That this House pays tribute to our ex-servicemen and women, who have served this country with such courage and distinction; applauds the contribution of the Help for Heroes charity in supporting those wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan; recognises the organisation's work in facilitating the transition of veterans from the battlefield back into civilian life; and welcomes the financial support of the Scottish Government via the Scottish Veterans' Fund towards Help for Heroes projects throughout Scotland.

That this House pays tribute to our ex-servicemen and women, who have served this country with such courage and distinction; applauds the contribution of the Help for Heroes charity in supporting those wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan; recognises the organisation's work in facilitating the transition of veterans from the battlefield...

That this House recognises that the workforce in the not-for-profit sector plays a vital role in the delivery of services; believes that it is highly dedicated to the quality of care and provision for users and that its skills and professionalism must not be undermined by the decisions of commissioners; further believes that poor contracts are causing excessive overtime in order to maintain services, resulting in high levels of stress, family breakdown, ill health and a poor working environment, including workplace bullying and a lack of attention to duty of care; further believes that short term funding only leads to job insecurity, poor pension opportunities and the inability to plan and to be strategic; further believes that cuts in funding have led to a poorly trained and developed workforce; congratulates Unite on its campaign to ensure that the needs of the not-for-profit workforce are not forgotten; and calls on the Government, local authorities and other funders to ensure that contracts are properly funded on the principle of best value and not low cost, to ensure that the funding period is extended to between five and 10 years, and to take urgent measures to support the workforce.

That this House recognises that the workforce in the not-for-profit sector plays a vital role in the delivery of services; believes that it is highly dedicated to the quality of care and provision for users and that its skills and professionalism must not be undermined by the decisions of commissioners;...

That this House congratulates Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton on her 2,000 mile kayak along the Amazon to raise money for Sport Relief; notes her considerable position as a role model to young people and the magnificent example she sets; further notes the forthcoming verification by Guinness World Records of the two records set by Helen during her effort - longest solo journey by kayak and the longest distance travelled in a kayak in 24 hours by a woman; and further notes the work of Sport Relief in raising money to help transform the lives of poor and vulnerable people, both in the UK and all over the world.

That this House congratulates Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton on her 2,000 mile kayak along the Amazon to raise money for Sport Relief; notes her considerable position as a role model to young people and the magnificent example she sets; further notes the forthcoming verification by Guinness World Records of...

That this House recognises the need to be positive about youth, as the vast majority of young people make a positive contribution to society; notes the work of the charity UK Youth in supporting 750,000 young people to raise their aspirations, realise their potential and recognise their achievements; further recognises the value of non-formal learning in helping young people achieve their goals; further notes the importance of offering an alternative curriculum through non-formal learning to young people who struggle with mainstream education; calls for greater recognition of the achievements of such young people who are making progress within an alternative curriculum; and congratulates UK Youth for its work in this sector as it celebrates its centenary in 2010.

That this House recognises the need to be positive about youth, as the vast majority of young people make a positive contribution to society; notes the work of the charity UK Youth in supporting 750,000 young people to raise their aspirations, realise their potential and recognise their achievements; further recognises...

That this House notes with dismay the decisions of Lloyds Banking Group to give notice to the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland to terminate its funding covenant and to veto the appointment of the chair selected by the trustees; further notes the extensive charity work undertaken by the Foundation in all parts of Scotland which is of benefit to communities and deserving causes; believes that the proposals put forward by Lloyds Banking Group are detrimental to the Foundation and would transform it from a charity to a corporate foundation; and calls on the Government as 46 per cent. owner of Lloyds Banking Group to make clear its concerns and to ask Lloyds Banking Group to negotiate in good faith with the trustees and to leave the appointment of trustees to the arms-length process which has previously prevailed.

That this House notes with dismay the decisions of Lloyds Banking Group to give notice to the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland to terminate its funding covenant and to veto the appointment of the chair selected by the trustees; further notes the extensive charity work undertaken by the Foundation in...

That this House notes with approval that plans for a 5,000 place boarding school for Muslim girls at Brierfield Mills have been blocked by the Charity Commission, which has ruled that it is not within the charitable objects of the Birmingham-based Islamic Help to raise money for such a purpose; is reminded that the charity's focus is disaster relief; further notes that Islamic Help has been ordered to return the money raised from its appeal for funds to all those who donated and expects this to be reported prominently on its website; is informed that donations made anonymously will go into a special pot which cannot be used for another purpose without the express permission of the Charity Commission; notes that the fundraising appeal has now been removed from Islamic Help's website; further notes with incredulity the explanation from the charity that the ??10,000 reportedly raised by the appeal to date has not been applied in furtherance of the boarding school project; believes that ??650,000 of the ??1,020,000 plus value added tax purchase price came in the form of a loan from Lloyds TSB with the balance allegedly coming from pledges and backdated gift aid; and calls for a full audit of the finances of Islamic Help and the continued involvement of the Charity Commission in its supervision and oversight.

