That this House is concerned that the planned merger of Warwick Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) and the University of Warwick's Department of Biological Sciences will result in the closure of the internationally renowned Wellesbourne site, further eroding the UK's applied agricultural and horticultural research capabilities at a time when policy imperatives recognise the urgent need for such research to address the threat to food security posed by population growth, climate change and environmental degradation; calls for the redundancy process facing most of the academic and skilled technical staff at Warwick HRI to be halted pending a proper independent review of the potential impact this merger will have on the UK's ability to meet future food security objectives; and asks the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs personally to intervene to ask the University of Warwick to consider the impact of this decision on the UK's agri-food science base.

That this House is concerned that the planned merger of Warwick Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) and the University of Warwick's Department of Biological Sciences will result in the closure of the internationally renowned Wellesbourne site, further eroding the UK's applied agricultural and horticultural research capabilities at a time when policy...

That this House congratulates the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the right hon. Member for Southampton, Itchen, and the Minister for Communities, the hon. Member for Stevenage, for their wholehearted support for the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 (Amendment) Bill; notes that the Bill had the support of the Official Opposition and the Liberal Democrats; hopes that the Bill will pass through this House in this Session; and therefore calls on the Government to ensure that the Bill is brought before this House before the end of this Parliament and, if necessary, included in negotiations over wash-up arrangements.

That this House congratulates the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the right hon. Member for Southampton, Itchen, and the Minister for Communities, the hon. Member for Stevenage, for their wholehearted support for the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 (Amendment) Bill; notes that the Bill had the support of...

That this House acknowledges the right of the citizen to express lawful views about the unlawful acts of others at peaceful demonstrations; notes the disproportionate and unusually harsh sentences imposed on many young Muslims, most of exemplary character, who demonstrated against the Israeli attack on Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009; and calls for an independent inquiry into the conduct of the police and public and the unwarranted collective conduct of the courts relevant to these demonstrations.

That this House acknowledges the right of the citizen to express lawful views about the unlawful acts of others at peaceful demonstrations; notes the disproportionate and unusually harsh sentences imposed on many young Muslims, most of exemplary character, who demonstrated against the Israeli attack on Gaza in December 2008 and...

That this House supports WWF's Earth Hour 2010; notes the event's record of persuading one billion people worldwide to sign up to switch off their lights for an hour at 8.30 pm on 27 March 2010; congratulates those individuals, organisations, businesses and local authorities which have already pledged to take part; further notes that many British landmarks, including Canary Wharf, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and the London Eye will switch their lights off; and calls on the House authorities to ensure that the Palace of Westminster and all other buildings on the Parliamentary estate take part by switching off external floodlights and non-essential internal lighting.

That this House supports WWF's Earth Hour 2010; notes the event's record of persuading one billion people worldwide to sign up to switch off their lights for an hour at 8.30 pm on 27 March 2010; congratulates those individuals, organisations, businesses and local authorities which have already pledged to take...

That this House is firmly opposed to the proposed dairy unit in Lincolnshire housing up to 8,100 cows that will be kept indoors for most of the year; notes that the cows are likely to produce extremely high milk yields; further notes that the key finding of a 2009 scientific opinion by the European Food Safety Authority is that breeding for high milk yield is the major factor causing poor welfare to cows; believes that cows should be farmed in pasture-based systems as these enable them to express natural behaviours and are associated with lower levels of lameness; further believes that the proposed unit is taking UK dairy farming in the wrong direction and that the way forward lies in the use of healthy robust herds with lower milk yields but higher net margins for farmers due to lower culling rates, lower heifer replacement costs and higher sale prices for their calves and cull cows; and urges retailers and producers of dairy products not to source milk from such large-scale intensive dairy units where cows receive only minimal grazing.

That this House is firmly opposed to the proposed dairy unit in Lincolnshire housing up to 8,100 cows that will be kept indoors for most of the year; notes that the cows are likely to produce extremely high milk yields; further notes that the key finding of a 2009 scientific...

That this House recognises the bravery, dedication and sacrifice of members of the armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq; applauds the recent review and enhancement of the Armed Forces' Compensation Scheme; and calls on the Government to amend the qualifying date of 6 April 2005 to 1 January 2001, which marks the beginning of the war on terror, that ensures equality of treatment for personnel injured in Iraq and Afghanistan and thereby honours its duty of care to this loyal and dignified group of service men and women and their families.

That this House recognises the bravery, dedication and sacrifice of members of the armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq; applauds the recent review and enhancement of the Armed Forces' Compensation Scheme; and calls on the Government to amend the qualifying date of 6 April 2005 to 1 January 2001, which...

