40 ingested motions from United Kingdom introduced in 2006. Year filters use the introduced date shown on each card. Walk years back as far as this source still publishes.
That this House notes with concern that, despite the fact that the population of the UK is ageing, people aged over 65 years are finding it increasingly difficult to access travel insurance, are routinely excluded from policies included with holiday packages, are also excluded from some directly purchased travel insurance multi-trip policies after the age of 70 years and single trip policies after the age of 85 years regardless of health status with any cover that is available being a great deal more expensive than that offered to under-65s; and urges the travel industry and providers of travel insurance to put in place a system that is fairer to its older customers.
That this House notes the unacceptable power that the Israeli authorities hold over access to and within the Palestinian territories; is concerned about the increased tendency to refuse access to international visitors, including the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak and a party of women from Birmingham on a mission whose purpose had been fully explained in advance to the Israeli Embassy; trusts that the pilgrimage to the Holy Land of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the Moderator of the Free Churches, the Reverend David Coffey, and the Primate of the Armenian Church of Great Britain, Bishop Nathan Hovhannisian, meets with no such difficulties; and hopes that their visit will not only draw attention to the campaign by Open Bethlehem, an international project working to draw attention to the city's plight and to the devastating effect on the economy of Bethlehem of the illegal wall and the associated restrictions on movement, but will also help promote the goodwill needed to end the cycle of violence and secure lasting peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.
That this House notes that city bonuses this Christmas are estimated to be £9 billion, with over 4,000 city workers receiving over £1 million each; further notes that the work of the Tax Justice Network that shows the UK tax gap is between £90 to £154 billion due to tax avoidance by wealthy individuals and companies; is disappointed that wealth inequality has continued to widen in the last decade; and therefore urges the Government to impose a windfall tax on city Christmas bonuses.
That this House notes that epilepsy is the most common serious neurological condition, affecting around 456,000 people in the UK, or on average more than 700 people in each constituency; notes with concern that annual avoidable deaths exceed 400 owing to historic poor provision of health services; values the excellent work done by the severely inadequate number of epilepsy specialist nurses throughout the UK, enabling many people with epilepsy to reduce or eliminate their call on other NHS resources, leading to substantial and demonstrable financial savings in the short, medium and long-term, and reducing waiting lists for neurologists; further notes that currently more than 10 per cent. of epilepsy specialist nurses are under threat of redundancy, reduced working hours or assignment to non-specialist duties; further notes the Government's recognition of the important role of specialist nurses and its stated desire to see an increase in their number; and strongly encourages the Government to take steps to ensure that their policies as clearly set out in the National Service Framework for Long Term Neurological Conditions and the recent White Paper Our Health, Our Care, Our Say are effectively implemented at local level.
That this House welcomes the first year anniversary of civil partnership registrations in Northern Ireland (19th December 2006), Scotland and Wales (20th December 2006) and England (21st December 2006); notes that the Civil Partnership Act 2004 has given hundreds of thousands of same-sex couples the same legal protection, particularly in pensions and inheritance rights, as heterosexual couples; and recognises the dedicated campaigning work of all those involved in fighting for equality for all, regardless of their sexual orientation.
That this House notes with concern that an estimated average of 12,000 tonnes of meat products enter the country illegally each year from countries outside the EU; recognises that illegal meat imports present serious risks to both animal and human health, and threaten the survival of many species in the wild; recalls the £10 billion cost of the most recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease; deplores the Government's inaction on tackling illegal meat imports; is appalled that the number of sniffer dogs to detect products of animal origin at UK ports and airports has fallen in the last year; and calls on the Government to improve border security and pay due attention to the prevention of the incidence of illegal meat imports.
