That this House is grateful to the Committee of Public Accounts for its authoritative report on school academies, but regrets that it makes dismal reading for educationalists and taxpayers; especially notes that the Department for Children, Schools and Families has admitted that it does not yet know the cost of running academies in the longer term; and, in the light of this, calls on the Department not to authorise further applications for academy development until it has more evidence on which to base realistic spending plans.

That this House is grateful to the Committee of Public Accounts for its authoritative report on school academies, but regrets that it makes dismal reading for educationalists and taxpayers; especially notes that the Department for Children, Schools and Families has admitted that it does not yet know the cost of...

That this House supports the finding of the Committee of Public Accounts that academies are a costly means of tackling low attainment and that academy programmes should not be approved where less costly solutions would provide better value for money.

That this House supports the finding of the Committee of Public Accounts that academies are a costly means of tackling low attainment and that academy programmes should not be approved where less costly solutions would provide better value for money.

That this House notes that school balances have been charged in the past; expresses concern at Government proposals for a universal five per cent. levy on unspent balances to be imposed on schools in England; further notes that many schools prudently plan for the future and save for special projects; considers that schools should not be penalised for building up balances to cover planned education projects that will deliver the best possible education to students; stresses that excessive school balances have fallen in the past five years; further notes that the National Association of Head Teachers has stated that attempting to cut surpluses already committed to projects would be unacceptable and that the Association of School and College Leaders has said that schools should not be penalised if they have a significant balance when it is part of their planned expenditure programme; and calls on the Government to take into account the legitimate concerns of schools, head teachers and governors in consulting on the Draft School Finance Regulations 2008.

That this House notes that school balances have been charged in the past; expresses concern at Government proposals for a universal five per cent. levy on unspent balances to be imposed on schools in England; further notes that many schools prudently plan for the future and save for special projects;...

That this House notes with regret that the Community Champions Fund (CCF), introduced by the former Department for Education and Skills to provide support for people with ideas for small-scale projects to help improve their communities, is likely not to continue beyond 2007-08; recognises the positive impact of the Fund both in benefiting the deprived and socially excluded communities these projects serve, and in assisting the personal development of the community champions themselves, who would otherwise have difficulty accessing mainstream funding; appreciates that the decision not to extend this programme is in tune with a general move towards devolving funding and decisions as to how money is spent locally to local government and its partners within local strategic partnerships; but remains concerned that funding will not be provided in future for the types of projects uniquely funded by the CCF, such as individual-led initiatives; and calls upon the Government to reconsider its decision not to extend the Fund beyond March 2008.

That this House notes with regret that the Community Champions Fund (CCF), introduced by the former Department for Education and Skills to provide support for people with ideas for small-scale projects to help improve their communities, is likely not to continue beyond 2007-08; recognises the positive impact of the Fund...

That this House deplores the threatened closure of the Centre for Young Musicians Library, a major lending library of printed music, providing an essential and greatly valued service to school, and other, choirs, amateur orchestras and concert bands in all parts of the United Kingdom; notes that the Library has to vacate its present premises by the end of December and that its present owner, Trinity College of Music, regards the cost of renting alternative premises as unaffordable; and urges the College to take immediate action to ensure that the Library's services to the music-making community are maintained without interruption and to explore alternative sources of funding for the longer term.

That this House deplores the threatened closure of the Centre for Young Musicians Library, a major lending library of printed music, providing an essential and greatly valued service to school, and other, choirs, amateur orchestras and concert bands in all parts of the United Kingdom; notes that the Library has...

That this House condemns the Government plans to claw back up to ??225 million over the next three years from the cash balances held by some 20,500 English schools; notes that such a policy would penalise schools which have budgeted prudently, including those which have saved up for a major capital investment scheme; further notes that the five per cent. claw back will be imposed on balances as of March 2007, even when these balances have been spent since that date; believes that this is a backward step which will undermine the freedom of individual schools; considers that head teachers and governing bodies of schools are better able to make judgements about managing their financial positions than ministers and civil servants in Whitehall; and calls upon the Government to withdraw immediately its plans to claw back money from school balances.

That this House condemns the Government plans to claw back up to ??225 million over the next three years from the cash balances held by some 20,500 English schools; notes that such a policy would penalise schools which have budgeted prudently, including those which have saved up for a major...

That this House acknowledges the work of the Northern Rock Foundation as one of the UK's largest charitable funders; celebrates the work it has done in the North East and Cumbria supporting over 1,500 community and voluntary organisations which directly benefit children and young people at risk, older people in care and need of support, and victims of domestic abuse and crimes of hate; expresses concern that the Foundation is at risk as its funding comes from five per cent. of Northern Rock Bank's pre-tax profits; notes the work of the Foundation and its huge importance to the lives of millions of people in the North East; and asks that the work of the Foundation be taken into account in negotiations on the future of Northern Rock Bank and the potential impact of its break up on the most vulnerable in the North East.

