That this House notes the introduction of the pilot scheme on 1 December 2014 of the requirement for private sector landlords to conduct immigration checks on their potential tenants; believes that the checks will lead to new fees from letting agents to all of Britain's nine million private tenants on moving to conduct these checks; further believes that almost no undocumented migrants will be caught as they will move into illegal tenancies and in doing so will create a new market for illegal and exploitative landlords; is concerned that the checks will encourage discrimination in the lettings process; further believes that it is morally objectionable to remove from any person access to shelter just as it would be to remove access to water or emergency medical care; and calls on the Government to abandon the scheme immediately.

That this House notes the introduction of the pilot scheme on 1 December 2014 of the requirement for private sector landlords to conduct immigration checks on their potential tenants; believes that the checks will lead to new fees from letting agents to all of Britain's nine million private tenants on...

That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) (Judicial Review) (England and Wales) Fees (Amendment) Order 2014 (S.I., 2014, No. 878), dated 27 March 2014, a copy of which was laid before this House on 1 April, be annulled.

That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) (Judicial Review) (England and Wales) Fees (Amendment) Order 2014 (S.I., 2014, No. 878), dated 27 March 2014, a copy of which was laid before this House on 1 April, be annulled.

That this House notes with concern plans to equip the Metropolitan Police with a water cannon; further notes that no water cannon are currently in use on mainland Britain; recognises the physical harm water cannon can inflict, as demonstrated by their use in Germany; believes that the introduction of a water cannon onto London's streets would run against our tradition of intelligence-led, community policing; and calls on the Mayor of London and the Metropolitan Police to abandon these plans.

That this House notes with concern plans to equip the Metropolitan Police with a water cannon; further notes that no water cannon are currently in use on mainland Britain; recognises the physical harm water cannon can inflict, as demonstrated by their use in Germany; believes that the introduction of a...

That this House notes that Smiths Group plc is proposing to close down production at Hypertac, Brent, making 30 women redundant by Christmas 2013 in order to move production abroad; further notes that while the company made a profit of £365 million in 2011-12 the women all earn less than £7.86 per hour, less than the London Living Wage, regardless of length of service, and that most have served the company loyally for between 25 and 39 years; understands the devastating impact of this news on the women, especially as 20 out of the 30 are the sole earners providing for their families; believes that these women deserve fair treatment having given their lives to making the employer a global success; supports the women of Hypertac in their fight; and calls on Smiths Group plc to reconsider its decision to close the plant, and guarantee that if closure goes ahead it will give the workforce a fair redundancy package, which recognises the length and loyalty of the service of the Hypertac employees.

That this House notes that Smiths Group plc is proposing to close down production at Hypertac, Brent, making 30 women redundant by Christmas 2013 in order to move production abroad; further notes that while the company made a profit of £365 million in 2011-12 the women all earn less than...

That this House recognises the scale of the current refugee crisis caused by the ongoing conflict in Syria; welcomes the UK's contribution to the humanitarian aid effort so far; is concerned that despite this support countries bordering Syria are struggling to cope with the numbers of refugees and believes that this threatens the stability of the region; further recognises the UK's proud tradition of protecting refugees and providing sanctuary to those fleeing persecution and war; further recognises that the UK has long sheltered a Syrian diaspora, many of whom have family links to those currently fleeing Syria; regrets that the UK is not one of the 17 countries participating in the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) resettlement programme; notes that Germany has agreed to transfer 5,000 Syrian refugees from Lebanon to Germany; and calls on the Government to work with the UNHCR and the international community to institute an emergency humanitarian evacuation programme and to establish a resettlement programme in the UK.

That this House recognises the scale of the current refugee crisis caused by the ongoing conflict in Syria; welcomes the UK's contribution to the humanitarian aid effort so far; is concerned that despite this support countries bordering Syria are struggling to cope with the numbers of refugees and believes that...

That this House believes access to justice is a hallmark of a civilised society; further believes that the Government's proposed reforms to civil legal aid will severely limit the ability for many to access the justice system; is deeply concerned by plans to introduce a residence test for civil legal aid, which will remove legal support for many vulnerable groups including victims of human trafficking and domestic violence; notes that the residence test will also prevent many cases being brought against the Government when it is accused of wrongdoing abroad; further notes that the majority of individuals held in immigration detention will be left without support to challenge their continued detention; regrets the effect the proposed reforms to judicial review will have on the ability of individuals to hold public bodies to account; further believes that the proposals relating to prison law will effectively mean that justice stops at the prison gate; and calls on the Government to abandon its proposed reforms of civil legal aid immediately.

