That this House supports the development of employee share ownership, as such schemes reward loyalty and hard work and give employees a stake in their company; commends the Roadchef Employees Benefit Trust, established by Chief Executive Mr Patrick Gee in 1986, to give employees at Roadchef Motorway Services a John Lewis type scheme in such locations as Watford Gap, Strensham, Clacket Lane, Stafford, Killington Lake, Taunton Deane, Magor and Hamilton; notes with concern, however, that his successor Timothy Ingram Hill paid £10 million to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) as tax on Roadchef share sale proceeds of over £26 million, which he obtained in breach of trust; believes that these funds, and its interest belonged to the Trust, as the High Court ruled in 2014; agrees that this is a serious issue for the beneficiaries, many of whom were low-paid catering and cleaning staff, some of whom have sadly since passed away; and calls on the Government to review HMRC's position on this issue to ensure that, to the extent HMRC has the discretion to do so, that the Trust's money is repaid, so that 4,000 Roadchef beneficiaries can receive their just entitlements, of which the High Court has already found they were wrongly deprived.

That this House supports the development of employee share ownership, as such schemes reward loyalty and hard work and give employees a stake in their company; commends the Roadchef Employees Benefit Trust, established by Chief Executive Mr Patrick Gee in 1986, to give employees at Roadchef Motorway Services a John...

That this House welcomes the national launch of HITZ, a social inclusion programme, combining rugby union with training to support 9,000 at risk young people back into education and employment; notes the high cost of young persons Not in Employment, Education or Training to British public services and economy requires innovative solutions such at this; applauds the efforts of Premiership Rugby, and its constituent clubs Bath Rugby, Exeter Chiefs, Gloucester, Harlequins, Leicester Tigers, London Irish, London Wasps, Newcastle Falcons, Northampton Saints, Sale Sharks, Saracens and Worcester Warriors to tackle this pressing social issue in their communities; further welcomes the co-operation between Premiership Rugby, the private sector and public services such as youth offending schemes, pupil referral units and social and youth services involved in HITZ; and encourages the Government and others to look at the potential power of professional rugby union as an agent of social change for young people in the run-up to Rugby World Cup 2015.

That this House welcomes the national launch of HITZ, a social inclusion programme, combining rugby union with training to support 9,000 at risk young people back into education and employment; notes the high cost of young persons Not in Employment, Education or Training to British public services and economy requires...

That this House welcomes the UK online campaign to promote greater awareness and consumer control over advertising on websites; supports the EU-wide self-regulation of targeted advertising and its evolution that makes this a reality; notes that internet advertising plays a significant role in helping to fund online content, services and applications and plays an important contribution to the UK's digital economy; and calls on the Government to ensure that a proportionate balance is met between fostering innovation and safeguarding consumer privacy to ensure this UK success story continues.

That this House welcomes the UK online campaign to promote greater awareness and consumer control over advertising on websites; supports the EU-wide self-regulation of targeted advertising and its evolution that makes this a reality; notes that internet advertising plays a significant role in helping to fund online content, services and...

That this House wishes to record its disappointment at the conduct of the Cabinet of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council in once again planning to write off, behind closed doors, business rates owed by public houses whose operating companies serially go bust and whose owners perennially hide behind the cloak of limited liability; considers that the Council has again failed to show proper civic leadership or best practice by not publicising the names of serial offenders; notes that 25,094 and 7,645 to be written off now in respect of Black Night Newcastle Ltd (The Albion Inn) and T2i Ltd (Ikon Cafe Bar) bring to 123,867 the unpaid business rates owed by establishments connected to former Conservative Borough Councillor Peter Whieldon, his former partner Anthony James and their business associates; further notesthat this is the sixth time with six defunct companies over the last seven years that the Council is secretly writing off business rates at The Albion Inn; further notes that this pub was finally repossessed last year by its freehold owner Marstons, but the brewery has again failed to vet the ownership of the latest, defunct operating company; and further notesthat the brewery's stance, along with Council failure to name and shame such owners, does nothing to deter copycat operations, nor to assist decent, honest publicans, who pay their dues, to compete on a level playing field in Newcastle, North Staffordshire and up and down the land.

That this House wishes to record its disappointment at the conduct of the Cabinet of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council in once again planning to write off, behind closed doors, business rates owed by public houses whose operating companies serially go bust and whose owners perennially hide behind the cloak of limited...

