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 notes the success of the European Car Free day on 22nd September in which over 800 European towns and cities participated from 23 countries; sends its congratulations to the nine British local authorities which participated, and to the British national co-ordinating partner Environmental Transport Association; notes that European Car Free Day is an ideal opportunity for citizens to experience the benefits of traffic reduction for themselves; welcomes the efforts of the Environmental Transport Associaton to promote widespread participation by British towns and cities in the next European Car Free Day on Saturday 22nd September 2001; regrets that the British Government was the only member of the European Union not to offer formal support to the European Car Free Day 2000; suggests that formal government support in Britain would greatly facilitate and encourage wider participation from British towns and cities in 2001; and calls upon the British Government to reconsider its position and declare its formal support for the day by signing the European Charter, which has now been signed by government ministers from all member states of the European Union except the United Kingdom.
That this House expresses its disappointment at the failure of political leaders at the Hague Climate Change Conference to reach agreement on making the Kyoto Protocol operational; welcomes the efforts made by the representatives of the British Government to encourage measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; regrets that the inflexible approach of some nations, notably the USA, meant that a deal could not be reached; and urges the UK and other governments to reconvene at the earliest opportunity to complete a compact that leads to effective action to control emissions and protect the planet from the impact of global warming.
That this House believes there is a moral obligation for the Government to provide an ex gratia payment for women who have been injured by their radiotherapy treatment; recognises that in the past women were not warned of the dangerous risks before their radiotherapy treatments, were not given counselling after them and that the treatment was administered without informed consent being sought or given; understands radiotherapy injuries can include painful, untreatable and permanent injuries such as the paralysis of an arm or spontaneous bone fractures; notes that no compensation has been paid since EDM 512 (COURAGE campaign for patients with radiotherapy damage) was tabled in December 1997; asks the Secretary of State for Health to empower the Health Service Commissioner to recommend the award of ex gratia payments in appropriate circumstances, as proposed by the Health Select Committee in 1999; and urges the Department of Health to look again at the provision of an arbitration system to provide no-fault compensation for exceptional cases where the NHS is responsible for non-negligent harm.
That this House welcomes the publication of the Zito Trust survey of UK health authorities, 'Are local NHS services for treating severe mental illness adequate?'; notes with concern the key findings that access to the most appropriate and effective treatments, such as the new generation of antipsychotic drugs with reduced side-effects for the 500,000 people suffering from schizophrenia in the UK is being denied to a large number of patients, that non-compliance with medication in the community is recognised as posing serious difficulties for patients and their carers, and that funding of services is seen as inadequate; and, therefore urges the Government to implement the report's recommendations at the earliest opportunity.
leave out from 'cancer' to end and add 'and calls on the Government to bring forward proposals to honour its commitment in its response to the Science and Technology Committee's report on cancer research that it is determined to secure the future of cancer registration and will take the necessary action to ensure this.'.
That this House congratulates earthwalker Paul Coleman on his perpetual walk which led him to the Rio Earth Summit and which is now taking him across the United Kingdom and Europe to China, where he will be planting trees and encouraging people in villages, towns and cities along the way to plant trees so as to protect the planet.
That this House believes that the Ottawa Treaty on anti-personnel landmines should be amended to include a ban on the use of cluster bombs; notes that during the Gulf War 30,000 tonnes of ordnance was dropped on Iraq, this included cluster bombs which are still killing people; notes that similarly in Kosovo the RAF alone dropped 53 cluster bombs, each containing 147 bomblets, many of which did not explode on impact; further notes that Denis McNamara the UN Humanitarian Envoy claims in Kosovo there are 15 casualties a month and many children are victims; and believes that as well as a total ban on cluster bombs, those countries responsible for dropping them must undertake and pay for clearance of this lethal ordnance.
