That this House is proud to note that on 6 January 2010, for the first time in the history of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the Union Flag was raised permanently above the Victoria Tower of the Palace of Westminster and now remains in place all day and every day throughout the year; further notes that the two additional flag poles located on the Parliamentary Estate at 1 Parliament Street and Portcullis House now also display the Union Flag at all times and have done so since 28 November 2009; believes that the decision to display the flag of the nation every day of the year from Parliament is something that Members of both the House of Commons and House of Lords should celebrate and take great pride in; and commends all those who played a part in helping to bring about this fine decision, including the authorities of both Houses, the President and members of the Flag Institute and the members of the All Party Parliamentary Flag Group, including the hon. Member for Romford, who championed the cause and led the now successful campaign to fly the Union Flag above the British Parliament all year round.

That this House is proud to note that on 6 January 2010, for the first time in the history of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the Union Flag was raised permanently above the Victoria Tower of the Palace of Westminster and now remains in place all day and every...

That this House supports Taiwan's campaign for meaningful participation in international organisations; notes with concern Taiwan's continued exclusion from meaningful participation in United Nations-specialised agencies; further supports Taiwan's bid to participate meaningfully in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO); recognises that Taiwan provides important regional air-transport services being a key air-transport hub linking northeast and southeast Asia with 2,600 weekly flights with neighbouring countries; further recognises that if ICAO is to ensure the integrity of the global civil aviation safety network then Taiwan's participation is indispensable; acknowledges that past ICAO practices and the existing legal basis allow for Taiwan's meaningful participation in ICAO meetings, mechanisms and activities; and calls on the Government to support Taiwan's bid for meaningful participation in the ICAO through observer status in ICAO decision-making bodies, technical meetings, mechanisms and direct contact with the ICAO and its Asia and Pacific office.

That this House supports Taiwan's campaign for meaningful participation in international organisations; notes with concern Taiwan's continued exclusion from meaningful participation in United Nations-specialised agencies; further supports Taiwan's bid to participate meaningfully in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO); recognises that Taiwan provides important regional air-transport services being a key...

That this House supports Taiwan's campaign for meaningful participation in international organisations; notes with concern Taiwan's continued exclusion from meaningful participation in United Nations-specialised agencies; further notes with concern that Taiwan is an island threatened by rising sea levels and extreme weather events; recognises that Taiwan has passed a Renewable Energy Act and drafted a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act; calls for Taiwan's meaningful participation in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); welcomes Taiwan's bid to participate in the activities and mechanisms of the UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol and post-2012 agreements; and further calls on the Government to support Taiwan's justifiable bid for UNFCCC observer status in order to institutionalise Taiwan's meaningful participation in UNFCCC activities.

That this House supports Taiwan's campaign for meaningful participation in international organisations; notes with concern Taiwan's continued exclusion from meaningful participation in United Nations-specialised agencies; further notes with concern that Taiwan is an island threatened by rising sea levels and extreme weather events; recognises that Taiwan has passed a Renewable...

That this House regrets that Taiwan has been excluded from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its related mechanisms; notes that the 15th Session of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties will convene between 7 and 18 December 2009; recognises that global warming is not restricted by political boundaries and there should be no gap or weak spot in the collective international network to reduce global carbon emissions and combat climate change; contends that the UNFCCC should not ignore the basic rights of the 23 million people of Taiwan; applauds Taiwan's voluntary declaration of reduction goals and schedules for greenhouse gases and its commitment to assuming its responsibilities and obligations as part of the global community; welcomes the WHO Director General's recent invitation for Taiwan to attend the World Health Assembly as an observer; further notes that Paragraph 6 of Article 7 of the UNFCCC states that observers to UN specialised agencies may be represented as observers at sessions of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties; observes that other non-UN member states were likewise made parties to the UNFCCC; strongly encourages the Government to support Taiwan's justifiable bid for UNFCCC observer status in order to institutionalise Taiwan's meaningful participation in UNFCCC activities; and urges the UNFCCC Executive Secretary to invite Taiwan as an observer.

That this House regrets that Taiwan has been excluded from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its related mechanisms; notes that the 15th Session of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties will convene between 7 and 18 December 2009; recognises that global warming is not restricted by...

