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 believes that the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service not to bring charges of manslaughter against the two police officers who killed Harry Stanley was wrong in law and fact; is concerned that the decision, which is both calculated and designed to protect armed police officers from the consequences of their acts, was taken in total disregard for the safety of innocent members of the public; is alarmed that the police will see this decision as yet one more affirmation by the Crown Prosecution Service that the police have a licence to kill; calls on the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis to name the two killers and dismiss them from the force; and calls on the Home Secretary to explain to the family of Harry Stanley as well as the wider public why it is impossible to get justice for the victims in these cases.
That this House notes that divorce proceedings which took place without a complete investigation of business assets have resulted in Mrs Marisa Sarda Anton, a constituent of the honourable Member for Rugby and Kenilworth, being in imminent danger of homelessness while her ex-husband maintains the high standard of living formerly enjoyed by them both as partners in a UK-based company; notes that this inequity indicates that perjury and fraud may have taken place; and calls upon the Attorney General, as guardian of the public interest, to investigate the facts to ensure confidence in the judicial process and provide Mrs Anton with the fair outcome every constituent deserves.
That this House deeply regrets the decision of Safeway Plc to sell postage stamps at discounted prices during the pre-Christmas period as a loss leader; believes that, despite the attractions of cheaper postage at Christmas to consumers, this example of predatory pricing will greatly damage the profitability of sub-post offices and other independent retailers already facing difficulties and in many cases closure; believe that postage stamps issued by the Royal Mail should be sold and retailed at standard rates of purchase price and discount so as not to encourage such abuses by large retailers; and calls on the management of Royal Mail and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to better protect the interests of small retailers and sub-post offices.
That this House is appalled at the deaths of Damilola Taylor in Peckham and Abdi Hamza in Islington, both of whom were stabbed to death within yards of their own homes and whose young lives have been so cruelly taken; and hopes that those responsible are brought to justice and that the problems of violence and anti-social behaviour are urgently addressed in inner city communities.
That this House notes that when introducing the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill at Second Reading, the then Secretary of State for Health, the right honourable Member for Rushcliffe, assured the House that 'all honourable Members would like to prohibit certain activities, which include cloning and other science fiction possibilities. There can be little doubt that infringing such prohibitions should attract severe penalties provided by the Bill' (2nd April 1990, Official Report, column 920); notes in that debate the statement by the late Right honourable Sir Bernard Braine, honourable Member for Castle Point that 'apart from cloning, genetic engineering and producing animal hybrids, the scientist will be able to do what he likes under the Bill' (column 934); notes that nowhere throughout the debates was any differentiation made between cloning by cell nuclear transfer and other techniques, or between therapeutic and reproductive cloning; notes nonetheless the claims made by the Under Secretary of State that those matters were fully debated in 1990; invites the Government to cite those sections of the debates on the Bill covering such matters; further calls on the Government to cite that section of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act which makes cloning legal by any technique including cell nuclear transfer and for whatever purpose; and calls for the withdrawal of the draft Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Research Purposes) Regulation 2000, until such evidence has been provided and Right honourable and honourable Members have had adequate opportunity to consider these issues of profound ethical importance.
That this House welcomes the greater attention being paid by the police to the problem of domestic violence following the representations in the 1980s to the Metropolitan Police by the late Jo Richardson MP, initially in the face of mockery; and calls upon the Home Secretary to establish a national coalition of relevant agencies to identify the extent of domestic violence, provide an updated assessment of the measures taken so far by each police force and develop amendments to the civil and criminal law, which will finally reflect the seriousness of domestic violence and its impact on the family.
That this House welcomes the Government's commitment to reform the tax system to increase incentives to reduce environmental damage; recognises the important role that the fuel duty has played in meeting this commitment; welcomes the Chancellor's proposals to reduce the environmental impact of hauliers and establish a green fuel challenge fund; recognises that some motorists are finding it hard to cope with the increased cost of fuel; and urges the Government to continue reforming the fiscal system in order to encourage fuel efficiency, promote the use of alternative cleaner fuels and hasten the shift towards zero-emission fuels by means, for example, of further reducing vehicle excise duty for the most fuel efficient cars, substantially increasing research and development grants into fuel cell technology, increasing financial incentives for motorists and hauliers to buy vehicles powered by liquid petroleum gas and introducing measures to increase the availability and use of bio-diesel.