That this House believes that the £1.8 billion public sector food budget could make a significant contribution to reducing food miles and boosting the rural economy; is astonished that the Government has no idea how much publicly procured food is of British origin; urges the Government to do everything it can within EU rules to source food for schools, hospitals and other public institutions locally; believes that it is wrong for taxpayers' money to be used to buy food which has been produced using methods that would be illegal in the UK; and calls on the Government to ensure that all publicly procured food meets the Little Red Tractor standard.
That this House, whilst welcoming the capacity of the tax credits system to respond swiftly to the changed circumstances of claimants, thereby offering timely extra financial assistance in many cases, recognises that such flexibility increases the potential for overpayments; and, in the light of the decision on 14th November of the European Court of Human Rights in Tsfayo v United Kingdom on the adequacy of judicial review as a remedy, calls upon the Government to legislate without delay for a right of appeal to the Independent Appeal Tribunal on whether any such overpayment is recoverable by HM Revenue and Customs, in compliance with Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
That this House notes that there are over 11,000 people under the age of 21 years in prison and that the number of 15 to 17 year olds in prison has more than doubled in the last 10 years; further notes that seven out of 10 young people are locked up for non-violent offences and that it costs over £50,000 a year to lock up each young offender; further notes that eight out of 10 of boys under 18 years are reconvicted within two years of being released; is concerned that many of these young people have reduced life chances and that half of under 18 year olds in prison have been in care and nearly three quarters have been excluded from school, that over half are addicted to drugs and that 85 per cent. show signs of a personality disorder; calls on the Home Office to provide more constructive activities for young people, more support to improve parenting, improvements in adolescent mental health care and drug and alcohol treatment in the community; and further calls for more effective community punishments and crime diversion schemes such as those profiled by SmartJustice for Young People.
That this House notes with sadness that the National Anthem is no longer broadcast on BBC1 at the end of each day's main programming; believes that the broadcasting of the National Anthem on BBC1 is a proud tradition that should be restored immediately; and calls on the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to encourage the BBC to reinstate this convention immediately.
That this House congratulates the Romford Royal British Legion Band and Corps of Drums on winning both the Supreme National Championship and the National League Championship at this year's Traditional Youth Marching Band Association (TYMBA) event, held in Cannock, Staffordshire; recognises that this achievement was made all the more remarkable as it was the first time in the history of the TYMBA that a single band came first in every category of each competition it took part in; congratulates Drum Major Samuel Jepson for being crowned National Champion Drum Major and Drum Major of the Year; looks forward to the band returning to the championships next year; and wishes them continued success as they fly the flag for traditional marching bands, for Romford, for England and for Britain.
That this House welcomes the ongoing campaign by a coalition of environmental organisations, including the Marine Conservation Society, the RSPB, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, The Wildlife Trusts and WWF, for a comprehensive Marine Bill; regrets the absence of such a Bill from the 2006 Queen's Speech, given that a draft Bill was promised in the 2005 legislative programme; looks forward to the publication of the promised White Paper; nonetheless welcomes the steps taken towards a Bill since the previous Queen's Speech in the consultation document A Marine Bill, published in March; notes that the great majority of the 1,200 responses to that consultation favoured legislation; believes that the United Kingdom urgently needs a new approach to managing and protecting its marine resources, including its biological and archaeological heritage; therefore believes that this Marine Bill must be based on a system of spatial planning which allows different activities in the marine environment to be developed in a coherent and rational way and seeks to reduce conflict between the many users of these seas; believes that the Bill must include reform of inshore fisheries; further believes that, given the extraordinary richness of wildlife in UK seas, the Bill must put protection of wildlife at the heart of marine policy through measures including the designation of a network of marine protected areas; and calls on the Government to include a comprehensive Marine Bill in the 2007 Queen's Speech.