That this House believes access to justice is a hallmark of a civilised society; further believes that the Government's proposed reforms to civil legal aid will severely limit the ability for many to access the justice system; is deeply concerned by plans to introduce a residence test for civil legal...

That this House notes that on 16 May 2013 the hunger strike by detainees at Guantanamo Bay entered its 100th day; is deeply concerned by the updated guidelines for force feeding hunger-strikers in Guantanamo Bay, which allow inmates to be shackled to a chair, fitted with a mask and have tubes inserted through their nose and into their stomachs for up to two hours at a time; expresses its disappointment that over four years after President Obama's pledge to close the camp it remains open; further notes with dismay that British resident Shaker Aamer has been held without charge in Guantanamo Bay for over 10 years despite being cleared for transfer in 2007; and calls on the Government urgently to work with the US administration to ensure Mr Aamer returns home and Guantanamo Bay is closed as soon as possible.

That this House notes that on 16 May 2013 the hunger strike by detainees at Guantanamo Bay entered its 100th day; is deeply concerned by the updated guidelines for force feeding hunger-strikers in Guantanamo Bay, which allow inmates to be shackled to a chair, fitted with a mask and have...

That this House is concerned by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson's proposals for policing in London contained within his draft Police and Crime Plan 2013 to 2017; is particularly concerned by the proposed closures of 65 police station front counters in London; notes that evidence shows that one in five victims of rape and sexual offences who reported their ordeals do so at police front counters; does not believe that contact points will provide a safe and supportive environment for victims of rape and other violent crimes to report these crimes to the police; believes that the proposals for the future of safer neighbourhood teams will have a negative impact on community policing in London; further believes that the consultation on the draft plan fails to give Londoners a say on the future of police services in the capital, as it does not provide any detailed information regarding the contact points and the online questionnaire restricts responses to 150 words; is alarmed that the Mayor has repeatedly been unable to say how much money the front counter closures will save; is of the opinion that these proposals will fail to meet the Mayor's targets of reducing key crimes by 20 per cent and increasing public confidence in the police by 20 per cent; calls on the Mayor of London to rethink his draft plan before any irreversible decisions are taken; and further calls on the Mayor to ensure that a proper public consultation is carried out on any future proposals.

That this House is concerned by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson's proposals for policing in London contained within his draft Police and Crime Plan 2013 to 2017; is particularly concerned by the proposed closures of 65 police station front counters in London; notes that evidence shows that one in...

That this House believes that Britain can rightly be proud of its history of welcoming those fleeing persecution and war; welcomes the cross-party parliamentary report on asylum support for children and families; notes with concern the finding of that report that current asylum support levels are leaving up to 10,000 children destitute or in severe poverty; further believes that section 4 support rates are especially austere and that cashless payments impose damaging restrictions on how families buy essential items; further notes that asylum support rates have not been increased since April 2011; regrets that the previous Government broke the historic link between support rates for asylum seekers and income support; calls on the Government to increase asylum support rates so that they are at least equal to 70 per cent of income support and to up-rate support rates annually; and further calls on the Government to abolish section 4 support and implement a single cash-based support system.

That this House believes that Britain can rightly be proud of its history of welcoming those fleeing persecution and war; welcomes the cross-party parliamentary report on asylum support for children and families; notes with concern the finding of that report that current asylum support levels are leaving up to 10,000...

That this House is aware of history which records the many heroic and compassionate acts carried out unselfishly by renowned war nursing heroine Mary Seacole for innumerable wounded soldiers injured on the Crimean War's bloody battlefields; notes her efforts have rightly become part of the nation's schools educational curriculum with further recognition of her contribution shortly to be revealed by the unveiling of a large bronze statue in her memory to be erected in the grounds of St Thomas' Hospital facing the Houses of Parliament; is therefore greatly alarmed by reports that the Secretary of State for Education has announced plans to overhaul the core history content taught to our nation's schoolchildren which won't include the story of her exploits on behalf of others; reminds the Minister that at the age of 50 years she paid her own way to the front to help establish a centre to administer the sick and tended to the wounded on the battlefield throughout the war much of the time under bombardment, brave and caring acts which led to her being little rewarded for all of her distinguished service in the field as she returned to Britain impoverished and had to declare bankruptcy; and believes the nation and its children are best served by being reminded of such unselfishness and hopes the Secretary of State will desist in his attempt to undermine her memory.

