That this House is concerned that bear baiting events are still taking place in Pakistan, even though it is prohibited by Pakistani legislation; notes that bears for baiting are captured from the wild, that their incisors and canine teeth are extracted and their muzzles pierced with a nose ring, and that baiting involves setting dogs on a bear that is tethered to a central pivot; further notes that baiting is only carried out by a small minority of influential Pakistanis; welcomes the Directive issued by the President of Pakistan that bears that are confiscated pursuant to being used in baiting should be placed in a sanctuary established by the World Society for the Protection of Animals; regrets that confiscated bears are not being placed in that sanctuary; respectfully urges the Government of Pakistan to take steps to end all bear baiting and the capture of bears from the wild and to ensure that confiscated bears are placed in the sanctuary established for that purpose in the NWFP; and urges the Government to offer assistance to the Government of Pakistan to help end bear baiting.

That this House is concerned that bear baiting events are still taking place in Pakistan, even though it is prohibited by Pakistani legislation; notes that bears for baiting are captured from the wild, that their incisors and canine teeth are extracted and their muzzles pierced with a nose ring, and...

That this House notes the BBC documentary 'Detention undercover - the real story', which has exposed the racism experienced by asylum seekers at Oakington Detention Centre; deplores the appalling and degrading treatment of detainees at this centre; notes that this is the latest evidence of a catalogue of violent and racist abuse towards detainees; expresses its support for a full investigation into the claims of this documentary; applauds the decision to suspend 15 employees of Global Solutions Limited who have been implicated in these acts; and urges the Government to use detention only as a last resort and to observe international guidelines in the treatment of all detainees, with particular respect to families and children in detention.

That this House notes the BBC documentary 'Detention undercover - the real story', which has exposed the racism experienced by asylum seekers at Oakington Detention Centre; deplores the appalling and degrading treatment of detainees at this centre; notes that this is the latest evidence of a catalogue of violent and...

That this House welcomes the progress that is being made by the Animals Asia Foundation in bringing to an end the abhorrent abuse of over 7,000 bears in China which are being farmed in the most deplorable conditions for their bile, metal catheters being implanted deep into their gallbladders and fistula holes in their abdomens enabling farmers to milk the bears twice daily; recognises that bears are kept for up to 22 years in rusting, cramped cages with no room to stand up or turn around; welcomes the Chinese Government's dramatic change in policy and the fact that it is becoming increasingly supportive of charities who are working to stop the mistreatment of bears; congratulates the Animals Asia Foundation on its most recent success of saving two bears, Emma and Caesar, from 10 years of captivity in full metal jackets on a farm in Tianjin; and calls upon the British Government to do all it can to encourage the Chinese Government to bring about an end to this arcane practice.

That this House welcomes the progress that is being made by the Animals Asia Foundation in bringing to an end the abhorrent abuse of over 7,000 bears in China which are being farmed in the most deplorable conditions for their bile, metal catheters being implanted deep into their gallbladders and...

That this House is appalled by the actions of extreme animal cruelty which take place in China's animal markets, where millions of cats and dogs are killed annually for human consumption; rejects the claim that these practices are part of a cultural tradition; condemns the cruel ways in which these animals are raised, transported and slaughtered, which include boiling cats alive to make medicine and tonics, beating dogs to death to increase their adrenalin levels and hanging dogs to preserve the quality of their fur; urges the Government to raise this subject with the Chinese Ambassador in the UK; and further urges the Government to support the enlightened work of voluntary associations such as Animals Asia Foundation, who work not only to end such cruel practices, but also to educate individuals within the Chinese community to recognise the many health and social benefits from being in the company of companion animals, whilst further encouraging the closure of all live animal markets in China.

That this House is appalled by the actions of extreme animal cruelty which take place in China's animal markets, where millions of cats and dogs are killed annually for human consumption; rejects the claim that these practices are part of a cultural tradition; condemns the cruel ways in which these...

That this House notes that over 800,000 cases of abuse were reported between 1995 and 2001 against shopworkers; compliments USDAW for highlighting this issue; and calls upon the Government to work with the employers and unions to raise awareness of the levels of violence and abuse, to make the workplace safer, to make retail crime a police key performance indicator, to promote Safer Shopping Partnerships and to improve the Criminal Injuries Compensation scheme.

That this House notes that over 800,000 cases of abuse were reported between 1995 and 2001 against shopworkers; compliments USDAW for highlighting this issue; and calls upon the Government to work with the employers and unions to raise awareness of the levels of violence and abuse, to make the workplace...