That this House notes with approval that plans for a 5,000 place boarding school for Muslim girls at Brierfield Mills have been blocked by the Charity Commission, which has ruled that it is not within the charitable objects of the Birmingham-based Islamic Help to raise money for such a purpose;...

That this House notes with concern that the UK's only national telephone helpline dedicated to providing assistance to victims of forced marriage, the Honour Network, has had to stop taking evening and weekend calls due to a lack of funds; commends the important work carried out by the Honour Network whose staff are all survivors of forced marriages; recognises that the helpline received around 300 calls per month in 2009; further notes that a quarter of these were made on evenings or weekends; is concerned that it has already missed in excess of 70 calls in 2010 as a result of not being open on evenings and weekends; is further concerned that after initial support from the Forced Marriage Unit, Honour Network operations are now completely reliant on donations which cannot support it fully; acknowledges that the charity that oversees the Network, Karma Nirvana, estimates that the cost of keeping the helpline open all year round would only be ??80,000 per year; believes that this represents excellent value for money for such a vital service; and calls on the Government to make up for this shortfall in funds in order to keep the helpline open.

That this House notes with concern that the UK's only national telephone helpline dedicated to providing assistance to victims of forced marriage, the Honour Network, has had to stop taking evening and weekend calls due to a lack of funds; commends the important work carried out by the Honour Network...

That this House condemns the theft of clothing donations left on doorsteps for charity collections; calls on the Government to ensure that police forces tackle the serious and organised nature of the criminal gangs responsible; expresses concern over possible consequent losses to the Exchequer and calls on HM Revenue and Customs to investigate what criminals are doing with the money; notes that research by Clothes Aid and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs estimates losses to theft at between 14,000 and 24,000 tonnes per annum with a value of between ??7 million and ??12 million; calls on the Government to facilitate a Standards Summit to bring charities, collection agents and Government agencies together to discuss ways to stamp out bogus collectors and companies that mislead the public; and further calls for more robust enforcement powers for Trading Standards, Scambusters and other agencies to regulate all those involved in textile collections, whether charities or commercial operators.

That this House condemns the theft of clothing donations left on doorsteps for charity collections; calls on the Government to ensure that police forces tackle the serious and organised nature of the criminal gangs responsible; expresses concern over possible consequent losses to the Exchequer and calls on HM Revenue and...

That this House is concerned by HM Treasury plans to change the accounting system for NHS charitable money in April; believes the change is unnecessary and of no benefit to the NHS; notes the claim by the Charity Commission that it will amount to the nationalisation of charity money; fears the unintended consequence will be to discourage donations from the public to hospitals which add up annually to ??330 million; and supports the campaign by The People newspaper to exempt NHS charitable giving from the new regulations.

That this House is concerned by HM Treasury plans to change the accounting system for NHS charitable money in April; believes the change is unnecessary and of no benefit to the NHS; notes the claim by the Charity Commission that it will amount to the nationalisation of charity money; fears...

That this House notes the reported purchase of Brierfield Mills by the Birmingham-based charity, Islamic Help, whose website invites donations to convert the seven acre former medical fabrics factory into the UK's largest boarding school for Muslim girls; observes that ??500 would go towards student accommodation, ??5,000 towards a classroom and ??20,000 towards a computer lab; further notes that Islamic Help's primary charitable object is the relief of financial hardship including hardship caused by famine, war or other disaster in any part of the world as the trustees see fit; further notes that Afzal Anwar, a local lawyer whose firm was responsible for the conveyance, has sought to clarify the charity's intentions saying that there would be revisions to the original proposals and that the charity would look to create a sports centre alongside a commercial village housing start-up businesses; calls on the charity to spell out its precise intentions forthwith; believes that Islamic Help is operating outside its charitable objectives; and urges the Charity Commission to take immediate action to return donations to those who contributed to the appeal expecting that their money would help to pay for a 5,000 place boarding school for Muslim girls.

That this House notes the reported purchase of Brierfield Mills by the Birmingham-based charity, Islamic Help, whose website invites donations to convert the seven acre former medical fabrics factory into the UK's largest boarding school for Muslim girls; observes that ??500 would go towards student accommodation, ??5,000 towards a classroom...

That this House welcomes the cross-party support at the launch in Parliament on 1 December 2009 of the Steve Sinnott Foundation, a charity set up to promote the United Nations Millennium Development Goal 2 of universal primary education for all by 2015; notes that the Foundation will work with teachers worldwide to set up a global online community through which they can share knowledge and experience and help secure a primary education for the 75 million children who are denied the opportunity to attend school; and further notes that the work of the Foundation will continue the work and commitment of Steve Sinnott, the late General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, who was passionate about the cause of primary education for all.

