Motions

DAIRY FARMING IN HEREFORDSHIRE

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 21 December 2004

after "Herefordshire" insert "as in other parts of the UK, including especially prime dairy farming areas like Cornwall"

SNP VICTORY IN GRANGEMOUTH

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 21 December 2004

That this House welcomes the result of the Inchyra by-election in Grangemouth on 16th December which saw the SNP vote increase by 42 per cent. to win the seat by a majority of 321 votes; notes the vindication of the policies of the SNP administration of Falkirk District Council and SNP candidate, Angus Macdonald; and further notes the attempt by the honourable member for Falkirk East to influence the election by personally writing to every elector and the results of that intervention.

JOB CUTS AT REUTERS NEWS AGENCY

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 21 December 2004

That this House is deeply concerned by the proposal of Reuters to cut more than 100 jobs from its London news operation and its news bureaux around the world; expresses its concern at plans to transfer jobs to low-wage economies in Asia with poor employment rights; further expresses concern that Reuters will make substantial cuts in editorial budgets; believes such cuts will damage the company's reputation for accuracy and integrity; and urges the company to think again and compete on the basis of the highest quality not the lowest cost.

DEBATE ON THE SCOTTISH REGIMENTS

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 21 December 2004

That this House notes the exceptional training and skill of the infantry soldiers of the Scottish regiments and recalls the important role they have played across the globe over many hundreds of years; and calls upon the Government to hold a debate and a vote on a substantive Motion on the floor of the House as soon as possible.

CENTRE FOR PEACE AND RECONCILIATION

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 21 December 2004

That this House notes the prominent role played by Scots in the global community, especially in their work in international development and seeking peaceful solutions to conflict across the globe; further notes that many countries have sought to learn from Scotland's experiences of seeking peaceful constitutional change; and calls for the establishment of a European Centre for Peace and Reconciliation in Scotland.

ACCESSION OF ROMANIA TO THE EU

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 21 December 2004

That this House congratulates Romania on the successful conclusion of negotiations for membership of the European union; and looks forward to Romania signing the EU Treaty of Accession in the spring of 2005.

TRIAL OF AUGUSTO PINOCHET

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 21 December 2004

That this House welcomes the decision by a Santiago court that former Chilean dictator, Augusto Pinochet, is to stand trial for atrocities committed during his 17-year regime in Chile; resents his countless efforts to plead ill health when faced with each legal hurdle in the campaign to bring him to justice; and congratulates all those surviving victims and campaigners who continue to work toward ensuring that he is tried for crimes committed during Operation Condor, a conspiracy of the 1970's South American dictatorships to kill opponents and bury their bodies in each other's countries, including the torture of 27,000 people and the killing of some 3,000 political activists from 1973 to 1990.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND THE REPEAL OF THE LAWS ON BLASPHEMY

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 21 December 2004

That this House recognises the right to peaceful protest about matters which are considered offensive, upsetting and insulting; further recognises the right of journalists, playwrights, novelists and others to conduct their business within the law; condemns the violence of the protests outside the Birmingham Repertory Theatre on 18th December; regrets the decision of the theatre to cancel the play Bezhti on the grounds of safety to staff and public; calls on the Government and the police to ensure that there is no repetition of this violation of freedom of expression; further calls on the Government to recognise the need to communicate to religious leaders and their followers that there are no plans to create new blasphemy offences and recognises that such a message would be strengthened by the repeal of the existing law on blasphemy; and believes that such a repeal would help to ensure that freedom of expression is safeguarded and that there is no discrimination in respect of protection from criticism of parody of Christianity over other faiths.

GIFTING OF MILITARY EQUIPMENT TO THE IRAQI INTERIM GOVERNMENT

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 20 December 2004

COUNCIL OF EUROPE DRAFT CONVENTION ON ACTION AGAINST TRAFFICKING IN HUMAN BEINGS

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 20 December 2004

That this House welcomes the Council of Europe's initiative to draft a Convention on action against Trafficking in Human Beings, as this will be the first international treaty which sets out States' obligations to respect and protect the rights of trafficked people; strongly urges all governments to support the measures in the Convention to provide trafficked people with advice, emergency medical and material assistance and a reflection period sufficient to allow them to recover and make an informed decision about their future, including cooperation with prosecution efforts; is extremely concerned by proposals which would give EU legislation precedence over the Convention, and that would allow states to make reservations to the Convention, and that seek to limit the mandate of the treaty monitoring body preventing necessary activities such as country visits; and urges the UK Government strenuously to resist these proposals and others which would weaken the assistance and protection provisions of the Convention and go against its stated aim of developing an international standard which improves on the protection currently afforded to trafficked people.

