That this House notes with concern the situation faced by 550,000 British pensioners living overseas, primarily in Commonwealth countries, who are currently deprived of annual state pension uprating adjustments by the Government's frozen pension policy; believes that there is a positive incremental solution of partial uprating, involving introducing annual uprating to all currently frozen pensions going forward, but from their current rate only; further notes that partial uprating would cost just £37 million and carry no legal risks of historic back payment claims; further notes that partial uprating would benefit all currently frozen pensioners immediately by ending the real terms year-on-year decline of their state pensions; further notes that partial uprating would remove the frozen pension problem completely for future retirees; further notes that this would remove a significant current barrier to pensioner emigration from the UK, offering significant consequential savings that would more than cover the upfront costs, even in year one; and calls on the Government to implement partial uprating as an affordable and practical means to offer dignity in retirement to all British pensioners, based on their historic contributions, not place of residence.

That this House notes with concern the situation faced by 550,000 British pensioners living overseas, primarily in Commonwealth countries, who are currently deprived of annual state pension uprating adjustments by the Government's frozen pension policy; believes that there is a positive incremental solution of partial uprating, involving introducing annual uprating...

That this House condemns the arbitrary nature of the minimum income threshold in the Immigration Rules; notes that the requirement for citizens to be earning at least £18,600 for their non-EU family members to be able to migrate to the UK unfairly discriminates against those who live in areas of the country with lower wages, and those who may have an income below £18,600 but are still able to accommodate a family member, such as pensioners; further notes a study by Middlesex University which found that the financial requirement costs the Government money due to the loss of migrants' economic activity; and calls on the Government to introduce more flexibility into the financial threshold to ensure that families are not unnecessarily kept apart.

That this House condemns the arbitrary nature of the minimum income threshold in the Immigration Rules; notes that the requirement for citizens to be earning at least £18,600 for their non-EU family members to be able to migrate to the UK unfairly discriminates against those who live in areas of...

That this House welcomes the third conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons in Vienna on 8-9 December 2014 and the international momentum to understand and further the humanitarian agenda; notes with concern the catastrophic and global consequences of the use of nuclear weapons, from initial blast, heat and radiation to climate disruption and nuclear famine over decades, and the need for international engagement from both nuclear and non-nuclear armed states to forge a dialogue on this issue; further notes that 145 countries attended the conference in Mexico earlier this year; further notes with regret that the UK and the four other nuclear-armed members of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty-P5- have so far boycotted the previous two conferences; further notes that the US has now confirmed its attendance at the Vienna conference; and urges the UK to confirm its participation in the Vienna conference in December and play its part in shaping the discussion and initiative on the humanitarian impacts of nuclear weapons.

That this House welcomes the third conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons in Vienna on 8-9 December 2014 and the international momentum to understand and further the humanitarian agenda; notes with concern the catastrophic and global consequences of the use of nuclear weapons, from initial blast, heat and...

That this House notes with concern how small business owners in flood risk areas, many of whom have seen their livelihoods and properties destroyed or damaged due to flooding, face prohibitively high insurance premiums and excesses or outright refusal from insurance companies to cover their businesses; further notes that the current Statement of Principles Agreement between the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and the Government is a guarantee to provide insurance that only addresses availability of insurance and not affordability, and its successor scheme Flood Re excludes small businesses from those it will cover; further notes with concern the consequent fear and uncertainty amongst the business community at the lack of any guarantee when Flood Re begins next year; further notes also that leaseholders as a group will be excluded from Flood Re and the anxiety this is causing; welcomes initial commitments from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and ABI to look at evidence of the difficulties faced by small businesses in flood risk areas; and calls on the Government to take swift action by introducing a stand-alone Flood Re 2 agreement for small businesses and leaseholders which addresses both affordability and availability of insurance.

That this House notes with concern how small business owners in flood risk areas, many of whom have seen their livelihoods and properties destroyed or damaged due to flooding, face prohibitively high insurance premiums and excesses or outright refusal from insurance companies to cover their businesses; further notes that the...

