That this House is deeply concerned that a concerted campaign by vested interests is in operation to destroy the status of country lanes which are currently restricted in their use to categories such as walkers, horse riders and local farmers to open them for use by crowds of motor cyclists, car drivers and other disruptive powered vehicles; notes that 111 applications have been submitted in Derbyshire for such anti-social purposes between 16th October 2003 and 24th November 2004, including 20 applications in the constituency of North East Derbyshire, of which 10 are in the parish of Ashover alone; and calls upon the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to put forward measures to block such applications pending the consideration of legislation clarifying the status of designated country lanes.

That this House is deeply concerned that a concerted campaign by vested interests is in operation to destroy the status of country lanes which are currently restricted in their use to categories such as walkers, horse riders and local farmers to open them for use by crowds of motor cyclists,...

That this House notes the four-and-a-half year prison sentence given to Mr Leslie Skinner following his conviction for violent sexual offences committed while serving as a non-commissioned officer at Deepcut Army barracks in Surrey; further notes the conclusions drawn by the Surrey Police - that having previously identified that this offender may have had a propensity for young males, the Army posted him to Deepcut without carrying our any form of risk assessment, that this offender abused his position of authority to ensure that his victims acquiesced effectively, that victims had insufficient faith in the chain of command or the Army's investigative system to report the assaults at the time and that victims told the police that they feared reporting the incidents as such action might entail them being 'branded' as homosexual and place them at risk as targets by their peers and other NCOs; and urges the Government to ensure that army trainees are guaranteed the same quality of protection that young people in civilian establishments are promised by the passage of the Children Bill and that instructors seeking appointment in army training camps are subject to enhanced Criminal Record Bureau vetting.

That this House notes the four-and-a-half year prison sentence given to Mr Leslie Skinner following his conviction for violent sexual offences committed while serving as a non-commissioned officer at Deepcut Army barracks in Surrey; further notes the conclusions drawn by the Surrey Police - that having previously identified that this...

That this House notes the growing consensus in favour of clearly defined legal rights for migrant workers which is evident in reports and opinions published by bodies as diverse as the World Bank, the United Nations, the European Commission, the Select Committee on International Development and the Trades Union Congress; and calls on the Government to provide a robust legal framework for the establishment of rights for migrant workers by ratifying the UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and their Families (1990).

That this House notes the growing consensus in favour of clearly defined legal rights for migrant workers which is evident in reports and opinions published by bodies as diverse as the World Bank, the United Nations, the European Commission, the Select Committee on International Development and the Trades Union Congress;...

That this House believes that communities and individuals, particularly older citizens, require far greater protection from distraction burglars and bogus and exploitative property repairers, welcomes the Government's current consultation on a range of possible measures to combat these and other activities involving cold calling; notes that these include a ban on doorstep cold calling for the purposes of offering property services; and urges the Government to introduce this specific measure at the earliest opportunity.

That this House believes that communities and individuals, particularly older citizens, require far greater protection from distraction burglars and bogus and exploitative property repairers, welcomes the Government's current consultation on a range of possible measures to combat these and other activities involving cold calling; notes that these include a ban...

That this House expresses its deep concern at continuing reports that millions of children throughout the world live under conditions which are described as the worst forms of child labour in International Labour Convention 182, as already ratified by Her Majesty's Government, including slavery or practices similar to slavery such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom, and forced or compulsory labour, including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict, the use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for pornographic performances, and the use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs, and work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children; congratulates the organisers of the First Children's World Congress on Child Labour for bringing together children from across the globe to Florence in May in order to discuss solutions to these appalling abuses; encourages the British delegation under the auspices of Global March UK to promote the recommendations of the Congress; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to develop and implement its policy strategies to prohibit and eliminate all forms of child labour and child exploitation throughout the world through programmes which include poverty reduction and the provision of basic education for all by the internationally agreed target date of 2015.

That this House expresses its deep concern at continuing reports that millions of children throughout the world live under conditions which are described as the worst forms of child labour in International Labour Convention 182, as already ratified by Her Majesty's Government, including slavery or practices similar to slavery such...

That this House, while welcoming the Government's Pension Protection Bill, and the security it will give to occupational pensions once the Bill comes into force at some future date, notes that tens of thousands of citizens who were compelled by law to belong to their company's pension scheme, and who have lost all or part of their pension entitlement, will be given no recompense at all; and calls on the Government to allow an amendment to the Bill so that this substantial group of citizens is fairly compensated from funds gained by levying unclaimed assets in banks and building societies.

That this House, while welcoming the Government's Pension Protection Bill, and the security it will give to occupational pensions once the Bill comes into force at some future date, notes that tens of thousands of citizens who were compelled by law to belong to their company's pension scheme, and who...

