That this House notes the comments made by the hon Member for South Thanet on the National Institute for Clinical Excellence's (NICE) draft guidance on drugs for Alzheimer's; welcomes the Minister's statement that NICE should consider the wider implications of not approving Alzheimer's drugs' use, especial ly the benefits and costs to carers as well as patients; calls on NICE to reconsider the proposals to discontinue the prescription of Alzheimer's drugs on the NHS; and urges Ministers to listen closely to the concerns of honourable Members and their constituents on the Alzheimer's Society lobby of Parliament on 16th March.

That this House notes the comments made by the hon Member for South Thanet on the National Institute for Clinical Excellence's (NICE) draft guidance on drugs for Alzheimer's; welcomes the Minister's statement that NICE should consider the wider implications of not approving Alzheimer's drugs' use, especial ly the benefits and...

That this House recognises the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's finding that up to one fifth of all road accidents resulting in death or serious injury are caused by driver sleepiness; notes that at least one per cent. of the United Kingdom's adult population has a medical cause for sleepiness but that an estimated 80 per cent. of people with sleep disorders are unaware they have a treatable medical condition; acknowledges the Royal College of Physician's observation that untreated Obstructive Sleep Apnoea sufferers may have driving impairments comparable with drivers in excess of the legal alcohol limit; further acknowledges that Obstructive Sleep Apnoea is readily treatable with a machine costing ??300 which lasts for 10 years but that the Sleep Apnoea Trust has evidence of individuals who have suffered fatal crashes whilst on NHS waiting lists; further notes the research undertaken by the Sleep Centre at Edinburgh University which shows the cost of treating 500 sleep apnoea patients with continuous positive airway pressure treatment for five years would be a total of ??400,000 in comparison to the estimated cost of accidents caused by untreated patients with sleep apnoea over the same five year period being ??5,300,000; and urges the Government to seize the opportunity of the Road Safety Bill to incorporate this issue into its proposals on driver sleepiness by helping to raise awareness of sleep disorders amongst unknowing sufferers and by improving the provision of NHS diagnosis and treatment services.

That this House recognises the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's finding that up to one fifth of all road accidents resulting in death or serious injury are caused by driver sleepiness; notes that at least one per cent. of the United Kingdom's adult population has a medical cause for sleepiness...

That this House notes the recent Prime Minister's Strategy Unit report on the life chances of disabled people which states that there are currently no incentives for local service providers to prioritise disabled children; believes that schools in England and Wales need a clearer, more effective and less bureaucratic framework if they are meaningfully to tackle current inequalities for such children; further notes that disabled children's access to other services including wraparound childcare increasingly depends upon schools promoting their equality; further notes that the current legislative framework does not cover the promotion of equality for disabled teachers, support staff or disabled parents; supports the call for change in these areas presented by the Disability Rights Commission, the Special Educational Consortium, the Disability Charities Consortium, the Children's Society and teachers' unions; and therefore calls on the Government to follow these organisations' advice and include schools in England and Wales in the list of public bodies to be subject to specific duties to promote disability equality in regulations to be made under the new Disability Discrimination Bill in line with schools' existing duties under the Race Relations Amendment Act and to ensure effective joint working with other public sector partners.

That this House notes the recent Prime Minister's Strategy Unit report on the life chances of disabled people which states that there are currently no incentives for local service providers to prioritise disabled children; believes that schools in England and Wales need a clearer, more effective and less bureaucratic framework...

That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Local Government Pension Scheme (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2004 (S.I., 2004, No. 3372), dated 17th December 2004, a copy of which was laid before this House on 22nd December, be annulled.

That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Local Government Pension Scheme (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2004 (S.I., 2004, No. 3372), dated 17th December 2004, a copy of which was laid before this House on 22nd December, be annulled.

That this House recognises that endometriosis can be a distressing disease which can lead to infertility, severe and chronic pain, emotional distress, inability to finish an education or sustain a career, with subsequent financial cost to the individual and the State due to delayed and incorrect diagnosis, as well as ineffective hit-and-miss treatments; is concerned that endometriosis, which is still a relatively unknown disease despite the fact that there are an estimated two million sufferers in the UK alone, is not a current national or primary care trust priority; and therefore would urge the Secretary of State for Health to look at this with the utmost urgency to ensure that girls and women in the UK with endometriosis will receive the specialist care they need and rightly deserve, but which most are presently not getting.

That this House recognises that endometriosis can be a distressing disease which can lead to infertility, severe and chronic pain, emotional distress, inability to finish an education or sustain a career, with subsequent financial cost to the individual and the State due to delayed and incorrect diagnosis, as well as...