That this House recognises the important role bioenergy can play in tackling the overriding 21st century challenge of climate change while encouraging energy security and increasing opportunities for farmers and rural communities; notes the central part played by bioenergy in the Tyndall Centre's Living with a Carbon Budget report, which describes the possible route to a low carbon economy; regrets that bioenergy represents less than 1.4 per cent. of the total UK energy supply; is nevertheless alarmed by the environmental threat posed by the production for bioenergy of palm oil, sugar cane and soya in South East Asia and South America the expansion of which is leading to a destruction of tropical forests and other highly prized ecosystems, such as the Cerrado in Brazil; urges the Government to introduce as a matter of urgency a carbon and sustainability assurance scheme that reflects the impact of bioenergy throughout its life-cycle; further urges the European Union to follow suit in developing Europe-wide assurance schemes; and calls on the Government to encourage a sustainable bioenergy sector through the introduction of a carbon balance requirement in the initial phase of the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation.
That this House notes with concern reports that British Airways mainline staff based in Scotland discovered via the staff intranet that the franchise operation BA Connect was being sold to Flybe, therefore putting hundreds of Scottish jobs at risk; further notes the poor manner in which staff and trade unions have been treated; demands an explanation for the company's decision that while flights to and from Scotland are amongst the most profitable in the BA network and the airline wishes to continue operations as a full-service airline, it will no longer have any directly-employed UK ground staff outside London, preferring instead to outsource the work to lower-cost ground-handling agent staff; and further considers whether British Airways should be now renamed Heathrow Airways.
That this House recognises the high level of concern in many communities regarding the siting of telecommunication mast base stations; believes that the current planning system is not sufficiently robust and often prevents councils from acting in the best interests of local residents when considering their location; and calls on the Government to bring all telecommunication masts back under planning control and to allow local councils to have regard to health issues on a precautionary basis.
That this House recognises the need for collective international action to tackle the scourge of illicit drug production, trafficking and consumption; applauds the Colombian government's Shared Responsibility initiative, which highlights the need to tackle cocaine abuse by both consuming and producing countries; further notes that cocaine consumption throughout the world causes devastation in Colombia's economy; further applauds the success of the Alternative Development Programme, which offers coca farmers an alternative livelihood; notes the success of Colombian eradication, which in 2005 eradicated 170,000 hectares of coca, and seized 168.5 tonnes of cocaine, the largest seizure in six years; and urges the Government and the governments of other European states to build on the Shared Responsibility initiative to pursue such solutions internationally, with particular reference to Afghanistan.
That this House welcomes the change of name of Nottingham East Midlands Airport to East Midlands Airport - Nottingham, Leicester, Derby; believes that the airport will be a conduit for continued growth and investment; and notes that Leicester East Midlands Airport would be an even more fitting name given Leicester's position as hub of the Midlands.
That this House commends the decision by the Bank of England to include the innovative and pioneering economist Adam Smith on its next edition of the £20 note; recognises that Adam Smith, as the father of modern economics, championed the free market, individual freedoms, deregulation and low taxes, paving the way for progressive free trade in the world economy; but believes that the new design should only replace the great English composer Edward Elgar on the current £20 note after the 150th anniversary of his birth, which is to be celebrated in 2007.
That this House congratulates Hackney resident Leona Lewis on winning the X-Factor competition and wishes her all the very best for her future career in the music industry.
That this House views with concern the re-entry of the Sevso silver into the commercial domain; notes recent resolutions to this effect passed by the All-Party Group for Archaeology; in view of the outstanding importance of the silver and the desirability of it being available for research and public exhibition calls on the Trustee of the Marquess of Northampton 1987 Settlement and the government of the Republic of Hungary to refer all available evidence on the origin, provenance and recent movement of the silver to an independent expert evaluation charged with identifying on the balance of probabilities the country of origin of the silver and making recommendations; and further calls on the Trustee of the Marquess of Northampton 1987 Settlement, the government of the Republic of Hungary and the United Kingdom authorities to put a stop to any disposal of the silver (other than one occurring by consent of all parties) until the evaluation has occurred.
