This House notes with great sadness the passing of Australian-born political journalist Mike Steele, a long-serving Lobby correspondent for HTV Wales much respected by Welsh MPs across the political divide; further notes that Mike was much loved by his colleagues in the Lobby; forgives the fact that despite becoming an adopted South-East Londoner; Mike always chanted ‘Rally Australia’ during every Ashes series; and extends condolences to Mike’s family, his many friends and former colleagues.

This House notes with great sadness the passing of Australian-born political journalist Mike Steele, a long-serving Lobby correspondent for HTV Wales much respected by Welsh MPs across the political divide; further notes that Mike was much loved by his colleagues in the Lobby; forgives the fact that despite becoming an...

That this House is concerned about the number of public houses that are being closed to be demolished to make way for housing, or other forms of businesses, against the wishes of the neighbouring communities; welcomes the decision of the Royal Borough of Greenwich to reject the planning application from McDonald's to close the Dutch House Public House and turn it into a drive-through takeaway restaurant; congratulates the residents of the Horn Park estate on their successful campaign to keep the Dutch House open; recognises the importance of the Dutch House, which the local community have had registered as an asset of community value which is frequented by many local people, including groups of people with learning difficulties who have found the pub and its customers to be an extremely safe and welcoming environment; is extremely concerned that McDonald's application will generate an increase in the number of vehicles turning right across the A20 dual carriageway to gain access to the drive-through restaurant; urges the owners to maintain the site as a public house or to find a new owner that will maintain it for that purpose; further calls on McDonald's to accept the view of the local community and to remove their threat to the future of the Dutch House; and further calls on the Government to act to protect public houses from threats of this kind in the future.

That this House is concerned about the number of public houses that are being closed to be demolished to make way for housing, or other forms of businesses, against the wishes of the neighbouring communities; welcomes the decision of the Royal Borough of Greenwich to reject the planning application from...

That this House is looking forward to England hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2015; recognises that tickets for these matches will be in high demand; is concerned that there is no legislative framework to protect these tickets from reaching the secondary market; is further concerned that this will make it possible for these tickets to be targeted by touts; notes that police intelligence indicates that many ticket touts are part of highly organised criminal gangs who have access to technology that guarantees they can purchase large numbers of tickets; is dismayed that this will leave genuine fans with no alternative other than to pay inflated prices if they wish to attend these matches; believes that tickets should only be offered for resale at the original price printed on the ticket; and calls on the Government to legislate to designate the Rugby Union World Cup as an event of national significance as was done for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games thereby making it illegal for anyone other than the Rugby World Cup through its England 2015 programme to offer tickets for sale at any time.

That this House is looking forward to England hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2015; recognises that tickets for these matches will be in high demand; is concerned that there is no legislative framework to protect these tickets from reaching the secondary market; is further concerned that this will make...

That this House notes that London commuter fares have become the most expensive in the world and are an ever increasing pressure on Londoners' household budgets while real wages are falling and bills are rising; further notes that since 2008 the cost of a single bus journey in London has increased by 56 per cent and that a zone one to six travel card is £400 a year more expensive; further notes that Transport for London has reported unbudgeted operational surpluses for the previous three years and is showing evidence of regularly under-anticipating fares income and over estimating other expenditures; and calls on the Mayor of London to use his discretion to freeze fares at RPI for 2014, easing the pressure on ordinary Londoners during the current cost of living crisis.

That this House notes that London commuter fares have become the most expensive in the world and are an ever increasing pressure on Londoners' household budgets while real wages are falling and bills are rising; further notes that since 2008 the cost of a single bus journey in London has...