That this House notes that the eyes of the world will be focused on London in 2015 for the Rugby World Cup, when more than 600,000 rugby fans from around the world will attend matches at Twickenham Stadium; recognises that Twickenham Station currently provides an inadequate and uninspiring gateway for rugby supporters, the world's media, VIPs and officials visiting the stadium, as it is run down, unkempt, inefficient and does not provide basic facilities such as adequate toilets or provision for people with disabilities; and calls on the Government to work closely with the Rugby Football Union, Network Rail and Richmond upon Thames Council to ensure that the necessary major improvements can be agreed now, and that London and the country, will therefore no longer be ashamed of the transport infrastructure at Twickenham when the third largest sporting event in the world takes place there in four years' time.

That this House notes that the eyes of the world will be focused on London in 2015 for the Rugby World Cup, when more than 600,000 rugby fans from around the world will attend matches at Twickenham Stadium; recognises that Twickenham Station currently provides an inadequate and uninspiring gateway for...

That this House recognises that anaerobic digestion is a renewable energy technology which should be exploited to the full in the UK given that, for example, a 50,000 tonne anaerobic digestion plant can produce up to 2.5 MW of electricity per year and that correctly sited plants could achieve high efficiencies if also utilising combined heat and power systems; notes that the UK produces, in addition to sewage and farm slurry, 8.3 million tonnes of food waste each year, much of which will be disposed of in landfill; and therefore agrees with major utilities like National Grid that increased investment in anaerobic digestion technology could make a significant contribution to UK domestic energy supplies.

That this House recognises that anaerobic digestion is a renewable energy technology which should be exploited to the full in the UK given that, for example, a 50,000 tonne anaerobic digestion plant can produce up to 2.5 MW of electricity per year and that correctly sited plants could achieve high...

That this House recognises the important role played by subject centres in championing the teaching and learning of diverse disciplines in the higher education landscape; notes the role they have played in nurturing innovation in teaching, in disseminating good practice amongst university teachers and in training and developing new generations of university teachers; deplores the proposal emanating from the Higher Education Academy (HEA) to disband the centres and replace them with generic training provided by Academy York; and calls on the Government to work with bodies such as the HEA and Higher Education Funding Council for England to secure funding for the subject centres and enable them to continue their work to the benefit of academics and students in future years.

That this House recognises the important role played by subject centres in championing the teaching and learning of diverse disciplines in the higher education landscape; notes the role they have played in nurturing innovation in teaching, in disseminating good practice amongst university teachers and in training and developing new generations...

That this House is dismayed at the conduct of the Conservative-led cabinet of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council in again writing-off, behind closed doors, business rates owed by companies connected to former Councillor Peter Whieldon; believes it has again failed to show leadership by not making public comment about Mr Whieldon and his associates' continuing shameless conduct; notes that this is the fourth time in four years it has written off, in secret, debts owed by their insolvent companies; further notes that the ??22,608 and ??9,248 written off in respect of Stones Entertainment Limited (The Albion Inn) and T1V Limited (Union, former Bull's Vaults) brings to ??91,128 the rates their collapsed companies have avoided paying in Newcastle; further notes that total bad debts left behind by their trail of insolvencies in North Staffordshire now tops ??1.6 million, including over ??250,000 to HM Revenue and Customs; further notes that honest traders in town, who pay their dues, are appalled by this conduct and the council's lack of courage; calls on Companies Investigation Branch and the Registrar of Companies to swiftly conclude enquiries into directors' and shadow directors' conduct at the 13 companies which have serially collapsed; and further calls on the Leader of Newcastle Council and members of its cabinet to join the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme in asking HM Revenue and Customs to review the tax affairs of those involved and for Staffordshire Police, in co-operation with all agencies, to investigate prima facie evidence of a long-running conspiracy to defraud creditors.

That this House is dismayed at the conduct of the Conservative-led cabinet of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council in again writing-off, behind closed doors, business rates owed by companies connected to former Councillor Peter Whieldon; believes it has again failed to show leadership by not making public comment about Mr Whieldon and...

That this House congratulates the Government on its record of unprecedented investment in the West Coast Mainline, bringing a previously cash-starved railway into the 21st century; welcomes Virgin Rail's continued investment in and improvement of services along the route; is concerned, however, by proposals to close the travel centres at Crewe, Stafford, Birmingham International and Coventry stations, along with a number of booking office machines across the network; recognises that travel centre staff offer an excellent service and valuable assistance for Virgin passengers; and calls on the company to re-think these proposals in the interests of these main towns and stations on the route of the otherwise excellent West Coast Mainline service.