That this House acknowledges all the work done by many honourable Members to persuade the Government to strengthen road safety law; believes that the Transport Committee's recent report, Traffic Law and its Enforcement sheds light on gaps in current law, in particular the absence of an offence of causing death by careless driving; is alarmed that because of this lacuna in the law, when 17-year-old Alexine Melnik was killed by a careless driver, the court was able only to fine that driver and put points on his licence; believes that this valued Alexine's life far too cheaply; recognises that the Road Safety Bill provides a prime opportunity to change the law; and calls upon the Government to support an amendment to the Bill to fill the gap and create an offence of causing death by careless driving.

That this House acknowledges all the work done by many honourable Members to persuade the Government to strengthen road safety law; believes that the Transport Committee's recent report, Traffic Law and its Enforcement sheds light on gaps in current law, in particular the absence of an offence of causing death...

That this House is dismayed at the plight of thousands of widows of public service workers, who lose out on their widow's pension simply because they married the pension scheme member after his retirement; welcomes the acknowledgment of post-retirement widows' rights in the 1978 State Earnings Related Pension Scheme and subsequently in all contracted-out schemes; calls for this improvement in post-retirement widows' rights to be applied retrospectively in respect of the service of public sector pension scheme members prior to 1978; notes that this anomaly affects, among others, those in the Local Government Pension Scheme, the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme, the Teachers' Pension Scheme, the Fire Service Pension Scheme, the Armed Forces Pension Scheme, the Police Service Pension Scheme and the NHS Pension Scheme; notes however that the Parliamentary Pension Scheme is not affected; and urges the Government to bring forward amendments to public sector pension schemes, so as to give equal rights to all widows regardless of when they married their late husband or when he worked in the public service.

That this House is dismayed at the plight of thousands of widows of public service workers, who lose out on their widow's pension simply because they married the pension scheme member after his retirement; welcomes the acknowledgment of post-retirement widows' rights in the 1978 State Earnings Related Pension Scheme and...

That this House deplores and condemns the reported damage to the site of the ancient city of Babylon caused by the contruction of a US military base; and believes that it is the duty of Coalition forces in Iraq to respect and protect all historic sites within a country which is recognised as one of the greatest cradles of world civilisation.

That this House deplores and condemns the reported damage to the site of the ancient city of Babylon caused by the contruction of a US military base; and believes that it is the duty of Coalition forces in Iraq to respect and protect all historic sites within a country which...

That this House welcomes the introduction of the National Service Framework for Long Term Conditions; is concerned however that the average GP has little or no experience of myasthenia gravis, an extremely debilitating, neuro-muscular disease that causes severe and fluctuating muscle weakness that can be fatal; regrets that lack of knowledge of this condition prevents many myasthenics from accessing benefits, social services and early diagnosis; is dismayed that there is no Government funding for the charity Myasthenia Gravis Association that provides literature, advice, helpline and contact facilities to address this need; and calls on the Government to raise public awareness of this disease to ensure the health and welfare problems of myasthenics are recognised and dealt with quickly.

That this House welcomes the introduction of the National Service Framework for Long Term Conditions; is concerned however that the average GP has little or no experience of myasthenia gravis, an extremely debilitating, neuro-muscular disease that causes severe and fluctuating muscle weakness that can be fatal; regrets that lack of...

That this House congratulates Lord Redesdale for introducing his private members' bill, the Renewable Energy Bill, to the House of Lords on 25th November 2004; notes that this Bill contains measures which would make it easier for people to purchase, install and run domestic renewable installations; welcomes any changes to the law proposed which will encourage the expansion of micro-generation; notes the emphasis in this Bill on simplification and standardisation of the procedure for the installation of micro-renewables; and urges the Government to take this Bill into account when considering its own micro-generation strategy due in December 2005.

That this House congratulates Lord Redesdale for introducing his private members' bill, the Renewable Energy Bill, to the House of Lords on 25th November 2004; notes that this Bill contains measures which would make it easier for people to purchase, install and run domestic renewable installations; welcomes any changes to...

That this House notes the Government's statement in its Review of the Climate Change Programme that the new statutory duty to take reasonable steps to achieve an increase of at least 20 per cent. in residential energy efficiency in England by 2010 from a 2000 baseline 'will require even greater levels of energy efficiency improvement than our existing aim'; further notes that a stamp duty rebate for house buyers who install energy saving measures is recommended by the Energy Saving Trust, the Association for the Conservation of Energy and the Sustainable Energy Partnership as being the best way of achieving the installation of more energy efficiency products, particularly cavity wall and solid wall insulation; recalls that the Energy White Paper described energy efficiency as the 'cheapest, cleanest and safest way' of achieving all energy policy objectives,; notes that 75 per cent. of first-time buyers now pay stamp duty compared to only 18 per cent. 10 years ago; and believes that measures to make the necessary adjustments to stamp duty should be implemented.