That this House congratulates Millwall Football Club for choosing to donate the sponsorship of its shirts to Prostate Cancer UK, the leading charity working with men affected by prostate cancer; acknowledges that Millwall chose to donate the value of its shirt sponsorship with the welfare of its fans foremost in its mind and that it was for these reasons that it chose not to negotiate with any companies from the payday loan industry; notes that prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, with 40,000 men diagnosed each year in the UK, and that it is set to be the most common cancer by 2030; further notes with sadness that 10,000 men die from the disease each year; further congratulates Prostate Cancer UK on the work it does to help more men survive prostate cancer and enjoy a better quality of life by providing information and support to individuals, funding research and leading change to raise awareness and improve care; and further congratulates Millwall FC for taking this important lead in helping to promote the charity and raising awareness of this disease to help save more lives.

That this House congratulates Millwall Football Club for choosing to donate the sponsorship of its shirts to Prostate Cancer UK, the leading charity working with men affected by prostate cancer; acknowledges that Millwall chose to donate the value of its shirt sponsorship with the welfare of its fans foremost in...

That this House is concerned by the findings of the Environmental Investigation Agency's report System Failure revealing that hazardous waste electrical and electronic equipment is routinely being illegally exported from the UK; notes the need for greater auditing and accountability of electronic waste streams at all stages of collection, handling and treatment; urges stricter regulation and monitoring of Producer Compliance Schemes to ensure illegal practices are stamped out; and urges support for the Environment Agency to enable it to tackle illegal trade in e-waste.

That this House is concerned by the findings of the Environmental Investigation Agency's report System Failure revealing that hazardous waste electrical and electronic equipment is routinely being illegally exported from the UK; notes the need for greater auditing and accountability of electronic waste streams at all stages of collection, handling...

That this House recalls that the Mayor of London promised prior to his election that `it is important for the Mayor to take a public lead, so I will chair the Metropolitan Police Authority'; further recalls that he promised in his manifesto that `I will take personal responsibility,' and that `no offence will be too trivial to demand my attention' and that he claimed that `no challenge will be so big that I shrug my shoulders and pass the buck'; notes that on 27 January 2010 the Mayor broke all of these pledges to Londoners by resigning as the chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority; further notes with concern that the Mayor's draft budget contains a proposal to cut the number of police in the capital by 455 officers; further notes that the net effect of his four budgets will be that the Conservative Mayor will preside over a reduction in police numbers in the capital; is reminded that police numbers in the capital fell under the last Conservative Government; contrasts this policy with Labour's record in London; believes that the Conservative Mayor's election rhetoric on crime is not matched by adequate investment in the police service; further believes there are now serious questions over what the Mayor is delivering for the capital; and urges the Mayor to reverse his policy of squeezing the budget for the fight against crime at the expense of Londoners.

That this House recalls that the Mayor of London promised prior to his election that `it is important for the Mayor to take a public lead, so I will chair the Metropolitan Police Authority'; further recalls that he promised in his manifesto that `I will take personal responsibility,' and that...

That this House draws attention to the significant role supermarket refrigeration plays in reducing the UK's greenhouse gas emissions; notes that hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) can be up to 14,000 times more harmful in terms of global warming than carbon dioxide; is concerned that HFCs, used in supermarket refrigeration units, account for one third of the carbon footprint of most supermarkets; welcomes the progress made by certain supermarkets by reducing their use of HFCs, as highlighted by the Environmental Investigation Agency in its 2009 report, Chilling Facts; further notes that many large retailers are calling for legislation to phase out HFCs in the supermarket sector; and calls on the Government to promote the use of HFC-free refrigeration and to introduce legislation to phase out HFCs in large supermarkets as a matter of urgency.

That this House draws attention to the significant role supermarket refrigeration plays in reducing the UK's greenhouse gas emissions; notes that hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) can be up to 14,000 times more harmful in terms of global warming than carbon dioxide; is concerned that HFCs, used in supermarket refrigeration units, account for...

