40 ingested motions from United Kingdom introduced in 2011. 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 campaign by Citizens Advice Scotland and Citizens Advice Bureaux across Scotland to tackle unfair delivery practices for consumers in remote and rural areas; notes the publication of Free Delivery*, the report from Citizens Advice Scotland which shows that consumers in rural and remote parts of Scotland are often refused delivery or charged more than people in urban areas when ordering goods online; supports Citizens Advice Scotland in urging online retailers to ensure that they comply with the law on distance selling by clearly stating delivery costs before customers enter the purchasing process, reform their delivery policies so that any charges are kept to a minimum and are based on actual costs incurred and offer delivery via Royal Mail wherever possible; and believes that the Royal Mail's Universal Service Obligation must be maintained in order to protect rural and remote consumers from high costs for delivery.
That this House notes that on 11 January 2012 it will be a decade since the first detainees were incarcerated at Guantnamo Bay naval base; believes that Guantnamo detainees should either be charged and prosecuted in fair trials or released to countries that will respect their human rights, including the USA if that is the only available option; further believes that US military commissions, which do not meet international fair trial standards, should be abandoned, as should any pursuit of the death penalty; considers that victims of human rights violations must be provided genuine access to effective remedy; calls for former or current US officials responsible for human rights violations to be held to account and brought to justice, including in respect of crimes under international law such as torture and enforced disappearance; further calls on the USA to recognise the applicability of, and fully respect, international human rights law when conducting counter-terrorism operations, and at detention facilities in Guantnamo, Bagram in Afghanistan and elsewhere; and urges the Government publicly to insist that President Obama address the detentions at Guantnamo Bay as a human rights issue that requires urgent attention.
That this House is deeply concerned at reports of the killing of oil workers in Kazakhstan who have been protesting about their living conditions and the poverty of their region; condemns the actions of the government of Kazakhstan in using troops, mass arrests and isolation tactics; calls on that government to adhere to international human rights conventions and International Labour Organisation statutes; and calls on the Government to make robust protest toits Kazakh counterparts to prevent further loss of life.
That this House recognises the value of music education for children's creativity and intellectual development; notes the publication on 25 November 2011,The Importance of Music - A National Plan for Music Education; acknowledges the recent research from the Institute of Education, Evaluation of the EMI Music Sound Foundation Project rollout: Training Key Stage 1 Primary School Teachers (2010-2011) by Professor Susan Hallam, Dr Andrea Creech and Dr Maria Varvarigou; furthernotes with concern that this research found great inequalities in the provision of resources for music education in primary schools; is alarmed at the study's finding that one in nine schools did not have a piano; and calls on the Government to support schools in nurturing musical enthusiasm and talent among schoolchildren by ensuring that every primary school has a piano.
That this House is alarmed at plans to abolish the specific provisions on toilets in the School Premises Regulations; notes that school toilet facilities are inconsistent and often poor; further notes the research carried out in 2003 on behalf of the Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association that foundtwo per cent. of schools did not have hot water and 31 per cent. had no soap, that 40 per cent. of primary schools had no sanitary disposal bins for older girls, that 57 per cent. of schools did not have disabled toilets, that 84 per cent. of schools had drinking water facilities in toilets, that 14 per cent. of schools had missing toilet seats and that 25 per cent. had locks missing on cubicle doors; is concerned about the serious direct and indirect implications for children's health and education of such bad facilities; and calls on the Government to revise the School Premises Regulations to include clear standards for pupil facilities, rather than removing the few provisions that do exist.