That this House notes with concern the lack of suitable telephones for those who are hard of hearing or deaf at rail and bus stations throughout the country; believes that people with hearing disabilities should not be excluded from an everyday service at rail and bus stations where the use of a public telephone is often essential; and calls on the telephone companies along with bus and rail companies to ensure that Minicom telephones are installed at rail and bus stations throughout the country.
That this House notes with concern the rapidly declining population of dolphins and whales living off Britain's coastline, with 24 species facing possible extinction; expresses alarm at the thousands of creatures dying in fishing nets or through polluted waters; acknowledges the work done by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society in highlighting the extent of the problem faced; and calls on the Government to introduce measures that provide adequate protection for dolphins and whales in United Kingdom waters.
That this House notes with concern the amount of misleading information given by the National Rail Enquiry Service to passengers both in relation to ticket prices and timetables; notes that a recent survey found ticket prices being quoted at almost half the actual price for main line route services across the country; and calls on the train operating companies to ensure that the National Rail Enquiry Service has accurate and up-to-date information on pricing and timetables at a time when confidence in the railway network needs to be significantly improved.
That this House supports the Organic Food and Farming Targets Bill, which would require the drawing up of policies to ensure that, by 2010, at least 30 per cent. of United Kingdom farmland will be organic and that at least 20 per cent. of the food consumed in the United Kingdom will be organic; notes that such an increase in organic farming will provide innumerable benefits for consumers, farmers, the environment, and animal welfare; further notes that demand for organic production is increasing by at least 40 per cent. each year, but that 70 per cent. of the food consumed in the United Kingdom is imported; and notes approvingly the inclusion in the Bill of the clauses concerning the need to implement measures to ensure all sections of society have access to affordable organic food and that the market demand is met by the new United Kingdom production.
That this House believes that urgent action is needed to deal with fraudulent charity collections, that the existing law does not prevent the registration of crooked charities, and that the official advice on how to prevent fraudulent collections on private premises is ineffective; notes that the Dundee Report to the Scottish Executive, published in June 2000, contains many essential lessons for the better administration of charitable collections outwith as well as inside Scotland, including its warning to owners of premises against the common reliance on a charity number and headed notepaper when considering whether a proposed collection is in order, its finding that charities commonly refuse to help police with their enquiries, and its suggestion that charities cannot be relied upon to police themselves; further notes that the many signs of support for the charity check system, including a written statement of opinion in the National Assembly for Wales signed by a majority of backbenchers, a motion passed unanimously by the London Assembly, welcoming the support already shown for the Charity Check system by licensing authorities and retail managers, endorsements from many eminent institutions, including the British Retail Consortium, the Guild of Management Consultants, the London Voluntary Service Council and the continued use of the system by some leading retailers which has prevented many fraudulent collections; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to investigate a non-legislative solution along the lines of the Charity Check system to reduce fraudulent charity collections.
That this House recognises the work of the 1,800 almshouse charities in the United Kingdom and their provision of some 32,000 homes for mainly older people and those in social need; realises that almshouse charities depend upon permanent endowment income; deplores the burden of VAT on repairs and improvements to properties provided by charities to house those in need; and calls upon the Chancellor of the Exchequer to introduce the exemption of VAT on repairs and improvements to properties owned by these charities.
That this House believes that the rules relating to intestacy are in urgent need of updating; notes that under the rules a spouse will only receive the first ú125,000 absolutely of the deceased's estate where there are children of the marriage; further notes that this figure has not changed for several years, despite a large increase in the value of domestic property; is concerned that many widows and widowers may lose their homes because their value is greater than the ú125,000 threshold; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to consider raising this threshold to ú200,000, as recommended by the Law Society.
That this House congratulates the players and staff of the Northern Ireland Under-15 schools football team on their historic victory over Wales on 24th November in the Victory Shield; notes that this victory, in addition to previous results against England and Scotland, ensures that Northern Ireland schools now hold the Victory Shield for the first time since entering the competition in 1927; and wishes the boys every success in their footballing futures.