That this House commends Charlton Athletic FC and Millwall FC for dedicating their football match on 19 December 2009 to the memory of Jimmy Mizen and Rob Knox who were both the victims of street violence; recalls that Jimmy Mizen and Rob Knox were tragically killed in two separate unprovoked violent attacks; expresses its appreciation to the families of these two young men for the selfless and courageous work they have done to prevent other people becoming victims of street violence; congratulates Charlton Athletic Community Trust for its campaign Street Violence Ruins Lives and both clubs for the work that they do in the community to guide young people away from criminal behaviour into positive activities; acknowledges the generosity of KRBS, the financial sponsors of Charlton Athletic and CYC Logistics, financial sponsors of Millwall, for allowing their logos on the players shirts to be replaced with the Street Violence Ruins Lives motif to enable the clubs to convey a powerful message to football supporters about the futility of street violence; notes that money raised from the sale of these unique shirts will go to the Jimmy Mizen Foundation and the Rob Knox Memorial Fund; and wishes everyone involved with Charlton, Millwall, and the charities dedicated to the memory of Jimmy and Rob every success in their endeavours to prevent young people becoming involved in street violence.

That this House commends Charlton Athletic FC and Millwall FC for dedicating their football match on 19 December 2009 to the memory of Jimmy Mizen and Rob Knox who were both the victims of street violence; recalls that Jimmy Mizen and Rob Knox were tragically killed in two separate unprovoked...

That this House congratulates Eltham Town Football Club's under-16 team on its success at becoming the Kent Football League Champions and winners of the London FA Cup for the 2008-09 season; recognises the contribution the club makes to the community of Eltham through the opportunities it provides for young people to participate in sport; welcomes the partnership that it has entered into with Greenwich Council to encourage more young people to engage in sport; and wishes the club every success in the future.

That this House congratulates Eltham Town Football Club's under-16 team on its success at becoming the Kent Football League Champions and winners of the London FA Cup for the 2008-09 season; recognises the contribution the club makes to the community of Eltham through the opportunities it provides for young people...

That this House notes with grave concern the large-scale domestic emissions of potent greenhouse gases hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) commonly used in refrigeration, air-conditioning, and as foam blowing agents; welcomes the recent publication of the Environmental Investigation Agency's Chilling Facts report into the impact of supermarket refrigeration on climate change, supermarkets being the largest source of domestic HFC emissions; notes the availability of low global warming impact alternatives; further notes the initiatives in other European countries which have been successful in reducing HFC emissions; further notes calls from supermarkets for legislation against the use of HFCs in order to create a level playing field; calls on all supermarket retailers to phase-out immediately their use of HFCs; urges the Government to support a phase-out of domestic consumption of HFCs, as has happened in Austria and Denmark; and calls on the Government to support interim steps to achieve deep emission reductions such as HFC taxation, which is working successfully in Norway and Denmark and being assessed in Sweden.

That this House notes with grave concern the large-scale domestic emissions of potent greenhouse gases hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) commonly used in refrigeration, air-conditioning, and as foam blowing agents; welcomes the recent publication of the Environmental Investigation Agency's Chilling Facts report into the impact of supermarket refrigeration on climate change, supermarkets being...

That this House congratulates the Evening Standard newspaper on its work with Searchlight, the anti-Nazi campaign organisation, in exposing the author of the far-right web blog `Sir John Bull' as BNP member Nick Eriksen; believes that every decent person will be alarmed that Nick Eriksen is the BNP's second-highest candidate on its list for the Greater London Assembly elections on 1st May and their London organiser; condemns Mr Eriksen's comments made on 24th August 2007: `I've never understood why so many men have allowed themselves to be brainwashed by the feminazi myth machine into believing that rape is such a serious crime ... Rape is simply sex. Women enjoy sex, so rape cannot be such a terrible physical ordeal.' and `To suggest that rape, when conducted without violence, is a serious crime is like suggesting that forcefeeding a woman chocolate cake is a heinous offence. A woman would be more inconvenienced by having her handbag snatched'; further condemns his comment on 5th November 2005, in an item entitled Give her a slap!, where he stated: `Some women are like gongs - they need to be struck regularly,' and on 8th November, when he claimed that `the vast majority of domestic [assaults] are initiated by the woman,'; is appalled by Mr Eriksen's attempts to defend his views by stating `I was trying to make the point that there are two kinds of rape'; and congratulates the Evening Standard for exposing Mr Eriksen's repugnant views to the people of London.

