That this House congratulates The Royal Society of Chemistry on holding its Parliamentary Links Day at the House on Tuesday 22nd June and on its continuing commitment to serve the public interest by seeking to improve the access to all honourable Members to scientific information and a better understanding of science; notes that among those contributing to this year's event are senior figures drawn from all the core science disciplines and from engineering including Professor Julia Goodfellow of the Institute of Biology, Lord Broers of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Dr Peter Cotgreave from Save British Science, Dr Julia King from the Institute of Physics, and Dr Simon Campbell from the Royal Society of Chemistry; notes that Parliamentary Links Day is now an established and respected event on the annual parliamentary calendar; applauds the co-operative involvement in this event of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Institute of Physics, the Institute of Biology and its affiliated bodies, and many other organisations within the science and engineering community; further notes that the Royal Society of Chemistry's pioneering Parliamentary Link Scheme, which pairs scientists with the honourable Members in whose constituencies they live and provides honourable information and briefing on science, is open to Right honourable and honourable Members on all sides of the House; welcomes the expertise and assistance that the scientific community can give to Parliament; and welcomes the continuing contribution that Parliamentary Links Day makes to strengthening the dialogue between Parliament and the science and engineering community on scientific and technological issues.

That this House congratulates The Royal Society of Chemistry on holding its Parliamentary Links Day at the House on Tuesday 22nd June and on its continuing commitment to serve the public interest by seeking to improve the access to all honourable Members to scientific information and a better understanding of...

That this House expresses grave concerns that the Israeli Government is due to renew the Citizenship and Family Unification Law in July; notes that the law clearly discriminates against Israeli citizens of Palestinian origin and their spouses by denying Israeli citizenship or residency status to spouses of Israeli citizens who are residents of the West Bank or Gaza; notes, however, that the Bill does not affect marriages between Israeli citizens and other foreign spouses or Jewish settlers in the Occupied Territories; notes that according to Israeli Government statistics, over 21,000 couples are currently affected by this legislation, both newly-weds, and couples married for years whose resident permit requests are still pending; notes that spouses are subject to deportation for failing to comply with the law; thereby notes that this law permits discrimination on grounds of ethnicity and national origin and clearly violates international human rights law, treaties and domestic laws which Israel has ratified to uphold; and calls on the British Government to raise the issue with Israel and express concerns that such discriminatory laws will only exacerbate existing tensions and will be detrimental to peace efforts.

That this House expresses grave concerns that the Israeli Government is due to renew the Citizenship and Family Unification Law in July; notes that the law clearly discriminates against Israeli citizens of Palestinian origin and their spouses by denying Israeli citizenship or residency status to spouses of Israeli citizens who...

That this House commends the Down's Syndrome Association and the Government for supporting the right of children with Down's Syndrome to receive the education they need to fulfil their individual potential in either mainstream or special school; recognises the contribution that the Down's Syndrome Association's new Education Support Pack for Special Schools will play; and expresses concern at the results of the Down's Syndrome Association's Barriers to Education report which shows that many children are experiencing discrimination and prejudice, are being denied the support they need and are also suffering as a result of insufficient training and support for education professionals, particularly in mainstream settings.

That this House commends the Down's Syndrome Association and the Government for supporting the right of children with Down's Syndrome to receive the education they need to fulfil their individual potential in either mainstream or special school; recognises the contribution that the Down's Syndrome Association's new Education Support Pack for...

That this House notes that there is a significant gap of ??2.5 billion between the money allowed by the Government for the management and maintenance of council houses, ??3.0 billion, and the amount required ??5.5 billion as determined by research carried out for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister by the Building Research Establishment, referred to in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister press release 2003/0107, 9th June 2003; notes the Government's policy to bring all homes up to a decent standard by 2010; welcomes the pledge made by the Government to increase the management and maintenance allowance by 6 per cent. per annum in real terms over the next two years; and calls upon the Government to provide the required resources to allow local authorities to manage and maintain their council houses to a decent standard.

That this House notes that there is a significant gap of ??2.5 billion between the money allowed by the Government for the management and maintenance of council houses, ??3.0 billion, and the amount required ??5.5 billion as determined by research carried out for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister...

That this House marks the launch of the Royal Society of Chemistry's biennial nationwide Chemistry Week 2003; notes that among its key objectives is a commitment to encourage an interest in science among young people; applauds the efforts that are being made throughout the United Kingdom, especially by teachers in primary and secondary schools, to revitalise the science curriculum and to convey the excitement of science to pupils and students; further notes the very wide range of activities organised by the Society in local communities all over the country which are designed to illustrate this year's Chemistry Week theme of Chemistry's Pleasure; and further notes the unrivalled contribution that the study of chemistry and the chemical sciences have made and continue to make to our understanding of nature, to the quality of life, and to the knowledge economy of the 21st Century.

That this House marks the launch of the Royal Society of Chemistry's biennial nationwide Chemistry Week 2003; notes that among its key objectives is a commitment to encourage an interest in science among young people; applauds the efforts that are being made throughout the United Kingdom, especially by teachers in...