That this House is aware of history which records the many heroic and compassionate acts carried out unselfishly by renowned war nursing heroine Mary Seacole for innumerable wounded soldiers injured on the Crimean War's bloody battlefields; notes her efforts have rightly become part of the nation's schools educational curriculum with...

That this House believes the current system of air passenger duty fails to provide the airlines with an effective disincentive for polluting; further believes that any duty should be based on the level of carbon emissions produced by flights rather than arbitrary zones based on the location of a country's capital; notes that under the current banding system flights to the Caribbean incur a higher tax than flights to the West Coast of the US, despite being closer to the UK; is concerned that this disadvantages those people who have friends and family in the Caribbean, while also failing to provide an incentive to cut emissions; further notes that replacing air passenger duty with a per plane tax would be fairer to passengers flying on busier routes and provide an incentive to airlines to cut emissions; welcomes the Government's commitment to reform the taxation of air travel by switching from a per passenger to aper plane duty as contained in the Coalition Agreement; expresses its disappointment that following the 2011 consultation on air passenger duty reform the Government decided not to make any changes to the structure of the duty; welcomes research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies which recommends switching to a per plane duty; and calls on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to outline in the Autumn Statement his plans to secure international agreement to allow the use of aper plane duty.

That this House believes the current system of air passenger duty fails to provide the airlines with an effective disincentive for polluting; further believes that any duty should be based on the level of carbon emissions produced by flights rather than arbitrary zones based on the location of a country's...

That this House strongly opposes the Government's plan to scrap excess payments to local housing allowance claimants where their rent is lower than the rate of the allowance; expresses alarm that this plan would see some of the poorest families in the country up to ??780 a year worse off; believes that the withdrawal of excess payments would not result in savings for the Government because tenants would have no incentive to choose cheaper properties and landlords would simply raise their rent to the maximum amount of the allowance, thus transferring ??15 a week from poorer families to private landlords; notes that these changes undermine the original objectives of local housing allowance which were to bring choice and fairness to the benefits system while combating poverty; and therefore calls on the Government to abandon its plan to scrap excess payments to local housing allowance claimants.

That this House strongly opposes the Government's plan to scrap excess payments to local housing allowance claimants where their rent is lower than the rate of the allowance; expresses alarm that this plan would see some of the poorest families in the country up to ??780 a year worse off;...

That this House strongly opposes the Government's plans to scrap excess payments to local housing allowance claimants where their rent is lower than the rate of the allowance; expresses alarm that this plan would see some of the poorest families in the country up to ??780 a year worse off; believes that the withdrawal of excess payments would not result in savings for the Government because tenants would have no incentive to choose cheaper properties and landlords would simply raise their rent to the maximum amount of the allowance, thus transferring ??15 a week from poorer families to private landlords; notes that these changes undermine the original objectives of local housing allowance which were to bring choice and fairness to the benefits system while combating poverty; and therefore calls on the Government to abandon its plan to scrap excess payments to local housing allowance claimants.

That this House strongly opposes the Government's plans to scrap excess payments to local housing allowance claimants where their rent is lower than the rate of the allowance; expresses alarm that this plan would see some of the poorest families in the country up to ??780 a year worse off;...

That this House notes the Government's plans to introduce a new banding system for air passenger duty; believes that any duty should be based on the level of carbon emissions produced by flights rather than arbitrary zones based on location of a country's capital city; notes that actual distance travelled is a good approximation for carbon emissions; further notes that the new banding system will result in flights to the Caribbean incurring a higher tax than flights to the West Coast of the United States, despite being closer in distance to the UK; is concerned that this will disadvantage the many people who have friends and family in the Caribbean, while also failing to effectively curb carbon emissions; further notes that replacing the air passenger duty with a per plane tax would be fairer for passengers flying on busy routes; and calls on the Government to abolish the air passenger duty and replace it with a per plane aviation duty based on the actual distance travelled.

That this House notes the Government's plans to introduce a new banding system for air passenger duty; believes that any duty should be based on the level of carbon emissions produced by flights rather than arbitrary zones based on location of a country's capital city; notes that actual distance travelled...