That this House believes that the interests of the Chagossian people and of Mauritius must be fully protected in the proposed Marine Protected Area; urges the Government to withdraw its case from the European Court of Human Rights and to settle out of court, as already suggested by the Court; and requests the Prime Minister to engage with Mauritius and the Chagossians, before the general election, in order to initiate discussion on an overall settlement of the issues, including timetable for eventual transfer of sovereignty of the Outer Islands to Mauritius and provision for a limited settlement on the Outer Islands.

That this House believes that the interests of the Chagossian people and of Mauritius must be fully protected in the proposed Marine Protected Area; urges the Government to withdraw its case from the European Court of Human Rights and to settle out of court, as already suggested by the Court;...

That this House notes that according to the Consumer Price Index the rate of inflation currently stands at 3.5 per cent. and that according to the Retail Prices Index stands at 3.7 per cent.; further notes that the basic state pension will rise by 2.5 per cent. in April 2010 but that additional state pension payments, including state earnings-related pension and state second pension are being frozen; is concerned that up to nine million pensioners will therefore see a significant fall in their real living standards as a result of the freezing of additional pension payments; further notes that the Department for Work and Pensions estimates that, compared with uprating additional pensions in line with the basic pension in April 2010, pensioners will lose over ??500 million per year for their rest of their retirement; and urges hon. Members to oppose the provisions of the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2010.

That this House notes that according to the Consumer Price Index the rate of inflation currently stands at 3.5 per cent. and that according to the Retail Prices Index stands at 3.7 per cent.; further notes that the basic state pension will rise by 2.5 per cent. in April 2010...

That this House expresses concern at the conclusions of the Science and Technology Committee's Report, Evidence Check on Homeopathy; notes that the Committee took only oral evidence from a limited number of witnesses, including known critics of homeopathy Tracy Brown, the Managing Director of Sense About Science, and journalist Dr Ben Goldacre, who have no expertise in the subject; believes that evidence should have been heard from primary care trusts that commission homeopathy, doctors who use it in a primary care setting, and other relevant organisations, such as the Society of Homeopaths, to provide balance; observes that the Committee did not consider evidence from abroad from countries such as France and Germany, where provision of homeopathy is far more widespread than in the UK, or from India, where it is part of the health service; regrets that the Committee ignored the 74 randomised controlled trials comparing homeopathy with placebo, of which 63 showed homeopathic treatments were effective, and that the Committee recommends no further research; further notes that 206 hon. Members signed Early Day Motion No. 1240 in support of NHS homeopathic hospitals in Session 2006-07; and calls on the Government to maintain its policy of allowing decision-making on individual clinical interventions, including homeopathy, to remain in the hands of local NHS service providers and practitioners who are best placed to know their community's needs.

That this House expresses concern at the conclusions of the Science and Technology Committee's Report, Evidence Check on Homeopathy; notes that the Committee took only oral evidence from a limited number of witnesses, including known critics of homeopathy Tracy Brown, the Managing Director of Sense About Science, and journalist Dr...

That this House supports the Robin Hood tax campaign which calls for the introduction of a financial transaction tax; notes that by taking an average of 0.05 per cent. from speculative banking transactions, hundreds of billions of pounds could be raised every year to tackle poverty and climate change, at home and abroad; believes that banks, which had a large role in causing the economic crisis, should do more than just pay back the bailouts or insure against future crises; further believes that a Robin Hood tax would be an effective and popular response, with a recent poll finding that 80 per cent. of respondents supported the introduction of a Robin Hood tax; commends the work of all those organisations backing this campaign who have mobilised their supporters to increase the pressure for such change; believes that this tax is an idea that has come of age; and urges the Government to do all possible to ensure that the Robin Hood tax becomes a reality.

That this House supports the Robin Hood tax campaign which calls for the introduction of a financial transaction tax; notes that by taking an average of 0.05 per cent. from speculative banking transactions, hundreds of billions of pounds could be raised every year to tackle poverty and climate change, at...

That this House notes with concern evidence that the persecution of Christians is increasing around the world; welcomes the current initiative to highlight this in churches across the country on Maundy Thursday; and urges the Government to do all it can to raise and pursue concerns about human rights and religious liberty in overseas countries through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for International Development.

That this House notes with concern evidence that the persecution of Christians is increasing around the world; welcomes the current initiative to highlight this in churches across the country on Maundy Thursday; and urges the Government to do all it can to raise and pursue concerns about human rights and...