That this House congratulates the Evening Standard newspaper on its work with Searchlight, the anti-Nazi campaign organisation, in exposing the author of the far-right web blog `Sir John Bull' as BNP member Nick Eriksen; believes that every decent person will be alarmed that Nick Eriksen is the BNP's second-highest candidate...

That this House deplores the actions of Tesco in setting up companies in the Cayman Islands to avoid paying over ??1 billion of taxes in the UK; believes that if the Government does not take action to deal with this practice it will lead to other companies taking similar measures to avoid paying taxes in order to compete with Tesco; notes that in order to carry out its business from day-to-day Tesco relies on a wide range of public services that are paid for with money raised from UK taxpayers; notes that Tesco's actions will starve British citizens of resources for vital services including the NHS, schools and police; further believes that Tesco has a moral obligation to pay the full amount of taxes due to the UK; and calls on the Government to investigate this matter, ensure that Tesco pays the full amount of tax due to the UK and to take steps to prevent this type of tax avoidance method from being exploited by companies in the future.

That this House deplores the actions of Tesco in setting up companies in the Cayman Islands to avoid paying over ??1 billion of taxes in the UK; believes that if the Government does not take action to deal with this practice it will lead to other companies taking similar measures...

That this House is concerned that Thomson Holidays took ??707 from the bank account of Mr Terry Malone on 27th January 2008 for a holiday that he attempted to book over the internet; is further concerned that at the time the money was taken Thomson Holiday's website indicated to Mr Malone that it was not possible for them to accept the booking and invited him to try again later; notes he was given no warning that the money had been removed from his account; is alarmed that Mr Malone has been unable to get his money back despite calling Thomson Holidays every day since 28th January and that its removal has left him unable to book a holiday; is further concerned that other unsuspecting customers may suffer in the same way and that this could cause them to incur bank charges if they are left unaware that money is missing from their accounts; and calls on Thomson Holidays to compensate Mr Malone and any other customers that they have caused distress to in this way and to take steps to stop this practice forthwith.

That this House is concerned that Thomson Holidays took ??707 from the bank account of Mr Terry Malone on 27th January 2008 for a holiday that he attempted to book over the internet; is further concerned that at the time the money was taken Thomson Holiday's website indicated to Mr...

That this House recognises that stop and search powers are essential to the police in their fight to combat crime; reaffirms its support for recommendations 60 through to 63 of the Home Secretary's Action Plan published in March 1999; notes that these recommendations had the support of the official Opposition; recalls that the Action Plan was published in response to the recommendations of the Macpherson Inquiry into the events surrounding the murder of Stephen Lawrence; further notes that Lord Macpherson made his recommendations having listened to concerns from members of the public about the lack of accountability of police officers over their use of stop and search powers; further notes that Lord Macpherson concluded that mistrust of the police in relation to stop and search was having a negative effect on race relations in many communities; further recalls that the Action Plan retained stop and search powers for the police, but required a record to be kept on all occasions, required police services and police authorities to use these records to monitor their use and to publish the figures and further required that members of the public who are stopped be made aware that they have a right to be given a record in all circumstances; and calls on the Government to ensure that any changes to the stop and search procedures do not reduce the accountability of the police or the confidence of any of our communities over how these powers are used.

That this House recognises that stop and search powers are essential to the police in their fight to combat crime; reaffirms its support for recommendations 60 through to 63 of the Home Secretary's Action Plan published in March 1999; notes that these recommendations had the support of the official Opposition;...