That this House notes the Government's statement in its Review of the Climate Change Programme that the new statutory duty to take reasonable steps to achieve an increase of at least 20 per cent. in residential energy efficiency in England by 2010 from a 2000 baseline 'will require even greater...

That this House notes that the European Union has given approval to Turkey to enter into discussions as to possible membership of the European Union; is aware that the United Kingdom is a strong supporter of Turkey's membership of the European Union; further notes that the United Kingdom is one of the guarantor powers for the Island of Cyprus and that Cyprus is a member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association; and calls on the British Government to work closely with, and to respect, the rights of the Republic of Cyprus and its democratically elected President, Mr Tassos Papadopoulos, to safeguard the interests of Cyprus in the forthcoming discussions on Turkey's possible membership of the European Union and to make very clear to Turkey that it is in its own best interest to recognise fully, and quickly, the existence of the Republic of Cyprus, which is already a full member of the European Union, and to clearly work for the normalisation of its relationship with the Republic of Cyprus and fulfil, as soon as possible, its obligations towards Cyprus as stated in the Presidency Conclusions of the Brussels European Council of 17th December 2004 with regard to signing the protocol regarding the adaptation of the Ankara Agreement, taking account of the accession of the 10 new member states and to resolve the issues of Cyprus in which it can and should play a role.

That this House notes that the European Union has given approval to Turkey to enter into discussions as to possible membership of the European Union; is aware that the United Kingdom is a strong supporter of Turkey's membership of the European Union; further notes that the United Kingdom is one...

That this House believes that every terminally ill patient who chooses to die at home should be given the opportunity to do so; congratulates Marie Curie Cancer Care on its campaign Supporting the Choice to Die at Home; notes the survey commissioned by the charity from YouGov that found 64 per cent. of Britons would choose to die at home but at present only 25 per cent. of terminally ill patients are able to do so and therefore most die in hospital; further notes the economic paper commissioned by the charity which shows that caring for more patients at home would release funds which could be used elsewhere in the NHS; highlights the recent conclusion of the Health Select Committee that the right to a good death is fundamental; welcomes Marie Currie Cancer Care's Delivering Choice Programme which has launched a project to improve end of life care in Lincolnshire; and urges the Government to partner Marie Curie Cancer Care in order to establish similar projects in other English regions, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to commit funds to make this possible.

That this House believes that every terminally ill patient who chooses to die at home should be given the opportunity to do so; congratulates Marie Curie Cancer Care on its campaign Supporting the Choice to Die at Home; notes the survey commissioned by the charity from YouGov that found 64...

That this House notes that the Dogs Trust's famous slogan, A Dog is For Life, Not Just for Christmas, was created in 1978 by the charity's Chief Executive, Clarrisa Baldwin, at a time when thousands of people were buying puppies to give to family and friends as Christmas presents, resulting in puppies being abandoned in the New Year; recognises that despite many years of campaigning by the Dogs Trust there still exists a problem of dogs being given as Christmas presents; further recognises that the Dogs Trust has seen that the most popular time of year for pups to be abandoned is at the start of the Easter holidays, when pups who were given for Christmas presents have grown up to be big boisterous dogs; further notes the problem of dogs being given as Christmas presents is still a major concern, in a country where there were at least 117,000 stray and abandoned dogs taken in by local authorities last year; and wholeheartedly supports the Dogs Trust in their determination to ensure that one day all dogs are cared for be responsible owners, and have a home for life.

That this House notes that the Dogs Trust's famous slogan, A Dog is For Life, Not Just for Christmas, was created in 1978 by the charity's Chief Executive, Clarrisa Baldwin, at a time when thousands of people were buying puppies to give to family and friends as Christmas presents, resulting...

That this House is concerned that wholesale forward gas prices in the UK have more than doubled and are significantly higher than in continental Europe; notes that UK intensive industrial energy users are at a serious competitive disadvantage and understands that the high price of wholesale gas impacts on their profitability and the long term viability of tens of thousands of jobs in UK manufacturing; recognises that the wholesale gas price influences domestic consumer prices and that large wholesale rises will results in increasing levels of fuel poverty; believes that continued rising gas prices will lead to fuel switching, resulting in higher levels of carbon-dioxide emissions; appreciates the importance of enabling intensive industrial energy users to plan and manage business risk effectively and is concerned that to date there has been no adequate explanation for the large movement in gas prices; acknowledges that UK industry wants a level playing field with continental Europe but no special favours; and therefore calls upon the Government to take immediate steps to restore a viable forward market in gas and for Ofgem and the Department for Trade and Industry to investigate urgently the structure and competitiveness.

That this House is concerned that wholesale forward gas prices in the UK have more than doubled and are significantly higher than in continental Europe; notes that UK intensive industrial energy users are at a serious competitive disadvantage and understands that the high price of wholesale gas impacts on their...

