That this House is extremely concerned about the ongoing crackdown on civil society and essential freedoms in Turkey, specifically the prosecution of human rights defenders including Osman Kavala and the so-called Büyükada group of 11 activists including the honorary chair, ex-director and several members of Amnesty International Turkey as well as women’s rights and equality advocates; fears that some of Turkey's most prominent human rights defenders could be convicted despite no evidence of any wrongdoing; further notes that the allegations of links to an alleged terrorist group against the group of 11 human rights defenders have been proven baseless; and calls for their wholesale acquittal at the conclusion of their trial on 19 February.

That this House is extremely concerned about the ongoing crackdown on civil society and essential freedoms in Turkey, specifically the prosecution of human rights defenders including Osman Kavala and the so-called Büyükada group of 11 activists including the honorary chair, ex-director and several members of Amnesty International Turkey as well...

That this House is extremely concerned about the ongoing crackdown on civil society and essential freedoms, specifically on human rights defenders, in Turkey, including the recent arrests of Amnesty International Turkey Chair, Taner Kilic, and Amnesty International Turkey Director, ldil Eser, along with nine other human rights defenders, also known as the Istanbul 10; fears that these arrests are politically motivated actions aimed at silencing the work of some of Turkey's most prominent human rights defenders given that the indictment fails to provide evidence to substantiate the charges it contains; notes that the 11 activists are accused of membership of a variety of armed terrorist organisations which carries a jail term of up to 15 years; further notes that these arrests are occurring within a context of a crackdown on human rights by the Turkish Government since the failed coup attempt in July 2016, which has seen thousands of detentions, arrests, the dismissal of journalists and shutting down of media outlets; and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Taner Kilic from pre-trial detention as well all charges to be dropped against ldil Eser, Taner Kilic and all human rights defenders imprisoned in Turkey in connection with their work.

That this House is extremely concerned about the ongoing crackdown on civil society and essential freedoms, specifically on human rights defenders, in Turkey, including the recent arrests of Amnesty International Turkey Chair, Taner Kilic, and Amnesty International Turkey Director, ldil Eser, along with nine other human rights defenders, also known...

That this House recognises the valuable role that adult education plays and the positive impact it has on individuals, the economy and society; notes with concern that funding for adult education was cut by 40 per cent in real terms between 2010 and 2015; further notes with concern that the number of adult learners fell by 10.8 per cent between 2014 and 2015; notes with concern that the number of adults achieving Level 4 or above qualifications fell by 75 per cent from 2013 to 2015; notes with regret that while this House has discussed education on over 300 occasions since 2010 very little parliamentary time has been dedicated to debating adult education; believes that addressing the UK's skills gap requires investment in adult education to enable adults to retrain throughout their lives; further believes that in the context of an ageing society and a modern economy in which people are more likely to change jobs and careers this is an issue that requires urgent attention; therefore calls on the Government to publish its new approach to lifetime learning as promised in its Post-16 Skills Plan; and calls on the Government to invest in adult education to create an adult education system that is fit to meet the challenges of the modern economy and equip people with the skills that they need.

That this House recognises the valuable role that adult education plays and the positive impact it has on individuals, the economy and society; notes with concern that funding for adult education was cut by 40 per cent in real terms between 2010 and 2015; further notes with concern that the...

That this House congratulates the Cypriot leaders, Nicos Anastasiades and Mustafa Akinci, for agreeing to meet in Geneva on 9 January 2017; recognises all the work that, with the support of the UN, the Greek and Turkish Cypriot negotiators and their teams of advisors have done since May 2015 which has contributed to the possibility of a settlement being reached; further congratulates the technical committees that have demonstrated that Cypriots can work together constructively and brought hope to the peace process; hopes that the leaders can reach the stage where maps are exchanged and the guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey and the UK, together with the EU, are brought in to discuss guarantees and security; urges the Cypriot Diaspora and civil society in Cyprus to engage positively in support; and calls on the Government, in its role as guarantor power, current EU and Commonwealth member and Permanent Member of the UN Security Council, to do all it can to support a positive outcome for Cyprus which will be in the interest of all Cypriots and other key actors in a dangerous region afflicted by uncertainty and conflict.

