That this House notes with concern the situation faced by 550,000 British pensioners living overseas, primarily in Commonwealth countries, who are currently deprived of annual state pension uprating adjustments by the Government's frozen pension policy; believes that there is a positive incremental solution of partial uprating, involving introducing annual uprating to all currently frozen pensions going forward, but from their current rate only; further notes that partial uprating would cost just £37 million and carry no legal risks of historic back payment claims; further notes that partial uprating would benefit all currently frozen pensioners immediately by ending the real terms year-on-year decline of their state pensions; further notes that partial uprating would remove the frozen pension problem completely for future retirees; further notes that this would remove a significant current barrier to pensioner emigration from the UK, offering significant consequential savings that would more than cover the upfront costs, even in year one; and calls on the Government to implement partial uprating as an affordable and practical means to offer dignity in retirement to all British pensioners, based on their historic contributions, not place of residence.

That this House notes with concern the situation faced by 550,000 British pensioners living overseas, primarily in Commonwealth countries, who are currently deprived of annual state pension uprating adjustments by the Government's frozen pension policy; believes that there is a positive incremental solution of partial uprating, involving introducing annual uprating...

That this House warmly congratulates the Mayor of Morphou and the members of the Morphou municipality on holding their photography exhibition, Morphou: The Pillage and Destruction of Age-Long Heritage, in the UK to remind the British public, the EU and the major countries of the world of the ongoing injustice and cultural destruction that Morphou and its citizens still suffer from the Turkish military invasion and ongoing occupation of large areas of the Republic of Cyprus since July 1974; notes with deep concern the appalling conditions and cultural destruction of Morphou and its surrounding areas, including cemeteries, one of which has been concreted over and is now used as a car park; and calls on the Government to bring these matters to the attention of the Turkish Cypriot administration and the government of Turkey and to request that they show proper respect for cemeteries and places of religious worship and stop destroying the cultural heritage of not only the Morphou area, but the whole occupied northern part of Cyprus.

That this House warmly congratulates the Mayor of Morphou and the members of the Morphou municipality on holding their photography exhibition, Morphou: The Pillage and Destruction of Age-Long Heritage, in the UK to remind the British public, the EU and the major countries of the world of the ongoing injustice...

That this House notes, on the occasion of the State Visit to the UK of the President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, that continued violations of internationally accepted labour rights take place on a daily basis in Mexico, many of which have been carried out in an attempt to crush the National Miners' and Metalworkers' Union of Mexico (SNTMMSRM); further notes that the US State Department's 2012 Human Rights Report concluded that the Mexican government did not consistently protect workers' rights in practice; condemns the continued use of protection contracts in which many thousands of workers are governed by illegitimate collective agreements that they have never ratified, were never consulted on and in many cases have never seen; further condemns arbitrary denials of trade union recognition, limitations on the right to strike, and serious health and safety problems in the mining and petroleum industries; believes the existence of free and independent trade unions is essential to the functioning of any democracy; and therefore calls on the Government to make representations to the Mexican government to carry out fundamental reforms to ensure that Mexican labour law respects and enforces international standards; and following the complete exoneration of SNTMMSRM General Secretary, Napoleon Gomez Urrutia, of all allegations against him, that the government of Mexico will guarantee his freedom, safety and wellbeing when he decides to return to Mexico.

That this House notes, on the occasion of the State Visit to the UK of the President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, that continued violations of internationally accepted labour rights take place on a daily basis in Mexico, many of which have been carried out in an attempt to crush...

That this House notes that despite record planned Government investment in rail, the South and West franchise holder, First Great Western (FGW), appears to be taking a backward approach to passenger services, safety and employee relations as new rolling stock will not include buffet cars, future staffing levels on trains will be reduced and the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) rail union has been told that it will no longer represent managerial grades along that route; believes that this will reduce passenger safety and service as well as good industrial relations; and calls on FGW to undertake urgent discussions with the TSSA, other unions and stakeholders, to ensure that the introduction of any new trains will not mean a worsening of conditions for both passengers and staff.

That this House notes that despite record planned Government investment in rail, the South and West franchise holder, First Great Western (FGW), appears to be taking a backward approach to passenger services, safety and employee relations as new rolling stock will not include buffet cars, future staffing levels on trains...

