That this House notes with concern the Government's decision to lower the rate for capital gains tax on sales of all property excluding the primary residence, reducing it from a maximum of 40 per cent. and a minimum of 24 per cent. to a flat rate of 18 per cent.; recognises that this could result in a further increase in second home ownership, which is already a serious problem in areas such as Westmorland and Lonsdale, where in some villages up to 75 per cent. of properties are classified as second homes, forcing schools, post offices and other vital local services to close; and urges the Government to reconsider this policy.

That this House notes with concern the Government's decision to lower the rate for capital gains tax on sales of all property excluding the primary residence, reducing it from a maximum of 40 per cent. and a minimum of 24 per cent. to a flat rate of 18 per cent.;...

That this House notes with concern the proposal from ITV to cease transmitting Border Television and replace it with programming from Tyne-Tees based in Gateshead; notes that the economy in Cumbria could suffer a loss of ??8.7m in gross value added (GVA) by 2010 if the proposed cuts go ahead and 88 jobs are lost from the Carlisle-based news service and that the GVA impact in the county could climb to ??10.7m by 2015 and ??13.1m by 2020; and urges ITV to reconsider the proposal.

That this House notes with concern the proposal from ITV to cease transmitting Border Television and replace it with programming from Tyne-Tees based in Gateshead; notes that the economy in Cumbria could suffer a loss of ??8.7m in gross value added (GVA) by 2010 if the proposed cuts go ahead...

That this House believes that the Government's plans to close large parts of the Post Office network are misguided and will be detrimental to thousands of communities up and down the country; and calls for a moratorium on plans to close up to 2,500 branches to allow time for the Sustainable Communities Bill to come into force, which will enable local communities to make decisions based on local factors rather than having the decisions of central government foisted upon them.

That this House believes that the Government's plans to close large parts of the Post Office network are misguided and will be detrimental to thousands of communities up and down the country; and calls for a moratorium on plans to close up to 2,500 branches to allow time for the...

That this House congratulates the South Lakes branch of the University of the Third Age on the work it does to provide learning and leisure opportunities for people over 50 years of age who are not in full-time employment; notes that the University of the Third Age is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year; recognises the work the university does across the country to encourage older people to share their knowledge, experience and interests and encourage learning for pleasure; praises the volunteers who run the university's local branches for their hard work; and recognises the importance of lifelong learning.

That this House congratulates the South Lakes branch of the University of the Third Age on the work it does to provide learning and leisure opportunities for people over 50 years of age who are not in full-time employment; notes that the University of the Third Age is celebrating its...

That this House expresses concern at the Royal Mail's proposal to introduce zonal surcharges which will result in customers who send out bulk mailings paying higher prices for their mail to be delivered in rural areas, adversely affecting many thousands of people, businesses and public sector organisations; further notes that the likelihood of decreased mail volumes going to rural areas as a consequence of this policy will place rural post offices in even greater jeopardy; and urges the independent postal regulator Postcomm to exercise its right to veto these proposals.

That this House expresses concern at the Royal Mail's proposal to introduce zonal surcharges which will result in customers who send out bulk mailings paying higher prices for their mail to be delivered in rural areas, adversely affecting many thousands of people, businesses and public sector organisations; further notes that...

That this House believes that in order to be effective and valid, local government structures should reflect the communities that they serve and have the confidence of local residents; and therefore calls upon the Government to reject bids for unitary status where there is clear evidence of strong public opposition to those bids.

That this House believes that in order to be effective and valid, local government structures should reflect the communities that they serve and have the confidence of local residents; and therefore calls upon the Government to reject bids for unitary status where there is clear evidence of strong public opposition...

That this House believes that the policy of Set Aside, whereby areas of farmland are designated not to be farmed, should be abolished in light of recent bad weather and flooding which is likely to reduce the European harvest by up to six million tonnes; and acknowledges that stocks are already at historic lows and that abolishing Set Aside would enable higher planting levels this year to combat low crop levels.

That this House believes that the policy of Set Aside, whereby areas of farmland are designated not to be farmed, should be abolished in light of recent bad weather and flooding which is likely to reduce the European harvest by up to six million tonnes; and acknowledges that stocks are...

