That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Social Security (Social Fund and Claims and Payments) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 1997 (S.I.,1997, No. 792), dated 12 March 1997, a copy of which was laid before this House on 17th March, be annulled.

That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Social Security (Social Fund and Claims and Payments) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 1997 (S.I.,1997, No. 792), dated 12 March 1997, a copy of which was laid before this House on 17th March, be annulled.

That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (General) Amendment Regulations 1997 (S.I., 1997, No. 852), dated 17 March 1997, a copy of which was laid before this House on 19th March, be annulled.

That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (General) Amendment Regulations 1997 (S.I., 1997, No. 852), dated 17 March 1997, a copy of which was laid before this House on 19th March, be annulled.

That this House regrets that the British Board of Film Classification has passed for release and without any cuts the film Crash, a film which depicts deliberately engineered car crashes in the pursuit of sexual pleasure; notes further that car crashes are the cause of thousands of deaths and serious accidents every year; and therefore regrets that such a film will now be able to be seen in cinemas up and down the country.

That this House regrets that the British Board of Film Classification has passed for release and without any cuts the film Crash, a film which depicts deliberately engineered car crashes in the pursuit of sexual pleasure; notes further that car crashes are the cause of thousands of deaths and serious...

That this House notes that the Waterloo Cup, the main event in the hare coursing calendar will be taking place in Altcar, Lancashire from 25th to either the 27th or 28th February depending on when the event runs out of hares to course; notes that hare coursing is a cruel activity which often leads to an agonising death for a hare that has been caught as it becomes living rope in a tug of war between the two greyhounds who have caught it; notes further that hare coursing is strongly opposed by most people with opinion polls showing even greater opposition to hare coursing than to fox hunting; and therefore calls upon the Government to ensure that the Waterloo Cup and the barbaric practice of hare coursing is finally prohibited.

That this House notes that the Waterloo Cup, the main event in the hare coursing calendar will be taking place in Altcar, Lancashire from 25th to either the 27th or 28th February depending on when the event runs out of hares to course; notes that hare coursing is a cruel...

That this House regrets the waste of taxpayers' money involved in the Child Support Agency advertising campaign throughout the Greater Manchester area; notes that on 12th February the Advertising Standards Authority published a report stating that the claim made in one advertisement 'Dear Parent, Even after you pay maintenance you will always have more income if you are in work' was not an acceptable claim and that the advertisers have been asked not to use the claim again; notes further that the report made by the Advertising Standards Authority is a carefully considered decision following a reconsideration of their original decision; and therefore calls upon the Government to refrain from publishing any further inaccurate advertisements relating to the Child Support Agency and instead to start using taxpayers' money for a much needed nationwide advertising campaign directed at encouraging the take-up of income-related benefits amongst pensioners.

That this House regrets the waste of taxpayers' money involved in the Child Support Agency advertising campaign throughout the Greater Manchester area; notes that on 12th February the Advertising Standards Authority published a report stating that the claim made in one advertisement 'Dear Parent, Even after you pay maintenance you...

That this House believes that the decision not to outline the specific changes to war pensions at the time of the Budget is an insult to Parliament and to the freedoms which war veterans secured for this nation; and believes that if the Chief Secretary to the Treasury was responsible for covering up the full extent of the cuts he should resign; notes with grave concern that the proposed package of cuts in war pensions will stop 10,000 people a year whose hearing has deteriorated following military service receiving a higher disability pension and to stop the issue of reminders to people to return their claim or seek an increase in entitlement; and believes that such a package is clearly not a measure merely to 'simplify policy and procedures' as claimed in a Budget press release, but instead a cynical attempt to cut social security expenditure at the expense of war veterans and widows who have made immense sacrifices for this nation.

That this House believes that the decision not to outline the specific changes to war pensions at the time of the Budget is an insult to Parliament and to the freedoms which war veterans secured for this nation; and believes that if the Chief Secretary to the Treasury was responsible...

That this House is concerned that increases in road traffic will cause more atmospheric pollution and emission of more greenhouse gases, as well as being damaging to communities and the countryside; notes similar concerns expressed in the recent reports by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution and the House's own Transport Committee; notes, too, that the Government in its recent Air Quality Strategy accepts that 'changes in planning and transport policies which would reduce the need to travel and reliance on the car' could be needed in order to ensure that air quality targets can be met; also notes that the CBI has estimated that traffic congestion is costing British industry ??9 million per year: and welcomes the introduction of the Road Traffic Reduction Bill by a cross-party group of honourable Members led by the honourable Member for Bath, the honourable Member for Stoke on Trent North and the honourable Member for Eltham, which requires local authorities to draw up local road traffic reduction plans in order to reduce traffic in their areas in ways that they consider appropriate to their circumstances, and which requires the Secretary of State to draw up and implement a national road traffic reduction plan requiring a reduction of traffic miles by five per cent. of 1990 levels by 2005 and a reduction of 10 per cent. by 2010.

That this House is concerned that increases in road traffic will cause more atmospheric pollution and emission of more greenhouse gases, as well as being damaging to communities and the countryside; notes similar concerns expressed in the recent reports by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution and the House's own...