That this House supports UK Uncut Legal Action's initiative to challenge HM Revenue and Customs in the High Court so thatits alleged decision to let Goldman Sachs off its unpaid tax is quashed and the 10 to 20 million that Goldman Sachs owes is given back to the taxpayer; asserts that it is undeniably in the public interest that this important case should go through the UK courts in order to ensure transparency, accountability and fairness; notes that whilst the National Audit Office investigation into tax disputes is welcome, a legal review is the only process that can result in both the declaration that the Goldman Sachs tax deal was unlawful and potentially quash the deal, meaning that the millions lost could be returned to the public purse; further notes that an estimated 25 billion is lost annually to tax avoidance by corporations and the super-rich; maintains that tax justice and the eradication of tax havens are therefore crucial to achieving fairness and equality in the UK and around the world and provide an alternative to the economics of austerity; and calls on the Government to make a concerted effort to clamp down on tax avoidance in order to raise the income the UK needs to protect services currently under threat from the cuts programme and set an international standard for tax justice.
That this House recognises the deep concern amongst human rights lawyers and experts ontorture across Europe about the 15-year sentence handed down by the Rabat court sitting at Sal to the dual Belgian-Moroccan national Ali Aarrass after a trial that appears to have ignored all due process, relied solely on torture evidence, and which took place a year after the Spanish authorities ignored an instruction by the UN Human Rights Committee not to extradite him to Morocco while the Committee was considering his case; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to follow the lead of the Bar Human Rights Committee, Freedom From Torture and a number of distinguished Queen's Counsel to make urgent representations to the Moroccan government to secure justice for Mr Aarrass and his family.
That this House notes with alarm that up to 24,000 people with diabetes die in England each year from causes that could have been avoided according to NHS figures published this month; further notes that there is no reason why people with diabetes cannot live long and healthy lives if they receive the right care and support to help them manage their condition; recognises Diabetes UK's 15 healthcare essentials campaign which outlines 15 diabetes checks or services that every person with diabetes should receive or have access to; further notes that half of people with Type 2 and more than two-thirds of people with Type 1 diabetes are not receiving the care they need to stay healthy; and calls on the Government to place a greater emphasis on prioritising diabetes in the Health Outcomes and Commissioning Frameworks to improve standards of care so that the 2.3 million people with diabetes in England receive the care they need to stay healthy.
That this House welcomes the decision of the Secretary of State for Transport to bring forward the procurement of approximately 130 additional electric multiple unit rail vehicles for Southern Railway; notes the additional capacity for passengers that this will create on one of the busiest rail corridors in south London and the South East to the benefit of the economy and the environment of this region; believes that the procurement of the new trains should incorporate lessons learned from other recent train orders where the wider socio-economic benefits to the UK from indigenous design and manufacture have not been taken into account; and calls on the Government to ensure that this order is placed in such a way as to ensure the greatest possible benefit both for passengers on the route and for employment in the country's high technology train manufacturing businesses predominantly located in the Midlands.
That this House notes with alarm reports that the Secretary of State for Transport has refused to grant Transport for London's request to raise its debt ceilings in order to directly purchase Crossrail rolling stock; further notes that the alternative procurement model for the 1 billion Crossrail project is based upon the bundling-train manufacture and financing together, which is the same model that fatally stacked the odds against Bombardier for Thameslink rolling stock contract; observes that this was at the expense of 12,000 jobs in the UK; further notes the Treasury Select Committee's estimate that this funding model increases the cost to the taxpayer of procurement by 70 per cent.; believes that this distorts the procurement process in favour of larger companies that can borrow higher amounts of private capital; recognises the mortal threat to the UK rail manufacturing industry from the Crossrail contract being awarded to a bidder that would build those trains overseas; and calls on the Government to allow the cheaper public sector bid to be submitted as part of the invitation to tender for the Crossrail project.
That this House expresses deep concern at the conduct of the recent elections in Democratic Republic of Congo; notes that the respected Carter Centre found that the election results announced by the Electoral Commission lacked credibility and that in a detailed analysis from its 26 teams covering 10 provinces, expressed a number of concerns including the process at Mulemba Nkulu voting staions in Katanga which reported 99.46 per cent. turnout with 100 per cent. of the votes going to President Kabila; further notes that the EU observer mission expressed concern that 17 per cent. of votes were cast from missing persons' registers, twice the number recorded in 2006; further notes the United Nations Stabilisation Mission observed that there were `significant irregularities' in the counting and tabulation of votes; and therefore, in view of the widspread concerns and protests throughout the country, questions the legitimacy of the elction process and whether the result is a genuine expression of the wishes of the people of Democratic Republic of Congo.
