2,503 ingested motions from United Kingdom. Year filters use the introduced date shown on each card. Walk years back as far as this source still publishes.
That this House expresses concern at the reaction of the regional electricity companies to the Distribution Price Review of the Electricity Regulator, who called for price cuts of around ú15 a year in electricity charges; believes that the actions taken by the electricity companies in response to the price cut proposals are bad for the industry and bad for consumers; notes that many companies have made large-scale redundancies, indicating a short-term strategy detrimental to consumers' long-term interests; deplores the fact that thousands of redundancies have been announced over the last three months, in an industry which has already lost half its workforce since privatisation, decimating a highly skilled workforce committed to maintaining high standards of service and safety; regrets that investment in the system may be cut, compromising the health and safety of employees and the general public; anticipates that sustained power cuts will be more likely in those parts of the United Kingdom which are particularly vulnerable to storm damage; recognises that the companies have acknowledged that their actions will result in the deterioration of the UK electricity network and the possible compromise of consumers' services; urges the Government to make a public commitment to safeguarding safety, service standards and jobs in the industry; and calls upon the electricity companies to cut their profits not jobs.
That this House congratulates the Tidy Britain Group on its National Spring Clean Campaign to clear the United Kingdom of litter; notes with dismay the annual national cost to council taxpayers of ú320 million per year to remove litter from streets; further notes with dismay the annual cost to the council taxpayers of the Borough of Macclesfield totalling ú698,000; calls on the Government to increase education, practical litter prevention measures and penalties to reduce this unnecessary expenditure; and congratulates all those volunteering in support of the Tidy Britain Group's National Spring Clean to improve the environment of towns, cities and countryside.
That this House notes that the 1986 Social Security Act introduced a halving of widows' SERPS entitlements in respect of deaths occurring after April 2000; notes that DSS leaflets and correspondence failed to reflect that change for at least a decade after the Act reached the statute book, leading to an investigation by the Parliamentary Ombudsman; notes that many more pensioners who were not actively misled by these leaflets nonetheless knew nothing about the change until they were too old to make realistic alternative provision; and therefore calls on the Government not only to compensate those future pensioners who were misled but also to exempt from the proposed cut any person who has already reached state pension age.
That this House regrets that one year since the murder of Northern Ireland human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson, her murderers have not been brought to justice; and joins Amnesty International and other human rights organisations in calling for an independent judicial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding her murder.
That this House deplores the decision of Barclays and Lloyds banks to close several of their branches around Devon and Cornwall, including branches in Polperro, Mullion, St Just, Porthleven, Portscatho and Torquay, and to do so without any consultation with the local community; notes that these closures will cause considerable inconvenience to both individuals and businesses in the areas affected, especially given that in many areas these are the only remaining banks; regrets that Barclays has given only until 7th April for alternative arrangements to be made; and calls on Barclays and Lloyds to postpone these closures for a period of six months to reassess the economic viability of the branches, and to arrange for alternative provision to be made for their customers, either within the existing bank buildings or through the local post offices.
That this House believes that if the Index of Local Deprivation is to be used as the key determinant of the allocation of billions of pounds of public money it is essential that it can be demonstrated to be a robust, accurate and transparent method of calculation of the levels of deprivation which exist in local authorities in England; further believe that in order for those organisations serving the best interests of local authorities, such as the Association of London Government and the Special Interest Group of Metropolitan Authorities, to commission studies by peer academics of those at Oxford University responsible for the current proposals it is essential that all the underlying data used to prepare the proposals is released by the Government; and therefore calls upon the Government to release immediately all the information used to compile the new index so such studies can be commissioned now to test the robustness and accuracy of the new proposals.
That this House congratulates Headway, the brain injury association, on its 21st anniversary; notes that each year around one million people attend hospital as a result of having a head injury, and that currently around 135,000 are suffering permanent brain damage of varying severity, with 1,000 new cases occurring each month as a result of accidents; recognises that the charity Headway plays an important role in helping those with serious head injuries and their families cope with the consequences of permanent impairment; pays tribute to all connected with Headway for what has been achieved to date; wishes members and the more than 100 branches throughout the country further success in the years ahead; and applauds the organisers of National Brain Injury Week, from 13th to 19th March, for raising the profile of the survivors of brain injuries and emphasising the need for greater safety measures throughout society to prevent more people being injured.
