That this House views with grave concern the Government White Paper 'A New Framework for Local Justice' and the consultative papers issued thereafter, which threaten to undermine the independence and local accountability of the Magistrates' Courts system; notes the widespread opposition to the current proposals from magistrates and justices' clerks and in particular the resolutions of the Special General Meeting of the Magistrates' Association on 9th October; affirms its opposition to the enforced amalgamation of Magistrates' Courts Committee areas; urges the Government to think again before legislating to require fixed term contracts and an extra layer of adminstration, in proposals that remain uncosted; and calls on the Government to bring forward new proposals that will increase efficiency while preserving the independence and local accountability of the magistracy and their legal advisers as the basis of the proper administration of justice.

That this House views with grave concern the Government White Paper 'A New Framework for Local Justice' and the consultative papers issued thereafter, which threaten to undermine the independence and local accountability of the Magistrates' Courts system; notes the widespread opposition to the current proposals from magistrates and justices' clerks...

That this House notes with grave concern the Government White Paper, A New Framework for Local Justice and the consultative documents issued thereafter which threaten to alter fundamentally the relationship between lay magistracy and their legally qualified clerks; shares the fears of magistrates all over the country and their view that these proposals will undermine the independence of the magistracy by centralising power in the hands of the Lord Chancellor's Department; notes in this regard the resolutions of branches of the Magistrates' Association, 33 out of 58 of which have already registered their opposition to the proposals; affirms its belief that these proposals will further undermine the administration of justice; and calls upon the Lord Chancellor's Department to bring forward new proposals which will increase the efficiency of the magistrates' courts service and restore its morale by giving due consideration to the local ties of the magistracy and the importance of its adequate resourcing and independence of operation in the furtherance of the proper administration of justice.

That this House notes with grave concern the Government White Paper, A New Framework for Local Justice and the consultative documents issued thereafter which threaten to alter fundamentally the relationship between lay magistracy and their legally qualified clerks; shares the fears of magistrates all over the country and their view...

That this House notes with deep concern the intransigence of the Department of Transport in proceeding with its decision to close the access from the North Circular Road to Norbreck Parade, London NW10; further notes that at a meeting on Wednesday 10th February members of the local residents' association voted by an overwhelming majority to oppose this closure; observes that the local business community local residents, and passing customers of this important parade of shops remain united in their opposition to the closure; records that professional consultants commissioned by the residents to look at the likely safety implications of the closure have put forward safer alternatives, but that these have been rejected for no good reason; welcomes the support given by Ealing Borough Council and honourable Members from both sides of this House to local traders fighting the closure; welcomes the decision of the Secretary of State to call in for his personal attention the papers relating to this case; and urges him to give the matter his most urgent and sympathetic consideration with a view to permitting the creation of an access to this otherwise totally isolated commercial and residential area.

That this House notes with deep concern the intransigence of the Department of Transport in proceeding with its decision to close the access from the North Circular Road to Norbreck Parade, London NW10; further notes that at a meeting on Wednesday 10th February members of the local residents' association voted...

That this House notes with concern the crisis in the funding of legal training arising from the virtual collapse of the discretionary award system; recognises that local authorities faced with cuts in their education budget are ceasing to make discretionary awards available for students seeking post-graduate vocational training as lawyers; notes in this regards that by 1992 the level of fee income received by the College of Law from local education authorities had fallen to 22 per cent. from 64 per cent. in 1989; believes that this will still further narrow the base from which the legal profession is drawn, undermining not only equal opportunities in the law, particularly for women and ethnic minorities but also the proper administration of justice; and therefore calls on the Lord Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Education to review the basis of the funding and structure of legal training with a view to placing it on a par with other professions, such as architecture, where courses leading to a professional qualification attract a mandatory grant.

That this House notes with concern the crisis in the funding of legal training arising from the virtual collapse of the discretionary award system; recognises that local authorities faced with cuts in their education budget are ceasing to make discretionary awards available for students seeking post-graduate vocational training as lawyers;...

That this House notes with concern the plight of a large number of people currently pursuing claims against leading pharmaceutical companies arising from the ingestion of tranquillisers; recognises the inadequacy of the legal system and its procedures in enabling groups of consumers to bring claims against powerful commercial interests in multi-party actions and the resulting advantage to the defendants in such actions; notes the failure of the legal aid system to protect the rights of many consumer claimants with claims backed by strong forensic evidence as a result of decisions to withdraw legal aid based on a lack of such evidence in respect of weaker cases within the same group and the resulting waste of public funds already expended; and therefore calls upon the Lord Chancellor to bring forward proposals to reform the law and procedures on multi-party actions as a matter of urgency and to amend the legal aid regulations accordingly; and further calls on the Legal Aid Board to review current decisions that have led to the withdrawal of legal aid and to ensure in future decisions that have led to the withdrawal of legal aid and to ensure in future decisions that no-one with a valid claim will be denied the opportunity to pursue it through lack of means.

That this House notes with concern the plight of a large number of people currently pursuing claims against leading pharmaceutical companies arising from the ingestion of tranquillisers; recognises the inadequacy of the legal system and its procedures in enabling groups of consumers to bring claims against powerful commercial interests in...