That this House commends the work of ORBIS, which since 1982 has treated over 4.4 million people, conducted over 900 training programmes in 85 countries and transferred essential sight-saving skills to more than 100,000 doctors, nurses and other eye care professionals, which makes a significant contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, which range from halving extreme poverty to providing universal primary education by 2015; notes that research demonstrates the links between visual impairment and economic factors such as the inability to secure employment, access to healthcare, school attendance, poverty, hunger, and mortality rates for children under five; notes with regret that up to 60 per cent. of children in developing countries die within two years of becoming blind despite the fact that 75 per cent. of blindness is avoidable; calls on the Government to support eyecare in developing countries and to push accessible quality eyecare up national health agendas in developing countries, where 90 per cent. of the world's blind people live; and further urges the Government to review the proposed reduction of annual gift aid claims, which would result in an annual loss of income to ORBIS of approximately ??28,400, a sum that would save more than 15,500 Ethiopian villagers from blinding trachoma through the distribution of Zithromax, an antibiotic, which, if taken once a year for three years, guards against re-infection for life.

That this House commends the work of ORBIS, which since 1982 has treated over 4.4 million people, conducted over 900 training programmes in 85 countries and transferred essential sight-saving skills to more than 100,000 doctors, nurses and other eye care professionals, which makes a significant contribution to the achievement of...

That this House notes that 17th July is the ninth anniversary of the international community's historic adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC); welcomes the progress made by the Court including the recent issuing of two arrest warrants against government minister Ahmad Harun and Janjawid leader Ali Kushayb, suspected of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur, Sudan, including murder, rape and torture; is dismayed that the Sudanese authorities have refused so far to allow them to be tried by the ICC; and urges the UK and its international partners to take action to ensure that the remit of the ICC cannot be circumvented and that persons accused of the worst human rights violations are brought to justice.

That this House notes that 17th July is the ninth anniversary of the international community's historic adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC); welcomes the progress made by the Court including the recent issuing of two arrest warrants against government minister Ahmad Harun and Janjawid leader...

That this House commends Sustrans' Change Your World campaign, which involves people giving up one car journey in the week of the 1st to 7th July, to encourage methods of transport which are kinder to the environment; acknowledges that if everyone was to give up just one car journey the level of traffic would reduce by 10 per cent. for the period, which would significantly reduce carbon emissions; and urges all hon. and right hon. Members to give up one car journey as part of the campaign.

That this House commends Sustrans' Change Your World campaign, which involves people giving up one car journey in the week of the 1st to 7th July, to encourage methods of transport which are kinder to the environment; acknowledges that if everyone was to give up just one car journey the...

That this House welcomes National Parks Week, which runs from 30th July to 5th August and aims to remind people of Britain's 14 national parks, which already attract around 150 million visitors every year, bringing vital sources of income to many local economies; and furthermore supports the introduction, as is already the case in national parks in Scotland, of direct elections to national park authorities in England and Wales, in order to make national parks and their members accountable to local residents and to ensure that national parks are more mindful of the needs of local communities.

That this House welcomes National Parks Week, which runs from 30th July to 5th August and aims to remind people of Britain's 14 national parks, which already attract around 150 million visitors every year, bringing vital sources of income to many local economies; and furthermore supports the introduction, as is...

That this House expresses concern at the decision of the Rural Payments Agency to refer back to the Commons Registration Act 1965 in order to allocate commons entitlements; notes that this can lead to farmers being denied payment for the correct amount of land or suffering extensive delays in obtaining their payments; and urges the Government to act immediately in order to prevent further inconvenience and loss of income to farmers who have already suffered badly at the hands of the Rural Payments Agency.

That this House expresses concern at the decision of the Rural Payments Agency to refer back to the Commons Registration Act 1965 in order to allocate commons entitlements; notes that this can lead to farmers being denied payment for the correct amount of land or suffering extensive delays in obtaining...

That this House welcomes `Open Farm Sunday' whereby eight farms in Cumbria will open their gates to people from as many different backgrounds as possible in order to give people an appreciation of the work of farmers in maintaining the countryside and producing safe, locally grown goods.

That this House welcomes `Open Farm Sunday' whereby eight farms in Cumbria will open their gates to people from as many different backgrounds as possible in order to give people an appreciation of the work of farmers in maintaining the countryside and producing safe, locally grown goods.

