That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Police Federation (Amendment) Regulations 2015 (S.I., 2015, No. 630), dated 9 March 2015, a copy of which was laid before this House on 12 March, be annulled.

That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Police Federation (Amendment) Regulations 2015 (S.I., 2015, No. 630), dated 9 March 2015, a copy of which was laid before this House on 12 March, be annulled.

That this House recognises that police officers often place themselves in the way of harm to protect their communities, sometimes making the ultimate sacrifice and leaving behind families and loved ones; believes that we have a moral and public duty to ensure all police widows and widowers are financially provided for for their lifetime; is deeply concerned that the Police Pension Regulations 1987 do not allow police widows or widowers the opportunity to marry or cohabit, without losing their right to a police widows' or widowers' pension for life; agrees with the Police Federation of England and Wales that it is morally and ethically wrong to make police widows and widowers and their dependants effectively choose between future financial security and the possibility of future personal happiness; welcomes the fact that the Police Pension Regulations 2006 allow new entrants or serving officers to transfer to a new scheme which permits their survivors to access benefits which are payable for life regardless of whether they remarry; regrets that nevertheless many police widows and widowers still remain disadvantaged by the Police Pensions Regulations 1987, and calls on the Government urgently to review the Police Pensions Regulations 1987 to ensure that the families of those who have served their community and been lost in the line of duty receive financial security regardless of their decision to remarry or cohabit.

That this House recognises that police officers often place themselves in the way of harm to protect their communities, sometimes making the ultimate sacrifice and leaving behind families and loved ones; believes that we have a moral and public duty to ensure all police widows and widowers are financially provided...

That this House notes that following the cuts in legal aid provision there has been an increase in people representing themselves in court with the assistance of a McKenzie Friend; understands that a McKenzie Friend is usually a non-lawyer and is often a friend or colleague of the litigant in person, who accompanies them to a court hearing for the purpose of assisting them in matters such as taking notes, organising documents and quietly making suggestions; recognises that McKenzie Friends can be a helpful presence for those experiencing court proceedings for the first time; believes, however, that they are a poor substitute for proper legal advice and representation from a qualified lawyer; is concerned that vulnerable families and individuals could be taken advantage of by unqualified people who charge for their services or who may have a political agenda; is alarmed that professionals report anecdotal evidence of a recent incident of a paid McKenzie Friend, who acted for a number of vulnerable women, who was subsequently found to have a substantial criminal record; and calls on the Government to create a suitable framework for the oversight and regulation of McKenzie Friends.

That this House notes that following the cuts in legal aid provision there has been an increase in people representing themselves in court with the assistance of a McKenzie Friend; understands that a McKenzie Friend is usually a non-lawyer and is often a friend or colleague of the litigant in...

That this House welcomes the Thirty-sixth Report from the Committee of Public Accounts, on Implementing reforms to civil legal aid, HC 808; is concerned by the figures published by the Committee which highlight a 30 per cent rise in cases starting in family courts where both parties are representing themselves as well as a significant fall in mediation for family law cases of 38 per cent in the year after the reforms were implemented; is alarmed by the lack of routine data collection by the Ministry of Justice on key issues such as the length of hearing, types of cases and representation of parties; agrees with the Committee's recommendation that such information should be collected in order to understand and manage the long-term impact of litigants in person; and calls on the Government and the Secretary of State for Justice urgently to review their reforms and fully evaluate their impact on the public.

That this House welcomes the Thirty-sixth Report from the Committee of Public Accounts, on Implementing reforms to civil legal aid, HC 808; is concerned by the figures published by the Committee which highlight a 30 per cent rise in cases starting in family courts where both parties are representing themselves...

That this House notes the Government's proposal to include the Union flag on all new and renewed driving licences in Wales, Scotland and England; further notes that this proposal does not extend to Northern Ireland; further notes that the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport in making the announcement, referred explicitly to promoting the agenda of the unionist parties and believes that this explains its non-implementation in Northern Ireland; believes that this proposal, if implemented, would also cause controversy and division in Wales and Scotland; further notes that it is contrary to the respect agenda between the nations of the United Kingdom; further notes that it is a patently party political gesture; and calls for it to be withdrawn immediately.

That this House notes the Government's proposal to include the Union flag on all new and renewed driving licences in Wales, Scotland and England; further notes that this proposal does not extend to Northern Ireland; further notes that the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport in making the announcement, referred...