That this House condemns in the strongest possible terms the employment practices of the cleaning contractor employed by Sotheby's London branch, Contract Cleaning and Maintenance (London) Ltd (CCML), towards the cleaners and porters who are members of the trade union United Voices of the World (UVW) who have issued a notice of a formal trade dispute; is appalled at CCML's poor employment practices, which include the unwarranted suspension of a porter following a grievance he made about poor treatment, the refusal to stop using certain chemicals which leave cleaners with breathing difficulties, chest pains and rashes, the unwarranted deduction of wages and working hours, overworking and shouting at porters and cleaners, reprimanding a porter for using the toilet outside his official break time, threatening a cleaner with suspension for not being clean shaven, a refusal to discipline aggressive managers, a refusal to pay contractual sick pay instead of statutory sick pay, so as to relieve the cleaners and porters of the choice between working sick, or not working, and therefore falling behind on their rent or risk facing eviction, and a refusal of CCML to backdate the current London Living Wage to 1 November 2014; supports the demands of CCML employees for dignity and respect at work and for the London Living Wage to be backdated; calls on CCML to work to resolve this dispute; and urges Sotheby's to bring pressure to bear on CCML in resolving the dispute as a matter of urgency.

That this House condemns in the strongest possible terms the employment practices of the cleaning contractor employed by Sotheby's London branch, Contract Cleaning and Maintenance (London) Ltd (CCML), towards the cleaners and porters who are members of the trade union United Voices of the World (UVW) who have issued a...

That this House notes with grave concern the continuation of the long-running industrial dispute between Barnet Council and Your Choice Barnet (YCB), a local authority trading company 100 per cent owned by the London Borough of Barnet, which provides services for adults with disabilities; further notes that this dispute relates to a 9.5 per cent pay cut imposed on low paid care workers on 1 April 2014; further notes that the pay cut imposed on the YCB care workers comes just a year after YCB workers saw over 30 per cent of their colleagues made redundant due to a restructure and all shift allowances were removed; believes there is excessive use of agency and casual staff meaning the regular staff carry an extra workload in familiarising casual staff with the work to be done; and calls on the London Borough of Barnet to enter into serious negotiations with YCB, Barnet UNISON and the local trade union, to resolve this dispute constructively and allow YCB to focus once again on its provision of high-quality services for adults with disabilities.

That this House notes with grave concern the continuation of the long-running industrial dispute between Barnet Council and Your Choice Barnet (YCB), a local authority trading company 100 per cent owned by the London Borough of Barnet, which provides services for adults with disabilities; further notes that this dispute relates...

That this House notes that public service firefighters and police officers who retired in a period from 1998 to 2006 were significantly and knowingly disadvantaged by the failure by the Government Actuary's Department, the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Home Office to secure up-to-date actuarial valuations in respect of pension entitlements surrendered on retirement; further notes that maladministration in this matter was established in 2008; further notes that since then the Government Actuary's Department has acted in bad faith by adopting delaying tactics, including a dubious and failed legal challenge to the authority of the Pensions Ombudsman, thereby causing lengthy and unnecessary delay to the resolution of this matter and occasioning a situation whereby many of those affected have not or will not live sufficiently long to see this injustice corrected; and calls on the named departments to accept the imminent ruling by the Pensions Ombudsman and take immediate steps to pay any recommended awards.

That this House notes that public service firefighters and police officers who retired in a period from 1998 to 2006 were significantly and knowingly disadvantaged by the failure by the Government Actuary's Department, the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Home Office to secure up-to-date actuarial valuations in...

That this House welcomes the Department for Education's review of paediatric first aid training for nursery staff across England following the tragic case of Millie Thompson, who passed away aged nine months after a choking incident at a nursery school in Cheadle; notes that Millie's case has exposed loopholes in current regulation; further notes that over 100,000 people signed an e-petition requesting a change to the law; pays tribute to Joanne and Dan Thompson and all their supporters for setting up Millie's Trust and campaigning for a positive legacy; and calls on the Government to introduce a requirement for all relevant pre-school and nursery staff to receive paediatric first aid training.

That this House welcomes the Department for Education's review of paediatric first aid training for nursery staff across England following the tragic case of Millie Thompson, who passed away aged nine months after a choking incident at a nursery school in Cheadle; notes that Millie's case has exposed loopholes in...

That this House notes the recent report by Professor Peter Walton on the likely impact of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 on insolvency litigation; further notes that Professor Walton's empirical evidence shows that from April 2015 the Act will have a negative impact on creditors, including the taxpayer and businesses, as well as the public interest; notes concerns from business groups representing creditors, including the Institute of Credit Management and the British Property Federation; is concerned that more than £160 million owed to businesses and the taxpayer each year could remain with directors or third parties that have wrongly, negligently or fraudulently taken money out of a business as a result of the Act; and calls on the Government to review the legislation before it comes into force in April 2015.

That this House notes the recent report by Professor Peter Walton on the likely impact of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 on insolvency litigation; further notes that Professor Walton's empirical evidence shows that from April 2015 the Act will have a negative impact on creditors,...