That this House supports the retention of the coronary care unit and other acute admissions services at Westmorland General Hospital; and calls on the Board of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Trust to pay attention to the overwhelming opposition to closure from the local community and therefore reverse the plans, given that closure would put the lives of patients in South Lakeland in severe danger.

That this House supports the retention of the coronary care unit and other acute admissions services at Westmorland General Hospital; and calls on the Board of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Trust to pay attention to the overwhelming opposition to closure from the local community and therefore reverse the...

That this House welcomes the Help the Aged initiative My Home Life, which is seeking to forge a partnership to work together to improve the quality of life for older people in care homes; believes that it is vital that all stakeholders are brought together to celebrate and build upon good practice; and calls on the Government to take note of the recommendations of the My Home Life report in drawing up new minimum standards for care homes.

That this House welcomes the Help the Aged initiative My Home Life, which is seeking to forge a partnership to work together to improve the quality of life for older people in care homes; believes that it is vital that all stakeholders are brought together to celebrate and build upon...

That this House recognises the need for standards to be set regarding the manufacture of biofuels to restrict levels of deforestation and destruction of valuable wildlife habitats; further recognises that the objective for biofuels is to reduce overall greenhouse emissions, a process which would be hampered by the significant destruction of rainforests; notes that this would boost British farmers who wish to grow crops for the purpose of manufacturing biofuels; and urges the Government to begin setting standards for the manufacture of biofuels.

That this House recognises the need for standards to be set regarding the manufacture of biofuels to restrict levels of deforestation and destruction of valuable wildlife habitats; further recognises that the objective for biofuels is to reduce overall greenhouse emissions, a process which would be hampered by the significant destruction...

That this House commends the thousands of participants in Cancer Research UK's annual Race for Life campaign; and further commends the excellent and essential work of Cancer Research UK, the world's leading independent organisation dedicated to cancer research, which provides assistance to hundreds of thousands of cancer sufferers every year.

That this House commends the thousands of participants in Cancer Research UK's annual Race for Life campaign; and further commends the excellent and essential work of Cancer Research UK, the world's leading independent organisation dedicated to cancer research, which provides assistance to hundreds of thousands of cancer sufferers every year.

That this House notes with concern the recommendations in the recent Lyons Review, including the proposed tourism tax or bed tax to raise additional funding for local authorities; recognises that this would be damaging to the tourism industry, which raised more than ??80 billion for the British economy in 2004; and urges the Government to reject this part of the Lyons Review.

That this House notes with concern the recommendations in the recent Lyons Review, including the proposed tourism tax or bed tax to raise additional funding for local authorities; recognises that this would be damaging to the tourism industry, which raised more than ??80 billion for the British economy in 2004;...

That this House notes with concern that independent savings accounts and savings in personal equity plans which are created with the specific purpose of paying off a mortgage are taken into account under the Department of Health's Charging for Residential Accommodation Guidelines as capital; further notes that this creates a disincentive for prudent financial management and is a cause of severe and unexpected financial hardship to people in vulnerable circumstances; and urges the Government to re-examine its guidelines with a view to protecting people.

That this House notes with concern that independent savings accounts and savings in personal equity plans which are created with the specific purpose of paying off a mortgage are taken into account under the Department of Health's Charging for Residential Accommodation Guidelines as capital; further notes that this creates a...

That this House notes that 48 per cent. of UK prisoners cannot read and that most such prisoners leave prison illiterate; further notes that offenders who leave prison illiterate are much less likely to find work and much more likely to return to crime; believes that if prison is to work and society is to be made safer, then we must ensure that the problem of illiteracy amongst prisoners and offenders on probation is overcome; commends the work of the Shannon Trust which aims to help prisoners to learn to read in part through the support of literate prisoners who become mentors; and congratulates the Trust for having so far taught some 1,500 prisoners to read, with a further 3,000 currently learning; and calls upon the Government to support this and similar prison literacy schemes in order to prevent reoffending.

That this House notes that 48 per cent. of UK prisoners cannot read and that most such prisoners leave prison illiterate; further notes that offenders who leave prison illiterate are much less likely to find work and much more likely to return to crime; believes that if prison is to...