40 ingested motions from United Kingdom introduced in 2003. Year filters use the introduced date shown on each card. Walk years back as far as this source still publishes.
That this House warmly welcomes the establishment of Amicale Parlementaire du Rugby a Treize, a Rugby League Parliamentary Association in France; recalls that, in one of the most disgraceful episodes in sporting history, rugby league in that country was banned as a sport by the Vichy Government, its assets being removed and never returned; notes that the French Government's recent commission of inquiry into sport during the Occupation confirmed the injustice suffered by the treizistes; is concerned that the question of reparation has not so far been addressed; further notes that the European Commission has written to the French Government about discrimination against rugby league; welcomes the new Association's efforts to lift the ban on the sport being played in certain municipal stadia and campaign for its introduction into the curriculum for future PE teachers; wishes the Association well in its efforts on behalf of rugby league; and calls upon the British Government to support the European Commission's representations to the French Government.
That this House deplores the BBC decision not to proceed with a Scottish Six main evening news bulletin in Scotland, which shows that the BBC has bowed to undue pressure from the Government; recalls that former BBC director-general, John Birt, boasted in his memoirs that he held discussions with Tony Blair on stopping the Scottish Six back in 1998, for political reasons; notes that Scottish Labour honourable Members have been engaged in a concerted campaign against the Scottish Six during the latest review of the issue; believes that the Scottish Six offers the only format which enables viewers in Scotland to receive a proper blend of Scottish, UK and international stories on television, in exactly the same way as already happens on BBC Radio Scotland; further notes that the Scottish Six was backed by 70 per cent. of Scots during the last review, and was supported by the Broadcasting Council for Scotland and the BBC Scotland management and journalists; and believes that this issue will inevitably come back again, because the Scottish Six reflects the reality of modern Scotland and the process of self-government.
That this House congratulates EDF Energy, whose retail arms include SWEB, SEEBOARD and London Energy on launching a new final salary pension scheme at a time when many companies are abandoning final salary schemes; and notes that EDF Energy through working directly with their trade unions have announced that for the foreseeable future they will not be moving their call centres outside the UK or outsourcing the activity.
That this House notes with concern that Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world in which to be a trade unionist with 184 people killed in 2002 for their trade union activities, more than the rest of the world combined; further notes that the overwhelming majority of abuses against trade unionists are carried out by paramilitary organisations which have documented links to the Colombian state security forces; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to freeze all military and security assistance to Colombia until the bonds between the state and paramilitary forces are severed, in accordance with the policies of Colombia, UK and international human rights organisations and trade unions, such as the TUC-backed Justice for Colombia coalition and development charity War on Want.
That this House regrets the decision to discontinue sales of Irn-Bru, Scotland's other national drink, in the Terrace Cafeteria of the House of Commons, in favour of trialling Diet Coke; recognises that the Refreshment Department has to operate according to budget constraints in terms of its purchasing policy; understands that Irn-Bru will be returned to its rightful place if sales of Diet Coke do not exceed the volume at which Irn-Bru was previously selling; and therefore urges all honourable Members and House staff from all parts of the United Kingdom to request this delicious Scottish drink, which is famous for its medicinal and restorative qualities.
That this House notes with concern the report of the cross-party Enterprise and Culture Committee of the Scottish Parliament, published on 18th December, which concludes that variable top-up tuition fees at English universities will have an adverse impact in Scotland, since Scottish higher education will be put at a funding disadvantage; and believes that under the current constitutional arrangements the Scottish interest requires all honourable Members representing constituencies in Scotland to oppose the introduction of top-up fees when the issue comes to the vote in the House.
That this House congratulates the Polish and Spanish delegations to the recent EU Inter-Governmental Conference for showing fortitude and resolve in the face of unrelenting pressure from the larger member states of the EU; notes that their representatives stood up for their national interests and refused to sign up to a constitution that reneged on the commitments proposed in the Nice Treaty; and hopes that other EU and accession country leaders, particularly the United Kingdom, will show similar resolve in future EU talks which concern the way a future Europe is run.
That this House is not amazed at the double standards adopted by the Liberal Democrat Party over their expressed views towards the recent capture of Saddam Hussein; notes that if the Liberal Democrat policy had been adopted by the international community, Saddam Hussein would still be in power today; further notes as a consequence that the chronic oppression suffered by the Iraqi people at the hands of Saddam Hussein and his sons would have continued unabated; and urges the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party to go to Iraq and hear what the Iraqi people think of his policy towards Saddam Hussein.