That this House regrets that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has opposed including Taiwan's participation as an observer to the World Health Assembly (WHA) on its agenda since 1997; notes that the 62nd WHA will convene between 18 and 27 May 2009; recognises that disease knows no boundaries and there should be no gap in the global public health network; contends that the WHO should not ignore the health rights of the 23 million people of Taiwan; applauds the valuable medical assistance and humanitarian aid provided by Taiwan's public and private sectors worldwide exceeding US$450 million over the last decade; applauds President Ma Ying-jeou of Taiwan having improved the cross-Taiwan Strait relations while effectively safeguarding Taiwan's sovereignty since assuming office on 20 May 2008; welcomes WHO's recent inclusion of Taiwan in the mechanisms of the International Health Regulations; further notes that the Mainline Chinese leadership has recently expressed certain goodwill in Taiwan's bid for WHA observer status; urges mainland China to play a positive role further in Taiwan's participation in international organisations where Taiwan wishes to make a contribution; regrets that the UK Government has only supported Taiwan's meaningful participation in the WHO rather than Taiwan's WHA observer status; strongly encourages the UK Government to support Taiwan's justifiable bid for WHA observer status to institutionalise Taiwan's meaningful participation in WHO activities; and urges the WHO Director-General to invite Taiwan on its own merits as a WHA observer to ensure no gap in the global public health network.

That this House regrets that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has opposed including Taiwan's participation as an observer to the World Health Assembly (WHA) on its agenda since 1997; notes that the 62nd WHA will convene between 18 and 27 May 2009; recognises that disease knows no boundaries and there...

That this House congratulates the 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire) on receiving the Freedom of the Borough of Macclesfield from its last Mayor, Councillor Mrs Thelma Jackson; praises the people of the Borough of Macclesfield for the tremendous reception they gave to members of the Regiment when they marched through the town on 19 March 2009; and further extends its gratitude to all the UK's armed forces at home and abroad for the outstanding service which they give to the nation.

That this House congratulates the 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire) on receiving the Freedom of the Borough of Macclesfield from its last Mayor, Councillor Mrs Thelma Jackson; praises the people of the Borough of Macclesfield for the tremendous reception they gave to members of the Regiment when they marched...

That this House congratulates the 200 volunteers and the organisers Richard Raymond and Peter Chapman of the East Cheshire Hospice 2009 Christmas tree collection, which was carried out on the weekend of 10 and 11 January 2009; notes that this valuable and worthwhile environmental initiative raised well in excess of ??41,000 this year for the East Cheshire Hospice; further notes that more than ??150,000 has been raised since the Christmas tree collection service was first suggested and established in 1999 by the Chapman family of Prestbury; expresses its thanks to Macclesfield Borough Council, its staff and volunteers for their continuing co-operation and assistance with the scheme; regrets that the East Cheshire Hospice cannot claim Gift Aid on the monies collected by the annual scheme; and calls on the Government to amend the Gift Aid rules to permit payments and donations in respect of such collection services to be the subject of Gift Aid.

That this House congratulates the 200 volunteers and the organisers Richard Raymond and Peter Chapman of the East Cheshire Hospice 2009 Christmas tree collection, which was carried out on the weekend of 10 and 11 January 2009; notes that this valuable and worthwhile environmental initiative raised well in excess of...

That this House expresses its concern about the future of the BAE Systems Woodford production plant and aerodrome bordering the Macclesfield constituency and the Ministry of Defence's Project Helix decision to replace three Nimrod R1 aircraft with US RC-135 Rivet Joint Boeing jets instead of the MRA4, nine of which are being assembled at Woodford; notes that 400 million had been budgeted for the Helix Programme with the decision on the future of the United Kingdom's large aircraft capability centring on two options, first to upgrade and modify the existing airframe and, secondly, to use the new MRA4 platform; further notes that while BAE Systems would be involved in both options, the Woodford plant would only benefit from the commissioning of the MRA4 platform; recognises that BAE Systems considers the cost of revamping the R1 fleet to be a lot greater than using the MRA4 platform; acknowledges that BAE Systems' experience demonstrates that there is considerable risk in stripping down aeroplanes, with projects often incurring extreme cost and time overruns; further recognises that the MRA4 option continues to give the RAF the best capability, best in-service date and best value for money for HM Exchequer; and notes with deep concern that due to the current state of the defence budget the RAF plans, at a cost of 700million, to replace three 35 year old Nimrod R1 aircraft based at RAF Waddington, near Lincoln, with even more antiquated US RC-135 Boeings, which entered service with the US Air Force 46 years ago.