That this House welcomes the Ending Cold Homes: Affordable Warmth Manifesto launched by the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, an alliance of over 50 poverty, environmental and consumer groups, trade unions and other civil society organisations; supports the Manifesto's core aim of ending the misery of fuel poverty in the UK; further supports the six key pledges set out in the Manifesto: to improve the energy efficiency standards of all low income homes to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C by 2025, to make energy efficiency a national infrastructure priority, to implement a cross-departmental fuel poverty strategy, to use trusted agencies and organisations, such as local authorities, to improve homes and encourage health and social workers to refer people for home improvements, to require fuel companies to provide a better deal for low income households, with rebates on fuel bills to all low income consumers and to ensure employment and income policies provide a sufficient income to pay fuel bills and maintain a good standard of living; and therefore urges current and future governments to support the Affordable Warmth Manifesto and take immediate action on fuel poverty to improve the quality of millions of people's lives across the UK.

That this House welcomes the Ending Cold Homes: Affordable Warmth Manifesto launched by the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, an alliance of over 50 poverty, environmental and consumer groups, trade unions and other civil society organisations; supports the Manifesto's core aim of ending the misery of fuel poverty in the UK;...

That this House recognises that properly qualified supply teachers are an essential resource for schools which wish to deliver the same quality learning experience for pupils when a class's regular teacher is absent; notes that supply teachers are increasingly employed by agencies which siphon off significant amounts of public funding for education into their profits; is concerned that agencies are unable to offer supply teachers membership of the Teachers' Pension Scheme and are driving down their pay, with a recent survey by the National Union of Teachers finding that 40 per cent of supply teachers are getting lower, or significantly lower, pay than three years ago; further notes the uncertainty and disquiet about umbrella companies which increasingly employ supply teachers; and calls on the Government to encourage schools to employ supply teachers directly or through the local authority, rather than using agencies, to ensure supply teachers are paid fairly and have access to pension rights on an equal basis to other teachers.

That this House recognises that properly qualified supply teachers are an essential resource for schools which wish to deliver the same quality learning experience for pupils when a class's regular teacher is absent; notes that supply teachers are increasingly employed by agencies which siphon off significant amounts of public funding...

That this House notes the significant personal sacrifice armed forces personnel make in their service to the nation once they take the oath or affirmation of allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen; acknowledges that ex-service personnel are proud to receive and wear Her Majesty's Veterans Badge, but notes that it is not awarded posthumously and it is considered by many to be insufficient recognition of the contribution veterans have made to the safety of the nation since the end of the Second World War; and therefore calls on the Government to rescind its decision not to recognise the veterans more appropriately by the award of a national defence medal and instead to establish a working group to work with the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals with a view to implementing a national defence medal as soon as possible.

That this House notes the significant personal sacrifice armed forces personnel make in their service to the nation once they take the oath or affirmation of allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen; acknowledges that ex-service personnel are proud to receive and wear Her Majesty's Veterans Badge, but notes that it...

That this House welcomes the Government commitment to allow animal experiment licences to be obtained under Freedom of Information Act rules and to end the use of animal experiments to test household product ingredients; notes that the former Home Office Minister, the hon. Member for Lewes, stated that these commitments were to take effect before the General Election; and urges the Home Secretary to proceed in this direction at the earliest opportunity.

That this House welcomes the Government commitment to allow animal experiment licences to be obtained under Freedom of Information Act rules and to end the use of animal experiments to test household product ingredients; notes that the former Home Office Minister, the hon. Member for Lewes, stated that these commitments...

That this House recognises the work of Electrical Safety First, a charity dedicated to preventing deaths, injuries and damage caused by electricity, to raise awareness of people being put at risk by a new trend in which thousands of potentially dangerous counterfeit products are out on sale on social media; notes that sales of illegal, fake goods on social media have increased by nearly 15 per cent in the last year; further notes that, in the past year, the percentage of counterfeit goods seized by authorities because they posed a threat to people's health and safety has doubled, with the number of mobile telephones seized for this reason increasing by over 50 per cent in the last year; further notes that counterfeit electrical products often contain faulty parts, causing electric shocks, overheating and the ability to catch fire contributing to nearly 6,000 house fires; and calls on the Government to assess and tackle the number of dangerous counterfeit electrical goods being sold on social media in the UK.

That this House recognises the work of Electrical Safety First, a charity dedicated to preventing deaths, injuries and damage caused by electricity, to raise awareness of people being put at risk by a new trend in which thousands of potentially dangerous counterfeit products are out on sale on social media;...