That this House congratulates the Government on its record of unprecedented investment in the West Coast Mainline, bringing a previously cash-starved railway into the 21st century; welcomes Virgin Rail's continued investment in and improvement of services along the route; is concerned, however, by proposals to close the travel centres at...

That this House believes in fair taxation and firm measures to minimise tax avoidance; is concerned, therefore that, following the Budget, Capital Gains Tax (CGT) will still be levied at 18 per cent., which is lower than the top and standard rates of income tax; notes, too, that the annual exemption from CGT for 2009-10 will be ??10,100, considerably more than the personal income tax allowance of ??6,475; recognises the moral and financial imperative which led to reform of CGT in the 2007 Pre-Budget Report, raising rates from a minimum 10 per cent. and abolishing taper relief, a tax break which had cost the public purse over ??28 billion in just seven years; considers, however, that the reforms have still not gone far enough, as wealthy people will still pay lower rates on unearned income than office cleaners on hard-earned low wages; believes, too, that the continuing discrepancy in rates constitutes a major incentive for tax avoidance; further notes Treasury estimates that taxing capital gains at the individual's marginal rate of tax would raise around ??2 billion for hard-pressed government finances; notes further that the annual exemption allowance from CGT costs the Treasury another ??2.4 billion; and urges the Chancellor of the Exchequer, therefore, to bring forward measures in the 2009 Pre-Budget Report or sooner to equalise CGT with the marginal rate of income tax, as was the case before 1997, and to consider merging the dual exemptions into a single allowance encompassing earned and unearned income.

That this House believes in fair taxation and firm measures to minimise tax avoidance; is concerned, therefore that, following the Budget, Capital Gains Tax (CGT) will still be levied at 18 per cent., which is lower than the top and standard rates of income tax; notes, too, that the annual...

That this House believes in fair taxation and firm measures to minimise tax avoidance; is concerned, therefore, that capital gains tax (CGT) is levied at 18 per cent., which is lower than both the top 40 per cent. and standard 20 per cent. rate of income tax; notes too, that the current annual exemption from CGT stands at ??9,600, considerably more than the personal income tax allowance; recognises the urgent moral and financial need to reform CGT announced in the 2007 Pre-Budget Report, to raise rates from a minimum 10 per cent. and to abolish taper reliefs, which had cost the public purse over ??20 billion in just six years; considers, however, that the reforms did not go far enough as very wealthy people still pay lower rates on unearned income than office cleaners on hard-earned low wages; believes, too, that the discrepancy in rates constitutes a huge, continuing incentive for tax avoidance; further notes Treasury estimates that a 40 per cent. rate of CGT would raise around ??2 billion for hard-pressed government finances; and urges the Chancellor of the Exchequer, therefore, in the Budget to equalise CGT with the top rate of income tax, and to set out reforms, too, to the system of dual allowances.

That this House believes in fair taxation and firm measures to minimise tax avoidance; is concerned, therefore, that capital gains tax (CGT) is levied at 18 per cent., which is lower than both the top 40 per cent. and standard 20 per cent. rate of income tax; notes too, that...

That this House is disappointed at the conduct of the Cabinet and senior officers of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council in writing off behind closed doors business rates owed for 2008-09 by companies connected to serving Conservative Councillor Peter Whieldon; believes they have signally failed yet again to uphold civic standards, or show any courage whatsoever, through their refusal to make an open statement in the public interest about Councillor Whieldon's shameless record; notes that this is the fourth time in five years that the Borough has done this regarding insolvent companies in which he has been involved; further notes that the 3,600 and 7,825 written off in respect of Ikon Entertainment Limited and Vaults Entertainment Limited, of which Councillor Whieldon was a shadow director, means his companies have to date avoided paying 59,272 in business rates in all to Newcastle Borough Council; further notes that total bad debts left behind by a trail of insolvencies now comes to over 1.5 million; is concerned at the repetition of previous patterns of behaviour, with the Ikon and Bulls Vaults pub businesses in this case being transferred to successor companies which were incorporated just before Ikon Entertainment and Vaults Entertainment went into liquidation last August; and therefore calls on the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to examine these circumstances in its current investigation of Councillor Whieldon's business conduct and his treatment of creditors, who time and again also include HM Revenue and Customs through non-payment of tax, national insurance and value added tax.