That this House regrets that Rio Tinto plc, the London-based mining conglomerate, has adopted underhand tactics in its claims review scheme, arising from its operation of the former Capper Pass Smelting Plant, Hull; regrets that Rio Tinto has seen fit to process personal data and to write to many of the claimants, effectively seeking to undermine and criticise their legal representation; notes that Rio Tinto refused to give any undertaking to the solicitor representing over 300 living or deceased former workers and residents to desist from such unacceptable conduct in the future; recognises that those solicitors cannot release to Rio Tinto the names and addresses of all the claimants in connection with a claims review scheme without such an undertaking; commends the claimants for lodging a complaint with the Data Protection Commissioners; notes that in consequence the Assistant Commissioner has made an adverse provisional assessment against Rio Tinto, as a registered data controller that it is unlikely that Rio Tinto has processed personal data in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and that it should review its processing accordingly; and calls upon Rio Tinto to refrain from such misconduct in the future to enable the claims review scheme to be implemented without further delay.
That this House expresses its great concern that it has taken the Health and Safety Executive 15 months to undertake disclosure of its evidence arising from the regulation of health and safety at the Capper Pass Smelting Plant, Hull, operated by London-based Rio Tinto plc, the world's largest mining company; deplores the fact that Rio Tinto actively obstructed or impeded such disclosure; recalls that Rio Tinto previously adopted the same tactics to avoid release of its workers' occupational medical records; and castigates Rio Tinto for failing to honour its commitment to expedite the setting up of its claims review scheme.
That this House notes that in 1998 the Captive Animals Protection Society revealed that electric shock devices or goads were being used in the training and management of the elephants at Blackpool Zoo; further notes that subsequent inquiries led the CAPS to believe that this was not an isolated case and that many zoos and safari parks in the United Kingdom have such devices; condemns the lack of protection given to captive elephants in the Zoo Licensing Act 1981; and calls on the Government to bring forward legislation to give elephants greater protection by amending the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 to prohibit discipline by means of (a) deprivation of food, water, or rest, (b) the use of electric shocks (eg by an electric goad) for training, (c) physical punishment resulting in damage, scarring, or breakage of the skin and (d) insertion of any instrument into any bodily orifice (eg hooks in mouth) and to prohibit members of the public from riding captive elephants with any breach of these conditions, being treated as a criminal offence punishable by law.
That this House believes that the discrimination contained in the Act of Settlement 1701 has no place in modern society; expresses its wish that those discriminatory aspects of the Act be repealed; affirms its view that society must not disbar participation in any aspect of national life on the grounds of religion; and commends the legal action contemplated by the Guardian newspaper in this regard.
That this House, recognising that there are over 20 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises in United Kingdom waters and that United Kingdom waters include the most important habitats in Europe for these animals; notes with grave concern the mounting evidence of threats to their survival from human activities including bycatch, noise, pollution and harassment; welcomes the launch of Dolphin Agenda 2000 at the House of Commons on 4th December by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society with DIVE magazine; and draws attention to its proposals including the effective management of special areas of conservation and the development of a regional conservation plan for the Atlantic Frontier, and to the individual pledge form for those in a position of influence to sign and indicate their support.
That this House congratulates the Daily Mail on their new Good Health campaign to raise awareness of Alzheimer's disease which will affect one in 50 people between the ages of 65 and 70 years, and one in five by the age of 80 years, bringing misery to those affected and their families; and calls attention to the cost effectiveness in some cases of the drugs Aricept, Exelon and Reminyl, and to the need for health authorities to prescribe on the basis of need and thus end the so-called postcode lottery of treatment.
That this House expresses its concern at the prevalence of osteoporosis in Britain, a condition that affects over three million people and costs the Exchequer ú1.8 billion each year; welcomes the work of the National Osteoporosis Society to draw attention to this debilitating illness and its effect on patients and their families; and supports the society's call for an osteoporosis check to be included in the proposed NHS retirement health check, explicit goals and treatment standards for osteoporosis to be incorporated into the National Health Service Framework for Older People and for sufficient funding to be made available to deliver effective treatment to all osteoporosis sufferers.