That this House expresses serious concerns at the intended tour of Zimbabwe by the England cricket team in 2004; reminds the England and Wales Cricket Board of the furore created when the International Cricket Council was insistent that England play matches in Zimbabwe during the 2003 Cricket World Cup; urges the Board cancel the Zimbabwe tour, given that Rober Mugabe's regime has continued its rule through violence, intimidation, rape, murder, politicisation of food aid and through clamping down even further on the media; reminds honourable Members that Mr Mugabe has taken Zimbabwe out of the Commonwealth; notes that Mr Mugabe shows no signs of wishing to adhere to the Commonwealth's Harare Declaration on human rights and good governance; further notes that the safety of English players and fans cannot be guaranteed whilst in Zimbabwe; and recommends the Board cancels this tour early so as to avoid the unpleasant wrangling that so much overshadowed the 2003 Cricket World Cup.
That this House congratulates the opposition parties led by Mehmet Ali Talat, Mustafa Akinci, Izzet Izcan and Ali Erel on their success in the elections for the Parliament of the unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus; notes that despite the widespread intimidation, bribery, rigging of the electoral register and a bias of state broadcasting by its illegal Denktash regime, the two main opposition parties still secured 50 per cent. of the seats and a majority of the popular vote in favour of their policies for a settlement based on the Annan plan and EU entry as a united island; expects that this will maintain their vital unity round their common election protocol; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to do all it can to support their efforts towards a solution to enable Cyprus to join the EU in May 2004 as a reunited island after 30 years of illegal Turkish occupation.
That this House is dismayed and appalled at death threats made against road safety campaigners on motoring websites by drivers opposed to speed cameras; notes that descending to such depths of personal harassment and other illegalities such as vandalism of cameras is anti-social, offensive and shocking; further notes that such illegality is being fuelled by anti-camera articles in the national media, including BBC's Top Gear, The Sun, News of the World, The Telegraph and others, who are being fed misleading information by speed bullies such as the Association of British Drivers and Safe Speeds; and calls on the Government urgently to publish more data about speed cameras in the safety camera partnerships, particularly relating to their effectiveness at reducing casualties, to support evidence published this year that the pilot partnerships achieved casualty reductions of 35 per cent. at the speed camera sites.
That this House recognises the importance of the construction industry in delivering new and improved public buildings and infrastructure; welcomes the Construction Products Association's recent report, Achievable Targets, as a useful and timely review of the Government's targets and its progress towards delivering new and refurbished hospitals, schools, housing, roads and railways; notes that both the public and industry recognise the importance of ongoing investment in our public buildings and infrastructure; and therefore urges the Government to ensure delivery of its targets in these crucial areas.
That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2003 (S.I., 2003, No. 3242), dated 10th December 2003, a copy of which was laid before this House on 11th December, be annulled.
That this House condemns the Government's decision to award East Sussex County Council only ú4,590 in emergency revenue support grant; deplores the serious effect this will have on East Sussex pensioners and low income families, who have been penalised by the Government significantly underfunding the county for the second year running; and requests that the Minister of State with responsibility for local and regional government meets with a delegation from East Sussex at the earliest possible opportunity.
That this House congratulates Paul Martin, the new Prime Minister of Canada, on his decision to make democratic reform of the House of Commons a top priority; notes that the reforms are designated to strengthen the roles of individual parliamentarians and committees with an increased number of free votes; further notes that Ministers will be required actively to seek the support of their colleagues who are to be involved early in the policy development process; contrasts this approach to the way in which key policy initiatives are brought forward at Westminster; and urges the British Prime Minister to visit his counterpart's website http://www1.pm.gc.ca/eng/dem_reform.asp for insights and inspiration.
That this House notes with concern the contrast between the enormous expansion of private credit and the growing debt burden that this imposes on society; further notes that public credit, as measured by the proportion of publicly created money in circulation, has fallen from 20 per cent. of the money supply in 1964 to three per cent. today; believes that using public credit and increasing the proportion of publicly created money should be used to cut the costs of, and to boost the quantity of, public investment and to allow the Chancellor to fulfil his golden rule without further borrowing; further believes that this can be done without any impact on inflation; and, therefore, urges the Treasury to commission an independent review of the benefits of using the public credit and increasing the proportion of publicly created money.