That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Competition Act 1998 (Director's Rules) Order 2000 (S.I., 2000, No. 293), dated 9th February 2000, a copy of which was laid before the House on 9th February, be annulled.
That this House notes with concern that lung cancer has overtaken breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death among women; understands that women who smoke are twice as likely as male smokers to develop lung cancer; is concerned that smoking remains prevalent among young women; supports the Government's anti-smoking campaign; recognises that early detection of lung cancer is key to long-term survival; and calls on ministers to support trials of lung cancer screening techniques that could identify lung tumours while they are small and surgically curable.
That this House condemns the outdoor ritual slaughter at the Eid-el-Kabir festival in France of thousands of sheep, many of them exports from the United Kingdom; notes that the sheep are not stunned before slaughter but have their throats cut while they are fully conscious and are then left to bleed to death; is dismayed that many of those doing the killing are untrained and thus perform the slaughter ineptly which leads to some sheep taking several minutes to die; notes that outdoor ritual slaughter is prohibited by both European Union and French law, which require ritual slaughter to be carried out in an abattoir; further notes that the European Commission and the French Government have regularly failed to enforce the law; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to prohibit the export of sheep for slaughter at future Eid-el-Kabir festivals and to press the European Commission and the French Government to enforce the law which prohibits outdoor ritual slaughter.
That this House notes with concern that in the United Kingdom 250,000 people have asphasia, the loss of the use of language as a result of stroke of head injury; calls for much greater recognition of the condition; urges the Government to call for more information on asphasia, particularly the financial implications of the lack of recognition and therefore a lack of treatment and support; and urges the Government fully to investigate methods by which this can be redressed.
That this House views the growing involvement of agents for professional footballers, particularly for those in the lower leagues, as being detrimental to the long-term interests of the game; notes that the parasitic actions of agents are sucking money from clubs and thus threaten their future; congratulates some clubs, notably in the lower divisions, on the lead being taken in seeking to resist the demands made by agents; and calls on the Government to urge the football authorities to institute a code of practice to limit the activities of agents to the non-footballing interests of their clients and thus end the loss of money from the game which such parasites cause.
That this House, noting that it is a breach of international law and a defiance of mandatory United Nations sanctions to supply arms, fuel, equipment and goods to, or to purchase diamonds from, Jonas Savimbi's UNITA rebel force in Angola, calls for the public identification and, where possible, prosecution of all individuals, private companies and public officials involved; in particular calls upon the Governments of the Ukraine and Belarus to stop arms and munitions exports to UNITA, on Ukrainian pilots to stop flying weapons and diesel to UNITA, on the Government of Zambia to stop convoys of lorries and plans from crossing the border into UNITA-controlled areas with the occasional paid assistance of Zambian Ministers and public officials, on the Government of Uganda to sack senior officials implicated, including President Museveni's half brother, General Salim Saleh, on the Government of Cote d'Ivoir, Togo and Burkina Faso to act immediately to halt their longstanding supplies to UNITA, on the Government of Rwanda to stop their almost daily supply flights from Kigali and other airports to UNITA, on the Government of South Africa to crack down on the dozens of individual business people and arms suppliers who continue to supply UNITA, on the Government of Israel to act against those of its citizens involved in supply operations and those buying diamonds for sale via the Tel Aviv trading centre, on the Government of the United Arab Emirates to prevent arms being transited from eastern Europe via Dubai to UNITA, on the Government of Switzerland and banking authorities across the world to track down the millions of pounds of Savimbi's assets, secured through illegal sales of diamonds, and without which he cannot pay for the arms and fuel he needs to continue the dreadfully destructive war which has gone on for decades and which is now engulfing the whole region; supports the efforts of De Beers and the Governments of Belgium and the United Kingdom to block illegal sale of UNITA diamonds through Antwerp; welcomes the work of Canada's Ambassador Fowler in leading United Nations efforts to identify and block UNITA sanctions busters; and calls on the entire international community to act decisively to end the war by rigorously imposing sanctions on UNITA and preventing the making of money and private profit out of the misery of the Angolan people.