That this House acknowledges the work of the Northern Rock Foundation as one of the UK's largest charitable funders; celebrates the work it has done in the North East and Cumbria supporting over 1,500 community and voluntary organisations which directly benefit children and young people at risk, older people in...

That this House notes with concern the recent financial situation of the Northern Rock bank; calls on the company to do all it can to keep and secure jobs in the North East, in particular in respect of their offices in Sunderland, Gateshead and their new office development at Rainton Bridge, near Durham, as well as branches across the region; and calls on Northern Rock to provide assurances to the Northern Rock Foundation, the company's charitable foundation, that its future is safe and secure.

That this House notes with concern the recent financial situation of the Northern Rock bank; calls on the company to do all it can to keep and secure jobs in the North East, in particular in respect of their offices in Sunderland, Gateshead and their new office development at Rainton...

That this House congratulates the players, back-up staff and management teams of Featherstone Rovers and Featherstone Lions Rugby League clubs for the fantastic achievement of winning their respective divisions in a single afternoon; recognises the commitment of Featherstone's rugby fans who made up a large proportion of those who attended the matches at Headingley; notes the remarkable achievement of a town of just over 12,500 people in producing two such high-quality teams; and calls on the Government to recognise communities like Featherstone, which are the bedrock of British sports, and to accelerate funding to community-based sports, particularly by seeking a more equitable distribution of television and commercial funding between a few elite clubs and grass-roots community sports clubs such as Featherstone Rovers and Featherstone Lions.

That this House congratulates the players, back-up staff and management teams of Featherstone Rovers and Featherstone Lions Rugby League clubs for the fantastic achievement of winning their respective divisions in a single afternoon; recognises the commitment of Featherstone's rugby fans who made up a large proportion of those who attended...

That this House is concerned at the continuing reductions in Government support for rural buses in Cumbria which have seen a loss of ??340,000 in subsidy since 2006; asks the Government to indicate as soon as possible whether there will be grant regime to replace the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant and if so, to state what level of funding will be available as well as the conditions which will be attached to this grant and what types of service a replacement grant regime would support; calls on the Government to recognise that lack of transport in rural areas is one of the greatest causes of social exclusion; and believes that funding support for buses in Cumbria should be restored to the levels of 2006.

That this House is concerned at the continuing reductions in Government support for rural buses in Cumbria which have seen a loss of ??340,000 in subsidy since 2006; asks the Government to indicate as soon as possible whether there will be grant regime to replace the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant...

That this House believes that the next round of the Comprehensive Spending Review must address disproportionate funding levels so that any increase in health spending includes an above-average increase for spending on mental health; notes with concern that Britain is not investing sufficiently in people with mental illness even though cost-effective interventions exist; further notes that mental ill health is costing the economy over ??23 billion a year in England alone due to economic inactivity and social exclusion; recognises that mental illness is an issue that cuts across Government, contributing to unemployment and high prison rates; and calls upon the Government to prioritise mental health in the next spending round to ensure that all citizens receive the quality care and support they deserve.

That this House believes that the next round of the Comprehensive Spending Review must address disproportionate funding levels so that any increase in health spending includes an above-average increase for spending on mental health; notes with concern that Britain is not investing sufficiently in people with mental illness even though...

That this House notes the police raids on two English Premiership clubs and one Scottish Premiership club in connection with alleged corruption within British Premiership football; further notes that this follows on from Quest's final report into allegations of bungs in the Premier League; recognises that there is increasing distaste among football fans at the obscene amounts of television money, reaching ??2.7 billion over the next three years, which is enriching a small number of premier football clubs, their players, agents and new global owners, but is doing very little to help grass roots football nor to develop potential England players of the future; believes, therefore, that there is a compelling argument for a windfall tax on television monies coming into football similar to the windfall tax that was levied on the privatised utilities after 1997; and further believes that the proceeds of such a tax should be ring fenced, administered by the Football Foundation and used to support the development of grass roots football in the UK and the retention and improvement of existing football pitches and changing facilities owned by sports clubs and local authorities.

That this House notes the police raids on two English Premiership clubs and one Scottish Premiership club in connection with alleged corruption within British Premiership football; further notes that this follows on from Quest's final report into allegations of bungs in the Premier League; recognises that there is increasing distaste...