That this House notes the four-and-a-half year prison sentence given to Mr Leslie Skinner following his conviction for violent sexual offences committed while serving as a non-commissioned officer at Deepcut Army barracks in Surrey; further notes the conclusions drawn by the Surrey Police - that having previously identified that this offender may have had a propensity for young males, the Army posted him to Deepcut without carrying our any form of risk assessment, that this offender abused his position of authority to ensure that his victims acquiesced effectively, that victims had insufficient faith in the chain of command or the Army's investigative system to report the assaults at the time and that victims told the police that they feared reporting the incidents as such action might entail them being 'branded' as homosexual and place them at risk as targets by their peers and other NCOs; and urges the Government to ensure that army trainees are guaranteed the same quality of protection that young people in civilian establishments are promised by the passage of the Children Bill and that instructors seeking appointment in army training camps are subject to enhanced Criminal Record Bureau vetting.

That this House notes the four-and-a-half year prison sentence given to Mr Leslie Skinner following his conviction for violent sexual offences committed while serving as a non-commissioned officer at Deepcut Army barracks in Surrey; further notes the conclusions drawn by the Surrey Police - that having previously identified that this...

That this House is appalled by the acts of extreme animal cruelty which take place in China's animal markets, where millions of cats and dogs are killed annually for human consumption; rejects the claim that these practices are part of a cultural tradition; condemns the cruel ways in which these animals are raised, transported and slaughtered, which includes boiling cats alive to make medicine and tonics, beating dogs to death to increase their adrenalin levels and hanging dogs to preserve the quality of their fur; urges the Government to raise this subject with the Chinese Ambassador in the UK; and further urges the Government to support the enlightened work of voluntary associations such as Animals Asia Foundation who work not only to end such cruel practice but also to educate individuals within the Chinese community to recognise the many health and social benefits from being in the company of companion animals, whilst further encouraging the closure of all live animal markets in China.

That this House is appalled by the acts of extreme animal cruelty which take place in China's animal markets, where millions of cats and dogs are killed annually for human consumption; rejects the claim that these practices are part of a cultural tradition; condemns the cruel ways in which these...

That this House welcomes BT's introduction of new blocking technology preventing access by its customers to websites featuring illegal images of child sexual abuse; recognises that this is restricted to the Internet Watch Foundation blacklist of sites deemed illegal under the Child Protection Act 1978; welcomes the endorsement given to this initiative by the Home Office; and acknowledges that this is not a complete solution but an important deterrent to those accessing child pornography material on the Internet.

That this House welcomes BT's introduction of new blocking technology preventing access by its customers to websites featuring illegal images of child sexual abuse; recognises that this is restricted to the Internet Watch Foundation blacklist of sites deemed illegal under the Child Protection Act 1978; welcomes the endorsement given to...

That this House notes the increasing number of cases of cruelty to animals coming before the courts in Northern Ireland; also notes that in one recent case a resident magistrate complained that he was unable to impose a more strict sentence; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to review the sentences and penalties available to the courts to deal with this type of crime.

That this House notes the increasing number of cases of cruelty to animals coming before the courts in Northern Ireland; also notes that in one recent case a resident magistrate complained that he was unable to impose a more strict sentence; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to review the...

That this House urges much greater recognition of the links between domestic violence and child abuse in the hope that all honourable Members who support the benefits of contact, parenting time and shared parenting will also back (a) a new legal definition of domestic violence which recognises all forms of abuse and violence affecting all family members, (b) amendments to the Children Act 1989 so that courts must not grant residence or unsupervised contact to the violent or abusive parent unless it is satisfied that this is what the child wants and it can be enacted safely, (c) an over-ruling of the Re H&R judgement so that family courts do not have to apply a higher standard of proof in cases involving more serious allegations and (d) an amendment to the Family Law Act 1986 on the use of recovery orders to prevent perpetrators from using this legislation to locate and remove a child from the care of a victim of domestic violence without a thorough assessment of all the risks involved.

That this House urges much greater recognition of the links between domestic violence and child abuse in the hope that all honourable Members who support the benefits of contact, parenting time and shared parenting will also back (a) a new legal definition of domestic violence which recognises all forms of...

That this House notes with concern the Commission for Health Improvement report into the institutional hospital abuse on Rowan Ward in Manchester in September, the MacIntyre undercover expose of abuse within care homes in October and the Panorama undercover expose of similar abuses within domiciliary care in November; welcomes the Health Select Committee Inquiry into elder abuse; and calls upon the Government to undertake a full and comprehensive review of Adult Protection initiatives.

That this House notes with concern the Commission for Health Improvement report into the institutional hospital abuse on Rowan Ward in Manchester in September, the MacIntyre undercover expose of abuse within care homes in October and the Panorama undercover expose of similar abuses within domiciliary care in November; welcomes the...