That this House congratulates the Cypriot leaders, Nicos Anastasiades and Mustafa Akinci, for agreeing to meet in Geneva on 9 January 2017; recognises all the work that, with the support of the UN, the Greek and Turkish Cypriot negotiators and their teams of advisors have done since May 2015 which...

That this House recognises the valuable role that adoptive families and adoption agencies play in providing a home and a family for adopted children; notes that many adopted children require ongoing therapy and support; welcomes the Government's decision to increase funding for the Adoption Support Fund to £23 million; regrets that the Government has implemented a fair access limit of £5,000 per child until March 2017; further notes that many adopted children have complex needs that require therapy and support that will cost more than this £5,000 limit; notes that local authority funding has been severely cut leaving local authorities unable to fund the support that many adopted children need over and above this £5,000 cap; fears that this limit will therefore lead to vulnerable children missing out on the therapy and the support that they need; notes with concern warnings from the adoption sector that this cap and the lack of support for adopted children in some cases may lead to adoption breakdown and children returning to care, an outcome that would have extremely damaging consequences for the children involved and also place an even greater burden on council budgets; and calls on the Government to clarify the details of any Adoption Support Fund cap or limit from March 2017 and to scrap any such cap or limit.

That this House recognises the valuable role that adoptive families and adoption agencies play in providing a home and a family for adopted children; notes that many adopted children require ongoing therapy and support; welcomes the Government's decision to increase funding for the Adoption Support Fund to £23 million; regrets...

That this House recognises the valuable role that social workers and all staff employed in the children's social care profession play in protecting and safeguarding vulnerable children; notes with concern that the Children and Social Work Bill contains a provision that would give Government Ministers the power to exempt local authorities from their statutory duties to children in social care; fears that exempting local authorities from these legal statutory duties would have a damaging effect on the wellbeing of children who are under the supervision of social workers and those children who are living in care homes or foster homes; further notes with concern that such proposals could result in the outsourcing of children's social care services to private companies; and strongly opposes any move that could lead to any exemption from legal statutory duties to children in social care or see the delivery of any aspect of children's social care, including the running of care homes, be passed into the hands of a private, profit-seeking entity.

That this House recognises the valuable role that social workers and all staff employed in the children's social care profession play in protecting and safeguarding vulnerable children; notes with concern that the Children and Social Work Bill contains a provision that would give Government Ministers the power to exempt local...

That this House expresses grave concern at the proposed privatisation of the Land Registry; expresses further concern that any privatisation will have serious consequences for transparency and accountability in the UK property market and hinder efforts to crackdown on corruption and money entering the UK property market via offshore jurisdictions; expresses concern that all the potential bidders for the privatised Land Registry have been found to be linked to offshore tax havens; notes that the Government has acknowledged that property can provide a convenient vehicle for hiding the proceeds of crimes; notes that the Prime Minister stated in July 2015 that there is no place for dirty money in Britain; further notes that the Land Registry has made a surplus in 19 of the last 20 years and paid back £120 million to the public purse in 2015; laments the Government's decision to seek short-term profit at the expense of public interest; and therefore calls on the Government to reconsider its proposed privatisation of the Land Registry.

That this House expresses grave concern at the proposed privatisation of the Land Registry; expresses further concern that any privatisation will have serious consequences for transparency and accountability in the UK property market and hinder efforts to crackdown on corruption and money entering the UK property market via offshore jurisdictions;...

