That this House is astonished to learn of the case of Iain McIntyre of Paisley who has suffered estimated losses of ??2.7 million due to a series of incidents of negligence and bad faith at the hands of consecutive firms of solicitors; finds it incredible that what started out as a simple conveyancing error has developed into a 10 year legal nightmare of horrific complexity involving seven court processes; believes that inherent conflicts exist between the Law Society of Scotland's duties to guard the public interest and protect its members' interests which have forced Mr McIntyre to endure the loss of his business, the forced sale of his home, long periods of severe depressive illness and liability for expenses amounting to ??173,000; further believes that it is unjustifiable that the Law Society of Scotland holds the master professional indemnity insurance policy which has built into it penalties and bonuses which give solicitors a vested interest in minimising negligence claims at unfair levels; is convinced that the principle of Scots law that everyone is entitled to independent legal representation has been breached by the Secretary of the Law Society of Scotland actively encouraging one firm of solicitors to cease acting for Mr McIntyre; and calls for a judicial inquiry into Mr McIntyre's case and an urgent review of the self-regulatory status of the Law Society of Scotland.

That this House is astonished to learn of the case of Iain McIntyre of Paisley who has suffered estimated losses of ??2.7 million due to a series of incidents of negligence and bad faith at the hands of consecutive firms of solicitors; finds it incredible that what started out as...

That this House applauds the continuing campaign by The Evening Times against evil drug barons and the misery they cause to millions; is deeply concerned about the relevations by the newspaper, in its edition of 9th January, that there is evidence of links between recent violent crime and murders in Northern Ireland and criminal cells operating from the West of Scotland; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to provide every support and resource to the police and security services to enable them to bring these killers to justice.

That this House applauds the continuing campaign by The Evening Times against evil drug barons and the misery they cause to millions; is deeply concerned about the relevations by the newspaper, in its edition of 9th January, that there is evidence of links between recent violent crime and murders in...

That this House welcomes the delegation from Paisley South End Flood Action Committee which is to visit the House on 1st November to lobby the Secretary of State for Scotland for a Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act; congratulates each and every member of this voluntary campaign group for their determination, diligence and sheer hard work since floodwaters devastated the homes and lives of good, decent people in the Stockholm/Barterholm area of Paisley last December; gives particular recognition to Mr and Mrs Robertson and Mr and Mrs Meikle, who are themselves flood victims, and who are to participate in the delegation; commends their supreme devotion to the plight of the flood victims, and the cause of preventing floods in the future; and wishes them well in their efforts to secure legislation which will minimise the risk of floods and maximise the assistance available to flood victims in the future.

That this House welcomes the delegation from Paisley South End Flood Action Committee which is to visit the House on 1st November to lobby the Secretary of State for Scotland for a Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act; congratulates each and every member of this voluntary campaign group for their determination, diligence...

That this House is outraged that Scottish Homes, a quango appointed by and accountable to, the Secretary of State for Scotland, has squandered many hundreds of thousands of pounds of the public purse in the scandal which surrounds Waverley Court in the Foxbar area of Paisley; regrets that Scottish Homes, driven only by political dogma, evacuated the 56-flat multi-storey building six years ago with the intention of selling it off to the private sector before taking the trouble to ascertain whether any mortgage-lender in the land was willing to finance the deal or lend on the property; notes with incredulity that Scottish Homes has allowed the building to remain empty and deteriorate ever since; believes it to be both sad and disgraceful that such negligence and incompetence on the part of the Scottish Homes Board appears to go unchallenged by Scottish Office Ministers, with whom the honourable Member for Paisley South has raised the matter time and time again in debates, parliamentary questions and correspondence; contrasts their complacency in this case with the outspoken position they have adopted when democratically-elected local councils have been guilty of far less; and calls upon the Secretary of State for Scotland to suspend the Chairman and Chief Executive of Scottish Homes, pending a full, thorough and public inquiry into this shameful fiasco.

That this House is outraged that Scottish Homes, a quango appointed by and accountable to, the Secretary of State for Scotland, has squandered many hundreds of thousands of pounds of the public purse in the scandal which surrounds Waverley Court in the Foxbar area of Paisley; regrets that Scottish Homes,...

That this House congratulates the Co-operative Wholesale Society on its Healthy Eating Campaign; notes the results of their nationwide survey of 11,000 people - The Plate of the Nation Report - confirming that Britons are currently eating twice as much fatty and sugary food as they should to be healthy, that in the case of children, 11 to 16 year olds, it is nearly three times as much, and that too few fruits, vegetables, potatoes and starch are being eaten for good health; commends the decision of CWS to break ranks with the rest of the food industry to label the fat and calorie content on the front of all products, allowing consumers to make instant comparisons; condemns the Government's decision to axe the Nutrition Task Force - its panel of experts set up to advise and co-ordinate a plan to help people eat more healthily - amid the storm over its controversial leaked report revealing that obesity levels are set to soar by 50 per cent. in the next 10 years; notes that the CWS will be the first retailer to fully back the NTF plans with a commitment to seek to reduce the fat content in its products; endorses its call for co-operation with the rest of the food industry in order to achieve effective action against obesity; and supports the CWS Priority Action Programme on labelling, information and promotion as part of its responsible retailer initiative to carry on where the Government has left off by finding ways to help concerned consumers balance their diet. (Relevant registered interest declared.)