That this House welcomes the ending of the beer duty escalator and the positive impact of two successive beer duty cuts in the 2013 and 2014 Budgets in supporting the growth of Britain's breweries and underpinning confidence in the UK's pubs; notes that beer duty is now 13 per cent lower than under the tax rises previously planned, a tax reduction that has been popular with pubgoers, leading to an additional 16,000 jobs and in the first six months following the Budget an extra £44 million in investment; and urges the Government to consider a further cut in beer duty in the 2015 Budget which would secure pub jobs, help keep pub pints affordable and support Britain's much-loved pubs.

That this House welcomes the ending of the beer duty escalator and the positive impact of two successive beer duty cuts in the 2013 and 2014 Budgets in supporting the growth of Britain's breweries and underpinning confidence in the UK's pubs; notes that beer duty is now 13 per cent...

That this House notes with gratitude the work Royal Mail carries out all year round and particularly during the period leading up to Christmas; further notes that Royal Mail's competitors are unregulated and, consequently, free to choose what, when and where to deliver; expresses strong concern that companies such as Whistl, formerly TNT Post, regularly fail to deliver hundreds of items on a daily basis in each constituency because they are cherry picking which addresses they find convenient; further notes that this results in additional costs per item as undelivered items of mail are returned to Royal Mail to deliver; further notes that these practices put additional and unfair pressure on Royal Mail revenues, thereby undermining Royal Mail's ability to provide a six day per week service to every household in the UK, the Universal Service obligation; further expresses concern that Royal Mail's competitors frequently pay staff below the living wage and use disreputable employment practices such as zero hours contracts; and calls on Ofcom urgently to investigate this unacceptable situation and take appropriate action to enable Royal Mail to meet its Universal Service obligation.

That this House notes with gratitude the work Royal Mail carries out all year round and particularly during the period leading up to Christmas; further notes that Royal Mail's competitors are unregulated and, consequently, free to choose what, when and where to deliver; expresses strong concern that companies such as...

That this House notes the important campaign led by People First Keighley and Craven, and Turning Point, to stop drivers of wheelchair-accessible private hire vehicles from charging extra to carry wheelchair users; and urges the Government to bring into force section 165 of the Equality Act 2010, which states that private hire firms which have vehicles that have been designated as accessible by a local authority must carry passengers in wheelchairs without making an additional charge.

That this House notes the important campaign led by People First Keighley and Craven, and Turning Point, to stop drivers of wheelchair-accessible private hire vehicles from charging extra to carry wheelchair users; and urges the Government to bring into force section 165 of the Equality Act 2010, which states that...

That this House celebrates Dundee being awarded status as a UNESCO City of Design; notes that Dundee is the only city in the UK to be awarded this status; recognises that Dundee hosts a significant number of design contributions such as video games, comics, biomedical research and other fields; and praises the extraordinary efforts of the people of Dundee in helping Dundee to achieve this special status.

That this House celebrates Dundee being awarded status as a UNESCO City of Design; notes that Dundee is the only city in the UK to be awarded this status; recognises that Dundee hosts a significant number of design contributions such as video games, comics, biomedical research and other fields; and...

That this House believes that people with Parkinson's disease should always have the full range of treatment options open to them; notes with concern that in England people with Parkinson's disease are currently unable to access Duodopa; recognises that Duodopa is a licensed and often life-changing treatment that can give people back their independence when all other treatment options have been exhausted; further recognises that, when people cannot access Duodopa, their health and care needs significantly increase, with significant cost implications; further recognises that the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group review of Duodopa has been characterised by delays and a lack of transparency; and calls on NHS England urgently to review the availability of Duodopa and take action to ensure that people are able to access the treatment.

That this House believes that people with Parkinson's disease should always have the full range of treatment options open to them; notes with concern that in England people with Parkinson's disease are currently unable to access Duodopa; recognises that Duodopa is a licensed and often life-changing treatment that can give...

That this House regrets the latest announcement from Trinity Mirror newspapers that approximately 50 editorial and non-editorial jobs will be lost as seven newspapers in the south of England, including the Harrow Observer, Reading Post and Surrey Herald, are to be closed; notes that the proposals will mean that the county of Berkshire will be served by a digital-only model; further notes that the latest closures come on top of the closure of 150 local newspaper titles since the financial crisis of 2008, with many more reducing the frequency of publication or the range of locally-specific news coverage; is concerned about the loss of such assets to local communities and the important democratic function they serve in reporting on public life including local and national election campaigning; welcomes the recent cross-party stakeholder seminar organised by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to consider policy responses; and joins the National Union of Journalists in calling for a short, sharp cross-party and inter-departmental government inquiry into securing a future for the industry, in order to protect the public interest and defend jobs in quality local journalism.

That this House regrets the latest announcement from Trinity Mirror newspapers that approximately 50 editorial and non-editorial jobs will be lost as seven newspapers in the south of England, including the Harrow Observer, Reading Post and Surrey Herald, are to be closed; notes that the proposals will mean that the...