That this House records the centenary of the foundation of the Faraday Society in 1903, named in honour of the distinguished British scientist, Michael Faraday; notes that among its founding objectives was to provide a pioneering bridge between science and technology and that these horizons were subsequently expanded to encompass science at the interfaces of chemistry, physics and biology; notes that the Faraday Society was subsequently incorporated into the Royal Society of Chemistry whose Faraday Division has continued the proud tradition of Faraday Discussions, which operate on a global basis, and has continued the publishing tradition that saw the original Transactions of the Faraday Society transformed first into the Faraday Transactions and finally into Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics whose international and interdisciplinary record is unequalled; notes that this Faraday Society centenary is being marked by a special publication of 24 scientific papers selected from the last 100 years; notes the special event being held by the Royal Society of Chemistry in conjunction with the Royal Institution on Monday 27th October; and further notes the unrivalled contribution that the study of physical chemistry and the chemical sciences have made and continue to make to our understanding of nature, to the quality of life, and to the knowledge economy of the 21st Century.

That this House records the centenary of the foundation of the Faraday Society in 1903, named in honour of the distinguished British scientist, Michael Faraday; notes that among its founding objectives was to provide a pioneering bridge between science and technology and that these horizons were subsequently expanded to encompass...

That this House records the 200th Anniversary of John Dalton's greatest achievement which was his Atomic Theory; notes that this first established clear and quantitative principles to determine the composition of all materials; further notes that his scientific theory was first advanced in an historic address to the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society in 1803; further notes that Dalton's scientific theory marked the end of alchemy and laid 'the great foundation stone of chemical science'; notes that the scientific understanding provided by Dalton paved the way for the discovery and development in the 19th century of the Periodic Table; further notes that chemists still specify the mass of a molecule in 'Daltons' as a unit of measurement; further notes the various events being held to commemorate Dalton's Atomic Theory and the variety of organisations supporting the Dalton Bicentenary including the Royal Society of Chemistry, UMIST, Manchester United FC, the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, and Manchester City Council; further notes the plaque of John Dalton which will be unveiled on 14th October by the Lord Mayor of Manchester; and further notes the unrivalled contribution that the study of chemistry and the chemical sciences have made and continue to make to our understanding of nature, to the quality of life, and to the knowledge economy of the 21st century.

That this House records the 200th Anniversary of John Dalton's greatest achievement which was his Atomic Theory; notes that this first established clear and quantitative principles to determine the composition of all materials; further notes that his scientific theory was first advanced in an historic address to the Manchester Literary...

That this House congratulates The Royal Society of Chemistry on holding its Parliamentary Links Day at the House on Tuesday 24th June and on its continuing commitment to serve the public interest by seeking to improve the access of all honourable Members to scientific information and a better understanding of science; notes that this year's theme is Science and Education; notes that among those contributing to this year's event are the Right honourable Gordon Brown MP, St David King, Sir Gareth Roberts, Dr Ian Gibson MP, Lord Winston, Professor Sir Harry Kroto and the Right honourable Charles Clarke; notes that Parliamentary Links Day is now an established and respected event on the annual Parliamentary calendar; notes that it involves scientists and engineers from all over the United Kingdom; applauds the involvement in the event of many of the UK's greatest science and engineering organisations including the Institute of Physics, the Institute of Biology and its affiliated bodies, and many other organisations within the science and engineering community; further notes that the Royal Society of Chemistry's pioneering Parliamentary Link Scheme, which pairs scientists with the honourable Members in whose constituencies they live and provides information and briefing on science, is open to Right honourable and honourable Members on all sides of the House; welcomes the expertise and assistance that the scientific community can give to Parliament; and welcomes the continuing contribution that Parliamentary Links Day makes to building and maintaining a dialogue between Parliament and the science and engineering community on scientific and technological issues.

That this House congratulates The Royal Society of Chemistry on holding its Parliamentary Links Day at the House on Tuesday 24th June and on its continuing commitment to serve the public interest by seeking to improve the access of all honourable Members to scientific information and a better understanding of...

That this House congratulates The Royal Society of Chemistry on organising The Voice of the Future on Wednesday 19th March at the House and on its continuing commitment to serve the public interest by seeking to improve the access of honourable Members to scientific information and a better understanding of science; notes that The Voice of the Future involves young scientists and engineers from all over the United Kingdom and will feature a special Science Question Time with honourable Members and Right honourable Members on the Science and Technology Select Committee; applauds the involvement in this event of so many of the United Kingdom's greatest science and engineering organisations including the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Science Council, the Institute of Physics, the Institute of Biology and many of the bodies affiliated to that Institute, the Institution of Chemical Engineers, the Geological Society and many others within the science and engineering community; welcomes the expertise and assistance that these eminent bodies can give to Parliament; and welcomes the contribution that The Voice of the Future can make to building and maintaining a dialogue between Parliament and the younger science and engineering community on scientific and technological issues.

That this House congratulates The Royal Society of Chemistry on organising The Voice of the Future on Wednesday 19th March at the House and on its continuing commitment to serve the public interest by seeking to improve the access of honourable Members to scientific information and a better understanding of...