That this House notes with concern the continuing disappearance of two Colombian human rights defenders, Angel Quintero and Claudia Monsalve, members of ASFADDES (Association of Families of the Detained and Disappeared), Medellin; is concerned that it is now two months since their disappearance and that members of the Association of Families of the Detained and Disappeared continue to receive further threats and harassment; and calls upon the Colombian government to investigate the disappearance of these two human rights workers and on the Government to press for such an investigation.
That this House notes the strong polarisation of views both among the people of the country and among Right honourable and honourable Members on the important issue of human cloning; acknowledges that cloning raises important ethical and scientific questions which require the most careful consideration; welcomes as the commencement of a process of consideration the debate on these issues on Friday 17th November; regrets that a majority of Right honourable and honourable Members did not have sufficient notice to be able to attend this important debate; believes that prudence and wisdom require much more detailed consideration before decisions are taken; and invites Her Majesty's Government to pause for further reflection, to withdraw the Statutory Instrument they have laid to implement the proposals of the Donaldson Report, and to wait before acting until such time as this House and the people of this country have had a full opportunity to judge the long-term implications of human cloning.
That this House condemns the massacre of 25 Sri Lankan youths on 25th October in Bindunuwewa whilst they were being held in military custody by the Sri Lankan Government; and calls for an international inquiry to be established with the support of the British Government to investigate these murders.
That this House congratulates players and staff of the Northern Ireland Under-15 schools football team on their historic victory over Wales on 24th November in the Victory Shield; notes that this victory, in addition to previous results against England and Scotland, ensures that Northern Ireland schools now hold the Victory Shield for the first time since entering the competition in 1927, and wishes the boys every success in their footballing futures.
That this House offers its sincere condolences to the family of 10 year old Damilola Taylor, who was stabbed with a broken bottle and bled to death on the North Peckham council estate in London; believes no 10 year old should have to suffer such a brutal death; and urges the Metropolitan Police to spare no effort to find the killers.
That this House notes the call by the Home Secretary to create a United Kingdom football team; notes the universal condemnation by the Tartan Army, Scottish Football Association and the Scottish National Party; also notes that the hard-won reputation of the Tartan Army as international ambassadors of Scotland would be jeopardised by this proposal; further notes the admission by the former Sports Minister, the honourable Member for West Ham, that when he made the same proposal some years ago he was immediately contacted by Alistair Campbell and told it was costing Labour votes in Scotland; and regrets that this Government is undermining Scottish nationhood.
That this House believes that telephone faults should be remedied by the company as soon as possible; notes that tens of houses in Polegate including those where residents are dependent on lifeline services, have been without telephone connections for almost four weeks; further notes that BT have given firm assurances of reconnection dates to the honourable Member for Lewes on four separate occasions within the last fortnight none of which were met and that by 29th November phones remained dead; condemns BT for their hopeless inefficiency in this matter; and calls for an immediate reconnection of phones and for BT to issue an apology to the residents of Polegate.
That this House, noting the Prime Minister's circumlocations, invites him to say that he intends to abolish community health councils by primary legislation, and that the consultation includes the possibility that he will change his mind; and asks him to remove the threat to community health councils in the interest of patients and the NHS.
That this House celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Right honourable Member for Chesterfield, who first entered Parliament on 30th November 1950 as the then Member for Bristol South-East; recognises the unique contribution he has made to the defence of parliamentary democracy and the constitutional importance of the House of Commons; respects his own lifetime commitment to the causes of peace, democracy and socialism; and wishes him well following his decision to leave Parliament at the next election in order to devote more time to politics.