That this House expresses concern at current proposals to define a pint of beer as not less than 95 per cent. liquid; notes that the Campaign for Real Ale, the Trading Standards Institute and the Local Authority Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services believe that this proposal will result in the proposed 5 per cent. tolerance being added to the existing deficiency threshold normally applied by enforcement agencies before considering prosecution action, which will result in licensees being able to serve pints of substantially less than 95 per cent. liquid; further notes that short measure costs consumers over ??400 million annually, HM Treasury over ??54 million annually in lost excise revenues and brewers ??133 million in lost beer sales; and therefore calls on the Government to bring forward legislation to protect consumers from short beer measures by defining a pint of beer as 100 per cent. liquid.

That this House expresses concern at current proposals to define a pint of beer as not less than 95 per cent. liquid; notes that the Campaign for Real Ale, the Trading Standards Institute and the Local Authority Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services believe that this proposal will result in the proposed...

That this House warmly congratulates the International Paralympic Committee on its decision, on 25th November, by 74 votes to 18 not permanently to ban learning disabled athletes from paralympic events; appreciates the strong defence of the rights of athletes with a learning disability presented by the British Paralympic Association at this meeting; urges the International Sports Federation for People with Intellectual Disability to continue to make progress on developing a robust verification and protest system to establish clear eligibility criteria for learning disabled athletes; calls on the International Paralympic Committee to work for the earliest reinstatement of athletes with learning disability into the paralympic family to ensure their participation in the Beijing Games in 2008; and further calls on the Government, UK Sport and sports national governing bodies to provide adequate and appropriate funding for the reintegration of learning disabled athletes into training programmes for the Paralympics.

That this House warmly congratulates the International Paralympic Committee on its decision, on 25th November, by 74 votes to 18 not permanently to ban learning disabled athletes from paralympic events; appreciates the strong defence of the rights of athletes with a learning disability presented by the British Paralympic Association at...

That this House notes that the new formula for Child Support Agency (CSA) maintenance calculations has now been in place since April 2003, which is more than enough time to stabilise the system; considers that existing cases have experienced a long and avoidable delay under the old rules; and calls upon Ministers in the Department for Work and Pensions to instruct the CSA to take the necessary steps to bring in the new simplified and fairer method of assessment for all cases with immediate effect.

That this House notes that the new formula for Child Support Agency (CSA) maintenance calculations has now been in place since April 2003, which is more than enough time to stabilise the system; considers that existing cases have experienced a long and avoidable delay under the old rules; and calls...

That this House welcomes the United Kingdom Government's commitment to tackling African poverty in 2005; notes that changes in trade rules to ensure trade justice are vital to achieving poverty reduction in developing countries, particularly in Africa; notes with concern that current proposals by the European Commission for free trade areas with Africa through economic partnership agreements could lead to the liberalisation of 90 per cent. of African trade over 12 years, including agricultural products; further notes with concern that the European Commission is refusing to talk about its own Common Agricultural Policy in these talks; further notes that economic partnership agreements may undermine Africa's own regional trade integration; further notes that Europe is including issues in these talks that have been rejected by those African countries at the World Trade Organisation; and calls on the United Kingdom Government to lead the way for changes in the Commission's negotiating mandate to take account of these concerns and take an important step towards trade justice by fulfilling its own commitments to provide alternative forms of market access into the EU to those African countries which do not want to sign up to economic partnership agreements.

That this House welcomes the United Kingdom Government's commitment to tackling African poverty in 2005; notes that changes in trade rules to ensure trade justice are vital to achieving poverty reduction in developing countries, particularly in Africa; notes with concern that current proposals by the European Commission for free trade...

That this House welcomes the Road Safety Bill and Government proposals to come down hard on drink drivers, uninsured drivers, and those who continue to use mobile phones while driving; is dismayed, however, at the intention to reduce penalties for exceeding speed limits, when all evidence proves that even at 30mph pedestrians have only a 50 per cent. chance of survival and that even minor speeding on roads other than motorways can mean the difference between death, disability or a chance of full recovery; regrets that there has been no report on the consultation on penalties conducted in 2000, which had over 1000 responses, and no report on the consultation on graduated fixed penalties; is particularly dismayed at not mention of a change of law, which would at last address the injustice of the careless driving charge being applied to culpable road deaths and injuries, which has been such a problem for so many years and which is a major concern for many honourable Members and their constituents as supported by the Bill by the honourable Member for South Dorset and the call for a radical overhaul of the law on driving offences by the Transport Committee in its recent report; and appeals to Her Majesty's Government to introduce those steps that will truly address road danger and bring an end to the continung slaughter on UK roads.

That this House welcomes the Road Safety Bill and Government proposals to come down hard on drink drivers, uninsured drivers, and those who continue to use mobile phones while driving; is dismayed, however, at the intention to reduce penalties for exceeding speed limits, when all evidence proves that even at...