That this House expresses its concern about the future of the BAE Systems Woodford production plant and aerodrome bordering the Macclesfield constituency and the Ministry of Defence's Project Helix decision to replace three Nimrod R1 aircraft with US RC-135 Rivet Joint Boeing jets instead of the MRA4, nine of which...

That this House expresses its concern about the declining standard in the use of the English language by BBC broadcasters; is concerned that new and persistent mispronunciations and grammatical errors are being missed or ignored by editors and producers; commends the role of the BBC in broadcasting to the entire United Kingdom; acknowledges that English is a living language; further acknowledges that a variety of accents and styles of speech should be represented; is of the opinion that the stated aim of the BBC to reflect as much as possible the varied activities, accents and cultures of the different communities which constitute the UK's population is often misguided in its application; is disappointed that the BBC concludes that its stated aim results in a more relaxed style of speech which employs phrases commonly used by sections of the audience which seem inappropriate and occasionally nonsensical to others; recognises that the appeal of individual presenters results from the accent and style in which they communicate; does not believe that dictating to individual presenters on the proper and grammatically correct use of English would inhibit spontaneity and introduce a uniformity which would undermine their appeal to audiences across the UK; expresses its hope that the BBC will re-adopt the role of preserver of the English language, thereby acting in the best interests of its audiences; and calls on the BBC to recognise its duty to maintain the highest standards of spoken English and pronunciation across its broadcasting.

That this House expresses its concern about the declining standard in the use of the English language by BBC broadcasters; is concerned that new and persistent mispronunciations and grammatical errors are being missed or ignored by editors and producers; commends the role of the BBC in broadcasting to the entire...

That this House notes that herbal remedies have for centuries made a valuable contribution to healthcare; acknowledges that successive Ministers have hoped that the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive would provide a safe future legal home for such products as older legislative provisions were withdrawn; is alarmed that only 35 applications for registration under the Directive have been received by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, and only 14 registrations granted; fears that many smaller specialist manufacturers are deterred by the prohibitive costs and pharmaceutical testing regimes introduced by the legislation; warns that this risks the loss of thousands of safe and popular herbal remedies when the transitional period expires in 2011; and invites Ministers urgently to intervene to reduce the burdens of regulatory compliance and to persuade the European Union to review the legislation to prevent further damage to the herbal products sector.

That this House notes that herbal remedies have for centuries made a valuable contribution to healthcare; acknowledges that successive Ministers have hoped that the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive would provide a safe future legal home for such products as older legislative provisions were withdrawn; is alarmed that only 35...

That this House notes with concern Government proposals to close the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) office at Craven House, Macclesfield; is concerned that the proposed reduction of the HMRC estate in the north west of England from 14 offices to four would leave people and businesses across a large area of Cheshire and the north west of England without access to these important services; appreciates the high level of service by HMRC staff in these offices; and calls on the Government to review the closure programme.

That this House notes with concern Government proposals to close the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) office at Craven House, Macclesfield; is concerned that the proposed reduction of the HMRC estate in the north west of England from 14 offices to four would leave people and businesses across a large...

That this House recognises the clear health benefits of breastfeeding; welcomes reports that legislative proposals on rights for women to breastfeed in public may be brought forward later in 2008; is concerned by reports that this right may only extend to the first six months of a child's life; and therefore calls on the Government to support calls by the Royal College of Midwives for it to bring forward proposals that give mothers the legal right to breastfeed in public, with no time limit on that right.

That this House recognises the clear health benefits of breastfeeding; welcomes reports that legislative proposals on rights for women to breastfeed in public may be brought forward later in 2008; is concerned by reports that this right may only extend to the first six months of a child's life; and...

That this House is concerned by the proposed closure of the Bollinbrook, Bollington Cross, Sutton, Broken Cross, Gawsworth and Hockley post office branches in Macclesfield constituency; recognises the vital importance of these individual post office branches in serving the local communities; urges the Government and Post Office Ltd to listen properly to the views of all local people during the consultation process and reverse the policy of closing sub-post offices; acknowledges that the Bollinbrook, Bollington Cross, Sutton, Broken Cross, Gawsworth and Hockley post office branches in Macclesfield constituency provide their surrounding communities with their only source of accessing vital services; regrets that the Government has chosen to manage the decline of the Post Office network instead of finding solutions, which would bring new business to the sub-post offices, such as freeing sub-post offices to offer new services and to work with carriers other than the Royal Mail; calls upon Government to accept the essential and continuing need for the Bollinbrook, Bollington Cross, Sutton, Broken Cross, Gawsworth and Hockley post office branches and other sub-post offices throughout Macclesfield constituency to remain fully operational; and further calls on the Government to adopt a more constructive policy towards bringing new business to the network thereby saving many post office branches from closure.

