That this House expresses deep concern at the potential loss of 19,000 jobs in the GUS home shopping business if the proposed sale to March UK Ltd is not allowed to proceed, and at the damage this would cause in many of the country's poorer constituencies; believes that with sales declining by 20 per cent. this year and increasing pressure from the high street the only alternative to the sale would be the closure of the GUS home shopping business which would not only result in the loss of jobs, but would reduce consumer choice; notes that the sale has the full support of GUS's management, USDAW and the other GUS home shopping trade unions, who are best placed to judge the long-term interests of the workforce; and believes the sale to be in the public interest, urges the Competition Commission and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to approve this transaction at the earliest possible opportunity.

That this House expresses deep concern at the potential loss of 19,000 jobs in the GUS home shopping business if the proposed sale to March UK Ltd is not allowed to proceed, and at the damage this would cause in many of the country's poorer constituencies; believes that with sales...

That this House believes that no FA, Premier or Nationwide League club, whether publicly or privately owned, should have its ownership transferred until the proposed new owners have fully complied with bona fide tests in respect of personal and financial background, resource availability and future plans for club development; further believes that a football commission should be established with statutory powers to oversee any takeover, intervening where necessary and with its membership drawn from Government, the football authorities, the Professional Footballers Association and supporters; proposes that the Football Commission should have power to require any proposed owners to lodge surety bonds and that the Commission's funding should be by way of levy on broadcasting and merchandising rights; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to introduce the necessary primary legislation as soon as possible.

That this House believes that no FA, Premier or Nationwide League club, whether publicly or privately owned, should have its ownership transferred until the proposed new owners have fully complied with bona fide tests in respect of personal and financial background, resource availability and future plans for club development; further...

That this House finds it to be totally unacceptable that the French-based multi-national company Saint-Gobain should have acquired the shares of Biwater (Clay Cross) Ltd for the immediate purposes of closing the plant; is deeply concerned that this will lead to the loss of 700 jobs and the devastation of the local community; is aware that Saint-Gobain's objectives in moving to close the plant are (a) to destroy the pipe manufacturing capacity of a key rival, especially in international markets, (b) to capture Biwater's extensive and growing order book, essentially for transfer to overseas companies and (c) to transfer and asset strip the plant's machinery; and calls upon the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to prevent the closure by making full and effective use of powers available to him under the Fair Trading Act 1973, which includes the possibility of setting up an immediate inquiry into the take-over by the Competition Commission and halting all moves to close the plant while the Commission undertakes an in-depth investigation which it is believed will lead to the saving of the plant and the condemnation of Saint-Gobain's actions.

That this House finds it to be totally unacceptable that the French-based multi-national company Saint-Gobain should have acquired the shares of Biwater (Clay Cross) Ltd for the immediate purposes of closing the plant; is deeply concerned that this will lead to the loss of 700 jobs and the devastation of...

That this House notes that BSkyB Television has made an offer to buy Manchester United Football Club plc; further notes that BSkyB Television currently holds the exclusive rights to live broadcasts of Premier League football matches and is likely to bid again for the broadcast rights when the current agreement expires; believes that the possibility of BSkyB Television as both a bidder for television rights to the Premier League and the owner of its most high-profile club is a matter of serious public interest and anxiety; is concerned that the BSkyB bid signals a trend whereby the interests of broadcasters take precedence over those of football clubs; warns that the deal will further concentrate wealth in the hands of an exclusive elite, thus threatening the survival of smaller football clubs and the wellbeing of the game at grassroots level; and, therefore, calls upon the Monopolies and Mergers Commission to recommend rejection of the BSkyB bid as a contribution to safeguarding the future of the national game.

That this House notes that BSkyB Television has made an offer to buy Manchester United Football Club plc; further notes that BSkyB Television currently holds the exclusive rights to live broadcasts of Premier League football matches and is likely to bid again for the broadcast rights when the current agreement...

That this House is deeply concerned about the proposed acquisition of Corals by its main competitor in the British bookmaking markets, Ladbrokes; sees the takeover as not being in the public interest as it would establish a large monopoly in the betting industry in the United Kingdom, currently worth in excess of ??7 billion per annum; notes also that, if approved, such a buy-out would further restrict competition and consumer choice, particularly in local markets and create undesirable levels of financial interests in betting subsidiary services SIS and BAGS, thereby risking undue prominence in their decision making processes; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to immediately halt the sale by referring it to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.

That this House is deeply concerned about the proposed acquisition of Corals by its main competitor in the British bookmaking markets, Ladbrokes; sees the takeover as not being in the public interest as it would establish a large monopoly in the betting industry in the United Kingdom, currently worth in...

