That this House acknowledges the important contribution made by the Overseas Adoption Helpline in assisting would-be parents and others concerned with the adoption of children from abroad; believes that the difficult and complicated procedures to be followed by those wishing to adopt from abroad demand that there be an up-to-date, dedicated source of independent advice and information both for would-be adopters and professionals; is fearful that the proposed closure of the Helpline would leave prospective parents and children at risk; does not believe that the Department of Health and local authorities can themselves provide such an independent service therefore calls on the Government to review its decision to cease funding a service which has helped 14,000 callers over the past five years; and fully supports similar calls from the British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering, together with the Adoption Forum, the Association of County Councils, the Association of Directors of Social Services, the Association of Metropolitan Authorities, the Association of Families who have Adopted from Abroad, the Bridge Child Care Development Service, the British Association of Social Workers, the Campaign for Intercountry Adoption, Childlink, International Social Services, the National Council for Voluntary Child Care Organisations, the Overseas Adoption Helpline Steering Board and Parent to Parent Information on Adoption Services.

That this House acknowledges the important contribution made by the Overseas Adoption Helpline in assisting would-be parents and others concerned with the adoption of children from abroad; believes that the difficult and complicated procedures to be followed by those wishing to adopt from abroad demand that there be an up-to-date,...

That this House calls upon the Secretary of State for Health to acknowledge that insulin-dependent diabetics will require pen needles throughout their entire lifetime; notes that insulin-dependent diabetics have to care for themselves on a day to day basis; notes that diabetics using pen needles benefit from better control of diabetes and are likely to have fewer complications; notes that pen needles are re-used more often than syringe needles; notes that pen devices are more convenient for use by children, the elderly, visually impaired and stroke sufferers; notes that the present system whereby some patients are provided with needles free through their diabetes clinics but paid for by the NHS is unfair; and calls for an early review of current policy and for provision of pen needles on prescription for all insulin-dependent diabetics.

That this House calls upon the Secretary of State for Health to acknowledge that insulin-dependent diabetics will require pen needles throughout their entire lifetime; notes that insulin-dependent diabetics have to care for themselves on a day to day basis; notes that diabetics using pen needles benefit from better control of...

This House congratulates MERLIN which is a British medical charity providing emergency medical relief in disaster situations around the world; praises the rapid response teams of volunteer doctors and nurses for their work with refugees in war-torn areas of Rwanda, Afghanistan and the Caucasus; for their fight against tuberculosis in Siberia, cholera in Afghanistan, polio in Chechnya; for their feeding programmes for malnourished children in Sierra Leone; for their recovery programme in Yemen after flash floods; for their assistance in setting up health clinics and rehabilitating hospitals wherever possible; welcomes the current support from the Overseas Aid Budget; but notes that more money is urgently required to finance training of relief workers and to widen the scope of this excellent voluntary organisation.

This House congratulates MERLIN which is a British medical charity providing emergency medical relief in disaster situations around the world; praises the rapid response teams of volunteer doctors and nurses for their work with refugees in war-torn areas of Rwanda, Afghanistan and the Caucasus; for their fight against tuberculosis in...

That this House congratulates the Royal National Institute for the Blind on the publication of Losing Sight of Blindness; recognises that this shows that older people are putting their sight at risk due to not having their eyes tested regularly and that many older people are being deterred from attending an eye test due to the fee; understands that this happens because of fear about the cost of tests and confusion over exemption categories; welcomes the wide range of medical, professional and older people's organisations who are supporting the RNIB campaign; recognises that Her Majesty's Government has said that it would cost ??32 million to restore free eye tests for people aged 60 years and over; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to introduce free comprehensive eye tests for all people aged 60 years and over and other high risk groups as a matter of priority.

That this House congratulates the Royal National Institute for the Blind on the publication of Losing Sight of Blindness; recognises that this shows that older people are putting their sight at risk due to not having their eyes tested regularly and that many older people are being deterred from attending...

That this House recognises the problem caused to the Teachers' Pension Agency funding by the increasing number of teachers seeking to retire shortly after reaching the age of 50; also recognises that such early retirements are, in many cases, of value to the teacher concerned, the school and its pupils; and believes also that further bipartison consultation is necessary before any final decision is made on teachers' early retirement.

That this House recognises the problem caused to the Teachers' Pension Agency funding by the increasing number of teachers seeking to retire shortly after reaching the age of 50; also recognises that such early retirements are, in many cases, of value to the teacher concerned, the school and its pupils;...