ST PATRICKS DAY

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 20 December 2004

That this House calls on the Government to provide for St Patrick's Day, 17th March, to become an annual public holiday in Northern Ireland, in recognition of the feast day of Ireland's Patron Saint and the celebrations that are organised by local government authorities and community groups across the communities, and as a measure to assist reconciliation, as St Patrick is espoused by all Christian traditions.

WORKING TAX CREDIT OVERPAYMENTS

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 20 December 2004

That this House notes with great concern the large number of low income families in receipt of working tax credit who have been advised that they have been overpaid by the Inland Revenue; notes the financial strain that re-payment is causing these families, who are already under financial stress; and calls on the Minister responsible to take immediate action to resolve this serious situation.

CONVICTION OF IRA/SINN FEIN MEMBERS IN COLOMBIA

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 20 December 2004

That this House notes with concern the conviction of three members of IRA/Sinn Fein in Colombia for offences involving the training of FARC terrorists in acts of violence to be carried out against the legitimate Government of Colombia; urges that international governmental action should be co-ordinated to see that the Irish Republican terrorists should be extradited back to Colombia; and calls on the Government of the Irish Republic not to harbour or give political asylum to the three convicted IRA/Sinn Fein members under any circumstances, showing co-operation with the US and the UK in the international fight against terrorism.

COPYRIGHT PAYMENTS BY POOLS COMPANIES

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 20 December 2004

That this House notes the suspension of copyright payments by Littlewoods and Vernons Pools Ltd to professional football clubs; is concerned about the effect of this loss of income on smaller clubs; and urges the pools companies to resolve the situation as soon as possible.

BELMARSH JUDGEMENT

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 20 December 2004

That this House welcomes the historic ruling of the House of Lords on 16th December, granting the appeal of nine individuals detained at HMP Belmarsh and elsewhere under Part IV of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001; notes that the House of Lords has quashed the derogation under Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights; further notes the Declaration of the House of Lords that Part IV of the ATCSA 2001 is incompatible with the ECHR; further notes the resignation of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission special advocate, Ian McDonald QC; recalls the strong reservations on this Part expressed by the Joint Committee on Human Rights of both Houses and of the Privy Councillor Review Committee; further notes the concerns of domestic and international non-governmental organisations; believes that derogation from international human rights obligations is injurious to the standing of Britain in the world and causes profound damage to community relations domestically; further believes that detention without trial represents a breakdown of the rule of law and can only hinder protection of public safety and security; further believes that detainees must be promptly charged and brought before a court of law or released and returned to their families; and urges Her Majesty's Government to bring forward legislative changes to the Act in order to conform to the judgement of the House of Lords and respond to the concerns of the JCHR and Privy Councillor Review Committee.

GRAND COMMITTEES

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 20 December 2004

That this House notes the greater need to promote regions within the United Kingdom in light of the fact that London, Scotland and Wales have their own representative bodies; recognises the English regions' need to be represented adequately in Parliament and the need to hold government accountable for decisions on a local level; and calls on the Government to establish grand committees for each of the English regions with question time sessions to be introduced in the House for each region respectively, so that honourable Members can discuss in more detail issues relating to their locality and ministers can be made more accountable to the region.

SAVE CONCORDE GROUP

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 20 December 2004

That this House welcomes the formation of the Save Concorde Group; notes that its membership consists of flight crew and engineering personnel for Concorde, and interested individuals and dedicated enthusiasts, all of whom believe that one Concorde aircraft should be restored to airworthy condition and that 20,000 people have already signed a petition in support of this campaign; further notes that Concorde is a unique symbol of engineering achievement, unparalleled in the history of commercial aviation; and calls on the Government to enter a dialogue with aircraft and engine manufacturers such as Airbus and Rolls Royce as well as British Airways and the Civil Aviation Authority in order to restore a Concorde aircraft to flying condition by 21st January 2007.