That this House believes that the implementation of UN resolutions 242, 338 and 194 must be the basis for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East; regrets the upsurge of violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories over the last two months and deplores the excessive use of force by the Israeli defence forces against civilian protesters; further acknowledges the determination of the Palestinian people to end 33 years of occupation; believes that the creation of an Independent Palestinian State alongside the State of Israel is the only solution that will achieve security and stability for peoples of all nationalities, races and religions in the region; recognizes that under customary international law, an independent Palestinian State seeking membership of the United Nations must fulfill four basic criteria: a defined territory, a permanent population, a Government able to exercise effective control over the state's territory and independence in its external relations; and urges Israel and the Palestinians to reach a peace agreement based on mutual respect, an end to the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and the creation of an Independent Palestinian State.
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 the financial support for research into male cancers.
leave out from 'reading;' to end and insert '; and looks forward to its speedy passage into law and thus achieve the harmonisation of the age of consent.'.
leave out from 'staff;' to end and add ' and calls for greater resources to be made available to the Library to enable it to build upon its standards of excellence and thus provide honourable Members with the information that is such an effective tool of accountability.'.
That this House welcomes the decision of Greater Manchester Police to make alarms available to taxi drivers in Bury; notes the continuing vulnerability of all taxi drivers to aggressive and violent behaviour from pasengers, frequently as a result of intoxication from drugs and alcohol; and calls on the Government urgently to discuss with local licensing authorities the scale and extent of this problem with a view of improving systems and procedures to enhance the safety of all taxi drivers in the United Kingdom.
That this House notes the decision of the Army Board to allow Guardsmen James Fisher and Mark Wright to continue their army careers despite conviction and prison sentence served for the murder of unarmed father-of-two Peter McBride, then aged 18 years; notes the distress caused to the family and friends of Peter McBride, particularly in light of the large number of soldiers discharged from the services following conviction of relatively minor drugs offences; further notes the Independent Assessor of Military Complaints has expressed 'dismay' at the decision of the Army Board; further notes the Board meeting was held in private and has yet to share its reasons with the McBride family or the wider public; and calls upon the Government to re-axamine the papers in this case, to review its policy on the ethical and public relations implications of allowing convicted murderers to serve in Her Majesty's forces and, pending this, to order that these soldiers may never again be permitted to serve in Northern Ireland.
That this House notes the resignation of the Chief Inspector of Schools and his intention to pursue a career in journalism; and urges the Government to take immediate steps to prevent him from using any confidential or unpublished material, research data or evidence that is not already in the public domain, in the production of future articles, books, publications, speeches or for use with the broadcast media.
That this House condemns the ill-conceived privatisation of British Railways by the previous Tory government which, despite massive injections of tax-payers' money, has led directly to the present and continuing crisis suffered by railworkers and rail-users alike; regrets that many are reverting to car use with its adverse impact on the environment and consequent increases in death and injury; and calls on the Government to restore confidence in the rail network by returning Railtrack to public ownership and accountability with a clear onus to monitor track maintenance and renewal alongside a culture of safety and reliability as opposed to the present regime which places profitability before all else.
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 at 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 congratulates Crown Woods comprehensive school in Greenwich on its successful legal action which resulted in an agreement being reached to quash the decision of Ofsted to place the school in special measures; notes that Ofsted has agreed to pay the reasonable costs of the governing body and the council; is concerned that the decision to place Crown Woods in special measures was taken by Her Majesty's inspectors of schools after inspecting less than 3 per cent. of the lessons taught in a week; considers that the application of section 3 powers in this way is unreasonable; calls for a review of the use of such powers; and further calls on the new appointment of Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools for England to set out clear guidelines for the inspection of schools under section 3 to ensure that there is a consistent approach so that schools can have confidence in the procedure in the future.
That this House is appalled that the train operating companies which have received compensation from Railtrack for the recent disruptions, may not, for fear of fraud, compensate customers who hold daily or weekly tickets but who have still been badly inconvenienced by unreliable, over-crowded and uncomfortable services; further believes that the train operating companies should allow customers to prove with their bank and credit card statements or letters of verification from their employers that they have travelled; and urges the train operating companies to alter the national conditions of carriage so that future compensation packages do not make second class citizens out of many of their poorly served passengers.