That this House welcomes the decision by the Secretary of State for Transport to explore the possible procurement of approximately 57 electrically-powered vehicles for insertion into the Bombardier Voyager diesel train fleet operated by the CrossCountry rail franchise; notes the additional capacity for passengers that these vehicles will create on busy services operating between such diverse locations as the South West of England, Surrey, the Midlands, Yorkshire, the North West and North East of England and Scotland to the benefit of the economies of all these areas; recognises the environmental and operational benefits of the Voyager trains being able to draw electrical power from overhead cables where these have been installed; and believes that the urgent procurement of the new vehicles from Bombardier will support the UK's indigenous design and manufacturing capability for trains as well as the associated nationwide supply chain of small and medium-sized enterprises.
That this House congratulates Heriot-Watt University on becoming the first in Scotland to offer a full-time MA in British Sign Language (BSL); notes with concern that there are only 50 official BSL interpreters in spite of the minority language being used by 6,000 individuals across Scotland; further notes that Finland, which is of a comparable size and has asimilar population to Scotland, has between 500 and 600 sign language interpreters but still considers itself to need more interpreters; recognises that the course offered by the Modern Language Department at Heriot-Watt will improve the numbers of interpreters in Scotland and services available to deaf BSL users; further recognises that the course will create opportunities for graduates in a wide variety of roles and sectors; and welcomes the work being done by the Government and commercial operators to try to secure better video relay services and interpreting for deaf BSL users.
That this House deplores the failure of Eastlands Homes to reply, since September 2011, to correspondence from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to his constituent, Mr S. Raja; and reminds Eastlands Homes that it is a social housing body whose duties are responsiveness and accountability.
That this House welcomes the decision by the European Parliament to reject the extension of the fishery agreement with Morocco because of the exploitation of the disputed waters off the Western Sahara Coast; and hopes that there will be no further agreements between the EU and Morocco that allow any exploitation of the natural resources of the Western Sahara until such time as the people have been able to exercise their right of self determination.
That this House notes the strike by many Welsh musicians of 19 to 21 December 2011 during which they will withdraw permission for their compositions and performances to appear on Radio Cymru; further notes that this strike is in protest at the payments which they receive from the Performing Rights Society (PRS) when Radio Cymru (RC) plays their works and that the PRSrevised the position of RCfrom a national to local broadcaster in 2008, downgrading the payments to musicians; furthernotes that Welsh language artists are highly unlikely to receive regular airplay on UK-wide radio stations which are considered national and that this change in allocation has had a particularly negative effect upon Welsh language artists and Welsh language music; further notes the hugely important and influential role of music in Welsh cultural life and in the renaissance of the Welsh language; and calls on the PRSto recognise the importance of Welsh language artists being adequately recompensed for their efforts and to re-assign RCas a national radio station.
That this House notes the recent Diabetes UK Report which found that up to 24,000 people with diabetes in England die earlier from causes that could have been avoided through better management of the condition; further notes that young people with diabetes aged 15 to 34 years have the highest mortality risk; further notes that this is an issue throughout the entire UK; and calls for a new strategy to deal with the transition from paediatric to adult diabetes care services and promotes services such as telehealth to assist diabetes patients at home.
That this House welcomes the recommendation by the Environmental Audit Committee in its July 2011 report Budget 2011 and Environmental Taxes that `the Government should consider providing tax incentives, such as a council tax rebate or stamp duty discount, in next year's Budget to support the take-up of the Green Deal'; further welcomes too the commitment in Budget 2011 to `act to incentivise take-up of the Green Deal before it is introduced in 2012'; notes that the existing reduced rate offive per cent. VAT for energy-saving products excludes energy efficient boilers and windows and passive flue gas heat recovery systems; is concerned that the Landlords' Energy Saving Allowance (LESA) is claimed by less than 0.2 per cent. of UK landlords; therefore calls on the Government to introduce in Budget 2012 a package of fiscal incentives to encourage householders and landlords to install energy efficiency measures, to include afive per cent. VAT rate on all flue heat recovery installations and alsoon `A' rated boilers and `B' rated windows installed by Green Deal-accredited installers, a stamp duty rebate for purchasers making energy efficiency improvements to their home and an extended and increased LESA to incentivise early improvements in the private rented sector before the introduction of the minimum energy efficiency standard; and further calls for an early consultation on a revised system of Council Tax banding that reflects the energy efficiency rating of properties, accompanied by mechanisms to enable low income households to make improvements at low or no cost.