That this House is disappointed at the conduct of the Cabinet and senior officers of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council in writing off behind closed doors business rates owed for 2008-09 by companies connected to serving Conservative Councillor Peter Whieldon; believes they have signally failed yet again to uphold civic standards, or...

That this House condemns the conduct of the Royal Bank of Scotland over the pension arrangements it agreed with Sir Fred Goodwin, including picking up the ??1.8 million tax bill to pay him a ??2.7 million lump sum; is outraged at the former chief executive's shameless greed in taking it, in addition to his annual ??703,000 pension; and calls on the Government to demonstrate its resolve by commencing legal action against the directors or former directors involved, including Sir Fred Goodwin, for breach of fiduciary duty to the bank and its shareholders, who now include the taxpayer.

That this House condemns the conduct of the Royal Bank of Scotland over the pension arrangements it agreed with Sir Fred Goodwin, including picking up the ??1.8 million tax bill to pay him a ??2.7 million lump sum; is outraged at the former chief executive's shameless greed in taking it,...

That this House believes that the forthcoming review of university and student finance must involve a broad debate about how higher education is and should be funded; notes that the National Union of Students, as the leading voice of students, must be fully involved in this review; further believes that it should encompass full consideration of both student support and tuition fees, should aim to ensure that students are supported according to their needs while they study, and that their contribution to the costs of higher education should reflect its true benefits after graduation; considers that the review must recognise that unmanageable levels of debt are bad for both the borrower and the lender, act as a barrier to wider participation in higher education and should be avoided wherever possible; and further believes that it must examine the proper balance of contributions between the state, individuals and employers to ensure that the future funding of higher education is fair for all.

That this House believes that the forthcoming review of university and student finance must involve a broad debate about how higher education is and should be funded; notes that the National Union of Students, as the leading voice of students, must be fully involved in this review; further believes that...

That this House notes that British Telecom has launched a consultation regarding the possible closure of up to 4,500 telephone boxes across the country; recognises, with the take-up of mobile telephones particularly, that many of these are becoming increasingly uneconomic and that BT has to strike a balance between subsidy and provision of a national service; notes, however, many are in rural areas, where they provide a reassuring presence in the event of an emergency; further notes that many are classic red boxes, based on Giles Gilbert Scott's iconic 1924 design, and are viewed as an important part of our country's heritage; further notes that English Heritage has received over 200 listing applications for such boxes since the consultation began; welcomes, therefore, BT's commitment to review separately the removal of any boxes to which local councils object; urges local parishes and councils to participate fully in the consultation process; and hopes that talks between BT, English Heritage, the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, VisitBritain and other interested bodies will provide a solution for the physical retention, at least, of classic red telephone boxes, where this is desired by local communities as part of the country's heritage.

That this House notes that British Telecom has launched a consultation regarding the possible closure of up to 4,500 telephone boxes across the country; recognises, with the take-up of mobile telephones particularly, that many of these are becoming increasingly uneconomic and that BT has to strike a balance between subsidy...

That this House calls for an investigation into Newcastle-under-Lyme's Conservative- and Liberal Democrat-led Council's handling of the writing off of business rates owed by companies co-owned by Peter Whieldon, a Conservative councillor for the Seabridge ward; notes that on 28th March 2007, the Borough Cabinet agreed to write off amounts of ??16,618 and ??13,300 in business rates owed by two of Mr Whieldon's insolvent companies in respect of the Albion Pub in Newcastle; notes, too, that on 26th March 2008 the Cabinet agreed to write off a further ??13,441 owed by another insolvent company, also co-owned by Mr Whieldon; recognises further that Mr Whieldon is still trading through new companies at several licensed premises in Newcastle and Stoke-on-Trent, including the Albion; notes that the Conservative and Liberal Democratic leadership of Newcastle Council has so far kept these write-offs confidential, notwithstanding his status as a councillor; regrets, therefore, the shameful failure of the council to bring this to the attention of council tax and business rate payers in the borough, and electors in Seabridge ward, through a public statement; believes that this failure exhibits a gross error of judgment by the Council, which also is to the detriment of local businesses that compete fairly for trade, pay their business rates and settle all their debts; and further calls, therefore, for an explanation in the public interest by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat leadership of the Council of its handling of this affair.