That this House notes that the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive is currently being considered by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers; observes that despite amendments passed by the Parliament the Directive would require dossiers to be submitted to the Medicines Control Agency for registration purposes and that the pharmaceutical standard testing required in producing those dossiers would impose costs of tens of thousands of pounds per product on manufacturers; further observes that in many cases the commercial value of specialist products being distributed through specialist retailers is such that producing such dossiers is prohibitively expensive; regrets that even as amended the Directive would not allow onto the market any overseas product which had not been on the European market for 10 years even if it were demonstrably safe and had been used for centuries; further oberves that the Council of Ministers is unlikely to accept all the amendments passed by the Parliament and that the finalised Directive will, therefore, lead to the loss of many existing popular herbal remedies and will undermine consumer protection as products continue to be available from overseas by mail-order with no quality or hygiene controls or in the United Kingdom at high cost from unlicensed and unregulated herbal practitioners; and urges the Secretary of State for Health to renegotiate the main provisions of this flawed Directive so that it does not put out of business specialist manufacturers and retailers or deny consumers access to herbal remedies of their choice.

That this House notes that the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive is currently being considered by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers; observes that despite amendments passed by the Parliament the Directive would require dossiers to be submitted to the Medicines Control Agency for registration purposes and that...

That this House notes that the Food Supplements Directive is now European law and will be implemented in stages through the introduction of statutory instruments; notes that the Directive includes a list of nutrients and nutrient sources which may be used in supplements and that there are rising 300 safe nutrient sources on the United Kingdom market which are missing from the list; further notes that unless full safety dossiers are submitted for consideration by the European Scientific Committee for Food by July 2005 these nutrients will be illegal; observes that the cost of commissioning research to include within a dossier and the compilation of such dossiers makes the task prohibitively expensive in all but a handful of cases and that some 270 safe and popular nutrient sources will be lost to the United Kingdom industry and its consumers; regrets that an over-cautious interpretation of Article 5 of the Directive will lead to the setting of unacceptably and unnecessarily low maximum permitted levels even for those nutrients which are allowed; and declines to approve the proposed statutory instruments implementing the Directive unless and until Her Majesty's Government secures an amendment to the Directive before it is fully implemented so as to allow to remain on the national market those products which would otherwise fall outside the Directive's technical restrictions.

That this House notes that the Food Supplements Directive is now European law and will be implemented in stages through the introduction of statutory instruments; notes that the Directive includes a list of nutrients and nutrient sources which may be used in supplements and that there are rising 300 safe...

That this House welcomes National Myeloma Awareness Week between 21st and 28th June, aimed at raising awareness of multiple myeloma, a fatal cancer of the bone marrow that affects over 14,000 people in the United Kingdom at any one time and kills over 2,000 people each year; notes that the aggressive symptoms of myeloma include severe bone pain, frequent pathological fractures, excessive tiredness, bruising and a variety of neurological symptoms and that there is currently no cure for the disease; recognises that the International Myeloma Foundation (UK) is a registered charity dedicated to informing and supporting those affected by myeloma and improving treatments and standards of care through education and research with in excess of 7,000 members; welcomes the Department of Health's announcement that it is allocating in excess of ??130,000 to support the IMF(UK)'s 'M.A.G.I.C - Reaching Out' programme which is a new, innovative resource and information distribution programme developed for healthcare professionals working in the fields of myeloma and AL amyloidosis; and calls upon the Government to support the IMF(UK) in its ongoing efforts to support those affected by the disease and to fund research into finding a cure.

That this House welcomes National Myeloma Awareness Week between 21st and 28th June, aimed at raising awareness of multiple myeloma, a fatal cancer of the bone marrow that affects over 14,000 people in the United Kingdom at any one time and kills over 2,000 people each year; notes that the...

That this House congratulates the Royal Society of Chemistry for organising the nationwide Chemistry Week from 16th to 23rd November; applauds the wide variety of events being held throughout the United Kingdom to raise awareness of the vital role which chemistry plays in the modern world and in everyday life; and encourages Right honourable and honourable Members on all sides of the House to take advantage of the willingness of the scientific community outside Parliament to offer Members expert assistance, such as the Royal Society of Chemistry's pioneering Parliamentary Link Scheme, when debating or dealing with issues involving science.

That this House congratulates the Royal Society of Chemistry for organising the nationwide Chemistry Week from 16th to 23rd November; applauds the wide variety of events being held throughout the United Kingdom to raise awareness of the vital role which chemistry plays in the modern world and in everyday life;...

That this House congratulates the Father of the House, the honourable Member for Linlithgow, on the presentation to him on 21st November by Mr Speaker of the Royal Society of Chemistry's prestigious Parliamentary Award; notes that this award was bestowed 'for outstanding parliamentary service to the cause of science'; and applauds the lifelong interest in science taken by the honourable Member for Linlithgow.

That this House congratulates the Father of the House, the honourable Member for Linlithgow, on the presentation to him on 21st November by Mr Speaker of the Royal Society of Chemistry's prestigious Parliamentary Award; notes that this award was bestowed 'for outstanding parliamentary service to the cause of science'; and...