That this House urges much greater recognition of the links between domestic violence and child abuse in the hope that all honourable Members who support the benefits of contact, parenting time and shared parenting will also back (a) a new legal definition of domestic violence which recognises all forms of abuse and violence affecting all family members, (b) amendments to the Children Act 1989 so that courts must not grant residence or unsupervised contact to the violent or abusive parent unless it is satisfied that this is what the child wants and it can be enacted safely, (c) an over-ruling of the Re H&R judgement so that family courts do not have to apply a higher standard of proof in cases involving more serious allegations and (d) an amendment to the Family Law Act 1986 on the use of recovery orders to prevent perpetrators from using this legislation to locate and remove a child from the care of a victim of domestic violence without a thorough assessment of all the risks involved.

That this House urges much greater recognition of the links between domestic violence and child abuse in the hope that all honourable Members who support the benefits of contact, parenting time and shared parenting will also back (a) a new legal definition of domestic violence which recognises all forms of...

That this House cherishes Christmas Day as a special day, particularly for families and children, and welcomes the campaign by USDAW, the shop workers' union, on behalf of 2.6 million shop workers of the United Kingdom; regrets that many shops remain open on Christmas Day because employers put undue pressure on shop workers to abandon their family responsibilities on this important religious and public holiday; notes that the vast majority of shop workers are parents who should be able to spend Christmas with their children; also notes that current law offers no protection to such workers when Christmas Day does not fall on a Sunday; further notes that Christmas is an extremely busy and stressful period for shop workers and believes that they deserve at least one day off; and calls on the Government to protect shop workers on Christmas Day.

That this House cherishes Christmas Day as a special day, particularly for families and children, and welcomes the campaign by USDAW, the shop workers' union, on behalf of 2.6 million shop workers of the United Kingdom; regrets that many shops remain open on Christmas Day because employers put undue pressure...

That this House is appalled by crimes committed particularly against older people by doorstep callers offering property maintenance and improvement services; condemns high pressure sales tactics employed by some doorstep callers; resulting in vulnerable people parting with extortionate sums of money for unnecessary, shoddy or grossly overpriced work; and calls for legislation to prohibit unsolicited doorstep calls for the purpose of offering property maintenance and improvement and for a national campaign to raise awareness of the dangers.

That this House is appalled by crimes committed particularly against older people by doorstep callers offering property maintenance and improvement services; condemns high pressure sales tactics employed by some doorstep callers; resulting in vulnerable people parting with extortionate sums of money for unnecessary, shoddy or grossly overpriced work; and calls...

That this House welcomes the unanimous decision by the National Association of Toy and Leisure Libraries to refuse their recommendation in the annual Good Toy Guide, a publication valued by educationalists, toy manufacturers, retailers, parents and children, to any product, the manufacture of which employs child labour; hopes this example by a highly respected organisation, dedicated to the welfare of children and families, will encourage others and ensure that all children have the right to play.

That this House welcomes the unanimous decision by the National Association of Toy and Leisure Libraries to refuse their recommendation in the annual Good Toy Guide, a publication valued by educationalists, toy manufacturers, retailers, parents and children, to any product, the manufacture of which employs child labour; hopes this example...

That this House notes with concern the Commission for Health Improvement report into the institutional hospital abuse on Rowan Ward in Manchester in September, the MacIntyre undercover expose of abuse within care homes in October and the Panorama undercover expose of similar abuses within domiciliary care in November; welcomes the Health Select Committee Inquiry into elder abuse; and calls upon the Government to undertake a full and comprehensive review of Adult Protection initiatives.

That this House notes with concern the Commission for Health Improvement report into the institutional hospital abuse on Rowan Ward in Manchester in September, the MacIntyre undercover expose of abuse within care homes in October and the Panorama undercover expose of similar abuses within domiciliary care in November; welcomes the...

That this House condemns the practice of some companies involved in doorstep selling of delivering leaflets to potential customers to avoid consumer protection law; refutes the claim by the Department of Trade and Industry that customers telephoning to enquire about goods and services in response to a leaflet have had ample opportunity to compare prices and quality before a salesperson calls; believes that a cooling off period is essential for all customers to ensure that the elderly and vulnerable are not persuaded to purchase goods they cannot afford; note that legal protection is available to customers when the initial call is made by a salesperson either in person or on the telephone, but not when it is initiated by means of a leaflet; and calls on the Government to strengthen consumer protection law by allowing a cooling off period on sales contracts signed as a result of the customer responding to an unsolicited leaflet.

That this House condemns the practice of some companies involved in doorstep selling of delivering leaflets to potential customers to avoid consumer protection law; refutes the claim by the Department of Trade and Industry that customers telephoning to enquire about goods and services in response to a leaflet have had...

That this House believes that the forthcoming Green Paper on children should contain a commitment to the establishment of an independent children's commissioner for England in order to give children in England the same support and protection afforded or about to be afforded to children in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

That this House believes that the forthcoming Green Paper on children should contain a commitment to the establishment of an independent children's commissioner for England in order to give children in England the same support and protection afforded or about to be afforded to children in Wales, Northern Ireland and...

That this House believes that legislation that gives children fewer rights than adults in relation to physical assaults upon them is incompatible with policies to improve child protection.

That this House believes that legislation that gives children fewer rights than adults in relation to physical assaults upon them is incompatible with policies to improve child protection.