That this House welcomes the measures in the Sexual Offences Bill [Lords] that will better protect people with mental health problems and learning disabilities from sexual abuse; notes that research estimates that 1,400 people with learning disabilities are victims of sexual abuse each year; understands that there is inadequate research into the nature and extent of the sexual abuse of vulnerable people; expresses concern that poor commissioning practices, lengthy delays and lack of funding mean that therapy and counselling services are not always available to people with mental health problems and learning disabilities in all parts of the country and that there is only one service providing therapy for people with learning disabilities who have been abused; and calls on the Government to invest in additional research into the nature and extent of sexual abuse of people with mental health problems and learning disabilities and to issue guidance on the commissioning of therapy and counselling services for people with mental health problems and learning disabilities who have been abused.

That this House welcomes the measures in the Sexual Offences Bill [Lords] that will better protect people with mental health problems and learning disabilities from sexual abuse; notes that research estimates that 1,400 people with learning disabilities are victims of sexual abuse each year; understands that there is inadequate research...

That this House calls upon the Government to enact the provisions of the Physical Punishment of Children (Prohibiton) Bill which would make it illegal for parents physically to punish children by striking them across the head, hitting them with an implement or shaking them.

That this House calls upon the Government to enact the provisions of the Physical Punishment of Children (Prohibiton) Bill which would make it illegal for parents physically to punish children by striking them across the head, hitting them with an implement or shaking them.

That this House is appalled at the continuing high levels of violence and abuse faced by shopworkers, as reported in Usdaw's survey 'Voices from the Frontline' which showed incidents of violence against staff in 47 per cent. of stores in the last 12 months, threats of violence in 72 per cent. of stores and verbal abuse being a daily problem in over a third; notes with concern the British Retail Consortium's latest retail crime survey showing levels of violence remaining high and threats of violence increasing more than threefold; and calls upon honourable Members to support Usdaw's Freedom from Fear campaign to protect shopworkers from violence and abuse and to celebrate Respect for Shopworkers Day on 17th September with the union and Co-op retailers to raise awareness of the problems faced by retail staff and to educate the public to treat all shopworkers with respect.

That this House is appalled at the continuing high levels of violence and abuse faced by shopworkers, as reported in Usdaw's survey 'Voices from the Frontline' which showed incidents of violence against staff in 47 per cent. of stores in the last 12 months, threats of violence in 72 per...

That this House believes that the forthcoming Green Paper on children should contain a commitment to the establishment of an independent children's commissioner for England in order to give children in England the same support and protection afforded or about to be afforded to children in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

That this House believes that the forthcoming Green Paper on children should contain a commitment to the establishment of an independent children's commissioner for England in order to give children in England the same support and protection afforded or about to be afforded to children in Wales, Northern Ireland and...

That this House is gravely concerned about the evidence of children being trafficked into and through the United Kingdom which has been revealed by the work of the West Sussex Safe House Project with children arriving at Gatwick Airport from West Africa, ECPAT (End child prostitution, pornography and trafficking) UK and Unicef UK's End Child Exploitation Campaign; notes that there is evidence of several hundred children being brought to this country in recent years to be abused through prostitution somewhere in the UK and Europe; is alarmed at the lack of information about children in such circumstances arriving at other UK ports; deplores the planned closure of the West Sussex Safe House; urges the Government to instigate a major research project to define the numbers and situation of all children being trafficked to this country and to promote the best interests of each and every such child under the provisions of the Children Act 1989 rather than asylum and immigration legislation; further urges the Government to accommodate the children under section 20 of the Children Act 1989 rather than merely assist them under section 17 and to develop models of best practice and a range of central government funded resources to support children who have been trafficked; calls upon the Government to use the full force of the provisions of the Sexual Offences Bill against all those involved in any aspect of this form of child abuse; and calls upon West Sussex County Council to keep the Safe House open and functioning until this work has been completed.

That this House is gravely concerned about the evidence of children being trafficked into and through the United Kingdom which has been revealed by the work of the West Sussex Safe House Project with children arriving at Gatwick Airport from West Africa, ECPAT (End child prostitution, pornography and trafficking) UK...

That this House expresses deep concern that cigarette lighter fuel inhaled by young persons continues to cause misery and contributes to a significant loss of life; urges the Government to recognise the serious issues surrounding solvent abuse and in particular the misuse of cigarette lighter refill gas and greatly to increase solvent abuse awareness through campaigns and advertising nationally and with information and education in schools to highlight the dangers of solvent abuse; and calls on the Government to tighten the existing regulations on the sale of lighter fuel and to work with industry on the potential development of a fuel that is unpleasant to inhale.

That this House expresses deep concern that cigarette lighter fuel inhaled by young persons continues to cause misery and contributes to a significant loss of life; urges the Government to recognise the serious issues surrounding solvent abuse and in particular the misuse of cigarette lighter refill gas and greatly to...