That this House notes that the European Commission is desperate to save the Euro and is proposing a tax on financial transactions that would raise 50 billion a year; further notes that 40 billion of this would come from the UK and that this equates to 642 for every man, woman and child in the country; believes that this tax represents a significant financial assault on Britain; further believes that it is vital to the UK that this tax is not brought in; resolves to continue fighting this punitive tax; and requests that the whole country refer to this as the British Tax rather than the Tobin Tax in order to make clear who really pays the bill.
That this House commends all those who served in Royal Ordnance factories and privately-owned munitions factories across the UK during the First and Second World Wars; honours their hard work and dedication manufacturing shells and armaments for use on the front line; appreciates that to work as a munitioneer was a highly dangerous occupation, often resulting in injuries and damage to health through handling explosives and toxic chemicals, and which on occasion resulted in fatalities when shells exploded accidentally; recognises that these workers are yet to be honoured on a national stage; and welcomes the action being taken by the All Party Group for the Recognition of Munitions Workers, in conjunction with the Government, to recognise the sacrifice and service of munitioneers.
That this House welcomes the recent publication of the systematic review of the mental health outcomes of induced abortion by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health; notes that the review concludes that the rates of mental health problems for women with an unwanted pregnancy were the same whether they had an abortion or gave birth; further notes that all women have the right to non-judgemental and evidence-based information on pregnancy choices; and believes that all organisations who offer advice, information or counselling to women with an unplanned pregnancy should base their information on current, evidence-based guidance produced by a professional clinical body such as the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health review, or the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists clinical guidance on The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion.
That this House welcomes the Queen's Jubilee Medal which will honour those serving in the UK's armed forces and emergency services who risk their lives in support of the public; but asks the Government to consider extendingthe award of the Queen's JubileeMedal to volunteer organisations such as St John Cymru Wales in order to recognise the over 18,000 people they train in first aid who offer life-saving skills as community first responders in assisting the emergency services.
That this House congratulates the House of Commons chefs' football team on successfully retaining The State Opening Challenge Cup after a hard fought 2-2 draw against hon. Members on15 November 2011; recognises and appreciates the team's kind offer of donating a trophy in remembrance of Alan Keen, the late Member for Feltham and Heston; and would like to take this opportunity to thank the chefs for their continued hard work, dedication and professionalism in delivering the superb services they provide to all users of the facilities on the parliamentary estate.
That this House pays tribute to 40 years of Crisis at Christmas, which has provided support, companionship and vital services to homeless people at Christmas time since 1972; gives special acknowledgement to the hard work and dedication of the tens of thousands of volunteers and donors who have made this possible; recognises that whilstit is right to celebrate the lives helped and changed, it is a scandal that in twenty-firstcentury Britain homelessness still exists and that a single homeless person canapproach their local council for help and be turned away to sleep on the streets; and calls on the Government to consider what changes could be made to ensure that allhomeless people receive written advice, real assistance and emergency accommodation when they need it.
That this House supports CitizenCard, Young Scot, Validate and other cards bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) hologram which should enable young adults to access age-restricted premises and goods across the UK; notes that although the police, trading standards and retail organisations support PASS, the Home Office states that licensees can decide for themselves whether to accept PASS cards; and calls on the Government to bring forward proposals to oblige licensees to recognise PASS cards alongside photo card driving licences as valid identification.