That this House expresses deep concern at HSBC's decision to close branches in Tottenham, Shenfield, Mitcham, Morden, East Dulwich, Waltham Abbey, Epping, Wickford, Welling, East Sheen, Stamford Hill, Stoke Newington, Stanmore, Worcester Park, Chigwell, Whetstone, Southfields, Mill Hill, Yiewsley, Gidea Park, Deptford, Wanstead, Chislehurst, Willesden Green, Harlesden, Clapham, Southall, Temple Fortune, Clerkenwell, Enfield, Ware, Tring, Chelsea, Tottenham Court Road, Cheam, Woodford, Edmonton, Thornton Heath, Selsdon and Caterham between January and April 2016; expresses further concern that HSBC failed to consult with hon. Members, council leaders and the communities affected before announcing these closures; laments the loss of local banking that these closures will cause to many communities; notes that being able to access counter services at a branch while interacting face-to-face with staff is a service valued by many customers; further notes that some of these branches have served their local communities for almost a century; notes that local customers have demonstrated a significant degree of loyalty to these branches over many years; notes that banks must take customer interests into account when taking decisions that will affect their customers; regrets the particularly negative impact that these branch closures will have on local businesses and elderly, vulnerable and disabled customers who may struggle to travel to other branches; and urges HSBC to hold an urgent review of its decision to close these branches in order to consult with the local communities involved prior to making a final decision.

That this House expresses deep concern at HSBC's decision to close branches in Tottenham, Shenfield, Mitcham, Morden, East Dulwich, Waltham Abbey, Epping, Wickford, Welling, East Sheen, Stamford Hill, Stoke Newington, Stanmore, Worcester Park, Chigwell, Whetstone, Southfields, Mill Hill, Yiewsley, Gidea Park, Deptford, Wanstead, Chislehurst, Willesden Green, Harlesden, Clapham, Southall, Temple...

That this House welcomes the recent pardon granted to Alan Turing for his conviction under anti-gay laws; recognises that a further 50,000 to 100,000 men were also convicted of offences under those laws during the 20th century; believes this is one of the UK's great historical injustices; notes with concern the continued problem of homophobia in Britain today; and calls on the Government to issue, firstly, a universal apology to all men convicted of consenting adult same-sex behaviour under now repealed anti-gay laws and, secondly, a pardon, on a case by case basis, for all men convicted of consenting adult same-sex behaviour under now repealed anti-gay laws, with the convicted person or their partner, family, descendants, friend or any interested third party being eligible to apply for a pardon to the Home Secretary.

That this House welcomes the recent pardon granted to Alan Turing for his conviction under anti-gay laws; recognises that a further 50,000 to 100,000 men were also convicted of offences under those laws during the 20th century; believes this is one of the UK's great historical injustices; notes with concern...

That this House expresses great satisfaction that nearly 1,000 Commonwealth citizens will take-up Commonwealth Scholarships funded by the Government in the 2015-16 academic year; congratulates the young recipients on their success in gaining such awards; underlines the distinctive importance of the scheme for Commonwealth visibility and cohesion, for its central place in soft-power strategies for extending UK international influence and promoting democratic values and for the outstanding contribution that alumni make to economic and social advancement in developing countries; welcomes the promising start made by the new Endowment Fund providing Commonwealth Scholarships in low- and middle-income countries; and calls on the Government both to maintain its level of support for the plan in real terms and to promote it among the UK's partners when Commonwealth education ministers meet in the Bahamas in June 2015.

That this House expresses great satisfaction that nearly 1,000 Commonwealth citizens will take-up Commonwealth Scholarships funded by the Government in the 2015-16 academic year; congratulates the young recipients on their success in gaining such awards; underlines the distinctive importance of the scheme for Commonwealth visibility and cohesion, for its central...

That this House recognises that, for those who live near major airports, aircraft noise can be an imposition; believes that a fresh approach to tackling aircraft noise must be adopted in order to give such people confidence that their legitimate grievances are being addressed; echoes the Campaign Statement published jointly by Let Britain Fly, the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise and London First advocating the establishment of the role of an independent aircraft noise ombudsman; endorses the recommendation in the Davies Commission Interim Report of 17 December 2013 of the creation of an independent aviation noise authority (IANA); and urges the Government, when the Department of Transport issues its response to the Davies Interim Report, to publish both a timetable setting out how it will create an IANA and its plans for securing cross-Party endorsement of the backing for this initiative.