That this House applauds the work of staff in the National Crime Enforcement Service who have continued to improve collection rates of fines and compensation set by the criminal courts despite cuts to staff; welcomes moves to give staff access to data held on defaulters by HM Revenue and Customs to help further improve collection rates; notes that it is not always possible to recover every debt due to insufficient information on the defaulter being available or because of their personal circumstances such as homelessness; is alarmed by reports from Citizens Advice Bureau regarding the behaviour of poorly regulated private bailiffs who fall short of public sector collection rates of 2013 and are only collecting 22.7 per cent of fines arising from distress warrants in full; is concerned that the Government is seeking to use uncollected fines as a reason for privatising this well performing public service; and urges the Government to scrap its plans to privatise under the Compliance and Enforcement Service Project.

That this House applauds the work of staff in the National Crime Enforcement Service who have continued to improve collection rates of fines and compensation set by the criminal courts despite cuts to staff; welcomes moves to give staff access to data held on defaulters by HM Revenue and Customs...

That this House commends the work carried out by the National Association of Child Contact Centres (NACCC); applauds the safety and quality of the national network of 403 child contact centres and their invaluable work in providing safe environments for children, parents and carers to have contact during difficult family situations; notes the NACCC's adaptability during difficult and complex reforms within the family justice system in order to ensure that their member centres continue to provide a stable support system for families in distress; further notes with concern the NACCC's urgent need for core funding in order to continue to provide support, organisation and development for contact centres across the UK and the families who use them; is deeply concerned at reports that the NACCC will not be able to remain fully functional for long into New Year 2015 unless its funding stream is confirmed by early December 2014; and calls on the Government urgently to review the financial situation of the NACCC in order for the charity to continue to carry out its vital work for the most vulnerable families in society.

That this House commends the work carried out by the National Association of Child Contact Centres (NACCC); applauds the safety and quality of the national network of 403 child contact centres and their invaluable work in providing safe environments for children, parents and carers to have contact during difficult family...

That this House welcomes the independent report into work-related stress amongst prison officers commissioned by the Prison Officers' Association and conducted by Professor Dr Gail Kinman, Dr Andrew Clements and Jacqui Hart from the University of Bedfordshire; is deeply concerned at the findings of the report which irrefutably demonstrate the crisis which the prison system is now in, and the huge burden being carried by the staff and their families and the resultant impact upon prisoners and public safety; notes that the level of stress amongst prison officers is clearly in excess of that in other comparable services, that 65 per cent of prison officers often thought about leaving the prison sector, and that the Prison Service is failing to meet the widely recognised benchmarks of the Health and Safety Executive for wellbeing at work; further notes with concern the current record levels of the prison population, and the accompanying increase in prisoner suicides and assaults on staff; and calls on the Government to conduct an urgent inquiry into the prison system and the terms and conditions of those trying to professionally carry out an important public service under the most difficult of circumstances.

That this House welcomes the independent report into work-related stress amongst prison officers commissioned by the Prison Officers' Association and conducted by Professor Dr Gail Kinman, Dr Andrew Clements and Jacqui Hart from the University of Bedfordshire; is deeply concerned at the findings of the report which irrefutably demonstrate the...

That this House is concerned by recent reports regarding the rise of suicides in prisons in England and Wales over past 12 months; is alarmed that self-inflicted deaths have risen by 69 per cent in 2013-14 resulting in 88 deaths in custody - the highest level for 10 years; notes that the latest annual report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Nigel Hardwick, highlights the increasing pressures in the prison system caused by shortages of experienced staff and resources coupled with the growing size of the prison population; further notes that the Howard League for Penal Reform estimate that prison officer numbers are down by 41 per cent in public sector prisons since 2010; is aware that there has also been an increase of 14 per cent in the rate of assaults by male prisoners; believes that the rise in the prison population to almost full capacity has put unsustainable pressure on both staff and inmates; and calls on the Government to launch an independent enquiry into the current crisis in the prison system and to urgently commit to further staffing in all prisons in England and Wales to ensure the safety of prisoners and staff.

That this House is concerned by recent reports regarding the rise of suicides in prisons in England and Wales over past 12 months; is alarmed that self-inflicted deaths have risen by 69 per cent in 2013-14 resulting in 88 deaths in custody - the highest level for 10 years; notes...

