That this House notes that in 1993 the Stockton-on-Tees Sea Cadet Unit accepted a five-year loan agreement with the Ministry of Defence for the use of the former HMS Kellington as a headquarters, that in 1998 the Ministry sought to reclaim the vessel at the end of the five-year loan period but failed as the Tees Barrage had been built downstream, that consequently the Ministry proposed the transfer of ownership to the Sea Cadet Unit on the payment of ??2,000 and this became effective in 1999, that the Sea Cadet Unit did not exercise due diligence and the Ministry, which knew of the hazardous contaminants and radioactive materials, chose to offload its liability onto a youth organisation working to foster interest in the Navy, that the introduction of health and safety legislation rendered the vessel unfit for purpose, that the vessel was repeatedly vandalised and became a serious environmental hazard and a danger to passers-by, that the vessel was dismantled and removed by the efforts of Stockton Borough Council, Able UK, and the Marine Society and Sea Cadets at a total cost exceeding ??350,000, and that the Ministry knew full well the difficulties and potential shelf-life from centuries of vessel disposal but failed in its duty of care and legal obligation to exercise due diligence; and asserts that the Ministry, having been so negligent in its sale to a unit it knew to be woefully unequal to the task, should redeem itself by agreeing to enter into negotiations to defray the heavy cost heaped so unfairly on a struggling community.

That this House notes that in 1993 the Stockton-on-Tees Sea Cadet Unit accepted a five-year loan agreement with the Ministry of Defence for the use of the former HMS Kellington as a headquarters, that in 1998 the Ministry sought to reclaim the vessel at the end of the five-year loan...

That this House notes the recent admission of Lord Ashcroft that he has had non-domiciled status since his appointment to the House of Lords; and questions the sums of money which have thereby been denied to the Exchequer and contributed elsewhere through the non-payment of UK taxes.

That this House notes the recent admission of Lord Ashcroft that he has had non-domiciled status since his appointment to the House of Lords; and questions the sums of money which have thereby been denied to the Exchequer and contributed elsewhere through the non-payment of UK taxes.

That this House notes that the chemical industry on Teesside is vital to the economic future of the North East of England and the UK economy as a whole, providing 60 per cent. of the UK's chemical exports, contributing ??3.5 billion to the national economy and supporting 70,000 jobs nationally; is deeply concerned that the future of Teesside's entire complex could be put at serious risk if feedstocks produced from the Petroplus refinery, which is currently up for sale, were to be lost through its closure or reductions to a storage facility; and therefore calls on the Government to recognise the crucial importance of this plant to the future of the chemicals industry on Teesside particularly and the UK generally, do everything possible to ensure that the future of the plant as a refinery is safeguarded and to seek assurances from Petroplus that it is prepared to consider bids which can ensure the maintenance and potential expansion of its refining capacity.

That this House notes that the chemical industry on Teesside is vital to the economic future of the North East of England and the UK economy as a whole, providing 60 per cent. of the UK's chemical exports, contributing ??3.5 billion to the national economy and supporting 70,000 jobs nationally;...

That this House recalls the Speaker's Statement on Allowances delivered to the House on 19 May 2009 which stipulated that mortgage interest claims will be capped at ??1,250 per month and the same cap will apply to rent and hotel accommodation; notes that minutes of the meeting of the Members Estimate Committee (MEC) held in the Speaker's House at 3.30 pm the following day confirm the imposition of the cap of ??1,250 per month on claims for mortgage interest and hotel accommodation but only stipulate a cap on any new rental agreement made after 19 May 2009 on a new property, thereby exempting from the capping limit all rental agreements extant before that date; further notes that the MEC also stipulated that these provisions should apply to any expenditure incurred after 19 May 2009 and any claims received by the Department of Resources after 1 June 2009; questions on what basis such a distinction should have been established between monthly mortgage interest claims and monthly rental instalments prior to 19 May 2009, and how such a decision can be justified to the House; and calls on the Members Estimate Committee to provide clear and unequivocal explanation to the House at the earliest possible date.

That this House recalls the Speaker's Statement on Allowances delivered to the House on 19 May 2009 which stipulated that mortgage interest claims will be capped at ??1,250 per month and the same cap will apply to rent and hotel accommodation; notes that minutes of the meeting of the Members...

That this House notes that in 1979 Norman St. John-Stevas moved the motion to establish departmental select committees to embark `upon a series of changes that could constitute the most important reforms of the century'; further notes that he cited `public and professional anxiety' at Parliament's failure `to subject the Executive to limitation and control; to protect the liberties of the individual citizen; to defend him against the arbitrary use of power'; further notes that these committees were to examine the whole range of activity for which Ministers have direct responsibility and look at the activities of some public bodies that exercise authority over which Ministers do not have direct authority; further notes that they were to be a necessary preliminary to the more effective scrutiny of government and the wider involvement that hon. Members on both sides of the House had sought for many years, to provide closer examination of departmental policy and action and to contribute to greater openness in government; further notes that hon. Members have subsequently exercised their select committee duties diligently and in doing so have enhanced their learning, becoming more effective participants in the procedures of parliamentary democracy; further notes that deliberate exclusion of any hon. Member from the prospect of appointment to these committees undermines the committee system's purpose, is an obstruction of the proper democratic process and represents a betrayal of universal franchise; and believes that this danger should be drawn to the attention of all hon. Members and specifically to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury, whoever be the incumbent.

