That this House is appalled by the further impoverishment of victims of endowment mis-selling; applauds the guidance freely available from Which? and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) on compensation claims; regrets that the spokesperson for the misleadingly named Endowment Justice company failed to mention these free services in her broadcasts last week, nor did she explain that those using her company's services will lose in commission charges 21 per cent. of any compensation gained; and is alarmed that companies, not controlled by the FSA, are again exploiting endowment victims with excessive charges for services of little or no value.

That this House is appalled by the further impoverishment of victims of endowment mis-selling; applauds the guidance freely available from Which? and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) on compensation claims; regrets that the spokesperson for the misleadingly named Endowment Justice company failed to mention these free services in her broadcasts...

That this House condemns energy companies that transfer consumers against their will or without their knowledge; recognises the distress and financial detriment this can cause to consumers; applauds Energywatch's Stop Now! Campaign to restore consumer confidence and order to the energy transfer and marketing process; welcomes Ofgem's decision to fine London Electricity ??2 million for persistently mis-selling; notes that the Energy Minister's deadline of six months to eradicate this problem is fast approaching; calls for the introduction of a system which protects consumers from being transferred without their prior knowledge and explicit consent; and recommends that individuals affected by any type of erroneous transfer or sales malpractice should receive automatic minimum compensation payments from the offending energy supplier.

That this House condemns energy companies that transfer consumers against their will or without their knowledge; recognises the distress and financial detriment this can cause to consumers; applauds Energywatch's Stop Now! Campaign to restore consumer confidence and order to the energy transfer and marketing process; welcomes Ofgem's decision to fine...

That this House is concerned that Financial Services Authority research proves that nearly five million endowment policies may not grow sufficiently to repay their mortgages; regrets that only 10,500 people have been compensated out of at least three million who were mis-sold endowments 'guaranteed' by salespeople to pay off mortgages fully; and calls on the Government to instruct the FSA to launch a mis-selling inquiry funded by companies' shareholders and to write to those facing possible shortfalls with details of how to claim compensation.

That this House is concerned that Financial Services Authority research proves that nearly five million endowment policies may not grow sufficiently to repay their mortgages; regrets that only 10,500 people have been compensated out of at least three million who were mis-sold endowments 'guaranteed' by salespeople to pay off mortgages...

That this House congratulates the Financial Services Authority for imposing a time and compensation requirement of ??52 million on the Royal Scottish Assurance for mis-selling endowment mortgages; and looks forward to further fines and the punishment of directors and salespersons of companies who have acted improperly and impoverished millions of people by mis-selling pensions, mortgages and general insurance policies.

That this House congratulates the Financial Services Authority for imposing a time and compensation requirement of ??52 million on the Royal Scottish Assurance for mis-selling endowment mortgages; and looks forward to further fines and the punishment of directors and salespersons of companies who have acted improperly and impoverished millions of...

That this House is alarmed at the continuing high sales of endowment mortgages; agrees with the Consumers' Association that endowments are 'risky inflexible products which typically pay seven times the commission of repayment mortgages'; calls for legislation to end the hidden charges and high redemption charges in other mortgages; and urges speedy compensation for the victims of mis-selling and the establishment of a financial advice service that will be independent of the selling process.

That this House is alarmed at the continuing high sales of endowment mortgages; agrees with the Consumers' Association that endowments are 'risky inflexible products which typically pay seven times the commission of repayment mortgages'; calls for legislation to end the hidden charges and high redemption charges in other mortgages; and...

That this House is alarmed at the evidence published in Financial Adviser and The Sunday Times that reveals that more than two million people may have been mis-sold endowment mortgages; notes that leading independent financial advisers stress that endowment mortgages have been unsuitable for virtually everyone for the past 10 years; regrets that the Personal Investment Authority/Financial Services Authority have not already acted despite evidence of widespread mis-selling revealed by the recent mystery shopper exercises by the Consumers' Association and Suffolk Trading Standards; and calls on the Treasury and FSA to launch an immediate investigation into mis-selling and urges them to consider outlawing endowment mortgages, as the United States has done, and to further consider whether compensation should be paid to those who have suffered financial losses.

That this House is alarmed at the evidence published in Financial Adviser and The Sunday Times that reveals that more than two million people may have been mis-sold endowment mortgages; notes that leading independent financial advisers stress that endowment mortgages have been unsuitable for virtually everyone for the past 10...

That this House deplores the serious decline in standards of honesty exemplified by the false claims made about Derbyshire County Council in a Conservative party political broadcast on 6th April; notes the inaccurate claim that a councillor in prison had claimed ??4,000 in council allowances whilst running a council housing budget whereas, in fact, that county council has no housing responsibilities and the councillor in question had automatically received ??1,231 in allowances to which he was legally entitled before his appeal was considered by the courts and his subsequent disqualification; understands that such crucial differences may not be fully recognised by a casual observer of the type that the broadcast purported to interview; further understands, however, that the comments quoted in the broadcast were not from a genuine and randomly selected member of the public but from an actor using a carefully written script which had clearly not been checked for its veracity; and calls upon the Conservative Party to clearly disassociate itself from this blatant attempt to smear the Labour Party.

That this House deplores the serious decline in standards of honesty exemplified by the false claims made about Derbyshire County Council in a Conservative party political broadcast on 6th April; notes the inaccurate claim that a councillor in prison had claimed ??4,000 in council allowances whilst running a council housing...