That this House welcomes the Third Report of the Social Security Select Committee into the Uprating of State Retirement Pensions Payable to People Resident Abroad (HC 143 of Session 1996-97); expresses its grave concern at the discrimination practised by successive British Governments against 450,000 British state pensioners living in certain countries abroad; believes that the denial of pension increases to persons who have paid national insurance contributions is indefensible particularly as it affects less than 4 per cent. of the total number of British pensioners at home and abroad and also because the National Insurance Fund is now showing a surplus exceeding 5.9 billion pounds; and calls on the Government to agree to the principal recommendation of the Select Committee by providing a day for a debate in Government time on the report.
That this House welcomes the strengthened guidance given to health and local authorities last July (HSC 1999/162: LAC (99)28) confirming the rights of people with a mental handicap and their families to make informed choices about residential and other placements, but is concerned that evidence presented to an NHS conference on 28th January indicated that by a ratio of over two to one families claimed they were not being allowed the choice to which this Government is committed; and therefore urges the Government to adopt effective measures quickly to ensure that family choices, including the choice of village-type residential communities, preferred by many families are properly respected by local health and social service authorities and that more serious consideration is given to the evolution of such village communities, as argued for in, Made to Care, by the noble Baroness, Baroness Cox, and the noble Lord, Lord Pearson of Rannoch.
That this House congratulates the Government on providing the ú530 million aid package for the Airbus A3XX Super-Jumbo aircraft; notes that the development of the aircraft will create an estimated 22,000 new jobs at BAe Systems and safeguard more than 60,000 jobs, coupled with jobs created within the supply chain; welcomes the vote of confidence the United Kingdom Government has placed in the United Kingdom aerospace industry as the United Kingdom will now maintain its lead in the civilian aero industry; and hope to see Airbus continue to challenge Boeing in the civil aviation market.
That this House condemns the decision by Barclays Bank plc to close its Abercynon branch in South Wales on 7th April; notes with concern that Barclays Bank customers will now have to undertake a two hour round trip to reach the nearest Barclays branch; recognises that most Abercynon residents do not have access to Internet banking and cannot afford to travel to branches outside the area; notes that Abercynon has no cash point facilities; deplores the fact that Barclays is to carry out this closure without consulting its Abercynon customers and without undertaking an assessment of the impact on the local economy or the local community; notes that Barclays Bank plc's 1999 post tax profits were ú2.5 billion and that it has announced a nation-wide branch closure programme to increase profits by ú1 billion and to double returns for shareholders by 2003; calls upon Barclays to recognise their social responsibility to their customers and to withdraw the threat of closure; believes that Barclays branch closures are leading to financial exclusion for thousands which, in turn, exacerbates social exclusion; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to undertake urgent discussions with Barclays and the other major high street banks in an effort to persuade them to end their ill-conceived, socially divisive and economically damaging programmes of branch closures.
That this House notes with concern the removal without trial of Wenjian Liang (32) to a forced labour camp in Guangzhou province for two years; notes that her detention and deportation was based entirely on her being a practitioner of Falun Gong meditation and that she now joins some 3,000 other Falun Gong practitioners currently incarcerated in Chinese labour camps and over 35,000 who have been subject to arbitrary arrest; and urges the Government to support a resolution to the United Nation's Human Rights Commission in Geneva this March and April which calls on China to end this indefensible persecution of its own citizens.
That this House wishes to reverse the 'arms race' of national campaign spending between the major parties, which spent roughly ú26 and ú28 million in the 1997 election campaign; notes the comment of the former General Secretary of the Labour Party Lord Sawyer, that in order to raise that kind of money he 'had to seek donations of up to ú1 million'; fears the limit of ú20 million proposed by the Neill Committee will be too high to end the parties' dependence on millionaire funding; and prefers the limit of ú15 million proposed by Lord Sawyer on behalf of the Labour Party.