That this House notes that the disposal of fats, oils and greases into the sewerage system is the cause of up to 90 per cent. of blockages within the system and results in the flooding and pollution of hundreds of domestic, public and commercial buildings each year; further notes that one of the major contributors to the problem is the inappropriate disposal of fats, oils and greases from commercial hot food premises such as restaurants, pubs and fast food outlets; welcomes the new building regulation that requires kitchen drainage outlets in all newly built commercial hot food premises to be fitted with a grease separator to prevent the entry of fats, oils and greases into the sewerage system; and calls on the Government to extend this requirement to all commercial hot food premises.
That this House welcomes the Government's pledge to end child poverty by 2019; but is concerned that the problems in the administration of the tax credits system may undermine the aim of the scheme to reduce child poverty; is concerned that these problems have resulted in unnecessary overpayments, which have led to difficulties and hardships for families with children when these overpayments are recovered automatically from future tax credits entitlements; and calls on the Inland Revenue to introduce an amnesty in respect of all overpayments of tax credits made in the year 2003-2004 unless the overpayment was caused by fraud on the part of the claimant.
That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Extradition Act 2003 (Multiple Offences) Order 2003 (S.I., 2003, No. 3150), dated 4th December 2003, a copy of which was laid before this House on 11th December, be annulled.
That this House cherishes Christmas Day as a special day, particularly for families and children, and welcomes the campaign by USDAW, the shop workers' union, on behalf of 2.6 million shop workers of the United Kingdom; regrets that many shops remain open on Christmas Day because employers put undue pressure on shop workers to abandon their family responsibilities on this important religious and public holiday; notes that the vast majority of shop workers are parents who should be able to spend Christmas with their children; also notes that current law offers no protection to such workers when Christmas Day does not fall on a Sunday; further notes that Christmas is an extremely busy and stressful period for shop workers and believes that they deserve at least one day off; and calls on the Government to protect shop workers on Christmas Day.
That this House is aware that political parties are banned and thousands of activists jailed and tortured in Uzbekistan; believes that Uzbekistan is not a functioning democracy and does not appear to be moving in that direction; is also aware that the United States has the use of Uzbek air bases, that hundreds of American troops are now stationed there and that US aid to Uzbekistan tripled to $295 million in 2002; believes that pragmatism and self-interest are guiding US policy on Uzbekistan; concurs with the view of the British Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Mr Craig Murray, that 'no government has the right to use the war against terrorism as an excuse for the persecution of those with a deep personal commitment to the Islamic religion and who pursue their views by peaceful means'; abhors the abuse of human rights in Uzbekistan; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to bring political pressure to bear to end these abuses and to urge the US Administration to do likewise.
That this House expresses its dismay at the wide range of toys and computer games which are based on lethal weapons and violent imagery; believes that, in part, the growth of violence in our society has its roots in the brutalising of our children from an early age by war toys and games; calls upon Her Majesty's Government to set up an inquiry to investigate what links exist between war toys, games and violent behaviour; and reminds parents that the season of peace and goodwill is ill-served by the giving of war toys to children.
That this House notes that Holocaust Memorial Day is on 27th January 2004, which is the anniversary of the day the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated; recognises the importance of this year's theme, 'From the Holocaust through to Rwanda': remembers all those who lost their lives in the Holocaust and other more recent tragedies; thanks the city of Belfast for hosting the national event; commends organisations such as the Holocaust Educational Trust for their work towards this day; and encourages all honourable Members to be involved in a day that not only helps to ensure that the Holocaust is never forgotten but also warns of the dangers of all forms of discrimination today.
That this House believes that separated parents should each have a legal presumption of contact with their children, so that both parents can continue to parent their children and that any children are able to benefit from being parented by both their parents, as well as from contact with any grandparents and extended family members able and willing to play a role in their upbringing; and urges the Government to replace the legal term 'contact' with 'parenting time' and to ensure that parenting time orders can be and are made and enforced by the courts, save where a child's safety would be at risk.