That this House commends the Government's commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent. by 2010; notes that transport fuels are responsible for nearly 20 per cent. of annual carbon dioxide emissions; further notes that biodiesel, an entirely environmentally sustainable fuel which can be derived from oil seed rape, soybean and waste vegetable oils, can be produced without any cost to the environment, is free from sulphur dioxide and produces minimal carbon dioxide emissions and 25 per cent. less nitrogen dioxide emissions than fossil fuels; further applauds the decision of France, Germany and Italy to cut duty on biodiesel; and calls on the United Kingdom Government to also consider a cut in duty on biodiesel.
That this House welcomes the Government's commitment to road safety, but notes with concern that less than 20 per cent. of public road safety expenditure is on preventative measures; further notes that traffic calming measures such as chicanes, traffic humps and speed limit signs, each costing no more than ú2,000, can significantly reduce the accident rate amongst pedestrians and cyclists whilst improving the quality of life in each community; and calls for traffic calming schemes to be introduced into every community as a preventative rather than as a reactive measure and for the extra funds necessary to be made available by the Government.
That this House cherishes Christmas Day as a special day, particularly for families and children, and welcomes the campaign by USDAW, the shopworkers' union, on behalf of the 2.6 million shopworkers of United Kingdom; regrets that many shops remain open on Christmas Day because employers put undue pressure on shop workers to abandon their family responsibilities on this important religious and public holiday; notes that the vast majority of shop workers are parents who should be able to spend Christmas with their children; notes that current law offers no protection to such workers when Christmas Day does not fall on a Sunday; further notes that Christmas is an extremely busy and stressful period for shop workers and believes that they deserve at least one day off; and calls on the Government to protect shopworkers on Christmas Day.
That this House denounces the unacceptable tactics used by lenders, specifically Abbey National Bank, to try to force settlements on debts which they will not properly substantiate; notes that such tactics breach the Mortgage Code while lenders are not being held to account; condemns mortgage shortfall debt recovery by lenders like Abbey National Bank many years after repossession; and therefore calls upon the Government to take the necessary steps to ensure borrowers are given the protection they deserve from lenders intent on maximising their profits at any expense.
That this House, noting that the cost of the proposed new Wembley Stadium has soared to ú660 million before work has even commenced, that 30 major international banks have all refused to fund the project, and that England will not be hosting the football World Cup until 2014 at the earliest, calls on the Government to intervene with a view to all involved being required to re-consider whether building a new stadium at Wembley is in the national interest.
That this House congratulates the Government on the April 2001 pension uprating which, for the first time in over 25 years, will exceed the percentage increases in both prices and average earnings; welcomes the changes proposed in the minimum income guarantee to ensure that all pensioners benefit from the pension increase; notes the Government Actuary's advice that despite the proposed cuts in employers' contributions, the balance in the National Insurance Fund will be sufficient to pay for pension increases in line with earnings until 2007; and urges the Government to restore the link with earnings so that the basic pension will remain a dependable foundation on which people of all ages can build for their retirement.
That this House welcomes the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology's report on complementary and alternative medicine; notes the widespread and increasing use of complementary and alternative medicine in the UK; supports improved regulatory structures and the development of single voluntary regulatory bodies for complementary and alternative medicine professions; encourages conventional healthcare professions to develop clear guidelines on competence and training in complementary and alternative medicine disciplines; welcomes the recommendation that the NHS Research and Development Directorate and the Medical Research Council should allocate research funding to develop centres of excellence for conducting complementary and alternative medicine research; supports the provision of better information for the public on what works and what is safe; and urges complementary and alternative medicine practitioners, GPs and other health care professions to exchange information and work together to provide an integrated system of healthcare which puts patients' needs first.
That this House recognises the danger posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles; believes that there are a number of policy instruments for dealing with these concerns other than a National Missile Defence, including diplomatic persuasion, arms control deterrence and other defensive measures; endorses the Government's commitment to preserve and strengthen the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty; urges the governments of the United States and Russia not to abrogate or withdraw unilaterally from the ABMT; and calls on Her Majesty's Government not to make any decisions regarding co-operation with National Missile Defence that would undermine strategic stability.