That this House notes with deep concern that people under the age of 60 with severe disabilities are not eligible for winter fuel payments; recognises that they often face severe difficulties in staying warm in the winter and avoiding illness, particularly as a result of dramatically reduced mobility; further recognises this often results in highly inflated heating costs and high energy bills; further recognises the value of winter fuel payments for those over 60; and believes that the people under 60 with severe disabilities who face a similar daily struggle simply to keep warm should also be eligible for the same winter fuel payments.
That this House supports the Woodland Trust Christmas Card Recycling Scheme which runs from 2nd to 31st January 2007 in conjunction with Recycle Now; urges hon. Members and the public to help exceed last year's record of 82 million cards recycled by taking their cards to special recycling bins placed in WH Smith, Tesco and TK Maxx stores; encourages people who do not traditionally recycle their cards to participate in the scheme and help to make recycling part of their lives as part of a heightened spirit of social responsibility towards the environment in 2007; and further notes that funds raised from the scheme will help to save woods and trees, and will contribute towards the Woodland Trust's Tree for All campaign which will see 12 million trees planted across the UK involving a million children.
That this House notes that, because of cuts to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' budget, flood prevention work in the Carlisle area at Rickerby and Low Crosby will not be proceeded with for many years; further notes that this is contrary to the Prime Minister's assurance that everything possible would be done as soon as possible to ensure that people in the Carlisle area would not be flood victims again; and believes that flood prevention schemes for Rickerby and Low Crosby should be given the same high priority as flood prevention in the centre of Carlisle.
That this House believes that the seven community hospitals under threat in Cumbria serve a vital role in rural communities, not only providing a wide range of services to local people but also freeing up beds in the acute hospitals; further believes that there is overwhelming evidence from the Tucker Report that the community hospitals in Cumbria could expand their level of service and be in the front line of delivering the Government plans for health care closer to local communities; and calls on the Government to ensure that the strategic health authority and NHS trusts covering Cumbria maintain a wide range of facilities in all the community hospitals and not turn any of them into specialist units delivering only a narrow range of services.
That this House notes the Government's plan to scrap 2,500 post offices on the grounds that the network costs the Government £150 million per annum; further notes that in the last year alone £168 million of Government services have been taken away from the network and believes that it is the policies of this Government which has caused the loss; further believes that village post offices are a vital social lifeline and that mobile post offices can never be the centre of village life; is concerned that Cumbria, the poorest sub-region in the whole of Europe, will take a disproportionate share of the closures; and asks the Government to assist Cumbria rather than push it further down the economic league table.
That this House notes that, of the 16 finalists in the whole of the North West of England in the Best Rural Retailer 2006 competition, 11 are from Cumbria and five from the constituency of the right hon. Member for Penrith and the Border; congratulates Cranston's Holker Food Hall, The Moody Baker, A Taste of Greece, Askham Village Shop and Post Office, Hallbankgate Co-op, the Village Store and Post Office, Orton Low Sizergh Barn, the Farm and Flower Shop, Orton Grange, Plumgarths Farm Shop and John Norris of Penrith on their success so far and wishes them well in the national finals; calls on the Government to recognise the vital role fulfilled by village shops and post offices; and further calls on the Government to introduce food labelling to boost locally produced food and to abandon its plans to close 2,500 local post offices.
That this House regrets the emotional and financial distress experienced by farmers as a result of the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) single farm payment fiasco; notes that thousands of farmers are spending a second Christmas waiting for money owed to them by the RPA; also notes that almost 1,000 farmers are still waiting for the cheques they applied for more than 18 months ago; notes that there has been a 50 per cent. increase in calls to the Rural Crisis Network; notes that farm borrowings are up by £379 million in just one year; therefore deplores the news that the former Chief Executive of the RPA has received more than £180,000 of taxpayers' money since he was dismissed nine months ago; further notes that farmers across the country will see this as a reward for failure; and calls on the Government to ensure that all farmers who are still awaiting payments are issued 80 per cent. of their entitlement in a part payment by Christmas 2006.
