That this House expresses concern that many of the 400 outsourced catering, porters, cleaners and ward hostesses employed by Medirest, which is part of the Compass Group, at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow are being paid £8.21 an hour rather than the Living Wage Foundation rate of £9 an hour and £10.55 an hour in London, in spite of the fact that Compass Group’s annual report demonstrated pre-tax operating profits of more than £1.6 billion; notes that the Compass Group CEO received total remuneration of more than £4.5 million in 2018; further notes reports of bullying and high workloads of Medirest staff who provide vital services such as caring for deceased patients and cleaning blood, vomit and human waste; calls for an urgent increase in pay and a root-and-branch investigation into those concerns; and believes that to help secure and maintain a first-class, modern health service the recent NHS pay increase awarded to directly employed staff should be at the very least matched by the owners of Medirest to their staff at Northwick Park Hospital.

That this House expresses concern that many of the 400 outsourced catering, porters, cleaners and ward hostesses employed by Medirest, which is part of the Compass Group, at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow are being paid £8.21 an hour rather than the Living Wage Foundation rate of £9 an hour...

That this House recognises the dangerous working conditions in the Prison Service; expresses concern at the increasing number of violent assaults on prison staff; believes that prison officers approaching the age of 70 should not be expected to deal with violent and dangerous criminals aged in their twenties, thirties and forties; considers the demands placed on prison officers, as uniformed emergency workers, to be similar to police officers and firefighters, who can retire at 60 in recognition of the unique nature of their roles; and calls on the Government to show its thanks and appreciation for our prison staff through practical action to improve prison safety, enhance terms and conditions and align prison officers' pension age with other uniformed emergency services.

That this House recognises the dangerous working conditions in the Prison Service; expresses concern at the increasing number of violent assaults on prison staff; believes that prison officers approaching the age of 70 should not be expected to deal with violent and dangerous criminals aged in their twenties, thirties and...

That this House notes with concern the sale of detox tea products containing senna and other strong laxative ingredients to young people; further notes that these ingredients are usually used in medication to treat constipation and can have significant detrimental health impacts if used regularly primarily for weight loss; observes that detox teas are aggressively marketed through social media with a focus on unproven health benefits without reference to their harmful ingredients; further observes that detox teas are currently unregulated and can be purchased by people of any age; highlights that these products can exacerbate mental ill-health and eating disorders; and calls on the Government to ban the use of laxative medication in teas and to introduce a stronger regulatory framework and safeguards for the marketing of weight-loss products on social media.

That this House notes with concern the sale of detox tea products containing senna and other strong laxative ingredients to young people; further notes that these ingredients are usually used in medication to treat constipation and can have significant detrimental health impacts if used regularly primarily for weight loss; observes...

That this House is concerned by the growing body of evidence, including research reports by Doctors of the World, Maternity Action and the BMA, that the NHS England overseas visitors charging regime is deterring vulnerable migrant women living in the UK from seeking essential maternity care, and is resulting in some women being wrongly denied maternity care and wrongly told that they have to pay in advance; is further concerned by the conclusion of Maternity Action's September 2019 report, Duty of care: midwives' experience of the NHS charging regime, that charging has a pronounced effect on midwives' ability to look after women in their care; notes that in December 2018, the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the Faculty of Public Health published a joint statement calling for the suspension of the charging regime; further notes that in March 2019, the heads of the Academy of Royal Colleges, the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Royal College of Midwives and others wrote jointly to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to urge him to suspend the charging regime pending a full independent review of its effect on individual and public health; and urges the Government to respond positively to Maternity Action’s call, supported by the Royal College of Midwives, for the immediate suspension of charging for NHS maternity care.

That this House is concerned by the growing body of evidence, including research reports by Doctors of the World, Maternity Action and the BMA, that the NHS England overseas visitors charging regime is deterring vulnerable migrant women living in the UK from seeking essential maternity care, and is resulting in...

That this House notes with deep concern the over 90,000 fires recorded in Brazil so far this year, with burning detected inside indigenous lands and nature reserves; notes that the Amazon rainforest is home to over 20 million people including 1 million indigenous people, 10 per cent of the Earth's biodiversity and the world's largest carbon sink; understands fires have been set deliberately; is concerned that those fires follow President Jair Bolsonaro's weakening of Brazil’s environment agency and a desire to open up more of the Amazon for mining, logging and farming; further notes warnings from scientists that loss of tree cover in the Amazon rainforest could tip the region towards a drier ecosystem, storing vastly less carbon; notes that the Government wants to pursue a closer trading relationship with Brazil; supports proposals from Ireland and France to veto the EU-Mercosur trade deal unless Brazil honours its environmental commitments; further supports calls from indigenous people in Brazil for a boycott of goods involved in the burning and destruction of indigenous lands; urges the Government to oppose the EU-Mercosur trade deal which will only intensify the exploitation of the Amazon region, to suspend on-going trade talks and its £20 million trade facilitation programme with Brazil until it protects the Amazon and its people; and to make any future trade deals with Brazil and other countries contingent on progress under the Paris Agreement and the enforcement of high environmental standards and human rights.

