2,535 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 welcomes the decision of British Gas to remove standing charges from customers accounts and commends Northern Ireland Electricity for making a partial step in this direction; acknowledges that the telephone bills of pensioners and other limited users of telephone services include a disproportionate cost in respect of standing charge when compared with the cost of telephone calls made; and calls upon British Telecom and other providers of telephone services to urgently review their current billing practices and subsequently completely remove the standing charge element from accounts in order that charges for telephone use are solely in respect of calls made.
That this House is disappointed at the appalling behaviour of a small number of honourable Members of Her Majesty's Opposition who manipulated the procedures of this House to prevent the Fur Farming (Prohibition) Bill from being taken, in defiance of overwhelming public opinion that wishes to see an end to this barbaric practice; and calls upon the Government to review the procedures of this House to allow genuine scrutiny and debate whilst ending opportunities for time wasting.
That this House welcomes the proposals put forward by Connex as part of their application for a franchise extension; is very pleased to note that this includes a commitment to secure the reopening of the Lewes-Uckfield railway line; wishes to see this achieved at the earliest possible opportunity; and believes any other franchise applications for the present Connex South-Central area need to match or better these proposals and include the same commitment to reopen the Lewes-Uckfield line.
That this House fully supports the work of the European Children's Trust which continues actively to tackle the tragedy of the institutionalisation of children across Europe, initially in Romania; and notes that their 10th anniversary year is marked by progress and challenges.
That this House is concerned to learn that the Deputy Managing Director of Connex, Oliver Brousse, misled people at a presentation of the company's Vision for the South Central Rail Franchise, which it hopes to renew in 2003; notes that he told the meeting that work was well on the way to completion at Sutton Station; regrets that since hoardings were erected in November 1999 and facilities withdrawn no work has occurred and that as a result the project is four months behind schedule and falling further behind; calls on Connex to be more candid about the reasons for delay and for senior management urgently to take the project in hand; and calls on the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions to instruct the Strategic Rail Authority to investigate the causes of delay at Sutton Station and to work with Connex and Railtrack to expedite the removal of any outstanding obstacles to commencing and rapidly completing this project.
That this House salutes the professionalism of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, its dead, its wounded and their relatives; recognises its consistent efforts to achieve progressive changes, including the installation of better IT equipment and the establishment of a police college - withheld by successive governments because of financial constraints; welcomes the positive steps which the RUC has put into human relationship and community awareness training; regrets that neither the Patten Commission nor the Government has addressed the problem of Republican/Nationalist unwillingness to recognise Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom; notes that Sinn Fein continues to campaign against the RUC and its attempts, through school visits, to encourage members of the Roman Catholic community to seek a career in the RUC; rejects the politicisation of the RUC through the proposed Police Board; and repudiates the slur cast upon the good name of the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC by its proposed replacement with the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
That this House notes the new evidence, including evidence from those who took part, that South Korea and United States forces committed war atrocities in the early stages of the Korean War, including the mass slaughter of civilians at villages such as No Gun Ri; also notes the new research which shows that South Korean troops attacked North Korean villages for up to a year before the war broke out; further notes that the USA remains opposed to a permanent international war crimes investigation process; considers that the new historical information could be significant and should be a backdrop to a new understanding and settlement of the longstanding dispute in Korea; believes that a policy of inclusion, rather than exclusion and permanent hostility, should now be adopted towards North Korea; notes that this could help to improve the dire economic problems for the population of that country, and perhaps restrict the development of ballistic missile delivery systems and subsequently achieve U.S. accession to the Land Mines Treaty; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to urge the United States Administration to agree to a proper settlement within which the matter of war crimes could also be resolved.
That this House deeply regrets the conclusions of the Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords in that they did not recommend a wholly-elected second chamber.
at end add 'but deeply regrets his decision to force a by-election only 2 weeks before the new electoral register is operational, thereby disenfranchising thousands of university students and other potential electors in Ceredigion.'.
after 'intensive,', insert 'further recognises the inadequacies of the current system of standard spending assessments and, particulary, the area cost adjustment component; therefore'.
That this House welcomes the categoric statement made by the Under Secretary of State for Wales (the honourable Member for Delyn) on 18th January, Official Report, column 744, that the Government will ensure that there is a 5 per cent. real terms funding growth in the National Health Service, and thereby will 'ensure that we bring ourselves up to the European average'; and calls on the honourable Member to announce how much extra funding over and above previously set spending levels will be available for the National Health Service in Wales for 2000-01.