That this House laments the passing of Frank Johnson, sketch-writer extraordinary, who made fun of individual hon. Members without deriding Parliament itself; notes that he was never deferential to individual hon. Members but never disrespectful of the institution both he and they served, exposed humbug but valued sincerity, approached his journalistic assignment in this Palace for many years always with a smile on his face but never a sneer, deflated windbags while valuing genuine oratory; and further notes that his work enhanced democracy, and that, incidentally, he wrote like a dream.
That this House notes the travel chaos caused by the new timetable introduced by First Great Western on 10th December 2006; condemns the resulting overcrowding caused by the reduction in services and the use of the smaller capacity Adelante trains instead of the usual high speed trains; further notes that this reduction in service comes at a time when fare rises have again risen far above the rate of inflation; and calls upon First Great Western and the Department for Transport to take urgent steps to reintroduce sufficient capacity as soon as possible into the network to enable as many commuters as possible to travel safely on regular, reliable services.
That this House warmly welcomes the appointment of Miss Yonca Senyigit as the London Representative of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and wishes her every success in her new appointment; and in particular wishes her success in securing the lifting of restrictions on trade and communications with Northern Cyprus, mindful that on 18th May 2004, the UK Prime Minister said `I think it is important... that we end the isolation of Northern Cyprus... that means lifting the embargoes in respect of trade and in respect of air travel' and mindful of the UN Secretary-General's opinion that the Turkish Cypriot vote (for the Annan Plan) has undone any rationale for pressuring and isolating that community.
That this House deplores the extra burden placed on people living in the Highlands and Islands by companies imposing excessive and discriminatory delivery charges; notes that it is unnecessary for businesses to levy these high charges because the Royal Mail Parcel Service delivers goods at a standard rate throughout the UK, including Scotland's island communities; further notes that this practice has developed since the deregulation of the parcel post market in the 1990s; and calls on the Government to prohibit businesses from refusing to deliver to certain parts of the UK and place an obligation on companies to use the most affordable delivery method when it is requested by customers.
That this House notes that 31st December 2006 is the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the imposition of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) on London which fragmented and privatised London Underground's infrastructure; notes that under the terms of the PPP, multinational companies, Atkins, Balfour Beatty, Bombardier Transportation, EDF Energy, RWE Thames, Amey and Bechtel are responsible for the maintenance and renewal of the Underground's track, trains, signals, stations and escalators; is concerned that whilst these companies have made tens of millions of pounds in publicly-subsidised profits there are still frequent service disruptions and closures; fears that the continued failure of the PPP will disrupt London's hosting of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games; further notes that on the mainline railway, where Network Rail has bought maintenance back in-house on a not-for-dividend basis, punctuality and efficiency has been significantly improved; believes that the PPP has proved to be an expensive mistake; and therefore calls on the Government to bring forward the necessary legislative changes to abolish the PPP and allow for maintenance and renewals to be bought back in-house under the control of London Underground.
That this House recognises the hard work done by members of the Public and Commercial Services Union to deliver Government policies in the Civil Service and across the public sector; is concerned that the headcount reduction may be leading to deteriorating services; shares the union's concerns that those staff who wish to continue their career in the Civil Service or non-departmental public bodies (NDPB) should be able to do so; believes that there must be negotiation and agreement with trade unions before any further outsourcing or privatisation take place and that there needs to be measurable progress made towards a fair and cohesive Civil Service and NDPB pay system; and therefore urges the Government to negotiate with the union to achieve a mutually acceptable solution.
