That this House welcomes the publication of Citizens Advice Scotland's report entitled Voices from the Frontline: Personal Independence Payments, which examines the roll-out of personal independence payment to replace disability living allowance; notes that claimants are having to wait an average of six months to receive a decision and in some cases over a year; further notes that such delays prevent people from receiving certain passported benefits, payment of some of which cannot be backdated; considers the cumulative impact of Government policy on disability benefits to have been damaging to many of the most vulnerable people in society; and urges the Department for Work and Pensions to take on board Citizens Advice Scotland's recommendations.

That this House welcomes the publication of Citizens Advice Scotland's report entitled Voices from the Frontline: Personal Independence Payments, which examines the roll-out of personal independence payment to replace disability living allowance; notes that claimants are having to wait an average of six months to receive a decision and in...

That this House notes that at present people who apply for employment and support allowance (ESA) and are declared fit for work can ask for this decision to be reconsidered prior to lodging a formal appeal; further notes that at present people can continue to receive ESA at the assessment rate during this period; welcomes the introduction of reconsideration in all cases as of 28 October 2013; expresses concern that people will no longer be able to claim ESA during this period; expresses further concern that their only alternative will be to apply for jobseeker's allowance (JSA), for which being fit for work is a condition of receipt; further notes that since October 2008 four in 10 appeals have been successful; fears that in future people who are awarded ESA on appeal will be ineligible for either ESA or JSA during reconsideration; believes that the Government has a duty to support those who cannot support themselves through no fault of their own; and calls on Ministers to make the necessary legislative changes to allow ESA claimants to continue to receive the benefit at the assessment rate during this period.

That this House notes that at present people who apply for employment and support allowance (ESA) and are declared fit for work can ask for this decision to be reconsidered prior to lodging a formal appeal; further notes that at present people can continue to receive ESA at the assessment...

That this House notes that at present people who apply for employment and support allowance (ESA) and are declared fit for work following a work capability assessment can ask for this decision to be reconsidered prior to lodging a formal appeal; welcomes the introduction of reconsideration in all cases as of 28 October 2013; further notes that the Government regularly publishes statistics on the number of successful appeals, but does not publish statistics on the number of successful reconsideration requests; believes that this provides an incomplete picture of the effectiveness of the work capability assessment; and thus calls on the Government to regularly publish statistics on the number of successful reconsideration requests as soon as possible.

That this House notes that at present people who apply for employment and support allowance (ESA) and are declared fit for work following a work capability assessment can ask for this decision to be reconsidered prior to lodging a formal appeal; welcomes the introduction of reconsideration in all cases as...

That this House notes that reasoning and critical thinking are important for education and innovation and that speaking and listening skills are vital for literacy and emotional development; further notes that philosophical inquiry develops these vital skills and a range of others necessary for the future economic and social development of the UK; is concerned about the focus on teaching to test rather than inspiring life-long learning; reaffirms its concern over the high number of children and adults who struggle with literacy difficulties and considers that all children and young people should be able to access philosophy to improve educational achievement and autonomous thinking; commends the mission of the Philosophy Foundation to raise aspiration and attainment through promoting philosophical inquiry in the classroom; and welcomes the opportunity of UNESCO World Philosophy Day 2013 to highlight the need to expand access to philosophical inquiry to all children.

That this House notes that reasoning and critical thinking are important for education and innovation and that speaking and listening skills are vital for literacy and emotional development; further notes that philosophical inquiry develops these vital skills and a range of others necessary for the future economic and social development...

That this House notes that at present people who apply for employment and support allowance (ESA) and are declared fit for work can ask for this decision to be reconsidered prior to lodging a formal appeal; further notes that at present people can continue to receive ESA at the assessment rate during this period; welcomes the introduction of reconsideration in all cases as of 28 October 2013; expresses concern that people will no longer be able to claim ESA during this period; further expresses concern that their only alternative will be to apply for jobseeker's allowance (JSA), for which being fit for work is a condition of receipt; further notes that since October 2008 four in 10 appeals have been successful; fears that in future people who are awarded ESA on appeal will be ineligible for both ESA or JSA during reconsideration; believes that the Government has a duty to support those who cannot support themselves through no fault of their own; and calls on Ministers to bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that ESA claimants can continue to receive the benefit at the assessment rate during this period.

That this House notes that at present people who apply for employment and support allowance (ESA) and are declared fit for work can ask for this decision to be reconsidered prior to lodging a formal appeal; further notes that at present people can continue to receive ESA at the assessment...