That this House is concerned by the proposed closure of the Bollinbrook, Bollington Cross, Sutton, Broken Cross, Gawsworth and Hockley post office branches in Macclesfield constituency; recognises the vital importance of these individual post office branches in serving the local communities; urges the Government and Post Office Ltd to listen...

That this House expresses its concern about HM Treasury's proposals for a new tax on commercial flights called aviation duty; is further concerned about the damage that this new tax will do to an ??11 billion industry supporting 700,000 United Kingdom jobs; notes with concern that the UK's position at the centre of a global transport network will be hit, to the detriment of the City, and that long-haul flights from UK regional airports will be cut; further notes with concern that this new tax will achieve none of the environmental benefits intended, and may even cause emissions to increase; recognises the dangers of the introduction of a per plane duty creating market distortions and tax-motivated behaviour which does not deliver environmental benefits; further recognises that the air-freight industry underpins thousands of jobs and that this highly competitive and price-sensitive freight sector is not affected by the existing passenger-related tax, but would be under the new proposals making many freight flights uneconomic; acknowledges that instead of promoting cleaner direct passenger flights, the new tax will be an incentive for more people to take connecting services to Schiphol or Paris with double the number of fuel-intensive take-offs and landings, increasing emissions, costing jobs and putting more foreign HGVs on UK roads; and calls on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to reject proposals for a new aviation duty, which is deeply flawed environmentally, legally and economically.

That this House expresses its concern about HM Treasury's proposals for a new tax on commercial flights called aviation duty; is further concerned about the damage that this new tax will do to an ??11 billion industry supporting 700,000 United Kingdom jobs; notes with concern that the UK's position at...

That this House regrets that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has opposed including Taiwan's participation as an observer to the World Health Assembly (WHA) on its agenda since 1997; notes that the 61st WHA will convene between 19th and 24th May 2008; recognises that disease knows no boundaries or politics and there should be no gap or weak spot in the world's disease prevention network; contends that Taiwan should not become the only gap in the global public health network; applauds Taiwan's strong desire to work with international health institutions through medical co-operation and emergency humanitarian work; further applauds the valuable medical assistance and humanitarian aid provided by Taiwan's public and private sectors worldwide exceeding US$450 million over the last decade; further notes that Palestine, the Holy See, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the International Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union have been granted observer status to the WHA; regrets that the Government has not supported Taiwan's WHA observer status or WHO membership; welcomes the fact that Taiwan would be willing to accept an arrangement to be a WHA observer so as to engage in direct access to and communication with the WHO before attaining WHO membership; strongly encourages the UK Government to support Taiwan's justifiable bids for WHO membership and preliminary WHA observer status; and urges the WHO Director-General to invite Taiwan as a WHA observer before granting WHO membership to ensure no gap in the global public health network.

That this House regrets that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has opposed including Taiwan's participation as an observer to the World Health Assembly (WHA) on its agenda since 1997; notes that the 61st WHA will convene between 19th and 24th May 2008; recognises that disease knows no boundaries or politics...

That this House expresses its concern about the removal of current exemptions and relief from water charges for churches and charities in 2010; notes that churches will be liable for surface water handling from 2010; further notes that St George's Street Baptist Church in Macclesfield will incur an increase in water charges of more than 480 per cent; recognises the disproportionate financial burden this change to water billing will place on charitable organisations; is disappointed by the lack of consultation and the limited period of time given before changes to water billing are implemented; is further disappointed that these changes are being introduced with the agreement of Ofwat and the Consumer Council for Water; and calls on the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform urgently to investigate the unreasonable impact of water billing changes on churches and charities and to review the decision to remove the current exemptions and relief from water charges in 2010.

That this House expresses its concern about the removal of current exemptions and relief from water charges for churches and charities in 2010; notes that churches will be liable for surface water handling from 2010; further notes that St George's Street Baptist Church in Macclesfield will incur an increase in...