That this House condemns the recent slaughter of over 40 wild dolphins in Taiji, on Japan's Pacific coast; notes with concern the capture of a further 52 dolphins for sale to aquariums and other customers including a rare albino dolphin calf, separated from its mother and now kept in captivity in Taiji Whale Museum; further notes with alarm the Japanese government's continued support for the practice by issuing quotas for the killing of over 20,000 dolphins, whales and porpoises in its coastal waters every year, despite the International Whaling Commission's moratorium on commercial whaling; deplores the inhumane slaughtering method of severing the dolphin's spinal cord with a metal spike; is further concerned that the practice of dolphin hunting may be driving some populations to extinction; is alarmed by the high levels of mercury and other toxins found in dolphin, whale and propoise food products, with reports suggesting dolphin meat is up to 5,000 times more toxic than levels allowed by the World Health Organisation; welcomes the statements made by the US Ambassador to Japan and the British Ambassador to Japan, Timothy Hitchens, opposing all forms of dolphin and porpoise drives; calls on the Taiji Whale Museum to release the albino dolphin calf from captivity; and calls on the Government to continue to raise the issue with the Japanese government at the highest level.

That this House condemns the recent slaughter of over 40 wild dolphins in Taiji, on Japan's Pacific coast; notes with concern the capture of a further 52 dolphins for sale to aquariums and other customers including a rare albino dolphin calf, separated from its mother and now kept in captivity...

That this House notes with great concern that the Roaccutane form of isotretinoin has been implicated in reports of 878 psychiatric disorders, including 44 suspected suicides, since its registration in 1983; further notes that Roche, the drug's manufacturers, maintain that there is no causal link between Roaccutane and suicidal tendencies; further notes that its variant in the US, Accutane, has proved controversial and was withdrawn from the US market as a commercial decision following mounting litigation; further notes that clinical studies using the drug on rats and mice have discovered evidence of disruption to serotonin levels, causing depression, but that similar studies have not been conducted on humans; and urges, in light of the increasing number of tragic suicides of recent years, the withdrawal of Roaccutane from the UK market pending further and full investigations into adverse reactions to the drug, to prevent further unnecessary deaths.

That this House notes with great concern that the Roaccutane form of isotretinoin has been implicated in reports of 878 psychiatric disorders, including 44 suspected suicides, since its registration in 1983; further notes that Roche, the drug's manufacturers, maintain that there is no causal link between Roaccutane and suicidal tendencies;...

That this House welcomes the introduction of the pupil premium to help support disadvantaged pupils and close the attainment gap; notes that pupil premium funding is allocated to schools on the basis of students who have been eligible for free school meals in the past six years; further notes that, according to the Children's Society, approximately 700,000 children living in poverty as defined by the Government do not meet the eligibility criteria for free school meals because their parents are working yet receiving low wages; believes that as a consequence of the current eligibility criteria schools in rural areas with the lowest wages in the country are not receiving funding on the scale that they should; therefore urges the Government to make the pupil premium available to all children living within its own definition of child poverty or to all those whose parents will receive universal credit when it is introduced later this year; and further notes that this could be achieved at no greater cost than what has already been budgeted, if the value of the pupil premium remained at this year's level.

That this House welcomes the introduction of the pupil premium to help support disadvantaged pupils and close the attainment gap; notes that pupil premium funding is allocated to schools on the basis of students who have been eligible for free school meals in the past six years; further notes that,...

That this House notes with concern the Government's intention to commit approximately ??6 billion to a PFI contract to provide Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter services from 2012; believes that this is a misguided priority at a time when frontline troops urgently need more helicopter capacity; further notes that new helicopters may have faster speeds and greater ranges but believes that they cannot have mastered the art of being in two places at once, and is therefore concerned about the reduction in total helicopter numbers; is alarmed that in consequence some SAR stations will only operate 12 hour cover instead of 24 hour cover, so endangering public safety; and urges the Government to abandon their project, think again, find a more economical alternative, and sustain 24 hour cover at all SAR stations.

That this House notes with concern the Government's intention to commit approximately ??6 billion to a PFI contract to provide Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter services from 2012; believes that this is a misguided priority at a time when frontline troops urgently need more helicopter capacity; further notes that new...

That this House expresses concern that a third of service personnel are not currently registered to vote; notes the difficulties which many servicemen and women experience in voting; further notes that the extremely tight timetable for a general election, with candidates only being nominated 11 days before polling day, does not leave enough time thereafter for postal ballot papers to be printed, distributed to service personnel deployed abroad, particularly those who are at present in Afghanistan, and returned in time to be included in constituency counts; and calls on the Government to amend the timetable for general elections to match the local election timetable, with candidates being nominated 16 days before polling day, thus easing the logistical barrier to service personnel exercising their right to vote.

That this House expresses concern that a third of service personnel are not currently registered to vote; notes the difficulties which many servicemen and women experience in voting; further notes that the extremely tight timetable for a general election, with candidates only being nominated 11 days before polling day, does...