That this House notes the upcoming pre-trial hearing of Private First Class Bradley Manning on 16 December 2011; expresses its hope for a free and fair trial process; further notes the high level of interest and concern regarding the case in the UK and in particular in Wales; is concerned at the impact of his pre-trial treatment at the US Quantico Marine Base, including solitary confinement anddenial of sleep and exercise; regrets the US administration's decision to deny the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture unimpeded access to Manning; urges the US administration to reverse this decision immediately; calls on the US administration to release all internal assessments on the impact of the WikiLeaks disclosures requested by his legal defence team; further regrets statements by US President Obama assuming Manning's guilt prior to any trial; and further calls on the Government to raise related concerns about the case with the US administration.
That this House recognises the vital work of those in the cleaning profession; supports the call from Mr Guy Stallard, Director of Facilities at KPMG and a member of the Living Wage Advisory Group, expressed at the British Cleaning Council Sustainability Conference, for cleaners to be paid no less than the living wage; further recognises that the living wage has lifted 10,000 families out of poverty, reduces staff turnover for employers, promotes a positive and flexible work attitude and increases productivity; believes that employers should pay the living wage both inside and outside of London; and calls on employers around the country to pay cleaners a fair wage and sign up to the living wage initiative and related accreditation process, which is now the mark of a responsible and forward thinking employer.
That this House expresses its revulsion at the deliberate killing by Israeli soldiers of Mustafa Tamimi, aged 28 years, while the Palestinian was taking part in a peaceful demonstration at Nabi Saleh on Friday 9 December 2011; notes that an Israeli soldier specifically and deliberately aimed a gas canister at Mustafa Tamimi's head, which hit him point-blank inflicting horrific injuries; further notes that these Israeli soldiers blocked access to an ambulance, pushed around Mustafa Tamimi's sister, who was deeply distressed by her brother's appalling injuries, and laughed and gloated at her; and calls for international action, rather than mild remonstrances, to prevent further Israeli murder of innocent Palestinians.
That this House recognises the work of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains (ICLVR) and the closure it brings to many families whose relatives have been recovered; further recognises that many families are still waiting to hear about their own missing relatives; welcomes the recent comments from the Minister of State for Northern Ireland and Alan Shatter TD, Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence; urges the British and Irish governments to continue their strong support of the ICLVR; and further urges Sinn Fein and any other organisation with any knowledge of the remaining missing people to share this knowledge with the commissioners.
That this House considers Sir Neil McKay's review of children's cardiac services has unreasonably weighted the odds against retaining the excellent children's cardiac centre at Leeds Infirmary by failing to consider the advantages of such units being placed in the same building as other hospital services, as they are in Leeds, by failing to adequately consult the wider areas such as Humberside, which depend on the Leeds unit, and by placing Leeds in only option Dfor retention, while other centres are in all options; takes the view thatthe consultation fails to recognise the excellence and the strengths of the Leeds unit and discounts the needs of the children over the wide areas of Yorkshire and Humberside who depend on it; and therefore urges the Department of Health not to drive Leeds and the Department to the expense and trouble of winning a judicial review against the consultation, such as that that the Royal Brompton has just been awarded, or to the future considerable expense of an unwise appeal aginst court decisions, but to listen to the strong concerns coming up from hospitals, health bodies, patients and the wider public in Yorkshire and Humberside against any threat of closure of the Leeds unit, to discount the bias against Leeds in the report and to give Leeds the fair prospect it deserves of carrying on its valuable work into the future.
That this House expresses its support for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) approach to equal opportunities employment and rejection of prejudice in deciding appointments to foreign posts; and urges the FCO to ignore any and all calls for a religious or racial bar in determining appointments.
That this House deplores the shooting of hares throughout their breeding season as cruel and unnecessary; notes that in Scotland the brown hare and mountain hare now have close seasons to protect nursing mothers and their dependent young; and calls on the Government to confer similar protection upon these icons of the British countryside.
