That this House is most concerned by what appears to be the intention of the Department for Trade and Industry to exclude an unknown but potentially large number of deceased claims from recovering damages under the Coal Health Claims Handling Agreement, notwithstanding the fact that the Agreement was designed by Lawyers for both sides under the direction of the Court and in the knowledge that in many cases medical records would not be available and that under the medical assessment process the respiratory specialists would do the best they could in arriving at a balance of probability decision resulting in a discount in compensation payable in recognition of the paucity of medical evidence; is alarmed that the DTI has moved away from the Agreement and has described cases where there is a paucity of medical evidence as unassessable claims; and calls on the DTI to go back to the principles of the Agreement under which 180,000 claims have already been processed instead of pressing ahead with a change that will damage confidence in the claims handling process.

That this House is most concerned by what appears to be the intention of the Department for Trade and Industry to exclude an unknown but potentially large number of deceased claims from recovering damages under the Coal Health Claims Handling Agreement, notwithstanding the fact that the Agreement was designed by...

That this House notes that the theme for this year's Workers Memorial Day is health and safety for all; and notes that the purpose behind it is to remember those who have died as a result of injury and disease at work but at the same time to ensure that lessons are learned so that tragedies are not repeated by strengthening trade union organisation in the workplace, campaigning for tougher enforcement with higher penalties for breaches of health and safety laws and concentrating strategic programmes of activity in line with the HSC guidance to achieve the 2010 targets of cutting deaths and major injuries by 10 per cent. and reducing work-related ill health by 20 per cent.

That this House notes that the theme for this year's Workers Memorial Day is health and safety for all; and notes that the purpose behind it is to remember those who have died as a result of injury and disease at work but at the same time to ensure that...

That this House commemorates the 20th anniversary of the year long 1984-85 miners' strike that began on 8th March 1984 when the NUM Executive Committee authorised area strikes; notes that it was in response to British Coal's decision to cut production and make 20,000 miners redundant after rejecting the union's proposed Technology Agreement to manage technological change in the industry; is aware that tens of thousands of decent men and women struggled for a year in an endeavour to save their jobs and communities before eventually returning to work without an agreement; and observes that over the next decade the Tory Government butchered the coal industry, cutting 150,000 mining jobs and causing inestimable economic and social dislocation to mining communities.

That this House commemorates the 20th anniversary of the year long 1984-85 miners' strike that began on 8th March 1984 when the NUM Executive Committee authorised area strikes; notes that it was in response to British Coal's decision to cut production and make 20,000 miners redundant after rejecting the union's...

That this House welcomes the policy statement issued by the Law Society to members following concerns raised about solicitors charging clients in addition to the costs paid by the Department of Trade and Industry and is pleased they have concluded that a firm should be required to refund a client in the absence of any justification for an additional charge and where there is evidence of taking an unfair advantage of the client by overcharging there may be a finding of misconduct; and calls on all those firms of solicitors who have made additional charges either by way of a success fee or an increases hourly rate to refund their clients immediately.

That this House welcomes the policy statement issued by the Law Society to members following concerns raised about solicitors charging clients in addition to the costs paid by the Department of Trade and Industry and is pleased they have concluded that a firm should be required to refund a client...

That this House welcomes the initiative taken by the Department of Trade and Industry in writing to all solicitors dealing with coal health claims for vibration white finger and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease under cover of the Handling Agreement, asking that they adhere to the fee structure agreed by both sides and reimburse claimants any extra charge that they have levied or face the possibility of being removed from the Department's list of approved solicitors.

That this House welcomes the initiative taken by the Department of Trade and Industry in writing to all solicitors dealing with coal health claims for vibration white finger and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease under cover of the Handling Agreement, asking that they adhere to the fee structure agreed by both...

That this House is appalled to learn of the widespread deceitful practice operated by some firms of solicitors dealing with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and vibration white finger compensation claims for former miners and their families whereby deductions are taken from the interim and final settlement payments, some amounting to as much as ??8,000, despite the fact that all the legal costs are met by the Department of Trade and Industry under the terms of the handling agreement negotiated by solicitors representing both sides; and calls on the Law Society of England, Wales and the Law Society of Scotland to advise members that the dishonest practice is undermining their professional reputation and any such deductions made must be repaid in full.

That this House is appalled to learn of the widespread deceitful practice operated by some firms of solicitors dealing with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and vibration white finger compensation claims for former miners and their families whereby deductions are taken from the interim and final settlement payments, some amounting to...