That this House congratulates the Co-operative Wholesale Society on its Healthy Eating Campaign; notes the results of their nationwide survey of 11,000 people - The Plate of the Nation Report - confirming that Britons are currently eating twice as much fatty and sugary food as they should to be healthy,...

That this House pays tribute to the work of the East Kilbride Residents Federation and East Kilbride District Council in achieving an 86.7 per cent. ballot return of the 7,980 Development Corporation tenants eligible to vote on the transfer of Development Corporation housing stock to alternative landlords; and congratulates those tenants in their near-unanimous decision to choose East Kilbride District Council as their new landlord on the wind up of East Kilbride Development Corporation.

That this House pays tribute to the work of the East Kilbride Residents Federation and East Kilbride District Council in achieving an 86.7 per cent. ballot return of the 7,980 Development Corporation tenants eligible to vote on the transfer of Development Corporation housing stock to alternative landlords; and congratulates those...

That this House notes with concern allegations that public funds in Labour-controlled South Tyneside have been misallocated by warring factions within the Labour group; calls upon the Right honourable Member for Sedgefield to make public the inquiry into these serious allegations; further notes the internal inquiry launched by the Scottish Labour Party into allegations in The Scotsman newspaper that Labour-controlled Paisley Council has funded a security company fronting dubious practices involving Labour Party officials; and calls upon the Right honourable Member for Sedgefield to undertake to make the conclusions public.

That this House notes with concern allegations that public funds in Labour-controlled South Tyneside have been misallocated by warring factions within the Labour group; calls upon the Right honourable Member for Sedgefield to make public the inquiry into these serious allegations; further notes the internal inquiry launched by the Scottish...

That this House congratulates the Co-operative Wholesale Society on its Responsible Retailing Initiative; notes that following the largest independent survey of retailing morality the Co-op found that three in four feel let down by retailers and manufacturers who are failing to tell consumers which products are cruel to animals or harm the environment; commends the response by CWS to have a Right to Know policy to enable shoppers to get all the information they need to make informed decisions about what to buy and what to reject; notes that, more than any other retailer, and it is one of the largest, the Co-op is able to claim genuinely that caring is the basis of its trading philosophy, after over 150 years of consumer-led decision making; and further notes that the Co-op's readiness to lead retailers by example by committing itself to at least eight leading edge initiatives in 1995 is an action to be commended. (Relevant registered interest declared)

That this House congratulates the Co-operative Wholesale Society on its Responsible Retailing Initiative; notes that following the largest independent survey of retailing morality the Co-op found that three in four feel let down by retailers and manufacturers who are failing to tell consumers which products are cruel to animals or...

That this House calls for an urgent review of the laws governing street traders; believes that there is an inherent unfairness in laws which permit such traders to set up stances outwith bona fide market places and in the immediate vicinity of shops selling similar goods which have high overheads to meet; notes that a significant overhead for such shops is the contribution to the common good of the locality through business rates; further believes that it is wrong to restrict democratically-elected local authorities from determining areas which are suitable or unsuitable for such street trading stances; and hopes that a rational and sensible review is imminent.

That this House calls for an urgent review of the laws governing street traders; believes that there is an inherent unfairness in laws which permit such traders to set up stances outwith bona fide market places and in the immediate vicinity of shops selling similar goods which have high overheads...

That this House believes that it is a primary duty of all landlords to take action to deal with anti-social behaviour of occupants of their property; regrets that Scottish Homes, a principal public sector landlord in Scotland, frequently refers residents who suffer at the hands of anti-social occupants to district councils for rehousing; notes that by doing so, Scottish Homes is guilty of abdicating its own responsibility as a landlord and/or feu superior; and calls upon this appointed quango to face up to its responsibilities and stop passing the buck to elected local councils.

That this House believes that it is a primary duty of all landlords to take action to deal with anti-social behaviour of occupants of their property; regrets that Scottish Homes, a principal public sector landlord in Scotland, frequently refers residents who suffer at the hands of anti-social occupants to district...

