That this House deplores recent announcements by leading universities that they are to close, or freeze recruitment to, some departments because of funding problems; notes that the universities of Durham, Swansea, Cambridge, King's College London, Queen Mary and Westfield College London, Reading and Exeter are each considering at least one major department closure; regrets that departments awarded a Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 4 star rating receive less than half the funding that 5 star rated departments receive; notes that some Exeter University students part way through their degrees will have to complete their studies at other universities or suffer a reduced standard of teaching as departments are winding up; calls on the Government urgently to review the RAE star rating system and its impact on funding; and urges the Government to take practical steps to ensure that students whose departments are closed part way through their degree course do not suffer.

That this House deplores recent announcements by leading universities that they are to close, or freeze recruitment to, some departments because of funding problems; notes that the universities of Durham, Swansea, Cambridge, King's College London, Queen Mary and Westfield College London, Reading and Exeter are each considering at least one...

That this House notes the great benefits to employees, employers and the economy as a whole of broad-based employee share schemes; and urges the International Accounting Standards Board and the Accounting Standards Board to take account in their work on new accounting standards of the impact of such standards on widely-based employee share schemes.

That this House notes the great benefits to employees, employers and the economy as a whole of broad-based employee share schemes; and urges the International Accounting Standards Board and the Accounting Standards Board to take account in their work on new accounting standards of the impact of such standards on...

That this House notes that over 800,000 cases of abuse were reported between 1995 and 2001 against shopworkers; compliments USDAW for highlighting this issue; and calls upon the Government to work with the employers and unions to raise awareness of the levels of violence and abuse, to make the workplace safer, to make retail crime a police key performance indicator, to promote Safer Shopping Partnerships and to improve the Criminal Injuries Compensation scheme.

That this House notes that over 800,000 cases of abuse were reported between 1995 and 2001 against shopworkers; compliments USDAW for highlighting this issue; and calls upon the Government to work with the employers and unions to raise awareness of the levels of violence and abuse, to make the workplace...

That this House notes that the modern NHS team is made up of many different people working in different jobs in different settings, all playing a crucial role in ensuring that patients receive the best care available; recognises that, of the 1.3 million staff in the NHS, 84 per cent. are involved directly in patient care, with just 16 per cent. providing the infrastructure support necessary to keep hospitals, surgeries and NHS organisations running effectively; further notes that an organisation the size of the NHS, treating one million people every 36 hours, must have effective management as well as administrative and clerical staff; has concerns that accusations of a proliferation of pen-pushers and bureaucrats in the NHS are hugely damaging to the morale of hardworking NHS staff and to the quality of the health debate; and welcomes the joint campaign by UNISON and the NHS Confederation to show the real people behind the non-clinical roles in the NHS and how managers and support staff are necessary if clinicians are to be able to deliver first-class services to patients.

That this House notes that the modern NHS team is made up of many different people working in different jobs in different settings, all playing a crucial role in ensuring that patients receive the best care available; recognises that, of the 1.3 million staff in the NHS, 84 per cent....

That this House is alarmed about reports that the Home Office is proposing to remove from train drivers involved in witnessing suicides and/or trespass deaths, their right to claim compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme; believes such a move to be wrong and misguided as it flies in the face of previous rulings that found railway suicides to be special cases; and further believes that it fails to grasp the levels and effects of trauma and despair suffered by those innocent drivers unfortunately involved.

That this House is alarmed about reports that the Home Office is proposing to remove from train drivers involved in witnessing suicides and/or trespass deaths, their right to claim compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme; believes such a move to be wrong and misguided as it flies in the...

That this House notes that when not at war the Ministry of Defence does not provide the free parcel service to forces personnel and has therefore withdrawn the service to Iraq; notes that Iraq has the largest operational deployment of British troops anywhere in the world at present and that personnel are still under constant fire; is concerned that the risk to forces personnel has increased, not diminished, since the war was declared over; and therefore urges the Government to reinstate the free postal service for families sending parcels to personnel serving and supporting operations in Iraq.

That this House notes that when not at war the Ministry of Defence does not provide the free parcel service to forces personnel and has therefore withdrawn the service to Iraq; notes that Iraq has the largest operational deployment of British troops anywhere in the world at present and that...

That this House is deeply concerned that the total number of UK seafaring ratings has declined from 30,000 ratings in 1980 to less than 10,000 in 2003; regrets that the decline has continued since the introduction of the Government's tonnage tax regime; notes that the proportion of British officers is also declining and has fallen by more than 27 per cent. in the last three years; believes that the decline in UK seafarers cannot be allowed to continue if this country is to retain a core of essential maritime skills; abhors the fact that ship owners who have benefited massively from millions of pounds of public subsidy through the tonnage tax regime have failed to arrest this decline in British jobs; notes that in its current form the tonnage tax has not generated significant training and employment opportunities for UK seafaring ratings and officers; and calls on the Government to use the current Inland Revenue review to introduce a firm link between the concession and the increased employment of UK seafaring ratings and officers on UK registered ships.

