That this House congratulates the Birchwood Youth Association on the opening of its new Birchwood Youth Centre; commends the work of its committee and all the partners involved in bringing the Centre into being; believes that the entertainment on the opening night demonstrated the talent and potential of our young people; and wishes them every success in the future.

That this House congratulates the Birchwood Youth Association on the opening of its new Birchwood Youth Centre; commends the work of its committee and all the partners involved in bringing the Centre into being; believes that the entertainment on the opening night demonstrated the talent and potential of our young...

That this House congratulates the trade union Unison on the launch of its 'Positively Public' campaign to highlight the contribution of public services to the success of this country; shares the belief that public services in the 21st century should be based on the principles of democratic accountability, effective delivery of services and measures to address the underfunding of public services by the previous government; believes that public authorities have an important role in promoting equality of opportunity and equality of access to services; and calls on all public authorities to make a commitment to the use of directly employed staff, the ending of a two-tier workforce and the improvement of public services through partnership with their staff.

That this House congratulates the trade union Unison on the launch of its 'Positively Public' campaign to highlight the contribution of public services to the success of this country; shares the belief that public services in the 21st century should be based on the principles of democratic accountability, effective delivery...

That this House welcomes the restoration, under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, of the right of appeal againt a refusal of a visa to visit family members in the United Kingdom; notes the considerable concern of the Commission for Racial Equality, the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, the Immigration Advisory Service, the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, the Immigration Law Practitioners' Association, the Legal Action Group, Justice, the Law Society and others that the value of this right of appeal is negated by the charging of substantial fees to appellants; notes with regret that these fees, the first to be imposed under the social welfare tribunal system, will have an adverse impact on black and Asian families, and thus on race relations; and urges the Government to dispense with such fee-charging for family visitor appeals.

That this House welcomes the restoration, under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, of the right of appeal againt a refusal of a visa to visit family members in the United Kingdom; notes the considerable concern of the Commission for Racial Equality, the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, the...

That this House finds it to be totally unacceptable that the French-based multi-national company Saint-Gobain should have acquired the shares of Biwater (Clay Cross) Ltd for the immediate purposes of closing the plant; is deeply concerned that this will lead to the loss of 700 jobs and the devastation of the local community; is aware that Saint-Gobain's objectives in moving to close the plant are (a) to destroy the pipe manufacturing capacity of a key rival, especially in international markets, (b) to capture Biwater's extensive and growing order book, essentially for transfer to overseas companies and (c) to transfer and asset strip the plant's machinery; and calls upon the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to prevent the closure by making full and effective use of powers available to him under the Fair Trading Act 1973, which includes the possibility of setting up an immediate inquiry into the take-over by the Competition Commission and halting all moves to close the plant while the Commission undertakes an in-depth investigation which it is believed will lead to the saving of the plant and the condemnation of Saint-Gobain's actions.

That this House finds it to be totally unacceptable that the French-based multi-national company Saint-Gobain should have acquired the shares of Biwater (Clay Cross) Ltd for the immediate purposes of closing the plant; is deeply concerned that this will lead to the loss of 700 jobs and the devastation of...

That this House notes that according to the Fees Office, 182 honourable and Right honourable Members of all parties overspent their office costs allowance in the last financial year by an average of ??2,500, and that the majority will have been obliged to make up the deficit by contributing to their staff salaries and other administrative costs from their own pockets; notes that honourable and Right honourable Members accrue no personal benefit from the OCA; further notes that the current level of the allowance compares unfavourably with those available to members of many overseas legislatures, including those of the USA, Australia, Canada, France and Germany; believes that honourable and Right honourable Members should be adequately supported in providing to their constituents the efficient and high quality service to which they are entitled, while offering reasonable rates of pay to their staff; recognises that even greater strain will be placed on the OCA as honourable and Right honourable Members seek to improve their and their staff's personal security following the appalling attack on the honourable Member for Cheltenham and his assistant earlier this year; and calls on the House authorities to ensure as a matter of urgency that the OCA is reviewed and uprated to meet the reasonable administrative costs of honourable and Right honourable Members.

That this House notes that according to the Fees Office, 182 honourable and Right honourable Members of all parties overspent their office costs allowance in the last financial year by an average of ??2,500, and that the majority will have been obliged to make up the deficit by contributing to...

That this House congratulates the Government of the Philippine Republic on their Act of 1998 which promotes animal welfare in the Republic; notes with great concern that despite the legislation the illegal killing of dogs for food still continues; respectfully requests the Philippine Government to recognise the repugnant nature of this practice to many countries around the world; and calls upon the relevant authorities to enforce the terms of the 1998 Act by stamping out the selling of dogs for food.

That this House congratulates the Government of the Philippine Republic on their Act of 1998 which promotes animal welfare in the Republic; notes with great concern that despite the legislation the illegal killing of dogs for food still continues; respectfully requests the Philippine Government to recognise the repugnant nature of...