That this House notes with grave concern that Scottish Homes, a quango appointed by the Secretary of State for Scotland, used every means at its disposal to empty the 56-flat, multi-storey Waverley Court in Paisley around five years ago in order to sell it off to the private sector for redevelopment; believes that it is, at best, gross incompetence and, at worst, criminal negligence that the building is still empty now because Scottish Homes failed to properly evaluate and consult on its proposals; understands that, having cleared the building, they could find no mortgage lender or housing association prepared to develop it for alternative housing use, a fact which deserved to be discovered before public money was wasted on plans motivated only by political ideology; further notes that elected councillors who were guilty of such incompetence would be liable to personal surcharge; contrasts this with the appointed place-people on the board of this quango so are exempt for such surcharge and draw allowances far greater than those elected through the ballot box; asserts that it is a public scandal and a moral disgrace that Scotland's so-called national housing agency could allow so many houses to be boarded up for so long in an area of high homelessness; and calls on the Secretary of State for Scotland to launch an immediate public inquiry.

That this House notes with grave concern that Scottish Homes, a quango appointed by the Secretary of State for Scotland, used every means at its disposal to empty the 56-flat, multi-storey Waverley Court in Paisley around five years ago in order to sell it off to the private sector for...

That this House believes that executive agencies, quangos and governmental trusts should adhere to the principle of political independence which has always been claimed, if not always adopted, by the Civil Service; condemns the Chairman of Scottish Homes, Sir James Mellon, and Mr Peter McKinlay, its Chief Executive for becoming increasingly involved in promoting the political ideals of the Conservative Party, and making direct attacks on the policies and personalities of the Labour Party in the mass media and elsewhere; finds it abhorrent that they have used public funds, much of it raised from rents paid by low-income families, to finance their involvement; notes that neither of these men has any democratic mandate to speak for anyone else as they were appointed by the Secretary of State for Scotland, rather than elected through the ballot box; regrets that they have allowed themselves to become an extension of the arm of Tory Central Office; and reminds them that a future Labour Government will expect people in appointed positions like theirs to deliver the policies democratically endorsed at the General Election, whilst having the objectivity, integrity and rectitude to remain apart from involvement in political debate which rightfully involves those who have been elected to participate.

That this House believes that executive agencies, quangos and governmental trusts should adhere to the principle of political independence which has always been claimed, if not always adopted, by the Civil Service; condemns the Chairman of Scottish Homes, Sir James Mellon, and Mr Peter McKinlay, its Chief Executive for becoming...

That this House congratulates the Daily Record on its excellent colour feature on fox-hunting, published on 23rd November; commends it for providing space for both opponents and supporters of fox-hunting to put their case; concludes that the case against fox-hunting was overwhelmingly proven in the article and by the horrific photographs of blood-thirsty hounds devouring the corpse of a fox; and believes that fox-hunting has nothing to do with sport, and should be banned forthwith.

That this House congratulates the Daily Record on its excellent colour feature on fox-hunting, published on 23rd November; commends it for providing space for both opponents and supporters of fox-hunting to put their case; concludes that the case against fox-hunting was overwhelmingly proven in the article and by the horrific...

That this House expresses its dismay that the Scottish Arts Council has withdrawn vital funding from PACE Theatre Company in Paisley; notices that PACE is the largest children's and youth community theatre group in Scotland with a current membership of 550 young people and a waiting list of a further 500; congratulates PACE on involving around 7, 000 school children in its arts and drama projects during the first five months of the current year, a total which will exceed 15,000 by the end of 1994; believes that PACE provides a high quality, cost effective and essential service to children and young people in the Paisley area; and calls upon the Scottish Arts Council to reverse its decision and reinstate its funding of PACE to at least the level of previous years, in real terms.

That this House expresses its dismay that the Scottish Arts Council has withdrawn vital funding from PACE Theatre Company in Paisley; notices that PACE is the largest children's and youth community theatre group in Scotland with a current membership of 550 young people and a waiting list of a further...

That this House notes that the honourable Member for Paisley South wrote to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security on 29th March 1994 on behalf of a constituent who was experiencing great difficulties at the hands of the Child Support Agency and that the Minister referred the letter to Ros Hepplewhite, Chief Executive of the Agency, for reply; further notes that on 12th April, the honourable Member for Paisley South supplemented his original letter with medical evidence provided by his constituent's general practitioner; is appalled that Mr A. Bowman, the Manager of the Child Support Agency Centre at Falkirk, replied on 12th May that the rules of confidentiality prevented him from discussing the case; demands to know what rules of confidentiality preclude a paid officer of an executive agency from allowing an honourable Member to represent a constituent; believes that the Child Support Agency increasingly operates as a law unto itself, and appears to have the consent of Ministers in the Department of Social Security in holding itself beyond account to Parliament; and calls for an immediate, independent and thorough investigation into the operation of the Agency.

That this House notes that the honourable Member for Paisley South wrote to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security on 29th March 1994 on behalf of a constituent who was experiencing great difficulties at the hands of the Child Support Agency and that the Minister referred the letter...