That this House deplores the intention of Carlsberg Tetley to close the Wrexham Lager Beer Company at the end of March this year; notes that Carlsberg make much of their long 153 year tradition of lager brewing in Denmark whilst closing the oldest lager brewery in Britain, with a continuous tradition as long as that of the brewery started by Carl Jacobsen in 1882; calls on Carlsberg to start negotiating as soon as possible with Wrexham County Borough Council to preserve the listed brewery buildings and to allow lager to be brewed in some way on the site to maintain the tradition of brewing in Wrexham; and further notes that, if Carlsberg Tetley proceed with their intention to close the Wrexham Brewery, their product will be regarded by the people of Wrexham and Wales as probably the worst lager in the world.
That this House regrets that the Government has chosen to put tax cuts this April ahead of investment in the health service; and calls on the Government to re-direct the ú2.7 billion of lost tax revenue into the NHS.
That this House expresses its dismay that the US company Myriad Genetics has applied in the United Kingdom and other European countries for patents on the breast cancer susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2; is concerned that the potential for the enforcement of very broad claims on human genes such as these could negatively affect genetic testing and limit the progress of medical research; accepts that biotechnology companies should be able to recoup the costs of genetic research but believes that the government must be capable of intervening in the public interest to avoid patient suffering and safeguard biomedical research; and calls on the Government to clarify the United Kingdom position on patenting human genes and to ensure that the focus of genetic research is not transferred from the laboratory to the courtroom.
at end add 'and considers that any medical privilege has as a matter of law, been waived by the use of medical information in the quasi-judicial process'.
leave out from 'notes' to 'congratulates' in line 2 and insert 'that due to government initiatives such as the New Deal, the introduction of a national minimum wage, and the excellent work of the local enterprise company, unemployment claimant figures in Dumfries and Galloway have fallen 25.6 per cent, over a three-year period to November 1999;'.
leave out from 'that' to end and add 'the high-tech millennium wheel will provide a similarly spectacular view but from a spectacularly different perspective; will provide a magnetic draw for tourists to the capital and adds to the London skyline as much drama as the Eiffel Tower does to the Paris skyline; and commends its sponsors and operators for guaranteeing that safety comes first in delaying the opening to ensure that manufacturing difficulties with one mechanical component are replaced on all 32 capsules.'.
leave out from 'notes' to end and add 'that emergency contraception is not a method of abortion and is a safe and effective method of preventing unwanted pregnancy; further notes that experts on contraception have argued that it can be provided safely and appropriately by pharmacists without a prescription; believes that pharmacists are highly trained and already manage the safe supply to the public of many medical products; recognises the success of the current trial involving 16 pharmacists in the Manchester, Salford and Trafford Health Authority in providing emergency contraception and that 50 more pharmacists have asked to be involved in the scheme; and calls on the Government to expand this programme to a national level.'.
That this House recognizes the vital role played by regional orchestras; believes that the Bournemouth Orchestra's disbanding of the Bournemouth Sinfonietta much diminishes the cultural life of the South and the South-West; and calls on the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to restore access to high-quality music in smaller venues in the South and South-West.
That this House deplores the decision of the Secretary of State for the Home Department, to admit Mr Mike Tyson to Britain; believes that it is an insult to women in general and victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in particular; believes that it additionally insults the many constituents who face enormous obstacles from the immigration authorities in obtaining permission for their law-abiding relatives to come to the United Kingdom; believes the decision was motivated less by concern for small business in Manchester than concern for BSkyB's broadcasting interests; and calls on him to reverse his decision and remove Mr Tyson back to the USA.
That this House welcomes the report of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents of 1999, but urges the Government to do more to prevent the exploitation of the intellectual property of British inventors by unscrupulous businesses which rely on financial and legal muscle to by-pass patent law.
That this House welcomes the Government's Programme of Action for Special Educational Needs published in November 1998 as a positive and constructive document outlining the broad area of work needed to achieve high quality education for children with special needs; welcomes the commitment made to a Special Educational Needs Bill in the Queen's Speech; welcomes the re-launch of the Special Education Consortium as a useful partner which Her Majesty's Government can consult on this vital area of its programme; and looks forward to the Government's first annual statement of progress in developing and implementing the Action Plan.