That this House recognises the difficulties with the current Medical Discharge system by which three medical boards discuss the injured person's medical treatment and discharge; believes that insufficiently reliable information about benefits and entitlements is available to service personnel prior to discharge, as well as information about the Discharge board process itself, which is often convoluted and conducted in an uninformative manner; notes that the appointments with the boards can often be intimidating; calls for better support from outside agencies such as the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency; and urges the Government to investigate the matter and to transform medical discharge boards so that they become fairer, more transparent and more accessible in terms of advice and guidance throughout the whole process.

That this House recognises the difficulties with the current Medical Discharge system by which three medical boards discuss the injured person's medical treatment and discharge; believes that insufficiently reliable information about benefits and entitlements is available to service personnel prior to discharge, as well as information about the Discharge board...

That this House recognises that myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of blood disorders affecting approximately 10,000 people in the UK in which around one third of cases progress to acute leukaemia, and that more than 90 per cent. of patients are over the age of 50 when they are diagnosed; notes that there is a lack of awareness of MDS by the public, Parliament and non-specialist healthcare professionals; welcomes the work of the MDS UK Patient Support Group in raising the profile of the conditions and in providing support to patients; calls for continued progress to be made in the diagnosis and treatment of MDS patients across the UK to minimise regional inequality of access to essential, specialist treatment and care through the NHS; calls for clinically effective pharmaceutical interventions to be made available to patients; and recommends that updated national guidelines for treatment are developed.

That this House recognises that myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of blood disorders affecting approximately 10,000 people in the UK in which around one third of cases progress to acute leukaemia, and that more than 90 per cent. of patients are over the age of 50 when they are...

That this House commends the bravery, professionalism and dedication of Her Majesty's armed forces and pays particular tribute to those who have been killed or injured on active service; believes the reputation of British forces as some of the best in the world is well founded; notes that the increased burden placed on the armed forces by recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan has not been matched with comparable increases in pay and conditions, and believes the Government has failed to honour its obligations under the Military Covenant; further notes that the current average wage of a private soldier is ??6.74 per hour; and therefore calls on the Government to raise the salary of the regular ranks to bring them into line with their equivalents in the police force and fire service.

That this House commends the bravery, professionalism and dedication of Her Majesty's armed forces and pays particular tribute to those who have been killed or injured on active service; believes the reputation of British forces as some of the best in the world is well founded; notes that the increased...

That this House notes with concern the proposed timing of the reversion of value added tax to the 17.5 per cent. rate on 31 December 2009 which will disrupt crucial Christmas trading, strain staff during that period and impose a cost in excess of ??90 million when working capital is under strain; further notes this imposes a de facto alcohol duty increase; further notes trade credit support will be withdrawn the same day; and therefore supports The Grocer's campaign for a four-week reprieve on the value added tax increase to protect business during a critical trading period.

That this House notes with concern the proposed timing of the reversion of value added tax to the 17.5 per cent. rate on 31 December 2009 which will disrupt crucial Christmas trading, strain staff during that period and impose a cost in excess of ??90 million when working capital is...

That this House notes that the retail sector, as the largest private sector employer in the UK, employing 1 in 10 of the workforce, has created more new jobs in the last five years than any other sector; recognises that a skilled workforce is essential in maintaining the ongoing success of the retail sector, and that during a recession it is essential that retailers are supported in maintaining their investment in the skills of their workforce; and acknowledges the work of Skillsmart Retail, the Sector Skills Council for Retail, in working with retailers to invest in skills through its new National Skills Academy for Retail, the biggest network of retail skills shops in the UK.

That this House notes that the retail sector, as the largest private sector employer in the UK, employing 1 in 10 of the workforce, has created more new jobs in the last five years than any other sector; recognises that a skilled workforce is essential in maintaining the ongoing success...

That this House welcomes the announcement of further funding from the Big Lottery Fund to support Second World War veterans wishing to attend overseas anniversary events throughout 2009 and 2010 to commemorate the end of the Second World War; notes that the Heroes Return 2 programme builds on over ??16 million of previous funding from the Big Lottery Fund's Heroes Return programme that helped over 39,000 veterans, spouses, widows and carers to make commemorative trips to overseas Second World War battlesites; fully acknowledges the sacrifices that British servicemen and women made during the Second World War; recognises their bravery in defending the United Kingdom; and is pleased that this is rightly recognised through funding that will enable veterans to participate in commemorative visits across the world to mark the anniversaries of events that led to the end of the Second World War.