That this House notes that in 1979 Norman St. John-Stevas moved the motion to establish departmental select committees to embark `upon a series of changes that could constitute the most important reforms of the century'; further notes that he cited `public and professional anxiety' at Parliament's failure `to subject the...

That this House acknowledges the Goverment's leadership in helping to bring about the signing in Oslo, by almost one hundred countries, of a comprehensive ban on production and use of all forms of cluster munitions; commends the Government for commencing immediately the destruction of existing stockpiles and committing publicly to complete total destruction well within the eight year deadline specified within the treaty; urges the Government to exert its influence further in pursuit of global cluster munition eradication by confirming, on parliamentary record, that ratification of the treaty will take place before the end of 2009-10 session, committing firmly to recruit to treaty support those remaining non-signatory nations such as Cambodia, Iraq, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria, Thailand and the United States and extending its influence, in terms of allocation of aid, to deal with consequential conditions in those cluster munition-affected countries, particularly Laos, the nation most grievously afflicted by these hideous devices, in aspects of concern such as victim assistance, survey and clearance, and risk education, recalling that the current ??30 million commitment to mine action over the next three years will be an effective reduction in real terms, after taking into account the added obligations of countering cluster munition contamination, to which one must add further humanitarian benchmarks supporting post-clearance socio-economic reconstruction and development; and commends the staff and officers of Landmine Action and other similar organisations for their efforts in this field and pays tribute to the level and quality of their work around the world.

That this House acknowledges the Goverment's leadership in helping to bring about the signing in Oslo, by almost one hundred countries, of a comprehensive ban on production and use of all forms of cluster munitions; commends the Government for commencing immediately the destruction of existing stockpiles and committing publicly to...

That this House is dismayed to learn that both Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe and JFC Brunssum will be closed for two full weeks over Christmas and New Year, that any telephone call to these establishments during this time will be greeted by a duty officer and that activities at Kabul and Kandahar will be `as normal' with patrols continuing without respite throughout this period; believes this situation is far from acceptable and that senior ranks and their support staff should stagger their periods of leave at this time to provide appropriate cover and that the Government should do all it can to ensure such measures are put in place as soon as possible.

That this House is dismayed to learn that both Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe and JFC Brunssum will be closed for two full weeks over Christmas and New Year, that any telephone call to these establishments during this time will be greeted by a duty officer and that activities at...

That this House notes with deep regret the sudden death of Mr Ray Wyre, founder of the Gracewell Clinic and prominent member of the team that established and developed the Lucy Faithfull Foundation; acknowledges with admiration his ground-breaking pioneering work for more than a quarter of a century in the development of effective sex offender treatment; recognises fully the huge debt of gratitude we owe to him for the formulation of his remedial programmes for victims of abuse and their extended families, together with disciplined measures designed to rehabilitate the perpetrators; registers unqualified appreciation of the stunning impact globally of Mr Wyre's outright commitment to the protection of children whilst offering hope for change to those who abused them, as he worked tirelessly to raise awareness of these issues with other organisations throughout the world; and expresses the fervent hope that those who have worked with and for Ray Wyre for so long to such good effect will ensure that his methods and philosophy are sustained and developed further in the same spirit as he would have wished.

That this House notes with deep regret the sudden death of Mr Ray Wyre, founder of the Gracewell Clinic and prominent member of the team that established and developed the Lucy Faithfull Foundation; acknowledges with admiration his ground-breaking pioneering work for more than a quarter of a century in the...

That this House notes with interest the reports in the Evening Standard of 5th June alleging the planned reshuffle of venues of four sporting disciplines of the forthcoming London Olympics so as to slash costs, ease crowd flows and avoid creating expensive white elephants after 2012; assumes there must be some degree of validity however small in these assertions if the Standard chooses to headline them; accepting that possibility, commends the Olympic planners for adopting, even if somewhat belatedly, a more prudent and measured assessment of the task ahead; seeks to help in advising the transfer of all shooting disciplines from Woolwich Barracks, where it is estimated the cost of preparation will exceed ??20 million with a further ??8 million required for post-games dismantling, to Bisley, a shooting venue which has maintained a good relationship with the local community since it was first founded in the late 19th century; to facilitate this move suggests for the period of the Games the reintroduction as a dedicated shuttle from Waterloo to Brookwood of a service once known as the Bisley Bullet, which could deliver competitors, officials and supporters to the field in less than 20 minutes; and maintains that the adoption of such common sense would reduce financial outlay instantly, ease crowd flow in the city certainly and bequeath a legacy of an enhanced and improved facility that will have stood the UK in good stead for more than 120 years.

That this House notes with interest the reports in the Evening Standard of 5th June alleging the planned reshuffle of venues of four sporting disciplines of the forthcoming London Olympics so as to slash costs, ease crowd flows and avoid creating expensive white elephants after 2012; assumes there must be...