That this House notes the take-over bid by Glaxo for Wellcome; recognises the important role both companies have played in putting the United Kingdom amongst the leaders in the world pharmaceutical industry; is concerned at this recent turn of events and in particular the significant job losses which will undoubtedly occur as a consequence of streamlining research and development programmes, rationalising manufacturing facilities and reshaping the selling and administrative functions; criticises the decision of the Wellcome Trust to dispose of its total shareholding in Wellcome without apparent regard for the longstanding relationship between the Trust and the company or without obtaining assurances about the long-term interests of the employees at Wellcome; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to develop an effective industrial strategy for the pharmaceutical industry which encourages co-operation and joint ventures for the benefit of all and avoids the distracting and damaging consequences of leaving the future of major United Kingdom companies entirely in the hands of the financial markets. (Relevant registered interest declared).

That this House notes the take-over bid by Glaxo for Wellcome; recognises the important role both companies have played in putting the United Kingdom amongst the leaders in the world pharmaceutical industry; is concerned at this recent turn of events and in particular the significant job losses which will undoubtedly...

That this House is concerned about the relationship that the Keswick family and Trafalgar House has with the Conservative Party and the Government in connection with Trafalgar House's bid for Northern Electric; notes that the sister-in-law of the Chairman of Trafalgar House is an adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer; also notes that Trafalgar House has made substantial donations to the Conservative Party in recent years; and calls upon the Government and the Conservative Party to clarify its relationship with Trafalgar House and the Keswick family.

That this House is concerned about the relationship that the Keswick family and Trafalgar House has with the Conservative Party and the Government in connection with Trafalgar House's bid for Northern Electric; notes that the sister-in-law of the Chairman of Trafalgar House is an adviser to the Chancellor of the...

That this House is gravely concerned that the privatisation policies of Her Majesty's Government have led to the possibility of Northern Electric being taken over by Trafalgar House; considers such a prospect to be disastrous and at odds with the concept of regional identity and the statement included in the White Paper, Privatising Electricity, which read, 'There is a strong case for retaining independent regional distribution companies, to respond to local needs and prospects.'; recognises that were this takeover to succeed a precedent would be set which would pose a threat to other privatised regional electricity companies; and calls upon the President of the Board of Trade to take immediate and effective steps to prevent this hostile bid from progressing any further.

That this House is gravely concerned that the privatisation policies of Her Majesty's Government have led to the possibility of Northern Electric being taken over by Trafalgar House; considers such a prospect to be disastrous and at odds with the concept of regional identity and the statement included in the...

That this House notes the bid by a consortium led by Mirror Group Newspapers for control of Newspaper Publishing plc, publishers of The Independent and Independent on Sunday, the primary selling point of which has been their editorial independence; is concerned by the existing concentration of press ownership in Britain; and urges the President of the Board of Trade, as a minimum, if he is minded to give consent to the bid, to impose conditions which preserve the editorial independence of the titles, ensures that Newspaper Publishing plc is not subsumed into Mirror Group Newspapers by ensuring that dealings for the provision of services between Mirror Group Newspapers and Newspaper Publishing are transparent and at arms length and that they are capable of termination, ensure balanced board representation, including a majority of independent directors, and prevent any shareholder from purchasing further shares above the level of 30 per cent. without a further reference to the President of the Board of Trade.

That this House notes the bid by a consortium led by Mirror Group Newspapers for control of Newspaper Publishing plc, publishers of The Independent and Independent on Sunday, the primary selling point of which has been their editorial independence; is concerned by the existing concentration of press ownership in Britain;...

That this House regards the sale of Rover to a company controlled from overseas as a logical consequence of the Conservative Government's persistent neglect of manufacturing and its refusal to recognise the strategic importance of a strong British manufacturing base to this country's economy; deplores the fact that the Government was prepared to sell Rover to British Aerospace for a knockdown price only for Rover and its employees to be used to boost BAe's short-term balance sheet; condemns the way BAe, with Government support, conducted the sale of Rover to BMW over the heads of its employees; believes this underlines the importance of British employees and their unions being given effective statutory consultation and information rights; contrasts the attitude of BAe and the Government with the welcome assurance from the Chairman of BMW about the future of Rover plants, supply networks and job security; and considers it ironic that the Chairman of BMW seems to be more in touch with the concerns of Rover employees, suppliers and customers than are either the British Government or BAe's board. (Relevant registered interest declared.)

That this House regards the sale of Rover to a company controlled from overseas as a logical consequence of the Conservative Government's persistent neglect of manufacturing and its refusal to recognise the strategic importance of a strong British manufacturing base to this country's economy; deplores the fact that the Government...