That this House congratulates Age Concern and the UK Breast Cancer Coalition on their campaign to alert women aged 65 years and over of their entitlement to breast screening; is concerned that women aged 65 years and over, who are in the highest risk age group for breast cancer, are not automatically invited for screening; welcomes the Government's commitment to extend automatic screening for 65 to 69 year olds provided the current pilot studies show it would be beneficial to women's health, and is greatly encouraged by the interim results of the East Sussex pilot study indicating that over 70 per cent. of those women who have previously attended screening will continue to do so if invited after the age of 64 years; and calls on the Government to ensure that the NHS Breast Screening Programme is sufficiently resourced to extend the automatic screening for older women as soon as possible after the final pilots report and, as an interim measure, ensure all older women are actively informed of their right to self-refer.
delete all after Eritrean and insert 'and Ethiopian governments have accepted the Organisation of African Unity's peace plan for the resolution of the Ethiopian-Eritrean conflict; notes that negotiations concerning the technical arrangements are at a delicate stage; believes that it is unhelpful, at this critical point in the discussions, for third parties to take sides in the conflict; welcomes the current efforts of the envoys of the OAU, European Union and United States to resolve the inconsistencies between the technical arrangements and the Framework Agreement; recognises that ultimately the international border between Ethiopia and Eritrea will need to be recognised and endorsed by the United Nations but believes that in the meantime, Eritrean forces should withdraw from the territories which they have occupied since their invasion of Ethiopia on 6 May 1998.'.
leave out from beginning to end of line 7 and add ', whilst recognising the diversity of family structures, must emphasize the importance of a loving marriage as the best stable environment for the upbringing of children.'.
That this House condemns the decision of Barclays Bank plc to close its branch in Kippax; notes with grave concern the large number of other closures announced by Barclays; notes that Barclays have failed to carry out meaningful consultations with local customers and traders; urges Barclays to reconsider their decision for the benefit of the community; and calls on the Government to actively promote alternative banking arrangements for those towns and villages like Kippax which may be left without a bank.
That this House deplores the closures of Barclays Bank, Cleadon Village, and East Boldon without any consultation with users; community leaders and other sectors within these communities; expresses dismay at the lack of responsibility for the elderly, disabled and those without transport; and calls upon the Government to institute a formal consultation procedure which would examine the consequences of such closures and ensure that adequate banking services are available to meet the needs of customers within their own community.
That this House calls on the Government to support the vital role that the urban sub-post offices play in North Eastern community life; notes the importance of their income from Benefits Agency work, without which they will be under serious threat of closure; and, in view of the closure of community banking facilities, calls upon the Government to accelerate its programmes of computerisation of the Post Office so that local post offices can fill this void.
That this House notes the decision on the proposed National Athletics Stadium at Wembley; recognises the role of athletes like Steve Cram and Jonathan Edwards in putting United Kingdom athletics on the map; further notes that their base is the North East of England and calls upon the Government to site the new National Stadium in the North East.
That this House notes that physician-assisted-suicide advocate, Professor Sheila McLean, stated in April 1996 in the Voluntary Euthanasia Society Scotland Newsletter that the routes taken by courts in judgments allowing the withdrawal of treatment, including food and fluid, to end the lives of those in a persistent vegetative state and other patients 'endorse a form of non-voluntary euthanasia'; notes that she was a member of the drafting committee of the British Medical Association Guidelines on Withholding and Withdrawing Life-Prolonging Medical Treatment which advocates extending the withdrawal of tube feeding to a range of patients who are not in PVS and who are not dying; regrets that the Government's report, Making Decisions, endorses much of the BMA guidelines, which, if adopted, would serve to consolidate further the practice of medical killing by omission; further notes that in Scotland, the Deputy Minister for Community Care, Iain Gray, has said that any doctor who follows the BMA guidelines on non-PVS patients such as those who have suffered a stroke would be open to criminal prosecution; welcomes the Minister's statement that the Incapable Adults (Scotland) Bill 'makes no distinction between different means of delivering food and water'; further welcomes the Minister's clarification that 'nothing in the Bill will permit a patient to be denied basic care, or to be starved, dehydrated or otherwise mistreated'; and calls on the Government to adopt a similar position and withdraw its opposition to the Medical Treatment (Prevention of Euthanasia) Bill and to honour its pledges to oppose euthanasia.