That the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (Amendment) Scheme 2010, a copy of which was laid before this House on 5 February, be revoked.

That the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (Amendment) Scheme 2010, a copy of which was laid before this House on 5 February, be revoked.

That this House has grave concerns over the direction of the UK's current policy on biofuels; notes that there are substantial negative impacts on hunger and on climate change of the current policy of investment in large-scale industrial biofuels; further notes that in 2008 industrial biofuels pushed 30 million people into hunger and put an additional 260 million people at risk of hunger according to figures calculated by ActionAid; calls attention to the fact that biofuels distract from real solutions to climate change; urges the Government to develop legislation, taxation policy and other measures that limit energy demand in the transport sector; supports non-biofuel renewable energy sources in transport, including electric cars using electricity from truly renewable sources; and further urges the Government not to incentivise further increases in the use of biofuels through targets or subsidies in the National Action Plan to be submitted to the EU in June 2010.

That this House has grave concerns over the direction of the UK's current policy on biofuels; notes that there are substantial negative impacts on hunger and on climate change of the current policy of investment in large-scale industrial biofuels; further notes that in 2008 industrial biofuels pushed 30 million people...

That this House recognises that an effective system of school inspection should be genuinely supportive of school improvement and as such requires the confidence of teachers and headteachers; notes that there are deep concerns in a number of schools about the new inspection framework and evaluation schedule and the interpretation of these by inspectors, particularly in relation to the limiting judgments for safeguarding and achievement; is seriously concerned about reports of inspectors making arbitrary judgments based on trivial issues which lead to schools unfairly being marked down or in some cases deemed to have failed; is also concerned that parents and the general public will be given an erroneous and misleading impression of school standards; and urges Her Majesty's Chief Inspector to revise the guidance to schools and inspectors to remedy these concerns.

That this House recognises that an effective system of school inspection should be genuinely supportive of school improvement and as such requires the confidence of teachers and headteachers; notes that there are deep concerns in a number of schools about the new inspection framework and evaluation schedule and the interpretation...

That this House believes that the record high prison population and reducing budgets have undermined the National Offender Management Service's objective of tackling re-offending; considers that this undermines the ability of the Probation Service to function effectively; and calls on the Government to create separate operational structures, with their own directorates, for both prisons and probation.

That this House believes that the record high prison population and reducing budgets have undermined the National Offender Management Service's objective of tackling re-offending; considers that this undermines the ability of the Probation Service to function effectively; and calls on the Government to create separate operational structures, with their own...

That this House congratulates His Excellency Mr Antonio Lagdameo on his appointment as Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the Court of St. James; notes the historic special relationship between the United Kingdom and the Republic of the Philippines and the never to be forgotten heroism shown by Filipino allies during World War II; further notes the shared value of respect to the treatment of animals in both countries as evidenced by recent legislation in the Philippines providing severe penalties for those convicted of involvement in the dog meat trade; respectfully requests that Mr Lagdameo conveys to his government the hope of this House that a Special Filipino Task Force is created to enforce these laws thereby eliminating this cruel exploitation of animals once and for all; and calls on the Government to offer support and advice to ensure that the practice is finally stamped out.

That this House congratulates His Excellency Mr Antonio Lagdameo on his appointment as Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the Court of St. James; notes the historic special relationship between the United Kingdom and the Republic of the Philippines and the never to be forgotten heroism shown by...

That this House calls for cross-party support for WWF's Earth Hour 2010 campaign which seeks to persuade over a billion people worldwide to switch off their lights for an hour at 8.30 pm on 27 March 2010 to demonstrate to political leaders the far-reaching public desire for an urgent, fair, ambitious, binding and scientifically credible global deal on climate change; notes that the Copenhagen Accord failed to establish a sufficiently ambitious or binding framework capable of tackling the threat of climate change; further notes the urgent need for a legally binding global compact which sets stringent carbon emissions reductions targets at global and national levels; further notes that such a framework must include a mechanism for the independent monitoring and verification of progress; further calls on the Government to seek a new international mechanism to provide sustained and sufficient finance additional to existing commitments and which will be committed to support mitigation and adaptation and to prevent deforestation in developing nations; recognises the lead the UK showed at the climate negotiations in Copenhagen; and further calls on the Government to take a leadership role in securing jobs in the UK's green economy and in safeguarding lives, livelihoods and the planet.

That this House calls for cross-party support for WWF's Earth Hour 2010 campaign which seeks to persuade over a billion people worldwide to switch off their lights for an hour at 8.30 pm on 27 March 2010 to demonstrate to political leaders the far-reaching public desire for an urgent, fair,...