That this House notes with concern that following the acquisition of the Dalesman Publishing Company by Timothy Benn Publishing, a London based publishing house, the origination work of The Dalesman magazine has been transferred from Yorkshire to the South of England; further notes that in addition to causing a loss of employment in Yorkshire this change raises serious questions as to whether The Dalesman can retain the unique Yorkshireness of its content which has been at the heart of its success for many years; and calls upon the new owners of the magazine to repatriate its production as a matter of urgency and ensure it remains essentially Yorkshire in character.

That this House notes with concern that following the acquisition of the Dalesman Publishing Company by Timothy Benn Publishing, a London based publishing house, the origination work of The Dalesman magazine has been transferred from Yorkshire to the South of England; further notes that in addition to causing a loss...

That this House deplores the actions of Thompson Carmichael Ltd. of Bilston, Wolverhampton, who, having bought on 19th February the long established Wakefield tanker manufacturer Charles Roberts Engineering Ltd., arbitrarily closed the business on 1st March throwing its 105 employees out of work; notes that their action is a classic example of asset stripping of the very worst kind and that the closure was carried out in a cynical and deceitful way denying the workforce their basic employment rights of consultation and information that might have enabled them to defend their jobs; and calls upon the Department of Employment to investigate as a matter of urgency the actions of Thompson Carmichael Ltd. and take steps to ensure the enforcement of those provisions in the Employment Protection Act 1975 and the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 , which have clearly been breached by this particular company.

That this House deplores the actions of Thompson Carmichael Ltd. of Bilston, Wolverhampton, who, having bought on 19th February the long established Wakefield tanker manufacturer Charles Roberts Engineering Ltd., arbitrarily closed the business on 1st March throwing its 105 employees out of work; notes that their action is a classic...

That this House calls upon the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to refer to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission the proposed take over by Airtours of the tour operator Owners Abroad.

That this House calls upon the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to refer to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission the proposed take over by Airtours of the tour operator Owners Abroad.

That this House expresses deep concern at press reports that Tarmac are about to receive ??130 million from the Ministry of Defence after suing the Property Services Agency projects division over alleged delays at the Trident construction project, Faslane; is aware that behind this story lies a tale of laying-off and liquidations at this site, where sub-contractors to main contractors such as Tarmac have seen their businesses disappear due to non-payment of accounts by the Property Services Agency and the Ministry of Defence; and condemns the actions of these departments in failing to assist such contractors and workers who in many cases now find themselves unemployed as a result of departmental negligence.

That this House expresses deep concern at press reports that Tarmac are about to receive ??130 million from the Ministry of Defence after suing the Property Services Agency projects division over alleged delays at the Trident construction project, Faslane; is aware that behind this story lies a tale of laying-off...

That this House, recognising that the takeover bid by Whyte and Mackay for Invergordon Distillers, a Leith-based firm, could lead to redundancies and a reduction in whisky brands, calls on the Monopolies and Mergers Commission to use its powers to stop this further extension in monopoly by multinationals.

That this House, recognising that the takeover bid by Whyte and Mackay for Invergordon Distillers, a Leith-based firm, could lead to redundancies and a reduction in whisky brands, calls on the Monopolies and Mergers Commission to use its powers to stop this further extension in monopoly by multinationals.

That this House recognises the anxiety of workers at all levels, present and past, of Imperial Chemical Industries at the possibility of Hanson plc augmenting its 2.8 per cent. holding of ICI's shares to gain a controlling interest in the company's affairs; understands the concern of conurbations where ICI units are located that mature relationships between the company and these communities could be destabilised by such a change should it be brought about; acknowledges advice given by Imperial Pensioners (Tobacco and Food) by letter dated 12th June 1991 to the honourable Member for Stockton North in which they 'recommend vigilance and scrutiny concerning both the intentions and the actions of Hanson plc in so far as they can be readily established or are publicly revealed' and commends ICI for committing the affairs of its company pension funds to an independent board of trustees; acknowledges too the Secretary of State's assurance that he 'shall take an interest - if there were to be a bid' and 'consider representations from interested parties before reaching any decisions'; is of the firm opinion that considerations of national, regional and community interests in relation to this affair require firm handling by Her Majesty's Government; and therefore calls upon the Prime Minister to ensure that Ministers and officials do everything to make certain the matter is resolved in this country and in accord with the expressed wishes of the company, its workforce, its pensioners and the communities in which it is established.

That this House recognises the anxiety of workers at all levels, present and past, of Imperial Chemical Industries at the possibility of Hanson plc augmenting its 2.8 per cent. holding of ICI's shares to gain a controlling interest in the company's affairs; understands the concern of conurbations where ICI units...