That this House notes that 10 years have passed since the presentation of a petition with 50,000 signatures in favour of a Cornish Assembly to 10 Downing Street on 12 December 2001 which equated to 10 per cent. of the adult population of Cornwall; recalls that this declaration of support for a Cornish Assembly was launched by Mebyon Kernow and received support from those of all parties and none; expresses disappointment that the then Government did not act upon the subject of the petition; believes that the failure to establish a Cornish Assembly has created a democratic deficit; further notes Government proposals for the devolution of power in the UK; and calls for the formation of a democratically elected Cornish Assembly to take decisions for the benefit of the people of Cornwall.
That this House congratulates the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) on its recent hosting of the Global Diabetes Forum in Dubai; welcomes the work of the IDF in bringing together Government, private sector organisations and diabetes specialists to discuss practical solutions to this global epidemic; urges the Government to build upon the momentum of events such as this to formulate a clear and informed plan to combat a condition that the IDF estimates will affect 522 million adults, or one in 10 adults, within the next two decades.
That this House continues to be concerned about higher rail fare increases plannedfor 2013-14 which are unnecessary and counter-productive as they will greatly discourage rail usage by commuters and encourage increased road transport into already congested networks; congratulates the Fair Fares Now campaign for its efforts to highlight the case for a value-for-money rail service whilst speaking up for those passengers who experience year-on-year hikes in fares; and calls on the Government to listen to and learn from this group, especially its views on the Departmentfor Transport's consultation on fares and ticketing which is expected early in 2012.
That this House expresses its continued concern about the illegal occupation and governance of the northern part of the island of Cyprus by Turkey following its invasion in 1974; notes that despite international efforts Turkey refuses to withdraw its military forces, or allow Greek Cypriot citizens to return to their homes and properties, whilst encouraging wrongful settlement in the area by immigrants whom they allow to exploit land and properties expropriated from their rightful owners without any regard for national Cypriot cultural heritage; and calls on the Government as a guarantor power, to insist of Turkey that it adopts a more constructive attitudein negotiations aimed at establishing a viable, fair and lasting solution tothe problem,and that asa gesture of goodwill it should agree to allow refugees from the ghost town ofFamagusta and surrounding areas to returnto their homes as outlined in United Nations Security Council Resolutions 550 (1984)and 789 (1992).
That this House notes that Americium-241 is a by-product of nuclear power stations such as those in Heysham; further notes that the University of Leicester is now developing radio isotope thermo electric generators that could turn this into a safe and low cost fuel to be used for space exploration; and congratulates both the University of Leicester and the wider nuclear physics community for continuing to innovate new and exciting forms of energy generation.
That this House disagrees with the principles of regional pay outlined by the Chancellor in his Autumn Statement to bring public sector pay in line with private sector pay; notes that this will have the effect of depressing public sector pay in countries and regions where there is already low private sector pay; further notes that this will once again unfairly hit workers who carry out good public service and are currently undergoing a wage freeze or below inflation pay increases, whose pensions are being renegotiated against their will and who are already subject to cuts that will lead to 710,000 fewer full time equivalentjobs; further notes that this will mean a reduction of disposable income and weakened consumer spending power in countries and regions with a large public sector workforce and a subsequent negative economic impact; further notes that this approach will institutionalise pre-existing imbalances between countries and regions where there is a weak private sector and is contrary to the Government's policy of geographically rebalancing the economy; further notes the introduction of reigonal pay policies under the previous administration in HM Courts Service in England and Wales; and calls for the re-consideration of this policy.
That this House notes that the parents of ill children often need to live in hospital wards with their children; further notes that living expenses such as meals are not paid for by the NHS nor does this motion seek to amend that status; urges the Government to consider how useful disability living allowance payments are to these parents; and asks the Government to consider this when finalising details of personal independence payment.
That this House is alarmed at the re-arrest of Ebrahim Madodi from the Vahed Trade Union Syndicate in Tehran; calls for his release and that of fellow trade unionist, bus workers' leader, Reza Shobabi immediately; and supports the rights of independent trade unionists in Iran to represent their members without the threat of imprisonment.