That this House expresses its sincere condolences to the family of David Bathgate, aged 10, who died when he was hit by a fire appliance as it attended a malicious hoax call in Paisley on Friday 15th April; expresses its concerns for the driver and crew of the fire appliance who will suffer trauma as a result of this tragic death; believes the real culprit is the person who made the malicious hoax call; notes that 567 of the 2,679 calls made to the fire service in Paisley in 1993 were hoaxes, which represents 21 per cent.; and urges Her Majesty's Government to review the procedures and penalties for dealing with malicious hoax calls to emergency services and, in the meantime, to ensure that the perpetrators of malicious hoax calls are prosecuted and dealt with by the courts.

That this House expresses its sincere condolences to the family of David Bathgate, aged 10, who died when he was hit by a fire appliance as it attended a malicious hoax call in Paisley on Friday 15th April; expresses its concerns for the driver and crew of the fire appliance...

That this House congratulates the Disability Now newspaper for revealing that a draft law presented to China's People's Congress on 20th December 1993 includes plans to use mass abortion and sterilisation to prevent the birth of disabled children; is appalled that China's Minister of Public Health, Chen Minzhang, has apparently attempted to justify this barbaric measure by saying that it is necessary to 'stop the prevalence of abnormal births'; is horrified that the draft law describes disabled babies as 'births of inferior quality'; notes with alarm that the draft law includes provision to ban women with certain illnesses and diseases from marrying; condemns the statement from the Xinhua news agency that 'more than 10 million disabled persons could have been prevented through better controls'; believes that this measure will transcend the political divide on the question of abortion as it has nothing to do with the choice of individual women, but has everything to do with the ethnic cleansing of babies who happen to be disabled; believes that human beings, whatever their disability, have a fundamental right as full and equal citizens; and calls upon the United Nations to recognise the breadth and depth of international outrage about this proposed law.

That this House congratulates the Disability Now newspaper for revealing that a draft law presented to China's People's Congress on 20th December 1993 includes plans to use mass abortion and sterilisation to prevent the birth of disabled children; is appalled that China's Minister of Public Health, Chen Minzhang, has apparently...

That this House condemns the sharp practices of United Telecom Trust, a company based in Zurich which publishes a so-called International Telefax Directory, which sends unsolicited invoices to fax users in the United Kingdom seeking payment for an entry in the World Telefax Edition, notes that these invoices are issued to businesses and individuals who have not in any way sought to be included in this publication; notes that the honourable Member for Paisley South received an unsolicited invoice for ??332.00 on 29th January, a bill which will remain unpaid; further notes that the smallprint on the invoice sets down conditions such as 'in the event of an error being made in any entry there will be no refund' and 'if no notice of cancellation is given until end of the calendar year, a repeat entry will automatically be carried out at subscriber's expense'; believes that the confidence tricksters behind this scam must have successfully duped a sizeable number of businesses and individuals into paying for this so-called service as this is not the first year they have issued these false bills; and calls upon the President of the Board of Trade to ban the operation of this company in the United Kingdom pending a full and thorough investigation into its practices.

That this House condemns the sharp practices of United Telecom Trust, a company based in Zurich which publishes a so-called International Telefax Directory, which sends unsolicited invoices to fax users in the United Kingdom seeking payment for an entry in the World Telefax Edition, notes that these invoices are issued...

That this House notes that the honourable Member for Paisley South has consulted every household in the West Dykebar area about the proposal to include the area in the proposed East Renfrewshire Authority; further notes that the overwhelming majority of the residents there wish to be included in the local council area which will have jurisdiction over Paisley; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to accept the wishes of the people of West Dykebar.

That this House notes that the honourable Member for Paisley South has consulted every household in the West Dykebar area about the proposal to include the area in the proposed East Renfrewshire Authority; further notes that the overwhelming majority of the residents there wish to be included in the local...

That this House notes with deep concern that, in a reply to the honourable Member for Paisley South on 30 th November, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Scottish Office stated that fox-hunting is permitted 'on land owned by the "Secretary of State for Scotland" where it has traditionally taken place or where the right to hunt or to grant facilities to hunt has been reserved in the title'; reminds him that such land is not 'owned' by any particular Minister of the Crown, but is merely in his stewardship during his term of office; believes that such land is public property owned by the people who have a fundamental and paramount right to determine how it is used in their name; asserts that the overwhelming majority of the people of this country find fox-hunting to be an abhorrent and barbaric practice which should be outlawed immediately; and calls upon the Government to make fox-hunting illegal on all public and private property throughout the United Kingdom.

That this House notes with deep concern that, in a reply to the honourable Member for Paisley South on 30 th November, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Scottish Office stated that fox-hunting is permitted 'on land owned by the "Secretary of State for Scotland" where it has traditionally...