That this House supports Remploy employees and their trade unions in challenging the closure of Remploy factories and top heavy management structures within the network; notes that an independent financial report demonstrates that Remploy could efficiently remain within their funding envelope of ??555 million; recognises that Remploy factories offer a unique opportunity to many who cannot be employed in a mainstream environment; and calls upon the Government to use the ensuing consultation period seriously to assess the option of additional funding in order that the Remploy factory network continue to offer secure employment and also be developed into an innovative training resource for disabled employees who could be supported in the transition to mainstream employment.

That this House supports Remploy employees and their trade unions in challenging the closure of Remploy factories and top heavy management structures within the network; notes that an independent financial report demonstrates that Remploy could efficiently remain within their funding envelope of ??555 million; recognises that Remploy factories offer a...

That this House believes that every school must be given the necessary resources to meet parental expectations when exercising their preference for a school; recognises that some schools need extra resources if they are going to improve results of the type published in school league tables; and further believes that the widest possible parental choice can only be delivered if schools that deliver education services in the most challenging circumstances are resourced to ensure that no child is disadvantaged because they have failed to obtain a place in their first choice of school.

That this House believes that every school must be given the necessary resources to meet parental expectations when exercising their preference for a school; recognises that some schools need extra resources if they are going to improve results of the type published in school league tables; and further believes that...

That this House welcomes the Westminster Hall Adjournment Debate held on 10th October 2006 on bus services; recognises that to have stable and reliable bus services in Great Britain will require well paid bus workers; supports the Transport and General Workers' Union Bus Workers' Charter as a means to achieving this; congratulates the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority on increasing the pay of Greater London's bus workers, which has directly contributed to significantly raising bus passenger numbers across the capital; recognises the essential public service role of the bus worker in the capital and that the high cost of property, plus the lack of social housing, in the capital means that many bus workers continue to be unable to find appropriate accommodation, which in turn drives many such workers out of Greater London; and calls on the Government to accord key worker status to such employees working within the boundaries of Greater London and the South East.

That this House welcomes the Westminster Hall Adjournment Debate held on 10th October 2006 on bus services; recognises that to have stable and reliable bus services in Great Britain will require well paid bus workers; supports the Transport and General Workers' Union Bus Workers' Charter as a means to achieving...

That this House calls on the Post Office to stop its programme of privatisation of post offices; demands that it review all current contracts to determine whether contractual obligations are being complied with by franchise operators; further demands that where these contractual obligations are not being met that post offices are brought back under direct management of the Post Office; notes that the privatisation of Eltham post office has resulted in the deterioration of the level of service to the point where there is no service at all; is appalled that staff at this post office are relying on customers to tell them how to carry out routine transactions; believes that the Post Office has failed to carry out any reasonable checks to determine whether the franchise operator of Eltham post office is capable of delivering any form of basic service; and calls on the Government to halt the privatisation of post offices forthwith.

That this House calls on the Post Office to stop its programme of privatisation of post offices; demands that it review all current contracts to determine whether contractual obligations are being complied with by franchise operators; further demands that where these contractual obligations are not being met that post offices...

That this House regrets the decision of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions not to renew the contract with Royal Mail for the Post Office Card Account beyond 2010; believes that this will undermine confidence in the future viability of many sub-post offices and will result in further closures; notes that Post Office Ltd has just completed restructuring the sub-post office network through its Reinvention Programme; further notes that the Reinvention Programme invited sub-post office owners to volunteer to accept compensation for the closure of their business; fears that many sub-post office owners will have made their decision to keep open based on business plans that would have anticipated income from the continuation of the Post Office Card Account; draws attention to the Department's own figures which demonstrate that as many as one in four of pensioners and benefit claimants prefer to use the Post Office Card Account rather than one of the other types of accounts accepted at post offices, of which there are more than 25; and calls on the Secretary of State to recognise that sub-post offices are a vital part of many communities throughout the country and to withdraw this decision.

That this House regrets the decision of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions not to renew the contract with Royal Mail for the Post Office Card Account beyond 2010; believes that this will undermine confidence in the future viability of many sub-post offices and will result in further...