SUBSTITUTION FOR INTERMEDIATE LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 20 December 2004

That this House rejects the Government's updated policy on the substitution of intermediate level radioactive wastes, as notified to Parliament in the Written Statement by the Trade and Industry Secretary, Official Report, column 114WS, 13th December; notes with concern that, notwithstanding ministerial, and indeed Prime Ministerial, protestations of the impending dangers of more terrorist attacks, this substitution policy will ensure larger quantities of very long-lived, very high activity radioactive waste being put on the high seas to Japan passing through either the Panama Canal on the west route or the Straits of Moluccas on the eastern route, and on a ro-ro ferry to continental Europe and train to final destination, thus creating additional targets for terrorists; further notes that while this policy change will benefit BNFL commercially, as it will not now have to ship very large quantities of radioactive reprocessing waste back to countries of origin of the nuclear fuel, it will also reverse the policy promise that radioactive waste arising from the reprocessing of foreign spent fuel would be repatriated to the country from where it initially came, made to this House by the then Energy Secretary, the Right honourable Tony Benn, on 29th January 1976; believes that this misguided reversal of policy will result in significantly larger quantities of nuclear waste being managed long-term in the United Kingdom, despite the fact that no agreed strategy has yet been concluded for the existing UK-origin nuclear waste; deplores the decision to effectively make the UK the nuclear dump for the world; and calls upon the Government to reverse this environmentally unsustainable and insupportable policy.

RATIFICATION OF UN MIGRANT WORKERS CONVENTION

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 20 December 2004

That this House notes the growing consensus in favour of clearly defined legal rights for migrant workers which is evident in reports and opinions published by bodies as diverse as the World Bank, the United Nations, the European Commission, the Select Committee on International Development and the Trades Union Congress; and calls on the Government to provide a robust legal framework for the establishment of rights for migrant workers by ratifying the UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and their Families (1990).

PROTECTING COUNTRY LANES

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 20 December 2004

That this House is deeply concerned that a concerted campaign by vested interests is in operation to destroy the status of country lanes which are currently restricted in their use to categories such as walkers, horse riders and local farmers to open them for use by crowds of motor cyclists, car drivers and other disruptive powered vehicles; notes that 111 applications have been submitted in Derbyshire for such anti-social purposes between 16th October 2003 and 24th November 2004, including 20 applications in the constituency of North East Derbyshire, of which 10 are in the parish of Ashover alone; and calls upon the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to put forward measures to block such applications pending the consideration of legislation clarifying the status of designated country lanes.

BISHOP JULIUS JIA

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 20 December 2004

That this House notes with distress the treatment of Catholic Bishop Julius Jia by the Chinese Government; recognises the important work he has done in the community establishing an orphanage in 1991 for unwanted children; expresses its dismay at his treatment by the Chinese Government who ban him from worshipping and subject him to house arrest; notes that he has spent more than 20 years in jail, being arrested on more than 30 occasions; further notes that as Christmas approaches this is a particularly dangerous time for Bishop Jia; and calls on the Chinese Government to promote religious tolerance and allow Bishop Jia and Catholics across China to practise their faith.

THE PRINCESS OF WALES'S ROYAL REGIMENT

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 20 December 2004

That this House applauds the professionalism and courage of all UK armed forces who are on or who have seen active service in the recent past; wishes to recognise that members of the Princess of Wales's Royal regiment drawing from Greater London as well as the counties of Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands and Middlesex, have played key roles, including on tours in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo; notes especially the courage shown by soldiers from the regiment on duty in Iraq, when both regular and Territorial Army soldiers came under sustained enemy fire; and urges all Right honourable and honourable Members with constituencies that fall within the catchment area for recruitment to the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment to raise awareness of the regiment and its achievements.

COMPLAINTS AGAINST SOLICITORS

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 20 December 2004

That this House is concerned that the continuing failure of self-regulation of complaints against solicitors by the Law Society has still not been adequately addressed by Government, whose only action so far has been the half measure of appointing a Legal Services Complaints Commissioner who is also the full-time Legal Services Ombudsman, whose power to fine has already been reduced from a suggested five million pounds to one million after consultation with the Law Society, and whose work has been made dependent on milestones or targets determined by the Society despite the fact that the law Society has consistently failed to achieve its own target; is further concerned that the review of the regulatory framework on legal services in England and Wales, due to report in December, has been compromised by its close meetings with and sympathetic responses to a Law Society still fighting vigorously to retain the maximum degree of self-regulation, despite the huge weight of evidence showing that it has already failed; and therefore calls on the Government to stop deferring to the Law Society and taking hesitant half measures and instead to set up a fully independent, full-time, external system of regulation of complaints against solicitors with power to fine and award compensation.