That this House recognises the terrible flooding experienced across South Yorkshire, particularly in Sheffield and Rotherham; pays tribute to the courage and resilience of all residents affected; offers condolences to the families of Ryan Joe Parry, Mike Barnett and other casualties; applauds the amazing work of the emergency services in rescuing and assisting the many individuals affected; calls on the Government to provide both emergency and long-term recovery funding, including an overhaul of neglected road surface and drainage systems, and to do all it can to support the local authorities and people with clean up operations; urges insurance companies to consider claims quickly and sympathetically; notes that many of the areas affected are not normally prone to flooding; and recognises that given the changing patterns of climate associated with global warming greater investment in flood defences is necessary in such areas to prevent disasters such as this occurring again.

That this House recognises the terrible flooding experienced across South Yorkshire, particularly in Sheffield and Rotherham; pays tribute to the courage and resilience of all residents affected; offers condolences to the families of Ryan Joe Parry, Mike Barnett and other casualties; applauds the amazing work of the emergency services in...

That this House believes the 28 per cent. real increase in funding for sponsored museums over the past 10 years, which has enabled free entry to many great national collections and a 40 per cent. increase in visitor numbers, shows clearly the Government's success in combining cultural excellence with social inclusion; welcomes in particular the commitment of the Big Lottery Fund and Heritage Lottery Fund in this respect; and would strongly deplore any move away from this successful formula.

That this House believes the 28 per cent. real increase in funding for sponsored museums over the past 10 years, which has enabled free entry to many great national collections and a 40 per cent. increase in visitor numbers, shows clearly the Government's success in combining cultural excellence with social...

That this House expresses its concern at preliminary recommendations published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) regarding future NHS funding for new anti-VEGF treatments for wet age-related macular degeneration; notes that NICE's recommendations would see treatment denied to up to 80 per cent. of those who could benefit; believes that it is contrary to the principles of the National Health Service to require patients to go blind in one eye before becoming eligible for treatment of the other eye; and therefore calls on the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence carefully to consider representations made in response to their preliminary recommendations by stakeholder groups such as the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, Royal College of Nursing, Macular Disease Society and Royal National Institute of Blind People before making its final recommendations on access to treatment later this year.

That this House expresses its concern at preliminary recommendations published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) regarding future NHS funding for new anti-VEGF treatments for wet age-related macular degeneration; notes that NICE's recommendations would see treatment denied to up to 80 per cent. of those who...

That this House is concerned at the lack of transparency in the financial affairs of Premier and Football League clubs; is appalled that the owners of Leeds United, Forward Sports Fund, not only avoided the effects of points deduction by going into administration after relegation from the Championship was confirmed, but re-emerged from administration within 24 hours having abandoned ??35 million worth of debts; calls on the Administrator, KPMG, to explain why it failed to ascertain the beneficiaries of Astor Investments Holding, registered in the British Virgin Islands, and Krato Trust, registered in Nevis (West Indies), who agreed to write off ??13 million and ??2.4 million debts, and to seek explanations; asks the Administrator to ascertain whether the current owner of the Leeds United ground, Teak Trading Corporation, has any shareholder or director links with Astor, Krato or Mr Ken Bates; urges HM Revenue and Customs to take action to challenge the Administrator's decision not to recover the ??7 million owed to taxpayers; requests that the Financial Services Authority investigate the similarities between the ownership of Chelsea Village plc prior to July 2003 and the ownership of Leeds United; urges the Serious and Organised Crime Agency and the Serious Fraud Office to investigate whether criminal activity, including money laundering, has taken place; and urges the Government to make it a criminal offence for any individual, either in the UK or abroad, to own shares or be a beneficiary of a football club without making a declaration to shareholders at the annual meeting.

That this House is concerned at the lack of transparency in the financial affairs of Premier and Football League clubs; is appalled that the owners of Leeds United, Forward Sports Fund, not only avoided the effects of points deduction by going into administration after relegation from the Championship was confirmed,...

That this House congratulates the nine EU and US companies which recently developed five alternative testing methods based on the 3Rs (Replacement, Refinement and Reduction) and which were validated on 27th April by the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM); notes that the tests reduce time and costs and have the potential to provide more accurate results and a more reliable indication of chemical safety than animal tests; highlights the fact that Great Britain is one of the largest users of laboratory animals in the EU, with numbers of scientific procedures using live animals increasing since 1997; is concerned that, whilst in 2005 there were 528 licences for animal testing projects granted, the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research only received enough funding to back nine 3R projects; and calls on the Government to increase its funding to NC3R to help Great Britain contribute more towards the development of the 3Rs.

That this House congratulates the nine EU and US companies which recently developed five alternative testing methods based on the 3Rs (Replacement, Refinement and Reduction) and which were validated on 27th April by the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM); notes that the tests reduce time and...