That this House applauds the work done by the British Entertainment Industry Radio Group (BEIRG) in highlighting the imminent threat to a £15 billion per annum British entertainment industry posed by the Digital Dividend Review being undertaken by Ofcom; recognises that there is no feasible commercial alternative to the use of analogue equipment in the Programme Making and Special Events sector and that Ofcom's plan to auction off the analogue spectrum is likely to damage irreparably a world leading industry and lead to the end of live performances and events; notes that the use of sufficient interleaved analogue spectrum is essential for the continued production of world class entertainment; and urges the Government to guarantee that sufficient quality and quantity of such spectrum be available to prevent the collapse of such a renowned and valuable UK industry.
That this House recognises that free and independent trade unions are a force for good in UK society around the world and are vital to democracy; welcomes the positive role modern unions play in providing protection for working people and winning fairness at work; notes the 1906 Trades Disputes Act granted unions the legal freedom to take industrial action; regrets that successive anti-union legislation has meant that trade union rights are now weaker than those introduced by the 1906 Trades Disputes Act; therefore welcomes and supports the TUC campaign for a Trade Union Freedom Bill whose principles include better protection for workers, such as those sacked by Gate Gourmet in 2005, the simplification of ballot procedures and to allow limited supportive action, following a ballot, in specific circumstances; and therefore urges the Government to bring forward legislation to address these proposals.
That this House notes that under the terms of the London Underground Public Private Partnership (PPP) Tube Lines, a consortium of Amey and Bechtel and its multinational cleaning contractor, ISS, are responsible for cleaning trains and stations on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines and that since the introduction of the PPP Tube Lines has reported pre-tax profits of £150 million; is concerned that Tube Lines has ordered a substantial cut in the value of its station and train cleaning contract; further notes that this cut will mean the loss of 100 station cleaning jobs amounting to a 50 per cent. reduction in cleaning staff working on stations and bring additional pressure to bear on a poorly paid and vulnerable group of workers; and therefore supports the RMT campaign to reverse these cuts and urges Tube Lines and ISS to reconsider their plans.
That this House congratulates Doncaster Council, Mayor Martin Winter, the Stadium Management Company and the main contractors Carillion on completing the magnificent new Keepmoat Stadium on schedule and under budget.
That this House congratulates Wockhardt Pharmaceuticals on the expansion of production facilities for animal insulins to cope with increased demand as a result of Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical's discontinuation of their pork insulin and thanks the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Leigh, for his Department's role in ensuring that animal insulins continue to be available for those people who need them, but regrets that Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals has begun a systematic discontinuation of their synthetic `human' insulin products in favour of insulin analogues, further reducing patient and physician choice; expresses grave reservations that many patients are being transferred to insulin analogues before their long-term safety has been established and before studies recommended by the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medical Products have been carried out to investigate the potential for carcinogenic effects of insulin analogues; and therefore requests that the Secretary of State for Health asks the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to assess the safety, clinical and cost effectiveness of all insulins to provide patients and clinicians with the necessary information to make informed treatment choices.
That this House welcomes the news of the appointment of Sir Nigel Sheinwald and John Sawers as Her Majesty's Ambassadors to the United States and the United Nations, respectively; further congratulates Kim Darroch on his appointment as Permanent Representative to the European Union; recognises that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is the premier diplomatic service in the world and these appointments reflect the great expertise and dedication found within the Department; notes that relations with the United Nations, the European Union and the United States are three of the most important relationships for the UK; and believes that they will continue to improve and remain effective under these new appointees.
That this House, while accepting that the legal aid system is in need of reform, is concerned that the Government's planned implementation of Lord Carter's proposals could force several hundred law firms out of business leaving vulnerable clients without access to effective representation; is concerned that the proposals identified in the Carter Review could further endanger the supplier base; notes that the changes to the proposals announced by the Government on 28th November 2006, while welcome, do not go far enough; welcomes the Law Society's `What Price Justice' campaign to boost awareness of the potential risk to the most vulnerable people in society and notes that it is supported by MIND, the NSPCC, Shelter, the Refugee Council, the Child Poverty Action Group and others; and calls upon the Government to guarantee a legal aid system ensuring quality representation and fair access to justice for all.