That this House notes that there are 5,206 prisoners in the UK who are still serving indeterminate sentences for public protection, which were abolished by the Government in 2012; further notes that 3,575 of these prisoners have already passed their tariff and that, since the Parole Board releases roughly 400 inmates every year, it will take nine years for the Board to clear this backlog of cases; further notes with dismay that many prisoners serving indeterminate sentences fail to gain places on appropriate courses which would progress their rehabilitation, and that, as a result, such prisoners have little hope of release; further notes that each prison place costs £40,000 every year, making indeterminate sentences highly costly; and calls on the Government to increase funding to the Parole Board to clear the backlog of indeterminate prisoners, starting with those given initial tariffs of two years or less.

That this House notes that there are 5,206 prisoners in the UK who are still serving indeterminate sentences for public protection, which were abolished by the Government in 2012; further notes that 3,575 of these prisoners have already passed their tariff and that, since the Parole Board releases roughly 400...

That this House believes that domestic violence is a serious crime; is concerned at the under-reporting of domestic abuse by victims and the low number of prosecutions; and supports efforts to criminalise coercive control and violence in a domestic setting.

That this House believes that domestic violence is a serious crime; is concerned at the under-reporting of domestic abuse by victims and the low number of prosecutions; and supports efforts to criminalise coercive control and violence in a domestic setting.

That this House is alarmed by the ongoing reports of IT issues within the newly formed National Probation Service (NPS) and 21 community rehabilitation companies (CRC); notes the failure of the NDelius IT system in the first days of the new service with some areas in England and Wales reporting the system was down for four days; is concerned that this has resulted in numerous residual issues including delays in court reports and prison recall as well as significant delays in transferring cases to the new organisation; is further concerned that staff working in the CRCs cannot access records of the NPS and this has resulted in CRC staff being unable to assess an individual's risk of harm, including risk registers such as child protection and sexual offences, which is putting both staff and the public at risk; and calls on the Government to assess the risk to public safety of the new probation service and halt the process of privatisation to protect the public and the dedicated staff of both the NPS and CRCs.

That this House is alarmed by the ongoing reports of IT issues within the newly formed National Probation Service (NPS) and 21 community rehabilitation companies (CRC); notes the failure of the NDelius IT system in the first days of the new service with some areas in England and Wales reporting...

That this House commends the European Commission's efforts following the decision to temporarily ban the use of neonicotinoids to protect bee populations which play a vital role in supporting the ecosystem and human health through pollinating crops and other flora.

That this House commends the European Commission's efforts following the decision to temporarily ban the use of neonicotinoids to protect bee populations which play a vital role in supporting the ecosystem and human health through pollinating crops and other flora.

That this House notes that at the end of January 2014, 5,335 prisoners in the UK were still serving indeterminate sentences for public protection, which were abolished by the Government in 2012; further notes that 3,561 of these prisoners had already passed their tariff and that, since the Parole Board releases roughly 400 inmates every year, it will take nine years for the Board to clear this backlog of cases; further notes with dismay that many prisoners serving indeterminate sentences fail to gain places on appropriate courses which would progress their rehabilitation and that as a result such prisoners have little hope of release; recognises that 24 prisoners serving indeterminate sentences have committed suicide whilst in custody; further notes that each prison place costs £40,000 every year, making indeterminate sentences highly costly; and calls on the Government to increase funding to the Parole Board to clear the backlog of indeterminate prisoners, starting with those given initial tariffs of two years or less.

That this House notes that at the end of January 2014, 5,335 prisoners in the UK were still serving indeterminate sentences for public protection, which were abolished by the Government in 2012; further notes that 3,561 of these prisoners had already passed their tariff and that, since the Parole Board...

That this House acknowledges that 1 April 2014 is the anniversary of the implementation of the reforms to civil legal aid; notes that since 1 April 2013 a range of civil and family issues have been removed from the scope of legal aid including debt advice, welfare benefits and private family law matters where no domestic violence can be proven to have taken place in the past two years; is concerned that due to the reforms of civil legal aid tens of thousands of families will no longer have access to justice and that this will have an entirely negative effect on the most vulnerable children in society; welcomes the campaign against cuts in legal aid organised by the Justice Alliance; further notes that the Family Courts Unions Parliamentary Group will host an event on the anniversary of these reforms in Parliament to hear from the professionals and staff working in the field first-hand accounts of the devastating effect they have had on the lives of children and families across the UK; and therefore calls on the Government to urgently address the serious concerns that have arisen since the start of implementation and review its entire programme of reform of civil legal aid.