That this House notes that much distress has been caused by the past mis-selling of endowment policies linked to mortgages culminating in demands from insurance companies that many endowment holders must now increase their contributions in order to cover the investment shortfall of their endowment mortgages; notes that the Financial Services Authority is currently reviewing how to seek higher standards in future endowment selling; believes that past endowment mis-selling by the insurance industry raises many of the same issues as the mis-selling of private pensions over which the Government has already acted; and calls on the Government to take the lead working with the Financial Services Authority to establish the scale of past mis-selling, to name and shame the worst perpetrators of mis-selling and to establish arrangements by which the industry can compensate the victims.
That this House notes the forthcoming Biosafety Protocol negotiations in Montreal from 20th to 28th January; hopes that these negotiations will be more successful than the talks in Colombia which collapsed in February 1999; observes, however, that the 'Miami Group' of countries, including the United States of America, is still attempting to weaken the agreement; supports the concerns of the 'Like-Minded Group' of developing countries that unregulated trade in genetically modified organisms could pose serious environmental, health and socio-economic threats; notes that the Biosafety Protocol will be a multilateral environmental agreement under the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity and not a trade liberalisation agreement; believes therefore that the Biosafety Protocol negotiations, not the World Trade Organisation, are the most appropriate forum in which to develop a regulatory system for international movements of all genetically modified organisms; welcomes the UK Government's commitments after the collapse of trade talks in Seattle to ensuring meaningful participation by the poorest countries in international negotiations; and therefore calls on the UK Government to support developing countries in Montreal and ensure that the Biosafety Protocol guarantees all countries the right to know what genetically modified organisms are being imported, and the right to refuse such imports on the grounds of environmental, health and/or social protection and precaution.
That this House regrets the admittance of Mike Tyson, a convicted rapist, into the United Kingdom; is concerned that his presence will signal that rape and violence towards women is less important than commercial gain; and calls upon the Government to ensure that in future the current law on admission of foreigners is upheld in all cases, there being no excuse now for any boxing promotor or anyone else to plead ignorance of the law.
That this House notes the launch of UNISON's Invest for Change campaign; further notes their concerns about rising levels of stress and low morale of local government staff; believes local government has a key role to play in building effective local partnerships, in delivering modern accountable services and regenerating communities; welcomes the new powers for local authorities in community planning and the commitment to introduce a fairer, more transparent system of local government finance; recognises that the implementation of change in local government is resource intensive; calls on the Government to strengthen local democracy through reform of local government finance; and urges the Government to invest sufficient resources in local government to implement change effectively, including the ground-breaking single status agreement.
That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Local Authorities (Funds) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 1999) (S.I., 1999, No. 3436), dated 21st December 1999, a copy of which was laid before this House on 22nd December, be annulled.
That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Transnational Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 1999 (S.I. 1999, No. 3323), dated 12th December 1999, a copy of which was laid before this House on 14th December, be annulled.
That this House is appalled by the Muslim-Christian conflict in the Moluccas, Indonesia; notes that over 1,500 people have died since the violence began in January 1999; is deeply concerned by reports that the Indonesian military have often taken sides in the conflict instead of attempting to restore order; and calls on the British Government to press for urgent UN intervention in the Moluccas to end the bloodshed and to closely link the European Union arms embargo and suspension of IMF assistance to Indonesia to the Indonesian Government and military's conduct over the Moluccas.
leave out from 'House' to end and add 'looks forward to a visit from the real Mayors of towns in Northern Cyprus who have been elected by the people who actually live there; notes that ongoing efforts to find a settlement under UN auspices are based on the principle of bi-zonality, which does not admit a free return to their homes by Turkish Cypriots or Greek Cypriots, but instead envisages fair compensation to both sides for their losses; and calls upon HMG to encourage a confederal settlement under which the two peoples of Cyprus can live side by side, each secure in their own territory and dealing with the other, and with the world, on the basis of equality and mutual respect.'.
leave out from 'however' to end and add ' that whereas the Berlin Wall was erected by the former Soviet regime to prevent East Germans joining their relatives in the West, the wall in Nicosia was erected by Turkish Cypriots to defend themselves from genocidal attacks upon them by Greek Cypriots in 1963, repeated in 1967, and repeated again in 1974; condemns attempts to make misleading comparisons between Nicosia and Berlin, and looks forward to the day when such trust and confidence has been established between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots that fortifications will no longer be necessary.'.