That this House notes that rail services on the East Coast Main Line have been publicly run by East Coast since November 2009; congratulates East Coast management and staff for improving services; welcomes the £640 million in profits that have been returned to the Exchequer; further notes that the Government plans to re-privatise East Coast by February 2015; believes that this puts ideology ahead of the interests of passengers and taxpayers; and calls on the Government to abandon its plans to re-privatise East Coast.

That this House notes that rail services on the East Coast Main Line have been publicly run by East Coast since November 2009; congratulates East Coast management and staff for improving services; welcomes the £640 million in profits that have been returned to the Exchequer; further notes that the Government...

That this House congratulates Citizens Advice Scotland on the launch of a new film and report demonstrating the value of the Scottish CAB Service; welcomes the report from the respected Fraser of Allander Institute which shows that the Service, consisting of 61 citizens advice member bureaux giving advice from over 200 service points, contributes 166.2 million to the economy; notes that this financial contribution includes savings of 60 millionin healthcare costs, homelessness services and unemployment benefits which are avoided through the provision of preventative advice; commends the support of 1,246 jobs and 27.4 million in wages across Scotland through the additional 63 million financial income gained for CAB clients through advice and a further 1,092 jobs which are supported or created by the CAB Service as employers; further welcomes the short film, Depend On Us, which highlights the variety of work that citizens advice bureaux deal with and the positive benefits that clients gain from visiting a CAB; and values the work of all those who work in the Citizens Advice Service in Scotland.

That this House congratulates Citizens Advice Scotland on the launch of a new film and report demonstrating the value of the Scottish CAB Service; welcomes the report from the respected Fraser of Allander Institute which shows that the Service, consisting of 61 citizens advice member bureaux giving advice from over...

That this House welcomes the launch of UN House Scotland in Edinburgh, a new centre which brings together organisations working to support and promote the aims of the United Nations in Scotland; recognises the significant contribution of its member organisations, which include UNA Scotland, CIFAL Scotland and UNESCO Scotland, in addressing issues as diverse as education, health, child welfare, women's rights, nuclear non-proliferation, water scarcity and climate change; notes that UN House Scotland is the first such project of its kind in the UK; and shares the hopes of UN House Scotland that the new centre will improve public awareness and understanding of the important work of the UN to tackle inequality, support human rights, encourage sustainable social and economic progress and promote peace between nations.

That this House welcomes the launch of UN House Scotland in Edinburgh, a new centre which brings together organisations working to support and promote the aims of the United Nations in Scotland; recognises the significant contribution of its member organisations, which include UNA Scotland, CIFAL Scotland and UNESCO Scotland, in...

That this House welcomes the positive contribution that low energy lighting bulbs such as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are making to reduce energy consumption; acknowledges that ultra-violet radiation, electric fields and peaks in light wavelength from CFLs can aggravate conditions including lupus, migraines, autistic conditions, ME and xeroderma pigmentosum; notes the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health's statement that between 30,000 and 40,000 people in the UK might be at risk of harm in this respect; also notes that the campaign group the Spectrum Alliance estimate this figure to be in excess of 250,000; acknowledges that this restricts both the range of work and day-to-day activities these people can undertake; is aware that incandescent light bulbs are the only light source not to have such effects; acknowledges that Commission Regulation (EC) No 244/2009 prohibits the sale of incandescent light bulbs; supports the Spectrum Alliance's campaign to have incandescent light bulbs made available to those affected; and urges the Department of Health to seek an exemption from the Commission Regulation in this respect.

That this House welcomes the positive contribution that low energy lighting bulbs such as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are making to reduce energy consumption; acknowledges that ultra-violet radiation, electric fields and peaks in light wavelength from CFLs can aggravate conditions including lupus, migraines, autistic conditions, ME and xeroderma pigmentosum; notes...

That this House recognises that social enterprises have the proven expertise and dynamism to find business opportunities amid poverty, provide life changing experiences for individuals and communities and deliver quality public services; further recognises that with public spending now contracting, the Government must consider how private investment can be leveraged into funding social enterprise to replace public sector investment; believes that taxation relief for investors in social enterprises is a key means of attracting new inward investment into the UK's social enterprise movement and should therefore not be any less generous than that for other organisations; and calls on the Government to tackle low levels of investor and investee awareness of the existing reliefs, remove restrictions to Community Investment Tax Relief, amend Enterprise Investment Scheme Relief to include companies limited by guarantee and undertake a detailed examination of how progress could be made to ensure that social enterprises can grow and achieve their full potential in the same manner as small private equity-backed companies.

That this House recognises that social enterprises have the proven expertise and dynamism to find business opportunities amid poverty, provide life changing experiences for individuals and communities and deliver quality public services; further recognises that with public spending now contracting, the Government must consider how private investment can be leveraged...