That this House congratulates the Mid-Sussex Times and the West Sussex Gazette on their strong and effective campaign against the Crow Report and welcomes the fact that its recommendations have now been ditched; but believes that the housing allocation for the South East is still of an order that presents a major threat to increasingly scarce countryside in Sussex and places an unsustainable burden on the local infrastructure.
That this House congratulates the Government on the threat to take legal action against high street banks unless they disclose charges for cash machine withdrawals; believes that customers should be warned on screen when they are being charged and by how much they are being charged; congratulates those banks and building societies which continue to offer free access to cash machines; and urges the Government to require that the financial institutions increase the sums of money allowed in cash back transactions in supermarkets.
That this House urges Barclays Bank to put its decision to close the Norden Branch of Barclays Bank and other branches throughout the country on hold until the co-operative experiment between the Post Office and Barclays Bank in Cornwall has been given time to provide simple retail banking services in village areas using the Post Office as agent.
That this House deplores the closures of Barclays Bank, Easington Colliery, and Lloyds TSB in Blackhall without any consultation with users, community leaders and other sectors within these communities; expresses dismay at the lack of responsibility for the elderly, disabled and those without transport and at a time when these communities are undergoing immense regeneration programmes; and calls upon the Government to institute a formal consultative procedure which would examine the consequences of such closures and ensure that adequate banking services are available to meet the needs of customers within their own community.
That this House congratulates former US President Jimmy Carter for his informative and important article in the Washington Post on 23rd February, in which he points out that both the United States and NATO have re-emphasised that they will not comply with a no first use of nuclear weapons policy, that Russia has reacted to this by rejecting its previous no first use commitment and is now more likely to rely on its nuclear arsenal, and also that American and Russian nuclear missiles are still maintained in a hair trigger alert status, susceptible to being launched in a spur-of-the-moment crisis or even by accident; further notes that former President Carter calls for all nuclear states to renew efforts to achieve worldwide reduction and ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons, and for leaders of nuclear nations to honour existing security agreements, including the test ban and anti-ballistic missile treaties, and to remove nuclear weapons from their present hair-trigger alert status; and calls upon the UK Government to act as the former president suggests, including at international fora, to counter this growing nuclear weapons crisis.
That this House welcomes National Science Week commencing on 17th March and organised by the British Association; notes that in every constituency a scientific event is being arranged; and hopes that all honourable Members will support this admirable initiative designed to raise the awareness of science with both parents and children.
That this House deplores the ongoing campaign of violent discrimination against the Dalits, who are born into the bottom of India's caste system; supports the Indian Government's continuing efforts to end caste discrimination through legislative initiatives such as the Prevention of Atrocities Act; expresses its concern at the apparent inability of the Indian judiciary to deal effectively with high-caste militia violence aimed specifically against Dalits, such as the Laxampur-Bathe massacre of 1st December 1997 which left 61 adults and children dead; urges the British Government to support the political and social development of the Dalit people through focused development programmes and closer contact with the Indian authorities; and welcomes the excellent contribution to this human rights campaign by the International Dalit Solidarity Network.
That the Wireless Telegraphy (Television Licence Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2000, dated 6th March 2000, a copy of which was laid before this House on 8th March, be annulled.
That this House deplores the military threats against Taiwan by China; condemns the Chinese policy documents suggesting China be prepared to launch a massive attack upon Taiwan; upholds the right of the Taiwanese people to exercise their right of self-determination; calls upon China to improve human rights for its citizens; notes that Taiwan is one of the world's top 15 trading powers; and looks forward to both China and Taiwan becoming members of the World Trade Organisation through which relations will improve as a result of dialogue and increased trade.