UNCAGED CAMPAIGNS

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 20 December 2004

That this House welcomes the historic legal victory achieved by Uncaged Campaigns, allowing publication, in the public interest, of documents and a report describing Imutran/Novartis primate xenotransplantation research programme at Huntingdon Life Sciences; notes that the evidence contained within these documents, together with the fact of Uncaged Campaigns' victory, raises profound questions about severe animal suffering and the adequacy of the Home Office's enforcement of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and associated regulations; and calls upon the Government to establish an independent inquiry to investigate fully the conduct of the Home Office, Imutran and Huntingdon Life Sciences in relation to this programme of research.

HEN HARRIERS

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 20 December 2004

That this House notes with concern the actions of landowners who refuse to sign a pledge to accept laws protecting the hen-harrier; recognises the hen-harrier as an officially protected bird of prey as a consequence of being so rare with only eight breeding pairs in England; supports the fact that this is a protected bird; and calls on the Government to ensure that owners of grouse shooting estates sign the pledge and adhere to the law in order to preserve the hen-harrier.

ITV AND ANIMAL ABUSE

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 20 December 2004

That this House regards with utter distaste the so-called Bushtucker trials devised for the inane programme I'm a Celebrity Get me Out of Here; and suggests that if ITV is considering another dose of this second-rate rubbish they devise tests which do not involve tormenting, abusing or killing mammals, reptiles and insects.

SUTTON DISABILITY BENEFITS CENTRE

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 20 December 2004

That this House notes Department for Work and Pension plans to close the Sutton Disability Benefits Centre; further notes that the centre provides an invaluable service to disabled people in an area that stretches from the Isle of Wight to South London; and that no business plan has been produced that justifies the closure; further notes that there has been no co-ordination with other departments to facilitate redeployment of Department for Work and Pension staff; and calls on the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to review the closure decision, to protect the service to disabled people and to deliver value for money for the taxpayer.

COMMONHOLD AND LEASEHOLD REFORM ACT 2002

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 16 December 2004

That this House welcomes the Commencement Order made on 16th November that will bring into force some of the key remaining leasehold provisions of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, requiring landlords to send out written reminders with dates for ground rents before they are able to impose any penalties for late payment and preventing landlords from insisting that leaseholders use a specific insurance company to insure the property; and hopes that this legislation, which comes into force on 28th February 2005, will prevent companies such as Estates and Management Ltd., with a complicated ownership structure including companies registered in the Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands controlled at the top by the Tchenguiz Family Trust, from exploiting elderly and vulnerable householders.

GIFTING OF MILITARY EQUIPMENT TO THE IRAQI INTERIM GOVERNMENT

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 16 December 2004

That this House while welcoming the gifting of equipment for training purposes to the Iraqi Interim Government, as detailed in the Ministry of Defence minute dated 15th December, deplores the inclusion of this gift of live ammunition, grenade launchers and pistols; and calls upon the Government to withdraw such military hardware, which will do nothing to reduce violence and intimidation in a country awash with such weapons.

COAL MINE SURFACE WORKERS' CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE SCHEME

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 16 December 2004

That this House is disappointed by the decision not to establish a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease scheme for the relatively small number of surface mine workers who did not work underground or worked underground for less than five years and who were involved in processing coal and exposed to a dusty environment covered by the 1974 Coal Miners' Pneumoconiosis Scheme; and calls on the Department for Trade and Industry to reconsider its decision.

ROMFORD DRUM AND TRUMPET CORPS

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 16 December 2004

That this House congratulates the Romford Drum and Trumpet Corps marching band on winning both the National Title and the National League Title at this year's event which was held in Cannock, Staffordshire where 23 of Britain's finest marching bands were competing; recognises that this achievement was made all the more remarkable as it was the second year in a row in which the Romford Drum and Trumpet Corps has won both titles; further congratulates two of the band members who won individual awards, Sgt. Kirsty Evans who won the Solo Bugler National Champion and Drum Major Marc Prince who was crowned National Champion Drum Major and Drum Major of the Year.

AVIATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 16 December 2004

That this House recognises the need to address the growing impact of aviation emissions on climate change; notes that inclusion of the aviation industry in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in 2008 will encourage research and development into cleaner aviation technology; and welcomes the UK Government's commitment to use its Presidency of the European Union in 2005 to achieve this aim.

MORDECHAI VANUNU AND THE RECTORSHIP OF GLASGOW UNIVERSITY

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 16 December 2004

That this House congratulates the students of Glasgow University on their decision to elect Mordechai Vanunu as their new university rector; believes that his election celebrates the unique sacrifice that he has made to the cause of peace by acting as whistleblower of Israel's secret nuclear weapons programme which led to his imprisonment for over 18 years and the harassment that he continues to suffer at the hands of the Israeli authorities; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to press the Israeli Government to allow Mordechai Vanunu to leave the country and to take up his new position.