That this House recognises the importance of the holy month of Ramadan and welcomes the unilateral decision by the Government of India to declare a ceasefire in the state of Jammu Kashmir during this period; and considers this to be a courageous and positive step to move towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict, one that is in keeping with India's secular constitution and her respect for all the religious traditions within her borders and one that deserves to be reciprocated by all parties and groups that genuinely wish to restore peace to the people of Kashmir.
That this House congratulates all involved in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award; acknowledges that since the award's inception in 1956 more than three million young people between the ages of 14 and 25 years have participated, and welcomes the fact that around 100,000 join every year; recognises that the award provides an opportunity for people from all backgrounds to take part on equal terms in meeting the challenges of modern times with an enjoyable, demanding and rewarding programme of personal development of the highest quality; pays tribute to His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh for his commitment over the past 44 years and, whilst noting it was announced at the Award's General Council meeting on 21 November that His Royal Highness is to step down next year as Chair of the Trustees, is delighted that he continues as Patron of the Award; and look forward to increasing numbers of young people participating in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award in the years ahead.
That this House expresses its grave concerns and regrets that national newspapers with the Express Group should have fallen under the ownership of a publisher of pornography, Mr Richard Desmond; and calls on the Secretary of State at the Department of Trade and Industry to institute an inquiry in the public interest.
That this House applauds the excellent quality of the research papers produced by the House of Commons Library and the high calibre and dedication of the staff; and requests that each research paper concerning specific bills include a section on the implications of the bills for the devolved legislatures, as this would be invaluable for members from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, but also for the members from England, in understanding the implications of devolved government.
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 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 27 November, the printing works where the newspaper Avrupa is printed, was attached 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 20 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 utterly rejects the offensive demand from Mr David Sheil, Chairman of the Anglo-Scottish Fishermen's Federation to cull Britain's seal population; believes Mr Sheil's reported comments that seals are 'just helping themselves' and that they are 'pests' reveals a profound ignorance of the reasons for the decline in fish stocks which is entirely due to the grotesque overfishing by commercial fleets and fishing communities who venal, purblind and greedy activities have together destroyed fish stocks and, in turn, their own livelihoods; further believes that the culling of seals would be a disgraceful surrender to greed and stupidity; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to reject such calls and impose a total ban on cod fishing in British waters until stocks are once again replenished and in balance as nature determined before the intervention of modern fishing methods.
That this House deplores the actions of the mobile telephone company, Orange, in arrogantly imposing its mobile telecommunications masts on local communities without consultation and without local authority planning consent; further deplores the fact that Orange has already identified by the Stewart Inquiry as the organisation most critised for its actions in siting masts; applauds actions already taken by Government to impose stronger planning controls on mobile telecommunications mast sites; and calls for further action to be taken, including a retrospective requirement that any mast sited without local consultation may be subject to an order to cease operation if it is outside the guidlines proposed in the Stewart Inquiry, or if retrospective planning permission is not granted.
That this House is appalled by the United Nations estimate that some 20 million people are living in slavery around the world under the bonded labour system; expresses its concern over the repeated failures of governments such as those of Pakistan, India and Nepal to take adequate measures to eradicate the use of bonded labour in their countries; and calls on the Government to work with its EU partners to sponsor a resolution at the next UN Commission on Human Rights condemning this practice, to urge the International Labour Organisation to ensure at its conference in June 2001 that independent and comprehensive surveys into the extent of bonded labour are carried out in countries where it persists and that monitoring systems are set up to record the number of bonded labourers freed and the numbers of people convicted for enslaving people in this way.
That this House notes that in the Other Place Her Majesty's Government arranged for consideration in Committee of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill to be taken seven months after its second reading; notes that Sir Keith Waterhouse in his report into child abuse in North Wales warned Parliament of the risks posed to boys by lowering the age of consent; deplores Her Majesty's Government's decision to deny this House the opportunity to consider the Amendments approved by the Other Place; further deplores Her Majesty's Government's decision to apply the Parliament Acts to a bill which has not concluded its consideration in both Houses; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to drop its plans to force this measure through Parliament by recourse to the Parliament Acts.
at end add', where it is demonstrated that the developer is aware of the need to seek planning consent but has chosen to ignore this requirement or has purposefully deviated from consent as granted by the appropriate planning authority,',