That this House notes that the most recent Government figures show that in 1995 251 people aged 80 years or over died in England and Wales with hypothermia mentioned on the death certificate as the main contributory cause of death; notes that this figure is certainly an underestimate of the real number of deaths; notes that according to Age Concern a third of all pensioner households have an indoor winter temperature below 16C (61F) which is the temperature at which shops and offices can legally be closed down; notes further that the current cold weather payments seven day rule fails to give pensioners the confidence to start heating their households as soon as severe cold weather starts, that cold weather payments are limited to pensioners on income support yet the take-up rate of income support is lowest amongst pensioners with one third of eligible pensioners not taking up income support and that the cold weather payments system only includes one flat payment whatever the severity of weather; and therefore calls upon the Government to urgently consider relaxing the strict rules on the cold weather payments system to ensure that all pensioners are able to heat their homes adequately from the onset of severe cold weather and ensure that the shameful number of pensioners that die each year from hypothermia is greatly reduced.

That this House notes that the most recent Government figures show that in 1995 251 people aged 80 years or over died in England and Wales with hypothermia mentioned on the death certificate as the main contributory cause of death; notes that this figure is certainly an underestimate of the...

That this House notes that the decision of some building societies to convert to banks is resulting in thousands of building society savers with learning difficulties being denied bonus shares due to their accounts being in joint names and with the relative or helper responsible for merely administering the account receiving the bonus payment; congratulates the Daily Express newspaper for highlighting this issue and running a campaign against this injustice; calls upon building societies to make every effort to ensure that all their savers directly share in the payments resulting from the conversion of a building society into a bank; and calls upon H.M. Government to take urgent steps to ensure that such blatant discrimination against disabled people is no longer permissible.

That this House notes that the decision of some building societies to convert to banks is resulting in thousands of building society savers with learning difficulties being denied bonus shares due to their accounts being in joint names and with the relative or helper responsible for merely administering the account...

That this House expresses grave concern at the announcement on Wednesday 23rd October that Camelot will now be able to run a midweek National Lottery draw; notes that it has already been estimated that the additional draw will generate a 20 per cent. increase in National Lottery ticket sales; believes that such an increase in ticket sales will inevitably harm small lotteries run by football clubs such as Rochdale F.C., creating great hardship and possibly threatening their existence; and therefore calls upon the Secretary of State for National Heritage to reverse her support for a midweek National Lottery draw so ensuring that a fair balance exists between the National Lottery, lotteries run by football teams and the football pools.

That this House expresses grave concern at the announcement on Wednesday 23rd October that Camelot will now be able to run a midweek National Lottery draw; notes that it has already been estimated that the additional draw will generate a 20 per cent. increase in National Lottery ticket sales; believes...

That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Social Security (Adjudication) and Child Benefit Support Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 1996 (S.I., 1996, No. 2450), dated 23rd September 1996, a copy of which was laid before this House on 27th September, be annulled.

That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Social Security (Adjudication) and Child Benefit Support Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 1996 (S.I., 1996, No. 2450), dated 23rd September 1996, a copy of which was laid before this House on 27th September, be annulled.

That this House notes the strength of opposition throughout Rochdale, Littleborough and neighbouring areas to any proposals to deprive the town of Rochdale of a main hospital with accident and emergency facilities; further notes that the honourable Member for Rochdale's petition opposing the withdrawal of any hospital services from the Rochdale and Littleborough area has already collected over 10,000 signatures which is in addition to the 20,000 signatures that the Rochdale Observer newspaper has now collected; and therefore calls on the Secretary of State to acknowledge the strength of support for the excellent local hospital services being provided in Rochdale and to intervene to ensure that the town of Rochdale retains a main hospital with accident and emergency facilities to provide local health services for the people of Rochdale, Littleborough and neighbouring areas.

That this House notes the strength of opposition throughout Rochdale, Littleborough and neighbouring areas to any proposals to deprive the town of Rochdale of a main hospital with accident and emergency facilities; further notes that the honourable Member for Rochdale's petition opposing the withdrawal of any hospital services from the...

That this House warmly welcomes the holding of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Wednesday 26th June; notes that there are currently 34,000 registered drug addicts in Britain and each year an estimated 28,000 people die from alcohol-related deaths; notes further that under-age drinking is a widespread problem with recent research from the Alcohol and Offending Research Project at the University of Manchester showing that 10 per cent. of 14 and 15 year olds admitted to being very drunk every week; and therefore pays tribute to Hope UK for organising the walk from St. Paul's Cathedral on 26th June to coincide with the international day and all the other charities and organisations involved in drug education and the promotion of drug-free lifestyles for children and young people.

That this House warmly welcomes the holding of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Wednesday 26th June; notes that there are currently 34,000 registered drug addicts in Britain and each year an estimated 28,000 people die from alcohol-related deaths; notes further that under-age drinking is a...

That this House believes that the maintenance of child benefit, upgraded annually in line with living costs and delivered on a universal basis, is an essential part of the welfare state; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to adopt this policy.