That this House, in recognition of the service undertaken by members of Rotary clubs both in the United Kingdom and throughout the world, over the past 95 years, including the virtual eradication of polio through the polio-plus programme and countless schemes benefiting underprivileged, disabled and disadvantaged members of communities at home and abroad, urges Her Majesty's Government to further harness the enthusiasm and talents of Rotarians by encouraging their participation in community-based projects and initiatives wherever and whenever possible.
That this House notes with regret the continuing economic difficulties facing Dumfries and Galloway; congratulates the Dumfries and Galloway Standard on its Millennium Jobs Crusade initiative in partnership with the Employment Service, the Careers Service and Dumfries and Galloway Enterprise to get more than 100 unemployed people in Dumfries and Galloway into work in 2000; calls upon Her Majesty's Government to do all it can to support the initiative; and wishes the newspaper every success in achieving its objective.
That this House considers that the helium balloon at Vauxhall provides good value for the tourist with its panoramic views of the London skyline; notes that, in contrast to the high-tech millennium wheel, it works; considers that it has additional advantages over the wheel in as much as it is aesthetically pleasing and does not blight the landscape of a heritage site; and hopes that the time-limited planning permission for the wheel's existing siting is strictly adhered to and that the clock starts ticking from the time of its erection and not from the commencement of operation.
That this House congratulates the people of Chile on their wisdom in electing the respected socialist, democrat and anti-fascist Ricardo Lagos as their next President; and notes that he will be the first Socialist President of Chile since the murder of the democratically-elected Salvador Allende in the brutal military coup carried out by Augusto Pinochet in September 1973.
That this House notes that companies such as the Allocation Group of Rotterdam using the telecommunications services of Core Communications Ltd (Manchester) are exploiting vulnerable as well as gullible members of the public through unsolicited offers of prizes for which applicants must apply by telephone, requiring long calls at high rates, advertised in very small print; notes that this is one of a number of abuses of premium rate services including many by the sex industry; and calls on the Government to initiatiate action through the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Services acting in consent with OFTEL and the main telecoms companies, local trading standards officers and the competition authorities to protect consumers from such abuses.
That this House pays tribute to the memory of George Orwell on the 50th anniversary of his death; recognises his stature as one of the great British writers, his commitment to substantial domestic reforms to alleviate the acute hardship for so many in the thirties, his anti-fascism, which led him to fight for republican Spain, his enthusiastic support from the start for the war against Nazism and his independence of mind, shown so clearly in his essays and the regular column he wrote for Tribune; and is pleased that his two masterpieces, with their brilliant exposure of totalitarian communism, continue to be widely read, and not least in the former communist states.
That this House notes that the morning-after pill works by preventing the embryo from successfully implanting in the lining of the womb, and therefore is not a contraceptive; further notes that medical and scientific opinion is that life begins at fertilisation, and that the morning-after pill is therefore an abortifacient; notes with concern the health-risks associated with the morning-after pill, which include nausea, vomiting, thrombosis and ectopic pregnancy and that, if a woman in the early weeks of pregnancy takes a morning-after pill, her baby's brain could be malformed and/or the child could develop abnormalities such as heart-defects; further notes the provisions of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, as cited by Dr John Keown of Queen's College, Cambridge, in a letter to the Daily Telgraph of 30th November 1999 and elsewhere, protect nascent life before implantation; further notes that the World Medical Association's 1948 Declaration of Geneva states 'I will have the utmost respect for human life, from the time of conception; even under threat, I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity'; further notes that, whether or not the morning-after pill interrupts pregnancy as defined by the law, it does interrupt pregnancy as defined by medical science, and that those who are not registered medical practioners should consequently not be expected to take responsibility for providing such treatment; and calls upon the Secretary of State for Health to restrict the availability of the morning-after pill as a matter of urgency and not to widen access thereto.
That this House notes the unqualified success of the public private partnership known as the North Kent Success; finds it surprising that an agency that has widespread support in the community it represents and which is determinedly a beacon for the way in which agencies in South East England must operate in this decade, now finds its public sector funding withdrawn with the result that it will be liquidated at the end of March; calls upon the five local authority councils involved in the regeneration of North Kent to think again; and meanwhile congratulated David Burdon and his team at NKS for their outstanding service and leadership.