That this House notes that the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention binds signatories not to transfer to any nation any agents, toxins, weapons and equipment of biological and toxin warfare and provides that any nation finding another signatory in breach of this undertaking may lodge a complaint to the Security Council; further understands that the Riegle Report to the US Senate has published evidence that the US sold biological materials including Bacillus Anthracis, Clostridium Botulinum, Histoplasma capsulatum, Brucella, Melitensis, and Clostridium Perfringens to various agencies of the Iraqi Government pursuant to export licences issued by the US Department of Commerce, in quantities set out in the Report and at the time when the US was fully aware of the Iraqi biological warfare programme and that these exports have been fully documented and are also set out in the 23 September 2002 edition of Newsweek and by Senator Robert Byrd in speeches in the Senate on 20th and 26th September 2002; requests the Government to exercise its power to report these sales to the Security Council of the United Nations in the light of its commitment in the April 2002 Green Paper, Strengthening Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention that, those at every level responsible for any breach of international law relating to the use of such weapons will be held personally accountable because compliance with the BTWC is an issue the international community cannot avoid; and urges the Prime Minister either to lodge the necessary complaint with the Security Council of the UN or change its stated policy after an appropriate public announcement and discussion.
That this House shares the concerns of the Royal British Legion regarding the qualification for a war pension pursuant to the provisions of the new Armed Forces Pension Scheme and compensation schemes, namely, that the change from the MoD being required to prove beyond reasonable doubt that any injury or illness was not caused as a result of time in service, to its being required only to meet a balance of probabilities test and the requirement that there should be a five-year time limit to claim a war pension after 2005 could, together, reduce successful claims for war pensions by up to 60 per cent.; and calls on the Government to review the application criteria for war pensions so that the interests of those military personnel who are injured in service are fully safeguarded.
That this House notes the positive developments on Bahrain over the past three years, including the release of political prisoners, the return of exiles and the repeal of the State Security Law; welcomes the ending of the state of emergency that had been in force since the suspension in 1975 of some articles of the 1973 constitution and the dissolution of the elected parliament; takes account of the promises given by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa prior to the public endorsement of the National Charter on 14th February 2001; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to assist the process of reform in Bahrain by providing models of good governance, which exclude gracious acts and decrees not sanctioned by law, permit the removal of governments by popular elections, promote equality of opportunity in employment and access to public services, grant citizenship only on the basis of the law and refrain from using public funds to promote the interests of one sector of society.
That this House notes the Report of the Joint Committee on the Draft Mental Incapacity Bill; regrets its inadequacies but appreciates the Committee's complaints regarding the lack of time allowed them to complete the Report (Conclusion 1); notes the Committee's claim that the Mental Incapacity Bill is not a euthanasia bill despite the fact that it endorses the withdrawal of assisted food and fluid from non-dying patients with the inevitable result of ending their lives by dehydration and starvation; reminds the House of a number of case law judgments which decree that persons who purposefully cause death by omission are guilty of homicide; further notes the Committee' recommendation that an extra assurance should be written into the Bill to assuage any fears about euthanasia; stresses, however, that changing the name on a package does not change the contents; notes with repugnance the Committee's recommendation that mentally incapacitated patients could be used for research; notes that this breaches the basic human right that an individual unable to consent to treatment for himself/herself should never be used for invasive research unless the work could have potential benefit for that individual; and calls on the Government to ensure that the Mental Incapacity Bill protects mentally incapacitated patients from being used for experiments and from having assisted food and fluid withdrawn with the purpose of ending their lives.
That this House welcomes the parliamentary launch of Lifeblood: The Thrombosis Charity supported by Aventis; commends its campaign to Stop the Clots; recognises thrombosis as one of the leading causes of death in the UK; notes that up to one person in every one thousand suffers from venous thrombosis each year, with 10 per cent. of patients suffering from resultant pulmonary embolisms likely to die without treatment; expresses concern that the development of existing medical understanding is impeded by limited research and statistics; and calls on the Government to meet this pressing need by facilitating further research into the causes of the condition and means for its prevention.
That this House notes that the recommendations of the Joint Committee on the Draft Mental Incapacity Bill were not unanimous; further notes the concern of Baroness Knight of Collingtree, a member of the Joint Committee, about the use of mentally incapacitated patients in research and experimentation; regrets that her amendment prohibiting this was defeated; further regrets that, although the Joint Committee represented both Houses, she was not permitted to table a minority report; and calls on the Government to ensure that the Mental Incapacity Bill protects mentally incapacitated patients against being used for invasive research and experimentation.
That this House recognises the appalling situation faced by patients in Wales, where one in 10 of the population reside on an NHS Wales waiting list, despite increased resources from the United Kingdom Treasury; and notes the United Kingdom Government's reticence to intervene to help Wales get a fair deal.