That this House believes that the maintenance of child benefit, upgraded annually in line with living costs and delivered on a universal basis, is an essential part of the welfare state; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to adopt this policy.

That this House condemns the Ministry of Defence's plans to introduce protected areas within their buildings for employees confined to wheelchairs in the event of a fire; believes that this is an insulting and discriminatory proposal which will inevitably place disabled employees at greater risk; regrets that the new regulations fail to incorporate the needs of all employees; notes further that the proposed regulations say much about the priority this Government gives towards tackling discrimination faced by disabled people as similar proposals in relation to children or elderly people would not even be considered; and calls upon the Secretary of State for Defence to scrap these proposed regulations immediately and instead, after full consultation, introduce regulations that based on existing best practice ensure all employees are given equal protection in the event of a fire.

That this House condemns the Ministry of Defence's plans to introduce protected areas within their buildings for employees confined to wheelchairs in the event of a fire; believes that this is an insulting and discriminatory proposal which will inevitably place disabled employees at greater risk; regrets that the new regulations...

That this House notes that, according to the Building Research Establishment domestic energy model and taking Bristol as a base case, the cost of heating a typical semi-detached house with gas central heating varies enormously throughout the United Kingdom; notes for example that the extra fuel required to heat a typical house in Rochdale is an additional nine per cent; notes further that for many pensioners the extra fuel costs cannot be fully met; and therefore calls upon Her Majesty's Government to relax the rules of the cold weather payments system and for the Chancellor of the Exchequer to honour his clear pledge made in the 1994 Budget to retain the current level of funding for the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme by immediately reversing the current planned cuts in the energy conservation scheme for pensioners.

That this House notes that, according to the Building Research Establishment domestic energy model and taking Bristol as a base case, the cost of heating a typical semi-detached house with gas central heating varies enormously throughout the United Kingdom; notes for example that the extra fuel required to heat a...

That this House notes that the most recent Government figures show that in 1994 there was a total of 305 deaths of pensioners where hypothermia was mentioned on the death certificate; notes that this figure is certainly an underestimate of the actual number of deaths; notes also that according to Age Concern a third of all pensioner households have an indoor winter temperature below 16 centigrade (61 fahrenheit) which is the temperature at which shops and offices can legally be closed down; notes further that the current cold weather payments seven day rule fails to give pensioners the confidence to start heating their households as soon as severe cold weather starts, that cold weather payments are limited to pensioners on income support, yet take-up on income support is lowest amongst pensioners, with one-third of eligible pensioners not taking up income support; further notes that the cold weather payments system only includes one flat payment whatever the severity of weather; and therefore calls upon the Government urgently to consider relaxing the strict

That this House notes that the most recent Government figures show that in 1994 there was a total of 305 deaths of pensioners where hypothermia was mentioned on the death certificate; notes that this figure is certainly an underestimate of the actual number of deaths; notes also that according to...

That this House welcomes the launch of the Age Concern publication Not At My Age: Why the Present Breast Screening System is Failing Women Aged 65 or Over; notes that the report shows that the present NHS Breast Screening Programme is failing to reach the women most at risk of breast cancer; further notes that there is much research evidence supporting the likely benefits of screening for older women and that an estimated 2,000 older women's lives could be saved every year if they were routinely invited for screening; and therefore calls upon the Government to accept in full the Health Committee's recommendation to extend screening invitations to women aged 65 to 69 years of age.

That this House welcomes the launch of the Age Concern publication Not At My Age: Why the Present Breast Screening System is Failing Women Aged 65 or Over; notes that the report shows that the present NHS Breast Screening Programme is failing to reach the women most at risk of...

That this House notes with grave concern the misleading and inaccurate answer that the Prime Minister gave to the honourable Member for Rochdale at Prime Minister's Question Time on Tuesday 12th December when he stated that the honourable Member's Party cancelled the Christmas bonus paid to pensioners; notes that the Christmas bonus was in fact cancelled by a Labour Government in 1975 and then reinstated in 1977; and urges the Prime Minister to show a greater respect for historical facts and to stop misleading the electorate.

That this House notes with grave concern the misleading and inaccurate answer that the Prime Minister gave to the honourable Member for Rochdale at Prime Minister's Question Time on Tuesday 12th December when he stated that the honourable Member's Party cancelled the Christmas bonus paid to pensioners; notes that the...

That this House notes that entitlement to cold weather payments is highly limited being restricted to people receiving income support whose benefit includes a disability or pensioner premium or who have a child under the age of five years in their family and that in addition weekly payments are only made available for each period of seven consectuive days when the average temperature in a local area has been, or is forecast to be, below 0 Celsius; therefore condemns the decision in this year's Social Security uprating not to uprate with inflation the cold weather payment for 1996; and further condemns the savage 30 per cent. cut in funding for the home energy efficiency scheme which is a clear breach of a commitment made in 1994 by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

That this House notes that entitlement to cold weather payments is highly limited being restricted to people receiving income support whose benefit includes a disability or pensioner premium or who have a child under the age of five years in their family and that in addition weekly payments are only...