That this House is deeply concerned that the total number of UK seafaring ratings has declined from 30,000 ratings in 1980 to less than 10,000 in 2003; regrets that the decline has continued since the introduction of the Government's tonnage tax regime; notes that the proportion of British officers is...

That this House is alarmed that significant numbers of term-time-only paid education staff in UK schools are currently discriminated against in terms of their pay and employment conditions at work; believes such inequalities in public service employment contracts to be both unfair and unacceptable; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to persuade all local education authorities to introduce as soon as possible a fairer and more equitable system for those workers forthwith.

That this House is alarmed that significant numbers of term-time-only paid education staff in UK schools are currently discriminated against in terms of their pay and employment conditions at work; believes such inequalities in public service employment contracts to be both unfair and unacceptable; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government...

That this House denounces the recent cowardly anti-European letter bomb attacks on Gary Titley MEP, Hans Gert Poettering MEP, Jose Ignacio-Sarafranca MEP, the President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, and the Head of the European Central Bank, Jean Claude Trichet, at least two of which bombs were opened by staff of the intended recipients; and calls on the UK authorities to co-operative fully with the investigations being undertaken by European Union anti-terrorism officials and the Italian interior ministry.

That this House denounces the recent cowardly anti-European letter bomb attacks on Gary Titley MEP, Hans Gert Poettering MEP, Jose Ignacio-Sarafranca MEP, the President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, and the Head of the European Central Bank, Jean Claude Trichet, at least two of which bombs were opened by...

That this House notes the distinguished and committed service to Parliament of Sir Nicolas Bevan CB; thanks him for his wise counsel and unfailing courtesy to honourable Members from all side of the House; and wishes him and his wife, Christine, many happy years in retirement.

That this House notes the distinguished and committed service to Parliament of Sir Nicolas Bevan CB; thanks him for his wise counsel and unfailing courtesy to honourable Members from all side of the House; and wishes him and his wife, Christine, many happy years in retirement.

That this House condemns the shabby treatment of dedicated community health council members and staff who, at government insistence, worked towards a planned closure of 1st September 2003, who sorted documents, passed archived material to appropriate bodies, readied premises for closure, and made alternative career plans, only to find that the Government is not now ready until 1st December.

That this House condemns the shabby treatment of dedicated community health council members and staff who, at government insistence, worked towards a planned closure of 1st September 2003, who sorted documents, passed archived material to appropriate bodies, readied premises for closure, and made alternative career plans, only to find that...

That this House notes that the Mental Health Foundation's Mental Health Action Week begins on 20th April; recognises that nearly three in 10 employees will experience a mental health problem this year, and that mental health problems account for the loss of over 91 million working days each year, with half of these due to anxiety and stress conditions; welcomes the week's theme of work-life balance as a mental health issue for the workforce; notes that full-time employees in the UK work the longest hours in Europe; further notes that the problem of poor work-life balance needs to be addressed for many millions of workers who do not have young children as well as those who are affected by new legislation for families; and calls on employees both in the private and public sectors to be sensitive to the needs of employees facing mental health problems to encourage best working practices.

That this House notes that the Mental Health Foundation's Mental Health Action Week begins on 20th April; recognises that nearly three in 10 employees will experience a mental health problem this year, and that mental health problems account for the loss of over 91 million working days each year, with...

That this House notes that 2003 is the 15th anniversary of the strike by P&O seafarers in Dover who fought for 14 months to retain conditions of service and protect safe manning standards in the wake of the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster; recalls that P&O's response, in breach of ILO Convention 87/9 was to sack the whole workforce of some 2,000 people without options of redundancy or recompense; believes that the strikers were unfairly dismissed; notes that the then opposition front bench and the Labour Party Conference supported the sacked seafarers in their efforts to gain justice and compensation; records that most of the proposals to cut crews which caused the strike were not adopted; applauds the tenacity of the sacked seafarers for their sustained campaign; recognises that other groups of victimised workers have been granted compensation; and calls on the Labour Government to help redress the wrongs and injustices which were imposed on the sacked P&O seafarers under the protection of previous Tory Governments.

That this House notes that 2003 is the 15th anniversary of the strike by P&O seafarers in Dover who fought for 14 months to retain conditions of service and protect safe manning standards in the wake of the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster; recalls that P&O's response, in breach of...

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...