That this House congratulates the Financial Services Authority for imposing a time and compensation requirement of ú52 million on the Royal Scottish Assurance for mis-selling endowment mortgages; and looks forward to further fines and the punishment of directors and salespersons of companies who have acted improperly and impoverished millions of people by mis-selling pensions, mortgages and general insurance policies.
That this House is alarmed by the increasing evidence of the abuse of the elderly in residential homes; calls for improved independent survillance on instances of physical abuse, neglect and the over-prescription of neuroleptic drugs; and recognises the great value of the campaign by Age Concern to expose the large scale abuse of the defenceless elderly.
That this House notes the European Safety Council's claim that 2,000 lives could be saved annually and 18,000 serious injuries avoided by more 'pedestrian friendly' car fronts; and urges the Government to renew their efforts to ban the macho fashion accessories of bull bars that concentrate and multiply the force of collisions at the level of a child's head and vital organs.
That this House congratulates the Young European Movement for its EU enlargement campaign which aims to elevate interest in and debate about the enlargement of the European Union amongst young people; regrets that the former communist countries of Eastern Europe remain outside the EU; and calls for enlargement to be adopted as a prime priority.
That this House regrets that the present Government will suffer the fate of all other recent governments by ending their term of office with illegal drug use at a higher level than when they were elected; urges front bench spokespeople of all parties to stop misrepresenting drug reforms in the Netherlands; and notes that 30 years of harsh drug penalties in the UK have increase drug use and deaths while 25 years of regulated decriminalisation in the Netherlands has reduced all drug use and deaths.
That this House is alarmed at the increasing prison population and urges reforms to reduce severe problems suffered by young offenders and women prisoner; calls for the establishment of a new category of women offenders with babies who are not a risk to public safety; and further believes that women who have been sentenced to custody should be allowed a period of two weeks prior to beginning their sentences in order for them to make arrangements for this dependent children.
That this House recognises that the cannabis battle in the war against drugs is being lost; that cannabis is neither more damaging than tobacco, nor more addictive than alcohol, and that it is no more the portal to harder drugs than a half of bitter to rampant alcoholism; considers that the war against hard drugs can be more effectively fought if they are decoupled from cannabis which has therapeutic value so that juries are already rejecting prosecutions of MS sufferers for cannabis use or possession, though young lives and careers are still being damaged by prosecutions when the existing law looks less relevant to what is happening in society, because penalties against cannabis produce more harm than they prevent while the cost in police time, court and police effort and prison sentences, estimated at ú790 million, despite the fact that in 1998 of the 97,000 persons dealt with for drug offences related to cannabis, half were cautioned (compared to a third 10 years before); therefore agrees with the Police Foundation Inquiry that cannabis should become a Class C drug decoupled from hard drugs; further considers that it is now time to decriminalise possession and cultivation while retaining penalties for trafficking only against importation from outside the United Kingdom; suggests that licensing of cultivation and consumption in cafes should become a local government responsibility, opening up the possibility of local revenues from licences for local production or supply.
That this House notes that all measures of public opinion in Wales have proved that the overwhelming majority wish St.David's Day to be made a public holiday; and calls for an early declaration of 1st March as a holiday in Wales.
That this House welcomes the positive all-party support that the Race Relations (Amendment) Bill has received throughout its passage in both Houses of Parliament; and calls on all public authorities - the police, central and local government, the NHS and others - all of whose functions will be covered by the amended Race Relations Act 1976, to seize the opportunity provided by this legislation to tackle all forms of racial discrimination, and, as urged by the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, to examine their policies and the outcome of their policies and practices to guard against disadvantaging any section of our communities.
That this House welcomes the recent decision by the Secretary of State for Defence to establish a posthumous memorial to commemorate the sacrifice of service men and women killed on duty and by terrorist attack since the end of the Second World War; and calls on the Government to establish a website with a 'debt of honour register', similar to that on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website, which would provide personal and service details and places of commemoration for those armed forces personnel who have serviced and died for their country since the Second World War.