That this House is dismayed at the decision of Barclays Bank to close its branch in Earby, a town of 5,000 people; recognises that the branch appears to be well-used and is always busy; urges Barclays to listen to those who desperately want to retain the only bank left in the town; and calls on Barclays to reconsider their entire strategy which involves the wholesale closure of banks in small communities across the UK.
That this House welcomes the Marine Conservation Society's annual report, Beachwatch 99; congratulates the 1,500 volunteers who took part in beach surveys that covered 171 beaches, covering 92.8 km of coastline in the United Kingdom and Channel Islands; notes that 1,913 pieces of litter were found per kilometre, weighing 11.6 tonnes, including in total 11,000 crisp and sweet packets, 9,000 cigarette ends and an assortment of other objects; recognises that the total litter found was almost double the level found in 1993 although the level over the previous year was slightly down; is greatly alarmed that tens of thousands of birds, fish and other marine life are killed by litter every year; urges the Government to encourage people, especially tourists, to take rubbish home and properly dispose of it; and calls upon the Government to give more support to local authorities to keep beaches clean and enforce anti-litter laws.
That this House condemns the continued occupation of Tibet and the current crackdown on dissent in Tibet and China and, recalling the uprisings of 10th March 1959 when thousands of Tibetans were killed by Chinese forces and the Dalai Lama was forced into exile, calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to enter into negotiations without preconditions with the Tibetan Government in Exile; to respect the human rights of the Tibetan people; to end the use of torture, beatings and arbitrary detentions; and to release all political prisoners, including 10 year old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama.
That this House is dismayed by the 450 redundancies at TRW Burnley announced on 2nd March; believes that every step possible should be taken to save these jobs and ensure the safeguarding of the other jobs at the Burnley site; expresses concern at sourcing production of car switchgear and components outside the EU as proposed by TRW; believes that these actions should be reconsidered; and recognises that Government assistance to the Rover Group should require United Kingdom production of components, wherever possible to keep employment in the car industry and motor component industry in the United Kingdom.
That this House expects the Prime Minister to set a good example to other ministers by giving full, accurate and consistent answers; notes that in a prepared oral answer to his honourable Friend for Warrington North, Official Report, column 941, 16th February, he asserted that the number of midwives fell by around 1,000 under the last Government and that there are 'now more than 33,000 practising midwives'; notices the contrast with the figures given for whole time equivalent numbers of midwives of 15,382 in 1979 and 18,310 in 1997; and invites the Prime Minister to consult the Head of the Office of National Statistics about the propriety of picking at will between numbers of part-timers or full-time equivalents.
That this House welcomes the presence in the division lobbies on 7th March of the Right honourable Member for Glasgow, Anneisland, and the honourable Member for Fife Central, to vote on an issue unconnected with Scotland; contrasts this with their zero ratings, according to the Library, for participation in any divisions in Session 1999-2000 to 31st January 2000; and encourages more Labour rebellions on such measures as the Criminal Justice (Mode of Trial) (No. 2) Bill, in order to improve the dismal voting records of Scottish honourable Members.
at end add 'and also asks the government to look again at the question of biotechnology patenting in order to define all discoveries relating to the building blocks of life as being beyond the legitimate limits of patenting.'.
leave out 'total nuclear facility' and insert 'Magnox processing plant, the Thorp reprocessing plant, the MOX demonstration facility and the Sellafield MOX plant (SMP)'.
leave out from beginning to end of line 6 and add 'recognises that some regions do not coincide with the boundaries of central government defined regions which were designed for administrative convenience rather than to reflect regional identity; and welcomes efforts to enable regions to have devolved government appropriate to their needs, following the precedent of devolving power to places with regional identity and cultural and historic integrity, as was the case in Scotland and Wales.'.
That this House warmly welcomes the first report of the Liaison Committee, published on 2nd March, which observes that the membership of select committees is effectively under the control of the Whips and that this has led on occasion to long delays in setting up committees at the start of a parliament and in replacing members thereafter and that members have been kept off committees because of their views; agrees that this is wrong in principle; and believes the implementation of the report's recommendations would strengthen parliamentary scrutiny of the Executive to the positive benefit of both.