That this House acknowledges that 1 April 2014 is the anniversary of the implementation of the reforms to civil legal aid; notes that since 1 April 2013 a range of civil and family issues have been removed from the scope of legal aid including debt advice, welfare benefits and private...

That this House recognises that the supervision of offenders in the community is demanding and complex work; notes the Government’s intention to subject the majority of probation work to competitive tender; and therefore calls on the Government to pilot the proposals first and independently evaluate them before there is any national roll-out of the Transforming Rehabilitation Agenda.

That this House recognises that the supervision of offenders in the community is demanding and complex work; notes the Government’s intention to subject the majority of probation work to competitive tender; and therefore calls on the Government to pilot the proposals first and independently evaluate them before there is any...

That this House believes that the level of domestic abuse in the UK is unacceptable, that the number of victims reporting incidents is extremely low and that the number of alleged perpetrators convicted is unsatisfactory; further believes that all criminal justice professionals should receive training on the subject of domestic abuse; and asks the Government to consider introducing a specific law of domestic abuse, which would take into account courses of conduct and repetitive abusive behaviour.

That this House believes that the level of domestic abuse in the UK is unacceptable, that the number of victims reporting incidents is extremely low and that the number of alleged perpetrators convicted is unsatisfactory; further believes that all criminal justice professionals should receive training on the subject of domestic...

That this House is alarmed by the cuts to civil legal aid and its impact on family justice; believes that the removal of £350 million from the civil and family legal aid annual budget is having a devastating impact on family proceedings and harming the children and families involved; is concerned that instead of family proceedings being cheaper and quicker they are now longer and more expensive; understands that the resultant cuts in legal advisers and managers, the rise in the number of persons self-litigating, the highly restricted opening hours of counters in Family Court offices, and the delays in the court process are leading to increasing frustration for those involved; notes that 68,000 children are likely to be affected by the lack of access to legal aid as a result of the high and bureaucratic threshold which has now been set for demonstrating evidence in order to receive legal aid including in cases of domestic violence; and calls on the Government to restore the money cut from the legal aid budget and ensure that fairness and justice for the most vulnerable families in society is its overriding priority.

That this House is alarmed by the cuts to civil legal aid and its impact on family justice; believes that the removal of £350 million from the civil and family legal aid annual budget is having a devastating impact on family proceedings and harming the children and families involved; is...

That this House acknowledges the vital work which is carried out in child contact centres across the UK; notes the vital role they play in restoring relationships between parents and children; applauds those charities and volunteers who currently operate these centres on a minimal budget; is concerned that many child contact centres are facing an uncertain future due to the current economic climate; further notes that sudden centre closures leave many children without the opportunity to see a parent; and calls on the Government to create a nationwide network of child contact centres with a statutory obligation to provide at least one venue for a family court centre, and with secured and increased funding, as well as the ability to retain or recruit trained volunteers to ensure children and parents have the best opportunities in difficult situations.

That this House acknowledges the vital work which is carried out in child contact centres across the UK; notes the vital role they play in restoring relationships between parents and children; applauds those charities and volunteers who currently operate these centres on a minimal budget; is concerned that many child...

That this House is gravely concerned about the Gurkhas who since 7 November 2013 have been undertaking a hunger strike in protest against the lack of proper provision of pensions compensation and medical care; notes that for the last two centuries the Gurkhas have sacrificed themselves, and will continue to do so, and therefore considers it is only right that they are treated equally with other military personnel; further notes that an ex-Gurkha soldier should not have to go on hunger strike outside Downing Street to get the attention of the Government; and calls on the Government to enter into negotiations with representatives of the United Struggle Committee on the Way Forward Proposals as a matter of urgency to resolve the plight of former Gurkha soldiers and families.

That this House is gravely concerned about the Gurkhas who since 7 November 2013 have been undertaking a hunger strike in protest against the lack of proper provision of pensions compensation and medical care; notes that for the last two centuries the Gurkhas have sacrificed themselves, and will continue to...