That this House applauds the outstanding and historic achievement of Canvey Island Football Club on winning their FA Cup first round replay match; congratulates the club's players for their magnificent performance; pays tribute to the loyal and vocal group of fans; and wishes the club well for their crucial second round tie against Southend United.
That this House welcomes the production of the magazine Voices by the Women's Unit in the Cabinet Office with the support of Good Housekeeping magazine; urges the Government to ensure that this magazine is displayed in every public outlet; and hopes it will become compulsory reading for every parliamentarian and develops a culture of attracting articles from across the social divide.
That this House shares the Cancer Research Campaign's concern that, as a result of the newly adopted Charter of Human Rights, doctors have been issued guidance by the General Medical Council not to report incidences of cancer and other diseases amongst their patients as a matter of course to their regional cancer registries unless they have first checked with the patient; is worried that this will result in an erosion of the Office of National Statistics registry of cancer; is very concerned that such an erosion of data about the incidence of cancer in the UK will undermine efforts of governments to target cancer black-spots, the ability to understand the causes and effects of cancer and ultimately undermine the crusade to find a cure for cancer; and calls upon the GMC to reissue guidelines to doctors which emphasise the need to collect cancer statistics as a matter of course.
That this House welcomes the decision by the TGWU, CMB and the AEEU, who between them represent over 85 per cent. of workers in the brewing industry, to support the acquisition of Bass Brewers by Interbrew; notes that the unions' decision to support the Interbrew acquisition is based on the belief that the deal is the best outcome for Bass brewers' employees; further notes that forced disposals of brands or breweries would undermine employment prospects; believes that Interbrew is a dedicated brewer which will protect consumer choice; and urges the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to approve this deal unconditionally.
That this House fears that the situation in northern Cyprus is becoming more dangerous, at a time when a solution and accession to the European Union is being discussed; notes that at 2 a.m. on 27th November, the printing works where the newspaper Avrupa is printed, was attacked with Molotov cocktails; notes this follows the arrest last July of the editor Shener Levent, trials of Turkish Cypriot politicians who have had articles published arguing for disengagement of the Turkish army from Turkish Cypriot civilian life and for a federal solution to Cyprus in Europe, and demonstrations and strikes since July about the economic situation in the unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus; notes that on 20th November the civilian trials against Izzet Izcan and Ozker Ozgur of the Patriotic Unity Movement, which have been postponed repeatedly since May, were suspended but may be reactivated at any time; notes this follows attacks in the late 1980s on political party offices, and the murder of Kutlu Adaly, a journalist, in 1996; is concerned that events this year in the north of Cyprus, in response to demonstrations, conflict with European ideas of human rights, freedom of speech and democracy and believes that the people who live there feel that their voices and interests are not being heard in the international discussions taking place on the future of the island; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to make urgent representations to Turkey to institute a full independent investigation with international observers of these abuses of human rights and press freedom.
That this House notes that although pensioners generally have been promised reward in the April Budget, there is still the anomaly that the Government has created between tax allownces for married pensioner couples who were born before and after 5th April 1935; calls on the Government to terminate this discrimination in next April's Budget; and calls on the Government to increase pensions to a fair and just level and then to reintroduce the earnings link.
That this House condemns the consequences of privatisation visible in the present crisis in the railway system; deplores the lack of government action to solve the problem; and expresses a complete lack of confidence in Railtrack's governing board; therefore calls on the Government to return Railtrack to public ownership to ensure that public safety is put before profit; and calls on the Government to introduce legislation to devolve power over the railways in Wales to the National Assembly, and the creation of a separate Welsh public transport authority to create a truly integrated public transport system in Wales.
That this House recognises the importance of accurate and full responses to the 2001 census; welcomes the fact that United Kingdom citizens can choose from a wide range of nationalities and ethnic origins, including Scottish in Scotland and Irish throughout the United Kingdom; and therefore deplores strongly the refusal of the Office for National Statistics to accede to the opinion of people in Wales and include a Welsh tick box on the forms to be used in Wales.