That this House welcomes the establishment of a Children's Commissioner for Wales and the progress towards similar posts in Scotland and Northern Ireland; recognises the vital importance of listening to children and ensuring that the country treats them well on the basis of respect for their fundamental human rights; and therefore calls for the establishment of a Children's Rights commissioner for England without further delay.

That this House welcomes the establishment of a Children's Commissioner for Wales and the progress towards similar posts in Scotland and Northern Ireland; recognises the vital importance of listening to children and ensuring that the country treats them well on the basis of respect for their fundamental human rights; and...

That this House believes that the numbers of children in this country who die through abuse and neglect is unacceptable and that public policy has failed to reduce the level of child deaths over the last 30 years; is concerned that the Chief Inspector of Social Services records in her eleventh annual report that three per cent. of children on the child protection register and five per cent. of looked-after children are not allocated a social worker, up to 4,000 children without a safety net; is further concerned that there is no systematic follow-up for child deaths or co-ordinated strategy to reduce child deaths in this country; calls on the Government to place area child protection committees on a statutory footing by placing a duty on all the agencies involved in child protection to participate in the work of the committee and support the local authority in discharging its child protection role; and further calls on the Government to establish an independent Children's Commissioner to promote and protect the rights of all children.

That this House believes that the numbers of children in this country who die through abuse and neglect is unacceptable and that public policy has failed to reduce the level of child deaths over the last 30 years; is concerned that the Chief Inspector of Social Services records in her...

That this House calls upon the Government to bring forward legislation on adult incapacity; notes that there is no statutory definition of incapacity and no uniform legal test regarding the factors to be considered in determining a person's best interest and that there are insufficient regulations to prevent abuse of powers of attorney; believes that any failures to discharge assumed responsibilities for incapacitated adults should automatically trigger investigation by social services departments or in some cases be liable for criminal prosecution; further notes that there is an inadequate, and in some cases non-existent, legal framework for independent advocacy, both to articulate the most intimate needs of vulnerable people in relation to health, social care, benefits or other welfare provision and for carers to be involved in decisions or the process of challenging decisions where disputes arise; and given the inadequacy of existing legislation to protect the most vulnerable adults in our society, notes the need for comprehensive law reform in the field of mental capacity and for any new legislation to be linked directly to reform of the Mental Health Act 1983.

That this House calls upon the Government to bring forward legislation on adult incapacity; notes that there is no statutory definition of incapacity and no uniform legal test regarding the factors to be considered in determining a person's best interest and that there are insufficient regulations to prevent abuse of...

That this House regrets that the number of children in prison has doubled in a decade to stand at 2,609 in 2002, far more than any other European country; notes that the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed serious concern at the high and increasing numbers of children in custody at earlier ages for lesser offences; further regrets the Government's failure to drop their reservation to article 37(c) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child; notes that, in two years 296 chldren sustained injuries following restraint and control in prison; further notes with concern that since 1997, 93 young people have committed suicide while in custody; regrets that many of the children in custody are the casualties of an under-resourced and over-pressured children protection system; believes that custody should be a measure of last resort; welcomes the High Court ruling in favour of the Howard League that the Children Act 1989 applies fully to children in prison and young offender institutions; and calls on the Government to meet its obligations under the UN convention and fully comply with the High Court ruling.

That this House regrets that the number of children in prison has doubled in a decade to stand at 2,609 in 2002, far more than any other European country; notes that the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed serious concern at the high and increasing numbers of...

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 applauds the Government's recent actions to protect the wreck of the American warship Bonhomme Richard and to return treasure illicitly taken from the wreck in Italian waters; welcomes recent improvements to the Treasure Act and its Code of Practice strengthening archaeological reporting of portable antiquities; notes the generally successful arrangement for archaeological investigations in public private partnerships for major infrastructure projects, including deposition of all finds in public museums; further notes the Government has ratified the Valetta Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage and has explicitly endorsed the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, both of which proscribe excavations carried out principally to recover precious metals and cultural objects for sale and dispersal; regrets therefore that the Ministry of Defence has signed a treasure-hunting contract with Odyssey Marine Inc. based on the sale of cultural materials from the warship, Sussex which sank off Gibraltar in 1694; doubts whether the project's principal purpose is recovery and disposal of UK cultural assets, conservation of the wreck, or archaeological research for public benefit; questions the technical feasibility of undertaking proper archaeological research at a depth of 2,500 feet; further notes significant domestic and international concern about precedents that this case may set; and asks the Government urgently to reconsider its decision not to sign the UNESCO Convention on the Underwater Cultural Heritage, and to work closely with national and international experts and governments to develop and adopt effective means of protecting and managing the underwater cultural heritage in the public interest.

That this House applauds the Government's recent actions to protect the wreck of the American warship Bonhomme Richard and to return treasure illicitly taken from the wreck in Italian waters; welcomes recent improvements to the Treasure Act and its Code of Practice strengthening archaeological reporting of portable antiquities; notes the...