That this House recognises that, for those who live near major airports, aircraft noise can be an imposition; believes that a fresh approach to tackling aircraft noise must be adopted in order to give such people confidence that their legitimate grievances are being addressed; echoes the Campaign Statement published jointly...

That this House recognises that, for those who live near major airports, aircraft noise can be an imposition; believes that a fresh approach to tackling aircraft noise must be adopted in order to give such people confidence that their legitimate grievances are being addressed; echoes the Campaign Statement published jointly by Let Britain Fly, the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise and London First advocating the establishment of the role of an independent aircraft noise ombudsman; endorses the recommendation in the Davies Commission Interim Report of 17 December 2013 of the creation of an independent aviation noise authority (IANA); and urges the Government, when the Department for Transport issues its response to the Davies Interim Report, to publish both a timetable setting out how it will create an IANA and its plans for securing cross-Party endorsement of the backing for this initiative.

That this House recognises that, for those who live near major airports, aircraft noise can be an imposition; believes that a fresh approach to tackling aircraft noise must be adopted in order to give such people confidence that their legitimate grievances are being addressed; echoes the Campaign Statement published jointly...

That this House notes with concern that the UK invests 1.4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in higher education, compared with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average of 1.7 per cent; further notes that public support of further education fell by 5.9 per cent in 2010-11, the last year in which it was reported separately; is concerned that spending on research and development at 1.8 per cent of GDP is also lower than the EU-27 average of 2.0 per cent; is further concerned that the UK has fallen from third among the top industrialised nations in terms of young people graduating in 2000 to 15th in 2013; is aware that the cost of educational under-achievement in the UK is estimated at £22 billion for a generation in opportunity costs and costs to the public purse; is further aware that countries like Germany, India and China have prioritised investment in education in response to the economic crisis; believes that access to high quality tertiary education provides enhanced life chances for individuals, significant benefits for society and is essential for the UK's long-term economic sustainability; and calls on the Government to recognise these benefits and commit the UK to funding tertiary education at a level that can close the international competitive gap in investment with other countries and enable the UK to compete on an equal footing.

That this House notes with concern that the UK invests 1.4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in higher education, compared with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average of 1.7 per cent; further notes that public support of further education fell by 5.9 per cent in 2010-11,...

That this House notes, as highlighted by the tragic death of a betting shop worker in Morden recently, that staff in UK betting shops are subject to risk from assault and abuse on a daily basis; believes that this risk is significantly enhanced by longer opening hours and single staffing in betting shops; further believes that the risk to betting shop staff has also increased as a result of the rise in the number of fixed odds betting terminals; recognises that the introduction of the Voluntary Code of Safety and Security produced by the Safebet Alliance - which includes the major bookmaking operators, Community, the trades union representing UK betting shop staff and other industry stakeholders - led to a 46 per cent decrease in robberies; and calls on the Government to reconvene talks between members of the Safebet Alliance to deliver further, much-needed improvements in safety and security standards for betting shop staff.

That this House notes, as highlighted by the tragic death of a betting shop worker in Morden recently, that staff in UK betting shops are subject to risk from assault and abuse on a daily basis; believes that this risk is significantly enhanced by longer opening hours and single staffing...

That this House notes the health inequality of prostate cancer in black African-Caribbean men; further notes that black African-Caribbean men are 30 per cent more likely to die from prostate cancer than white men, have a three-fold greater risk of prostate cancer and get prostate cancer at an earlier age; further notes the detrimental impact prostate cancer has on all men and their families; welcomes the Hear me now report from BME Cancer Communities which investigates this inequality; and calls on the Government to fund further research on the experience and outcomes of black men with prostate cancer, to fund a national campaign to raise awareness of prostate cancer for all men with emphasis, where appropriate, on black men, to ensure that future guidelines and quality standards on prostate cancer include a greater focus on black men and prostate cancer, and to appoint a national Director to lead on cancer and ethnicity in a new NHS improvement body.