That this House expresses its deep concern that the hymn Jerusalem cannot be sung by choirs or congregations at Southwark Cathedral because senior clergy have deemed that the words do not praise God and are too nationalistic; notes that Jerusalem, with words by William Blake and set to music in 1916 by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, is one of the country's best-loved hymns; recognises the important role played by Jerusalem in the life of the nation; is surprised and saddened that the Dean of Southwark, the Very Rev Colin Slee, informed guests at a private memorial service that Jerusalem would not be sung because it was not in the glory of God; calls on senior clergy to reinstate Jerusalem without delay as a welcome and acceptable part of future services in the Diocese of Southwark and elsewhere; and further calls on senior clergy actively to recognise and acknowledge the great traditions of the United Kingdom in celebrating all that is best about the country, its people and its history, not least by reflecting on the decision of the Archbishop of York, the Most Rev and Rt Hon Dr John Sentamu, to join the Army's Red Devils display team jumping from 12,500 feet to raise ??50,000 for the families of soldiers killed and injured in Afghanistan.

That this House expresses its deep concern that the hymn Jerusalem cannot be sung by choirs or congregations at Southwark Cathedral because senior clergy have deemed that the words do not praise God and are too nationalistic; notes that Jerusalem, with words by William Blake and set to music in...

That this House expresses its deep concern about the Science and Technology Funding Council's proposal to cut its annual ??2 million funding for Jodrell Bank's leading participation in the eMerlin project; notes that the closure of this flagship project would threaten Jodrell Bank's future as one of the world's most advanced observatories; further notes Jodrell Bank's contribution to United Kingdom radio astronomy over many years, being home to the landmark Lovell Telescope which celebrated last October the 50th anniversary of its first scientific observations at which Sir Bernard Lovell himself was present; believes that the Science and Technology Funding Council funding proposals from April 2009 pose an unacceptable threat to the future of Jodrell Bank, the eMerlin project and radio astronomy in the UK; recognises that withdrawal from the eMerlin project will mean that the UK will effectively withdraw from its vanguard position in radio astronomy; and calls upon the Science and Technology Funding Council urgently to reconsider its proposal not to prioritise the eMerlin project and to maximise support for innovation, research and technology in radio astronomy in the United Kingdom.

That this House expresses its deep concern about the Science and Technology Funding Council's proposal to cut its annual ??2 million funding for Jodrell Bank's leading participation in the eMerlin project; notes that the closure of this flagship project would threaten Jodrell Bank's future as one of the world's most...

That this House notes Commonwealth Day on 10th March; further notes the importance of the theme for 2008, which is The Environment Our Future; believes the Commonwealth is well placed to provide leadership on the global environment, being an organisation of great diversity which includes countries of different sizes in all continents and in arctic, temperate and tropical zones, with varying levels of environmental vulnerability, economic development and energy use, but a shared commitment to human welfare, political rights and parliamentary democracy; commends the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) UK Branch for its November 2007 seminar Climate Change, Tackling Causes, Managing Impacts which was attended by 85 parliamentarians from Commonwealth and G8+5 countries, and which presented its conclusions to the Bali climate conference; and recognises that special events like the climate change seminar are reinforced and followed up by the CPA UK Branch's annual programme of inter-parliamentary exchanges and international parliamentary strengthening seminars.

That this House notes Commonwealth Day on 10th March; further notes the importance of the theme for 2008, which is The Environment Our Future; believes the Commonwealth is well placed to provide leadership on the global environment, being an organisation of great diversity which includes countries of different sizes in...

That this House congratulates the 150 volunteers, including Hugh Morgan, Sophia Morgan, Caroline Wilson, Dorian Belt, Andrew Robertson and organiser Richard Raymond, for the East Cheshire Hospice 2008 Christmas Tree Collection carried out on the weekend of 12th and 13th January 2008; notes that this valuable and worthwhile environmental initiative raised well in excess of ??30,000 this year for the East Cheshire Hospice; further notes that more than ??100,000 has been raised since the Christmas tree collection service was first suggested and established in 1999 by the Chapman family of Prestbury; expresses its thanks to Macclesfield Borough Council, its staff and volunteers for their continuing co-operation and assistance with the scheme; further expresses its particular thanks to two individual Macclesfield Borough Council employees who gave their overtime payments to the fund; regrets that the East Cheshire Hospice cannot claim Gift Aid on the monies collected by the annual scheme; and calls on the Government to amend the Gift Aid rules to permit payments and donations in respect of such collection services to be eligible for Gift Aid.

That this House congratulates the 150 volunteers, including Hugh Morgan, Sophia Morgan, Caroline Wilson, Dorian Belt, Andrew Robertson and organiser Richard Raymond, for the East Cheshire Hospice 2008 Christmas Tree Collection carried out on the weekend of 12th and 13th January 2008; notes that this valuable and worthwhile environmental initiative...