the commitment to the provision of affordable housing and the development of mixed communities.
That this House notes that certain water companies make a charge to customers who wish to pay their bills at the post office; believes that this practice further undermines the sub-post office network; and therefore calls on all water companies to ensure that customers who wish to pay their bills at the post office are not charged for doing so.