That this House notes that Conservatives in Derbyshire are backing an official complaint by the Debyshire County Council into a party political broadcast by their own party; supports the complaint which has been made to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission into the Conservative party political broadcast shown on television on 6th April, which has been described by the Conservative opposition group leader of the Derbyshire County Council, Mr John Morgan-Owen, as being basically inaccurate; and notes that a Conservative councillor has submitted a further complaint to the Conservative Party Central Office about the broadcast.

That this House notes that Conservatives in Derbyshire are backing an official complaint by the Debyshire County Council into a party political broadcast by their own party; supports the complaint which has been made to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission into the Conservative party political broadcast shown on television on 6th...

That this House condemns the Conservative Party for carrying a number of false claims about Derbyshire County Council in its party political broadcast shown on television on 6th April, including the claims (a) that Derbyshire County Council is a housing authority, when this function is conducted by the district councils in Derbyshire, (b) that the housing budget totals ??500 million, when a typical district council in Derbyshire only has a budget of ??19 million per annum and (c) that a former Labour county councillor had made claims of ??4,000 whilst in prison; and calls upon the Conservative Party to apologise for peddling such untruths.

That this House condemns the Conservative Party for carrying a number of false claims about Derbyshire County Council in its party political broadcast shown on television on 6th April, including the claims (a) that Derbyshire County Council is a housing authority, when this function is conducted by the district councils...

That this House notes that the burial service department operated by Birmingham City Council makes use of a single mobile telephone to assist in providing an out of hours emergency service; believes this to be a vital facility in a city of one million citizens; considers the implication in the Conservative Party political broadcast of Wednesday 6th April that Birmingham City Council was providing 400 grave diggers with mobile telephones to be quite ridiculous and that the facts were easily checkable both by Saatchi and Saatchi, makers of the broadcast, and the Chairman of the Conservative Party who represents a Birmingham constituency.

That this House notes that the burial service department operated by Birmingham City Council makes use of a single mobile telephone to assist in providing an out of hours emergency service; believes this to be a vital facility in a city of one million citizens; considers the implication in the...

That this House notes the claim in the Conservative Party political broadcast of Wednesday 6th April that Birmingham City Council spent ??400 on recycled paper clips instead of the ??12 normal cost; believes this claim was designed to ridicule Birmingham's contribution to National Environmental Week in 1992; welcomes the fact that this national event was taken seriously as an educational exercise by the Second City; understands that the modest total expenditure of ??400 included the collation, layout and publication of a programme of 70 local environmental events on recycled paper, postage costs of sending environmental educational materials to the schools and the costs of using some waste plastic to create heart shaped plastic paper clips to be given to children as an example of making a product from waste; believes all this information was known to Birmingham Conservative councillors and therefore available to Saatchi and Saatchi, the makers of the broadcast, and the Chairman of the Conservative Party who represents a Birmingham constituency.

That this House notes the claim in the Conservative Party political broadcast of Wednesday 6th April that Birmingham City Council spent ??400 on recycled paper clips instead of the ??12 normal cost; believes this claim was designed to ridicule Birmingham's contribution to National Environmental Week in 1992; welcomes the fact...

That this House notes that New Street in the City of Birmingham will be illuminated from November 1993 to February 1994; also notes that these lights were used during the same period a year ago, and that the design was agreed with representatives of the traders and unanimously approved by a committee of councillors of all political parties; further notes that the Birmingham Post has now chosen to criticise the design for not including Santa Claus, reindeer, fairies, wise men and angels and attributed these omissions to an alleged outbreak of political correctness among Labour councillors; and expects the publication of similar anti-Labour fantasies by the Conservative-supporting Birmingham Post until the local elections are held in May 1994.

That this House notes that New Street in the City of Birmingham will be illuminated from November 1993 to February 1994; also notes that these lights were used during the same period a year ago, and that the design was agreed with representatives of the traders and unanimously approved by...

That this House notes that the Daily Telegraph falsely stated twice in their 8th December edition that Birmingham City Council had agreed a start-up grant of ??10,000 for a curry house in Kings Norton; also notes that, in fact, the Business Investment and Enterprise Sub-committee of Birmingham City Council has not taken a decision on this grant application; and regards this affair as an other example of reckless anti-Labour fantasy by the Conservative-supporting press in the run up to the local elections.

That this House notes that the Daily Telegraph falsely stated twice in their 8th December edition that Birmingham City Council had agreed a start-up grant of ??10,000 for a curry house in Kings Norton; also notes that, in fact, the Business Investment and Enterprise Sub-committee of Birmingham City Council has...

That this House is of the view that the statement on the 752 page Department of Trade and Industry report on the House of Fraser was an inadequate way of dealing with a matter that raises serious questions about the Fayeds who, according to the report, 'dishonestly misrepresented their origins, their wealth, their business interests and their resources to the Secretary of State, the Office of Fair Trading, the Press, the House of Fraser Board and the House of Fraser shareholders, and their own advisers'; and requests that the Government provides time for an early debate on this matter which is of serious concern to honourable Members on all sides of the House.

That this House is of the view that the statement on the 752 page Department of Trade and Industry report on the House of Fraser was an inadequate way of dealing with a matter that raises serious questions about the Fayeds who, according to the report, 'dishonestly misrepresented their origins,...