That this House notes with concern that, notwithstanding the Autumn Statement, the pump price of diesel has increased by a further penny per litre since that statement, causing a further devastating erosion of the viability and competitiveness of hauliers and other businesses; notes that the present price of diesel is 86 pence per litre in France, 54 pence per litre in Belgium and 48 pence per litre in Luxembourg; and calls on the Government to pursue with urgency within the European Union initiatives to establish a common level of duty and tax on diesel and petrol so as to achieve a level playing field for UK business and in the meantime to introduce a regulatory regime to control the pump prices of diesel by use of a variable rate of duty, thereby holding the pump price to 1999 levels for the next 12 months.
That this House notes the recent moves taken by the Government to speed up the payment of compensation for miners, including the recruitment of new doctors and the opening of new centres; stresses the continued suffering of ex-miners who are still waiting for their payment; calls on the Government to ensure the process is speeded up further; calls on the Government to distribute the miners' pension surplus more fairly; urges the Government to make these payments in addition to the compensation; deprecates the attempts by the Compensation Recovery Unit to deduct benefit payments previously received by the miners from the compensation; and calls upon the Government to act urgently on all of these matters.
That this House congratulates the Evening Standard for its work in exposing the slave trade in women smuggled illegally into this country and then forced into prostitution; notes the conclusion of the Police and Reducing Crime Report, 'For Love or Money', that turning a blind eye to premises being used for commercial sex could lead to more women becoming sex slaves and that massage parlours and brothels should be licensed by councils to stop them being taken over by criminal gangs; and calls upon the Government to introduce licensed brothels and massage parlours as soon as possible, allowing the police to crack down on unlicensed operators and combat the street sex trade, frequently run by pimps who have criminal records.
That this House congratulates Reading Borough Council, the Arts Council of England and the Governor of Reading Gaol, on the centenary of the death of Oscar Wilde, on their collaboration in commissioning a work by the artists Bruce Williams and Paul Muldoon at the foot of the wall of Reading Gaol as a fitting memorial to the beautiful genius Oscar Wilde; and calls upon the Government to continue to work to promote tolerance and inclusiveness in the new century.
That this House welcomes the opening of the Male Cancer Research Centre at the Institute of Cancer Research, Europe's first centre for research into the causes and prevention of male cancers, especially prostate cancer; notes that prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men and is responsible for 9,500 deaths each year; further notes that the disease is often regarded as a matter of embarrassment and silence, and that more research is urgently needed into both its causes and prevention; and calls upon the Government to increase public awareness of the benefits of early diagnosis, and to increase further financial support for research into male cancers.
That this House is concerned that almost 200,000 widowed men have been denied a tax relief worth some ú500 that was available to widows; notes that the widow's bereavement allowance predated the introduction of independent taxation of married couples; notes that when the inequity of the present allowance was challenged in the European Court in 1999 the Government settled out of court and paid the claim; believes that the refusal to treat other men in the same way breaches the Inland Revenue's service commitment; and calls on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to ensure that all men widowed between 6th April 1994 and 5th April 2000 can claim the allowance.
That this House notes the long-standing, widespread and growing support amongst NGOs, professional bodies and the public for the full implementation of the Royal Commission on Long Term Care's recommendation that personal care should be provided free on the basis of an assessment of individual need; supports calls from Age Concern and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ageing and Older People, that the Government should implement the personal care proposals to end discrimination against older people with chronic health conditions; is concerned that the Government's proposals for free nursing care will leave the current difficulties of division between health and social care remaining; and calls on the Government to introduce legislation to provide free personal care on the basis of need.
That this House supports the struggle of small independent petrol retailers to stay in business; condemns large petrol companies for charging higher prices for the petrol they sell on the open market than the price they charge on their own forecourts; and calls for the Government to launch an investigation into this predatory pricing which is driving many small independent petrol retailers out of business and reducing services in rural areas.