That this House calls for an investigation into Newcastle-under-Lyme's Conservative- and Liberal Democrat-led Council's handling of the writing off of business rates owed by companies co-owned by Peter Whieldon, a Conservative councillor for the Seabridge ward; notes that on 28th March 2007, the Borough Cabinet agreed to write off amounts...

That this House calls for an investigation by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform into the business conduct of Peter Andrew Whieldon of 41 Walsingham Gardens, Westbury Park, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire and Anthony William James of 44 Edgbaston Drive, Trentham Lakes, Stoke-on-Trent; notes that Messrs Whieldon and James have been co-owners and directors of eight companies managing licensed premises in Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent, which have gone bust in the last four and a half years, owing at least ??1.3 million to creditors; notes that the names of the companies are Move (Newcastle Under Lyme) Limited, W J Leisure (Newcastle Under Lyme) Limited, Venue Master One Limited (trading as The Albion), Pubscene Limited, Prohibition PC Limited, Move One Limited, W J Leisure (Hanley) Limited and Move (Hanley) Limited; asks the Department to have particular regard to the pattern of insolvency, whereby management of the same premises has passed to another co-owned company, which had been established prior to each liquidation; asks the Department further to consider reports on directors' behaviour from the relevant firms of liquidators and to request such reports in cases where they have not been received; and notes that creditors have included Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council (??44,847), Stoke-on-Trent City Council (??57,632), HM Customs and Revenue (at least ??184,266), gas, water and electricity suppliers (??61,550), the Performing Rights Society (??30,890), Lloyds TSB (at least ??137,000), Barclays Bank (??8,765) and Coors brewing (at least ??200,000).

That this House calls for an investigation by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform into the business conduct of Peter Andrew Whieldon of 41 Walsingham Gardens, Westbury Park, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire and Anthony William James of 44 Edgbaston Drive, Trentham Lakes, Stoke-on-Trent; notes that Messrs Whieldon and James have...

That this House calls for an investigation by Newcastle-Under-Lyme Conservative Association into the re-selection of Mr Peter Whieldon as a Conservative candidate for the Seabridge ward in the forthcoming borough council elections on 1st May 2008; asks to what extent members of the Association have been informed by the Leader of Newcastle-Under-Lyme Borough Council that the Cabinet has in the past two years confidentially agreed to write off thousands of pounds in business rates owed by a sequence of insolvent companies co-owned by Mr Whieldon, namely ??13,441 in 2008 in respect of Move (Newcastle-Under-Lyme) Limited, ??16,618 in 2007 in respect of W J Leisure (Newcastle-Under-Lyme) and ??13,300 also in 2007 in respect of Venue Master One Limited (trading as The Albion); and further asks whether Mr Whieldon declared to the Association, before he first stood for election in 2004, that another company which he co-owned - Pubscene Limited - had been recently wound up after a petition to the High Court by HM Customs and Excise, owing ??4,487 in business rates to the Borough Council.

That this House calls for an investigation by Newcastle-Under-Lyme Conservative Association into the re-selection of Mr Peter Whieldon as a Conservative candidate for the Seabridge ward in the forthcoming borough council elections on 1st May 2008; asks to what extent members of the Association have been informed by the Leader...

That this House congratulates the England rugby team on their victory over France on Saturday and wishes them good luck in the Rugby World Cup final against South Africa this weekend.

That this House congratulates the England rugby team on their victory over France on Saturday and wishes them good luck in the Rugby World Cup final against South Africa this weekend.

That this House notes the National Union of Students' and the National Union of Teachers' Hidden Costs Campaign, which aims to highlight the hidden costs of doing a teacher training course while creating, defending and extending the budgets in institutions to cover travel, equipment and classroom resources; notes that teacher training students are asked to spend their own money on travel to their placements, equipment like laboratory coats, and school resources like books and toys; believes that this expenditure is essential to the course; further believes that this additional cost burden on students is a barrier to participation and impacts most on those who can least afford it, at a time when the country needs more teachers; and calls on the Government, the Department for Education and Skills and the Training and Development Agency for Schools and higher education institutions to review the practice of charging teacher training students for essential travel, equipment and classroom resources.

That this House notes the National Union of Students' and the National Union of Teachers' Hidden Costs Campaign, which aims to highlight the hidden costs of doing a teacher training course while creating, defending and extending the budgets in institutions to cover travel, equipment and classroom resources; notes that teacher...