That this House pays tribute to the sterling work and devotion to duty of Mr Ray Snipp who for 20 years served the House as a Doorkeeper/Senior Doorkeeper as he prepares for a richly deserved retirement.
That this House expresses its concern about potential conflicts of interests in relation to the ú1 billion contracts to rebuild Barts and the London Hospital; notes that Colonel Boorman, Ray Petts and Gerry Green are employed by Health Care Projects, a subsidiary of Skanska Innisfree, which will manage the project; finds it incomprehensible that Boorman, Petts and Green, who at one time devoted their lives to destroying Barts, should now be profiting through its upgrading to a specialist cancer and heart hospital; notes that Colonel Boorman, a former Joint Chief of the Intelligence Staff, who acted as a cipher for the previous Conservative government, told the honourable Member for Hackney South and Shoreditch at a meeting at the House that he was minded to close Barts before taking up his appointment as chairman of the two hospitals and before he knew what Barts did or where it was; notes that the struggle to save Barts in the teeth of opposition from Boorman became personal as well as political; and believes that, in order to avoid conflicts of interest and to enable people to move on, Skanska Innisfree and Health Care Projects should get rid of these unprincipled establishment figures before any money is paid out and that, if they do not, the Secretary of State for Health should intervene to see that this is done.
That this House notes that Dalip Tahil who plays Dan Ferreira in Eastenders may face removal from Britain for breach of work permit regulations; further notes press reports that he has received a letter from the Home Office rejecting his application to stay and work here; expresses its concern about these reports; and calls upon the Home Secretary to intervene in this case to ensure that Mr Tahil will be allowed to continue in his role not just because he is an excellent actor, and one of the few actors of Asian origin on national television, but also because the Ferreira family with their trials, tribulations and trysts will be left fatherless at this crucial time in all their lives.
That this House notes the serious nature of injuries sustained in pubs and clubs from pint and half pint capacity glasses and glass bottles; further notes that lasting physical and psychological scarring frequently results from such injuries, predominantly in young people; notes the substantial expenditure these injuries necessitate in terms of burdens on tax payers through criminal injury compensation awards; further notes that research carried out at the University of Wales College of Medicine indicates that many injuries could be prevented through a switch to multi-layer plastic bottles and that there is a need to increase safety standards by kite marking one pint and half pint capacity glasses to indicate conformity to basic manufacturing standards for toughened glass; congratulates all those involved in bringing about the almost universal adoption of toughened glass over the past five to 10 years; now urges the British Standards Institution to develop manufacturing standards for toughened glass and local authorities and the police to ban the carrying of glasses and glass bottles in public places.
That this House notes the results of the largest ever independent survey of 16 to 19 year old and adult learners in England, recently undertaken for the Learning and Skills Council; further notes that 94 per cent. of young and adult learners were at least satisfied with their local further education college courses, and nearly a quarter were extremely satisfied; welcomes the news that three-quarters of students said that their previously negative attitude to learning at school had been changed by their college experience; congratulates college leaders, lecturers and other staff on these outstanding results, probably the best in any public sector service; and urges the Government to ensure that such quality in further education can be sustained and improved through appropriate resources in the 2004 spending review.
That this House celebrates the centenary of powered flight in 2003; salutes the immense contribution made by Britain's aviators and its world class aerospace industry over the past 100 years; applauds the Royal Aeronautical Society's initiative in marking 2003 by establishing a programme celebrating the anniversary, communicating the importance of aerospace to society, inspiring a new generation to take up future challenges and creating a scholarship fund to enable that new generation to fulfil its aerospace ambitions; calls on the Government to support these endeavours by encouraging young people to join the aerospace community; and congratulates BAE Systems, British Airways, Lockheed Martin, Rolls Royce and Smith Aerospace for their leadership in becoming foundation sponsors of this important programme.
That this House notes EDM 9 of session 2003-04, Shortage of Care Homes, in the name of the honourable Member for South Suffolk; supports the principle of upholding standards in care homes; is gravely alarmed by the comments made by the honourable Member for South Suffolk in his role as the Shadow Secretary for Health and Education, calling on the Government to loosen the regulation of care homes; further notes with concern the repeated comments made by the same honourable Member in his other role as the Chairman of Univent PLC, a company that operates care homes, stating that he is 'pleased to report' the 'proft achieved at our nursing homes' and 'continues to seek opportunities for expansion'; and calls for the development of a separate code of conduct to cover the outside interests of shadow ministers.