That this House welcomes the proposed Animal Welfare Bill; supports the objective to modernise and strengthen existing legislation protecting animals through a duty of care; but is concerned that the Draft Bill contains a proposal to legalise pet markets and that this represents a retrograde step that will significantly lower current animal welfare standards; recognises that reasonable standards of animal welfare cannot be attained at temporary, makeshift markets; acknowledges that the trade in exotic pets and all of its associated problems will increase with the proliferation of exotic pet markets and could stimulate an upsurge in numbers of birds and reptiles trapped from the wild for the pet trade; and calls on the Animal Welfare Bill Select Committee to recommend that no licensing of pet markets is provided for under general licensing of activities involving animals and indeed that pet markets be specifically excluded from the Bill.

That this House welcomes the proposed Animal Welfare Bill; supports the objective to modernise and strengthen existing legislation protecting animals through a duty of care; but is concerned that the Draft Bill contains a proposal to legalise pet markets and that this represents a retrograde step that will significantly lower...

That this House welcomes the introduction of the Civil Partnership Bill, believing it gives long-overdue recognition to committed same-sex couples; but calls on the Government to rectify the position in respect of survivor pensions for same-sex partners; believing that registered same-sex couples who have made the same contributions to pension schemes as their married colleagues ought to be entitled to exactly the same benefits upon retirement as those of married couples.

That this House welcomes the introduction of the Civil Partnership Bill, believing it gives long-overdue recognition to committed same-sex couples; but calls on the Government to rectify the position in respect of survivor pensions for same-sex partners; believing that registered same-sex couples who have made the same contributions to pension...

That this House regrets that the planned Housing Bill does not include legislation for a nationwide mandatory Tenancy Deposit Scheme despite the fact that the private rented sector accommodates about 10 per cent. of households in England, that 70 per cent. of the 2.21 million tenants in the sector have paid a deposit, that the average deposit is around ??510, that although most tenancies end without dispute, around 20 per cent. of households say that part or all of the deposit from their most recent tenancy was unreasonably withheld and that few private landlords have participated in the voluntary tenancy deposit schemes being piloted; and believes that a nationwide mandatory scheme administered by the Independent Housing Ombudsman is the only way to safeguard deposits and guarantee prompt settlement of disputes.

That this House regrets that the planned Housing Bill does not include legislation for a nationwide mandatory Tenancy Deposit Scheme despite the fact that the private rented sector accommodates about 10 per cent. of households in England, that 70 per cent. of the 2.21 million tenants in the sector have...

That this House notes that the ninth annual Carers Week is being held from 9th to 15th June; notes also that it is now estimated that three in five people in the UK become carers at some time in their lives and that carers annually save the Exchequer over ??57 billion, the equivalent of the cost of the NHS; welcomes this year's Carers Week theme of opportunities; further notes that four million of the UK's seven million carers work full-time or part-time, often juggling their different roles with considerable difficulty and that many other carers also wish to take up employment or learning opportunities; believes that carers deserve the support and services that will enable them to have access to such opportunities, that the main barriers for many carers include lack of flexibility in the workplace, that many day-care services are available only for limited periods of the day, that there is a lack of funding for replacement and short-term breaks, that there is an absence of evening and weekend services in a supposed 24-hour society and that childcare services frequently do not cater for disabled children; and calls for these issues to be addressed by policy-makers at all levels.

That this House notes that the ninth annual Carers Week is being held from 9th to 15th June; notes also that it is now estimated that three in five people in the UK become carers at some time in their lives and that carers annually save the Exchequer over ??57...

That this House notes that the private rented sector accommodates about 10 per cent. of households in England, that 70 per cent. of the 2.21 million tenants in the sector have paid a deposit, that the average deposit is around ??510, that although most tenancies end without dispute, around 20 per cent. of households say that part or all of the deposit from their most recent tenancy was unreasonably withheld and that few private landlords have participated in the voluntary tenancy deposit schemes being piloted; believes that a nationwide mandatory scheme administered by the Independent Housing Ombudsman is the only way to safeguard deposits and guarantee prompt settlement of disputes; notes that the period of consultation on the Government's proposals ended on 28th February; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to include legislation for a nationwide mandatory Tenancy Deposit Scheme in its forthcoming Housing Bill.

That this House notes that the private rented sector accommodates about 10 per cent. of households in England, that 70 per cent. of the 2.21 million tenants in the sector have paid a deposit, that the average deposit is around ??510, that although most tenancies end without dispute, around 20...

That this House is concerned that over 200 children under the age of two are killed or seriously injured each year by their parents or carers, but that only approximately a quarter of these cases are followed by successful prosecutions and then not for murder or manslaughter, but for lesser offences such as cruelty, which carry only a light sentence; notes that the main reason for this failure is joint enterprise, meaning that it is not possible to prove which member of a couple was responsible, leading to the failure of the attempt to prosecute for more serious charges; and calls on the Government to incorporate in legislation at the earliest opportunity, and preferably in the Criminal Justice Bill currently before the House, measures to facilitate successful prosecution of those responsible for killing small children on charges which reflect the gravity of the act.

That this House is concerned that over 200 children under the age of two are killed or seriously injured each year by their parents or carers, but that only approximately a quarter of these cases are followed by successful prosecutions and then not for murder or manslaughter, but for lesser...

That this House welcomes the publication of the PIU Report on energy (the Energy Review) and notes that as regards domestic energy efficiency it recommends a target of a 20 per cent. improvement by 2010 based on current levels; also notes that this target is virtually identical to the target set by the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 of a 30 per cent. improvement based on 1996 levels, and so supports the Home Energy Conservation Bill 2002 which would make the targets statutory thus ensuring that they are met; further notes that the 2002 Bill has been welcomed by the recent DTI Select Committee Report, Security of Energy Supply; agrees with the statement made by the Leader of the House on 14th February that he 'hopes that the Bill will reach a statute book' (Official Report, column 317); welcomes the statement made on 13th March by the Minister for Employment and the Regions that 'the Government supported the Bill on Second Reading and will continue to support it' (Official Report, column 292WH); and looks forward to the Bill completing its passage through this House on 10th May.

That this House welcomes the publication of the PIU Report on energy (the Energy Review) and notes that as regards domestic energy efficiency it recommends a target of a 20 per cent. improvement by 2010 based on current levels; also notes that this target is virtually identical to the target...