That this House welcomes the announcement of further funding from the Big Lottery Fund to support Second World War veterans wishing to attend overseas anniversary events throughout 2009 and 2010 to commemorate the end of the Second World War; notes that the Heroes Return 2 programme builds on over ??16...

That this House notes that Ofcom receives over 1,000 complaints about silent telephone calls a month; recognises that, whilst silent calls are not malicious and are usually caused by automated calling systems, which are used in call centres to generate and connect calls, they can cause distress and anxiety to members of the public; welcomes the campaign by Ofcom, Consumer Focus and Age Concern to raise awareness of silent calls and how to avoid them; calls on the Government to draw attention to the issue and the campaign; and urges the Government to enforce Ofcom regulations more strictly, requiring call centres using automated calling systems to play an information message if a call is abandoned in order to prevent the call from being silent.

That this House notes that Ofcom receives over 1,000 complaints about silent telephone calls a month; recognises that, whilst silent calls are not malicious and are usually caused by automated calling systems, which are used in call centres to generate and connect calls, they can cause distress and anxiety to...

That this House expresses alarm about the use of white phosphorus by the Israeli defence forces in the current conflict with Gaza; understands that although the chemical is not illegal under international law, its purpose is primarily intended for smokescreens and signalling on the battlefield; therefore believes it is ill-suited to densely populated areas like the Gaza Strip; recognises that white phosphorus is indiscriminate in its target and will therefore not distinguish between militants and civilians; is seriously concerned that due to medical shortages and a severe shortage of water, medics within the Gaza Strip lack the capabilities to alleviate the suffering of civilians who may have been affected; is concerned that external monitors and medics are prohibited from entering the Gaza Strip; further recognises that world leaders have condemned the use of the chemical; calls on the Government to clarify its policy on white phosphorus; and urges the Government to do all it can to persuade the Israeli government to stop the bombardments and use of white phosphorus and to allow full humanitarian access to the Palestinians.

That this House expresses alarm about the use of white phosphorus by the Israeli defence forces in the current conflict with Gaza; understands that although the chemical is not illegal under international law, its purpose is primarily intended for smokescreens and signalling on the battlefield; therefore believes it is ill-suited...

That this House applauds the Nuclear Security Project launched in the United States by George P. Shultz, William J. Perry, Henry A. Kissinger and Sam Nunn, and adds its voice to the endorsement by Lord Hurd, Lord Robertson, Lord Owen and the rt. hon. Member for Kensington and Chelsea in an article published in The Times on 30 June 2008; notes the gravity and importance of the issue; hopes that non-proliferation and the goal of a nuclear-free world will be a central plank of President-elect Obama's programme for government; acknowledges the importance of international co-operation from both nuclear and non-nuclear states in preventing the spread of nuclear weapons; calls on the Government to take the lead in efforts to achieve nuclear disarmament; and promises cross-party support for worthwhile efforts to achieve that aim.

That this House applauds the Nuclear Security Project launched in the United States by George P. Shultz, William J. Perry, Henry A. Kissinger and Sam Nunn, and adds its voice to the endorsement by Lord Hurd, Lord Robertson, Lord Owen and the rt. hon. Member for Kensington and Chelsea in...

That this House recognises the existence of a digital divide in rural areas of the UK; notes that residents in areas such as Devon are being further exposed to this problem through the digital television switchover; is concerned that residents in South West England are still falling prey to inadequate systems of implementation preventing them from enjoying access to internet, mobile and television services which denies them the benefits of 21st century communications available to others; and calls for the implementation of systems combining the use of satellites and appropriate ground-based communications technology that remove transmission blind spots so that these services are available to everyone irrespective of location.

That this House recognises the existence of a digital divide in rural areas of the UK; notes that residents in areas such as Devon are being further exposed to this problem through the digital television switchover; is concerned that residents in South West England are still falling prey to inadequate...

That this House believes that Gurkhas who serve and have served in the British Army are a credit to the nation and deserve the highest recognition for their bravery and commitment; notes however that Gurkhas who were discharged before 1997 have no right of leave to remain in the United Kingdom or to become naturalised British citizens; and calls upon the Government to revise immigration rules immediately to allow all Gurkhas who have served at least four years in the British Army to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK and naturalisation as British citizen irrespective of their retirement date.

That this House believes that Gurkhas who serve and have served in the British Army are a credit to the nation and deserve the highest recognition for their bravery and commitment; notes however that Gurkhas who were discharged before 1997 have no right of leave to remain in the United...