That this House recognises that in keeping with environmental objectives, the Large Combustion Plant Directive will be operative from 2008; and calls on DEFRA to advise the European Commission that it has chosen to adopt the Emission Limit Value approach so that individual power stations are liable for reducing sulphur dioxide, most probably by fitting flue gas desulphurisation equipment, rather than the National Emission Reduction Plan option, because the latter will encourage the power generators to import low sulphur coal instead of using indigenous coal and thereby threaten 15,000 UK coal mining related jobs.

That this House recognises that in keeping with environmental objectives, the Large Combustion Plant Directive will be operative from 2008; and calls on DEFRA to advise the European Commission that it has chosen to adopt the Emission Limit Value approach so that individual power stations are liable for reducing sulphur...

That this House is proud to recognise International Workers Memorial Day on Monday 28th April; remembers the huge number of people killed in accidents at work and by occupational illnesses like cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asbestos-related diseases each year; and commits itself to work for better health and safety at work to prevent death and injury and disease through a partnership approach and the implementation of workplace safety strategies, the recognition of corporate killing, serious fines and imprisonment for breach of health and safety law, and increased rights for trade union safety representatives.

That this House is proud to recognise International Workers Memorial Day on Monday 28th April; remembers the huge number of people killed in accidents at work and by occupational illnesses like cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asbestos-related diseases each year; and commits itself to work for better health and...

That this House supports the campaign by the Association of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen for the regulation of the hours of work of train drivers because it is recognised that long hours in control of a train causes tiredness that can impair concentration and contribute to stress-related illnesses such as anxiety and depression; believes that train drivers should be afforded the same protection as other land-based drivers; and calls on the Government to include the regulation of train drivers' hours in its proposed railway safety legislation.

That this House supports the campaign by the Association of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen for the regulation of the hours of work of train drivers because it is recognised that long hours in control of a train causes tiredness that can impair concentration and contribute to stress-related illnesses such as...

That this House is outraged that the Conservative Party should attempt to use the second chamber to annul the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations following the debate in the House on 24th October and to place workers, particularly in the construction sector, in danger, effectively ignoring a mountain of worldwide scientific evidence including the World Trade Organisation, United Nations, the Council of Europe, Health and Safety Executive, confirming that chrysotile (white) asbestos poses an ongoing health risk to workers and the public; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to make it clear that whatever manoeuvres the Opposition may use the Asbestos Regulations will be implemented directly.

That this House is outraged that the Conservative Party should attempt to use the second chamber to annul the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations following the debate in the House on 24th October and to place workers, particularly in the construction sector, in danger, effectively ignoring a mountain of...

That this House is concerned that recent articles written by representatives of the asbestos industry seek to portray white asbestos as a benign substance, and are confusing the debate by concentrating on the chemical structure of the material when it is the structure of the particle that is the pertinent factor and ignoring the balance fo evidence that white asbestos is involved in the aetiology of mesothelioma cancer.

That this House is concerned that recent articles written by representatives of the asbestos industry seek to portray white asbestos as a benign substance, and are confusing the debate by concentrating on the chemical structure of the material when it is the structure of the particle that is the pertinent...

That this House is gravely concerned about the implications for asbestos-induced mesothelioma sufferers and their families by a recent Court of Appeal judgement that a claimant cannot recover damages if he was exposed to asbestos by more than one employer on the grounds that it is not possible to say which one was to blame, ending a situation of joining defendants and apportioning liability accordingly that has lasted for more than 20 years; is further concerned that the judgement directs that claimants may have a claim under the Pneumoconiosis (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979, costing the Exchequer tens of millions of pounds each year, and creating conditions for the insurance industry to escape its responsibility; and calls for this injustice to be righted by legislation if necessary.

That this House is gravely concerned about the implications for asbestos-induced mesothelioma sufferers and their families by a recent Court of Appeal judgement that a claimant cannot recover damages if he was exposed to asbestos by more than one employer on the grounds that it is not possible to say...

That this House supports the campaign by the Association of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen for the regulation of the hours of work of train drivers because it is recognised that long hours in control of a train causes tiredness that can impair concentration and contribute to stress-related illnesses, such as anxiety and depression; believes that train drivers should be afforded the same protection as other land-based drivers; and calls on the Government to include the regulation of train drivers' hours in its proposed railway safety legislation.

That this House supports the campaign by the Association of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen for the regulation of the hours of work of train drivers because it is recognised that long hours in control of a train causes tiredness that can impair concentration and contribute to stress-related illnesses, such as...