That this House notes the health inequality of prostate cancer in black African-Caribbean men; further notes that black African-Caribbean men are 30 per cent more likely to die from prostate cancer than white men, have a three-fold greater risk of prostate cancer and get prostate cancer at an earlier age;...

That this House believes that the Government's threats to force primary schools in Haringey to become academies are undemocratic and threaten to reverse many of the improvements made in those schools in the last year; notes that these forced changes are opposed by parents, governors and teachers at those schools; further notes that the academies policy of the previous administration did not force schools to become academies against their will; understands that the Secretary of State for Education is threatening schools in other areas, including Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Durham, Essex, Kent, Lancashire, Leeds and Northamptonshire; further believes that raising and maintaining high standards in primary schools is vitally important but that the most successful approaches work with the school community; further notes that there are many methods of raising standards apart from forcing academies, but that the Secretary of State has ignored these methods; and calls on the Government to end its policy of forcing primary schools to become academies and to work with parents, governors and teachers to raise standards.

That this House believes that the Government's threats to force primary schools in Haringey to become academies are undemocratic and threaten to reverse many of the improvements made in those schools in the last year; notes that these forced changes are opposed by parents, governors and teachers at those schools;...

That this House welcomes the launch of the cancer does not discriminate campaign which aims to raise cancer awareness in black and ethnic minority communities, in an effort to increase early detection as well as improving the patient experience; notes that there is a reported substantial disparity in the incidence rates of different cancers based on ethnicity; further notes that prostate cancer for black African and black Caribbean men is around twice as high as the rates for white men andthe incidence rate of cervical cancer for Asian females over 65 is around twice as high as for white females; is concerned that black African and black Caribbean women have a lower knowledge of the signs of breast cancer than white women; and believes that without a targeted campaign to raise awareness of different types of cancers, their symptoms and the availability of screenings, the disparity in cancer incidence rates between black and ethnic minority and white communities will continue.

That this House welcomes the launch of the cancer does not discriminate campaign which aims to raise cancer awareness in black and ethnic minority communities, in an effort to increase early detection as well as improving the patient experience; notes that there is a reported substantial disparity in the incidence...

That this House welcomes the introduction by the hon. Member for Selby and Ainsty of the Protection of Local Services (Planning) Bill, via the Private Members' Ballot, with cross-party support; notes that the Bill would enable local planning authorities to opt in to require that developers seek planningpermission prior to the demolition or change of use of premises used as a local service which could include pubs, post offices, shops and community centres; and notes too that the Bill is supported by Action with Communities in Rural England, the All-Party Parliamentary Save the Pub Group, Campaign for Real Ale, the Central Council of Physical Recreation, Community Matters, the Fair Pint Campaign, the GMB trade union, Living Streets, Local Works, the Plunkett Foundation and Supporters Direct.

That this House welcomes the introduction by the hon. Member for Selby and Ainsty of the Protection of Local Services (Planning) Bill, via the Private Members' Ballot, with cross-party support; notes that the Bill would enable local planning authorities to opt in to require that developers seek planningpermission prior to...

That this House pays tribute to the important role Commonwealth scholarships have played in educating young people from Commonwealth countries, especially those in the developing world; notes the great contribution that Commonwealth scholars have made to international development, higher education and public life; welcomes the fact that more countries than ever before are offering Commonwealth scholarships following the establishment of the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan Endowment Fund; further welcomes the Government's support for the role of the Commonwealth in international development; and calls on the Government to ensure Commonwealth scholarships are available to all member countries, and the present funding is maintained as a key part of the UK's commitment to both the Commonwealth and international development.

That this House pays tribute to the important role Commonwealth scholarships have played in educating young people from Commonwealth countries, especially those in the developing world; notes the great contribution that Commonwealth scholars have made to international development, higher education and public life; welcomes the fact that more countries than...