That this House notes with deep concern the over 90,000 fires recorded in Brazil so far this year, with burning detected inside indigenous lands and nature reserves; notes that the Amazon rainforest is home to over 20 million people including 1 million indigenous people, 10 per cent of the Earth's...

That this House calls on the Secretary of State for Transport to undertake a review of the Airports National Planning Statement which supports the construction of an additional runway at Heathrow Airport exercising powers outlined in the Planning Act (2008); and believes that since the statement was first adopted there has been a significant change in circumstances particularly the adoption of a target of net zero for UK emissions by 2050 and the declaration of an environment and climate emergency following the findings of the Inter-governmental panel on Climate Change.

That this House calls on the Secretary of State for Transport to undertake a review of the Airports National Planning Statement which supports the construction of an additional runway at Heathrow Airport exercising powers outlined in the Planning Act (2008); and believes that since the statement was first adopted there...

That this House recognises the enormous personal and financial pressures placed on parents when their child is seriously ill; is aware of the care that parents are required to give their children while their children are in hospital, the additional costs of transport and parking that they incur, and that most parents whose children endure a long stay in hospital have to give up work, thus placing the family in serious financial predicament; condemns the removal of the child element of universal credit for children who are in hospital for six months or more, as these families already have enough pain and hardship to endure; and calls on the Government not to invoke this provision and to revoke it at the earliest possible opportunity.

That this House recognises the enormous personal and financial pressures placed on parents when their child is seriously ill; is aware of the care that parents are required to give their children while their children are in hospital, the additional costs of transport and parking that they incur, and that...

That this House praises the fact that printed books, magazines and newspapers have been VAT exempt ever since the UK’s VAT regime was established in the 1970s to protect the accessibility of reading materials and the intrinsic value of reading and knowledge; notes that this principle should also apply to e-publications, which are currently subject to 20 per cent VAT; further notes that the beneficiaries of e-publications include many older and disabled people, military personnel and children that prefer to read on digital devices; and calls on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to abolish the tax on e-publications in order to promote equal access to reading and knowledge for all.

That this House praises the fact that printed books, magazines and newspapers have been VAT exempt ever since the UK’s VAT regime was established in the 1970s to protect the accessibility of reading materials and the intrinsic value of reading and knowledge; notes that this principle should also apply to...

That this House notes the success of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit through its intelligence-led role in prevention and detection of crimes relating to a wide range of wildlife issues; recognises that the unit provides specialist skills, knowledge and expertise to the Police, UK Border Force, HM Revenue and Customs, Animal Plant and Health Agency, EUROPOL and INTERPOL, the UK Government and a significant network of non-government and civil society organisations; considers that the Unit has a vital role to play in fulfilling the UK's commitments to combating illegal wildlife trade internationally; recognises the pro-active steps taken by the unit in the formation of a cyber-enabled wildlife crime priority delivery group; further recognises that permanent funding would allow the unit to plan ahead and retain expert staff; and calls on the Government to provide permanent funding to the National Wildlife Crime Unit.

That this House notes the success of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit through its intelligence-led role in prevention and detection of crimes relating to a wide range of wildlife issues; recognises that the unit provides specialist skills, knowledge and expertise to the Police, UK Border Force, HM Revenue and...

That this House notes the lack of specialist support officers for young asylum seekers in asylum accommodation; recognises that many young asylum seekers have faced unimaginable trauma and experiences; expresses deep concern at the very high prevalence of mental ill health amongst young asylum seekers and the high number of age disputed children who have been wrongly placed in accommodation with adults; welcomes the proposals by Refugee Rights Europe for a Youth Welfare Officer in every accommodation centre and in each area where there is dispersal accommodation across the UK; notes that this proposal mirrors the Government’s Care Leaver Strategy; and urges the Government to consider this proposal as part of the new Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts, to ensure all young asylum seekers are assigned a welfare officer to hold safeguarding responsibilities and to advise them on engaging with the Home Office and public services.

That this House notes the lack of specialist support officers for young asylum seekers in asylum accommodation; recognises that many young asylum seekers have faced unimaginable trauma and experiences; expresses deep concern at the very high prevalence of mental ill health amongst young asylum seekers and the high number of...