RENEGOTIATION OF THE FOOD SUPPLEMENTS DIRECTIVE

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 16 December 2004

That this House regrets the passing of the Food Supplements Regulations (England) 2003; mandates the Government to use the UK Presidency to renegotiate the Food Supplements Directive with the European Union; and indicates a willingness to repeal the regulations if the renegotiation does not reach a satisfactory compromise to protect the interests of consumers and manufacturers in the United Kingdom.

PUBLIC INTEREST IMMUNITY CERTIFICATES AND THE TRIAL OF SAMAR ALAMI AND JAWAD BOTMEH

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 16 December 2004

That this House notes that Samar Alami and Jawad Botmeh have always protested their innocence and that their 1996 conviction in relation to the 1994 bombings of the Israeli Embassy and Balfour House has been widely questioned; also notes the unanswered questions about the bombings, including the identity of the bombers; further notes that the prosecution scenario of an intelligence vacuum contrasts with the Israeli and British authorities having received contemporaneous prior warnings about imminent attacks by parties unrelated to Samar or Jawad; further notes that the disclosure process has been plagued by the repeated use of public interest immunity certificates and by human errors conceded by the prosecution, police, M15 and M16, resulting in crucial information being withheld from the trial judge; notes Amnesty International's concern that the pair were denied their right to a fair trial; further notes that the United Kingdom Government has received official representations from many politicians and Arab governments on this case; believes that winning the war against terror and the United Kingdom's reputation are ill-served by jailing the wrong people and leaving the actual bombers free, and calls on the Government to re-open the investigation, make its results publicly known and address the human errors so that justice is done and seen to be done.

STANDING ON TRAINS

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 16 December 2004

That this House notes the gross overcrowding on many high speed rail services that leads to passenger standing for much and sometimes all of their journey; believes that this both provides a poor service and places passengers at greater risk of injury in case of accident; and calls upon the rail operating companies to move to seating only on such services.

FOOD SUPPLEMENTS REGULATIONS

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 16 December 2004

That this House regrets the passage of the Food Supplements Regulations (England) 2003; and calls on the Government to use the UK Presidency to seek agreement to any necessary changes to the EU Food Supplements Directive to enable the current UK regulations to be repealed and replaced with regulations that better protect the interests of consumers and manufacturers in the United Kingdom.

GIDEA PARK AND ARDLEIGH GREEN POST OFFICES

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 16 December 2004

That this House is concerned by the proposed closure of the Gidea Park and Ardleigh Green Post Offices in Romford; recognises the vital importance of these post offices in serving the local communities in Gidea Park, Ardleigh Green, Emerson park and Nelmes; urges the Government and Post Office Ltd to listen to the views of all local people during the consultation process and reverse the policy of closing sub-post offices; acknowledges that the Gidea Park and Ardleigh Green Post Offices provide the community with their only source of accessing vital services; and therefore calls upon the Government to accept the essential and continuing need for these and other sub-post offices throughout the Romford area to remain in operation.

RISE PARK AND MAIDSTONE AVENUE POST OFFICES

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 16 December 2004

That this House is concerned by the proposed closure of the Rise Park and Maidstone Avenue Post Offices in Romford; recognises the vital importance of these post offices in serving the local communities of Rise Park, Marshalls Park and Collier Row; urges the Government and Post Office Ltd to listen to the views of all local people during the consultation process and reverse the policy of closing sub-post offices; acknowledges that the Rise Park and Maidstone Avenue Post Offices provide the community with their only source of accessing vital services; and therefore calls upon the Government to accept the essential and continuing need for these and other sub-post offices throughout the Romford area to remain in operation.

MILDMAY ROAD AND UPPER MAWNEYS POST OFFICES

United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 16 December 2004

That this House is concerned by the proposed closure of the Mildmay Road and Upper Mawneys Post Offices in Romford; recognises the vital importance of these post offices in serving the local communities of Brooklands, Lower Mawneys, Central Romford, Mawneys and Collier Row; urges the Government and Post Office Ltd. to listen to the views of local people during the consultation process and reverse the policy of closing sub-post offices; acknowledges that the Mildmay Road and Upper Mawneys Post Offices provide the community with their only source of accessing vital services; and therefore calls upon the Government to accept the essential and continuing need for them and other sub-post offices throughout the Romford area to remain in operation.