That this House notes that the District Auditor's draft Public Interest report produced in December 1999 under section 8 of the Audit Commission Act 1998 speaks volumes for the imcompetence of Tony Elliston, the former Chief Executive of Hackney, in relation to his disastrous project, Transforming Hackney; advises any local authority or public body thinking of employing Mr Elliston to examine first all the reports that are being prepared or have been prepared into the running of Hackney Council, including reports of the District Auditor, the Binder Hamlyn report of September 1999 entitled, High Level Budgetary Control Review, and the reports of the local government Improvement and Development Agency; believes the failure to examine these reports would constitute gross negligence; and calls on everyone to be sceptical of commendations by Price Waterhouse, which has championed Mr Elliston throughout, even though his name is synonymous with disaster in Whitehall and the world of local government.
That this House is concerned that the London Fire Brigade is currently 132 persons under strength; believes that these positions should be filled by recruitment rather than by members of the Fire Brigade Union working excessive overtime; is very concerned indeed that the management of the London Fire Brigade have suspended 11 FBU members at Homerton Fire Station for supporting their union's ban on overtime; believes that the action of management was both provocative and unnecessary; and calls on the Chief Fire Officer for London to reinstate the 11 members and get on with the business of recruiting the shortfall in staff so as to protect the public.
That this House congratulates Ricardo Lagos on his election as President of Chile and notes that the pro-Pinochet candidate was defeated; and further notes that the 1990 coalition granted immunity to General Pinochet from prosecution for crimes commited between 1973 and 1990 by his appointment as a Senator for Life.
That this House notes the complete failure of the proposed National Athletics Stadium at Wembley; notes that the Commonwealth Stadium in Manchester could be altered at relatively little cost to meet the specifications for a national stadium; urges the Government to give full consideration to any bid by Manchester to host the National Stadium; and believes such consideration would demonstrate the Government's commitment to the regions outside London.
That this House deplores the fact that retired bus workers from the privatised National Bus Company are still being deprived of the full value of the pension fund which is legally theirs; notes that it is approaching six months since the High Court approved the terms of the settlement whereby the Government returned ú355.77 million to the Trustees of the BEST and NBPF Pension Funds; further notes that whereas lawyers have been paid around ú2 million, no pensioner has received a penny from the pension fund; believes that the continued delay in paying the pensioners their due entitlement is a disgrace and reflects badly on the Trustees' attitude and competence; and calls upon the Government to make urgent representations to the Trustees in order to resolve matters without further delay in a scandal which dates back 13 years, during which time thousands of pensioners have died.
That this House is concerned by the rise in unsolicited facsimile messages to small businesses, disrupting their activity and increasing their costs; notes that suppliers of such unwanted services are extorting payment for removal of business facsimile numbers from their subscription lists through premium rate telephone or administrative charges and not revealing the availability of the Fax Preference Service; and therefore calls on the Government to work together with the Office of Fair Trading to bring forward measures to eradicate these predatory practices.
That this House congratulates those financial institutions which are continuing to offer free access to cash machines; expresses concern that the LINK cash machine network is considering the introduction of a surcharge of ú1 per withdrawal from cash machines when cash machine providers already receive a LINK interchange fee; notes the crucial role played by the free cash machines in promoting financial inclusion in deprived and in rural areas; and therefore urges all financial institutions not to adopt surcharging, due to the adverse effect this will have on the consumer in general and particularly those on low incomes and those living in areas with limited cash machine coverage.
That this House congratulates Dyfed and Powys, Gwent and South Wales constabularies, which by collaboration made a number of arrests in the second week of January including an alleged persistent young offender, following the use of new technology currently under trial developed by 2B Research and BT; recognises that the arrests took place within a short period of time due in the main to the use of PNIP, retrieving information from neighbouring forces; and calls upon the Home Secretary to consider a national application of this system.
at end add 'and consider withdrawing liquor licensing to any premises - private or public - that do not afford equal opportunity and equal access to women'.
That this House, noting the resignation from this House on a point of principle by Mr Cynog Dafis, formerly the honourable Member for Ceredigion, pays tribute to his work in this House and abroad, particularly in the fields of world and UK sustainable development and as the founding chair of Globe UK.
That this House deplores the religious imbalance in the appointments made in December 1999 to the Senior Bar in Northern Ireland; notes that many of the most respected barristers were bypassed and that, of the 12 appointees, 10 were Roman Catholics; and calls on the Lord Chancellor to make a statement and to correct this serious injustice.