That this House notes with grave concern the growing tension between the Government and judiciary as expressed by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Taylor, in recent speeches and interviews; recognises that this arises from widespread disquiet amongst the judiciary at Government policy on legal aid, the Asylum Bill, a number of whose provisions Lord Taylor describes as 'wrong in principle', and the appointment of an insufficient number of High Court judges; notes the increase in the workload of the High Court and the unsatisfactory nature of the delays arising therefrom and that Lord Taylor has said, 'I can't do the job unless I have the judges'; recognises the threat both to the work of the commercial courts and the liberty of the individual that the failure to appoint a sufficiency of High Court judges presents; notes the representations of consumer and civil liberties groups to this effect; and calls on the Government to expedite, with additional resources, the review of the deployment of High Court judges established by the Lord Chancellor, to publish its findings and implement any recommendations to increase the number of High Court judges without further delay.

That this House notes with grave concern the growing tension between the Government and judiciary as expressed by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Taylor, in recent speeches and interviews; recognises that this arises from widespread disquiet amongst the judiciary at Government policy on legal aid, the Asylum Bill, a number...

That this House expresses its support for the Save Legal Aid Campaign; notes its broad range of support amongst professional and consumer organisations, including the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux and the National Consumer Council; welcomes their visit to Parliament on Wednesday 3rd February; calls upon the Government to reconsider its proposals to cut the Legal Aid budget by ??47 million in the current year, rising to ??147 million in 1995-96 by changing the rules for eligibility for legal aid, advice and assistance; reaffirms its commitment to the basic objectives of the Legal Aid Scheme as stated by the Lord Chancellor's Department in 1948, namely, no one will be financially unable to prosecute a just and reasonable claim or defend a legal right; calls upon the Government to do likewise; expresses concern that the effect of the implementation of the Lord Chancellor's proposals would be to remove access to justice from at least 10 million people, to impose still further burdens on the hard-pressed citizen advice bureaux and other advice services and lead to a loss of specialist legal aid solicitors on our high streets; and calls upon the Government to enter into urgent negotiations with the Law Society. Bar Council and other interested parties in order to promote a cost-effective and comprehensive strategy for legal services which promotes the efficient delivery of legal services in the interests of justice and the consumer and to bring forward its proposals to Parliament for full debate and early consideration.

That this House expresses its support for the Save Legal Aid Campaign; notes its broad range of support amongst professional and consumer organisations, including the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux and the National Consumer Council; welcomes their visit to Parliament on Wednesday 3rd February; calls upon the Government to...

That this House notes the decision of the European Court of Justice in the case of Surinder Singh; recognises that it has important implications for immigration policy in the area of the admittance of spouses and children to the United Kingdom; and urges the Government to undertake a fundamental review of policy in this area, and in particular, address the need to abolish the subjective primary purpose marriage test which, while affecting relatively small numbers of families, has nevertheless inflicted hardship and division on the marriages of British citizens and residents.

That this House notes the decision of the European Court of Justice in the case of Surinder Singh; recognises that it has important implications for immigration policy in the area of the admittance of spouses and children to the United Kingdom; and urges the Government to undertake a fundamental review...

That this House notes with great concern the plight of thousands of pensioner households who face substantial financial loss and possible repossession of their homes through being sold wholly unsuitable investment bond related home plans by unscrupulous financial advisers; notes that some of the building societies implicated in this business have refused to co-operate with the committee of regulators set up under the auspices of the Securities and Investment Board which is charged with finding solutions to problem cases; notes that the Building Societies Ombudsman has stated in his Annual Report that he may have difficulty in processing the potentially large number of complaints; and calls upon the Government to bring pressure to bear on all parties to resolve the issue of liability for any compensation with reasonable speed.

That this House notes with great concern the plight of thousands of pensioner households who face substantial financial loss and possible repossession of their homes through being sold wholly unsuitable investment bond related home plans by unscrupulous financial advisers; notes that some of the building societies implicated in this business...

That this House notes with great concern the plight of the thousands of pensioner households who face substantial loss and possible repossession of their homes through being sold wholly unsuitable investment bond-related home income plans by unscrupulous financial advisers; and calls on the Government to act to bring together representatives of the building societies' and independent financial advisers' regulatory bodies and any other interested parties in order to resolve the issue of liability for any compensation and to take steps to avoid others being adversely affected by such plans in the future.

That this House notes with great concern the plight of the thousands of pensioner households who face substantial loss and possible repossession of their homes through being sold wholly unsuitable investment bond-related home income plans by unscrupulous financial advisers; and calls on the Government to act to bring together representatives...

That this House notes with regret the decision of Rolls Royce Motor Cars Limited to end, with the loss of 500 jobs, the production of coach-built cars at the Mulliner Park Ward assembly and finishing plant in North West London, where cars have been built since 1900; recognises the skill and dedication of the workforce at the plant and the consistently high standards of productivity and quality achieved there; regrets the loss of craft skills and training opportunities that will result from the Company's decision not only to the immediate area but the nation, whose achievement in manufacture has been symbolished by cars built there over many years; and calls upon the Board of Rolls Royce Motor Cars Limited and its parent company Vickers Plc, to reconsider this decision.

That this House notes with regret the decision of Rolls Royce Motor Cars Limited to end, with the loss of 500 jobs, the production of coach-built cars at the Mulliner Park Ward assembly and finishing plant in North West London, where cars have been built since 1900; recognises the skill...

That this House notes and recognises the value of United Kingdom legislation which outlaws racial discrimination; is concerned that no other member state of the European Community affords comparable protection and rights to ethnic minorities; and urges Her Majesty's Government to encourage its European partners to examine with urgency their own legislation in this field with a view to initiating similar protection.

That this House notes and recognises the value of United Kingdom legislation which outlaws racial discrimination; is concerned that no other member state of the European Community affords comparable protection and rights to ethnic minorities; and urges Her Majesty's Government to encourage its European partners to examine with urgency their...