That this House notes that an estimated half a million older people are not having their care needs met; expresses concern that every year at least 50,000 elderly people are forced to sell their homes in order to fund long-term care; supports Brent Council's decision to listen to people in Brent by not introducing large increases for personal care charges this year; believes the current funding system for personal care for the elderly in England is unfair, ineffective and unsustainable; and calls on the Government to implement urgent radical reform, including an extra ??2 billion investment, to help fund a care guarantee which would entitle all older people to a personal care payment, based on need and not ability to pay.

That this House notes that an estimated half a million older people are not having their care needs met; expresses concern that every year at least 50,000 elderly people are forced to sell their homes in order to fund long-term care; supports Brent Council's decision to listen to people in...

That this House believes that second home allowances for hon. Members representing London constituencies should be abolished.

That this House believes that second home allowances for hon. Members representing London constituencies should be abolished.

That this House notes that the current Housing Revenue Account Subsidy system means that this year local authorities will lose ??756 million from council tenants' rent; further notes that ??195 million of this rent will be retained by the Treasury and will not be spent on social housing; recognises that this sytem of negative subsidy prevents local authorities from investing sufficiently in maintaining social housing and in building new social homes to rent; further recognises the fundamental unfairness of expecting families on low incomes in one part of the country to subsidise those on low incomes elsewhere; believes that shortfalls in funding should be made up from general taxation not tax on tenants; and calls on the Government to allow local authorities to retain tenants' rent in order to reinvest in social housing in the local area.

That this House notes that the current Housing Revenue Account Subsidy system means that this year local authorities will lose ??756 million from council tenants' rent; further notes that ??195 million of this rent will be retained by the Treasury and will not be spent on social housing; recognises that...

That this House notes that the UK has the largest DNA database in the world and that it includes at least half a million people who have never been convicted, charged or cautioned; further notes that the DNA database includes 27 per cent. of the entire black population, 42 per cent. of the male black population, 77 per cent. of young black men and nine per cent. of all Asians, compared with just six per cent. of the white population; expresses concern that this fuels the erroneous perception that black people are more likely to commit a crime than white people; believes that DNA profiling has a very important role to play in securing convictions, especially for difficult crimes and cold cases, but that the collection and storage of samples must be executed in a way that respects fundamental rights to liberty, autonomy and privacy and is fair, transparent and proportionate; applauds the DNA Database (Removal of Samples) Bill of the hon. Member for Cardiff Central; and calls on the Government to remove from the database and destroy the samples of those people who have not committed a crime.

That this House notes that the UK has the largest DNA database in the world and that it includes at least half a million people who have never been convicted, charged or cautioned; further notes that the DNA database includes 27 per cent. of the entire black population, 42 per...

That this House notes the Ministry of Justice report showing that almost one million people were stopped and searched by the police in the last year; notes with concern that black people were seven times more likely and Asian people twice as likely to be stopped by the police than white people; further notes that although black people make up 2.8 per cent. of the population the report states that black people represent 11 per cent. of murder victims; regrets that this reinforces the view that black and ethnic minority people are under-policed as victims of crime but over-policed as citizens; believes that an extension of stop and search powers could undermine the ability of the police to build strong relationships with all communities and therefore cut off the valuable sources of community information and intelligence that the police need to fight crime; and therefore urges the Government to maintain monitoring and the essential safeguards designed to ensure that stop and search is led by intelligence and not by hunch.

That this House notes the Ministry of Justice report showing that almost one million people were stopped and searched by the police in the last year; notes with concern that black people were seven times more likely and Asian people twice as likely to be stopped by the police than...

That this House expresses its deep regret at the Department for Work and Pensions' intention to close Kilburn Jobcentre Plus; notes that Jobcentre Plus offices play a valuable role in communities by offering a route back into employment particularly in an area such as Kilburn which has one of the highest levels of unemployment in London; further notes that any closures will mean increased waiting times at Willesden and North Kensington Jobcentre Plus offices and that pensioners, lone parents and the disabled will have to travel a lot further to reach their nearest branch; expresses dismay that Kilburn Jobcentre Plus was opened just six years ago at a cost of ??1 million; and calls on the Government actively to seek ways to make finding work easier, rather than harder, for the residents of Brent.

That this House expresses its deep regret at the Department for Work and Pensions' intention to close Kilburn Jobcentre Plus; notes that Jobcentre Plus offices play a valuable role in communities by offering a route back into employment particularly in an area such as Kilburn which has one of the...