That this House welcomes the cross-party support at the launch in Parliament on 1 December 2009 of the Steve Sinnott Foundation, a charity set up to promote the United Nations Millennium Development Goal 2 of universal primary education for all by 2015; notes that the Foundation will work with teachers...

That this House supports FareShare's work in Leeds to help vulnerable groups including the homeless, children and the elderly; recognises the importance of FareShare's work to keep fit for purpose food from landfill; welcomes Sainsbury's generous donation of dozens of food items to the StreetSmart 2009 campaign, which is then split between the campaign's five official charities Caring For Life in Cookridge, St George's Crypt, St Anne's Community Services, Teen Challenge and the Simon Community in Leeds; and acknowledges the fantastic work of these charities in helping vulnerable groups and thanks Sainsbury's for helping to maintain through these charities the essential services for homeless people living in and around Leeds.

That this House supports FareShare's work in Leeds to help vulnerable groups including the homeless, children and the elderly; recognises the importance of FareShare's work to keep fit for purpose food from landfill; welcomes Sainsbury's generous donation of dozens of food items to the StreetSmart 2009 campaign, which is then...

That this House congratulates Outwest on being granted charitable status by the Charity Commission; notes with approval that it has received a grant of ??10,000 from Awards for All Lottery Funding; applauds the sponsorship of a gay football team that encourages involvement in sports with limited funding; recognises the important role Outwest plays in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community by visibly supporting relevant issues such as World Aids Day; and commends Outwest for its remarkable achievement and all the work the volunteers have done for the LGBT community.

That this House congratulates Outwest on being granted charitable status by the Charity Commission; notes with approval that it has received a grant of ??10,000 from Awards for All Lottery Funding; applauds the sponsorship of a gay football team that encourages involvement in sports with limited funding; recognises the important...

That this House is alarmed at the manner in which the Department of Health and Monitor are applying International Accounting Standard 27, which will come into effect from April 2010, to NHS charities; notes the serious concern amongst the Association of NHS Charities and the Charity Commission that this could lead to the consolidation of NHS charities' funds, worth over ??300 million annually, and assets, worth over ??2 billion, into the public accounts of their parent NHS bodies; believes this would seriously undermine the independence of those charities and damage their level of income from donations; further believes that the manner in which these accounting standards are being applied is entirely inappropriate for NHS charities; and calls on HM Treasury and the Office of the Third Sector to take action to ensure that the existing independence of NHS charities from public sector bodies is maintained.

That this House is alarmed at the manner in which the Department of Health and Monitor are applying International Accounting Standard 27, which will come into effect from April 2010, to NHS charities; notes the serious concern amongst the Association of NHS Charities and the Charity Commission that this could...

That this House notes that 70,000 babies were admitted to neonatal care in England in 2008, almost 20,000 of those being admitted to intensive care; further notes that Bliss is the only UK charity that helps care for premature and sick babies; congratulates Bliss on 30 years of campaigning that has resulted in an NHS neonatal taskforce conducting the most comprehensive review of neonatal care ever undertaken in England; and calls on the Government to implement fully the Taskforce's recommendations in order to make a lasting improvement in the way babies and their families are cared for.

That this House notes that 70,000 babies were admitted to neonatal care in England in 2008, almost 20,000 of those being admitted to intensive care; further notes that Bliss is the only UK charity that helps care for premature and sick babies; congratulates Bliss on 30 years of campaigning that...

That this House recognises the outstanding work done by the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI), a charity that supports farmers in need or financial hardship; notes that accident and illness can put severe pressure on farming families; further notes that RABI runs two residential homes and is developing specialist rural housing for retired members of the farming community; and congratulates RABI for the valuable work it carries out to support agricultural communities.

That this House recognises the outstanding work done by the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI), a charity that supports farmers in need or financial hardship; notes that accident and illness can put severe pressure on farming families; further notes that RABI runs two residential homes and is developing specialist rural...

That this House notes the Government's decision to make charities and other not-for-profit organisations pay for a licence when they play recorded music in their own premises from April 2010; further notes the proposals would result in an unacceptable financial burden on the voluntary and community sector upwards of ??20 million per annum; further notes the devastating impact that these proposals would have on local tea dances, youth clubs, coffee mornings, charity shops and others; and therefore calls on the Government to maintain the status quo and continue the current exemption for all charities and other not-for-profit organisations from this music licence regime.

That this House notes the Government's decision to make charities and other not-for-profit organisations pay for a licence when they play recorded music in their own premises from April 2010; further notes the proposals would result in an unacceptable financial burden on the voluntary and community sector upwards of ??20...

That this House recognises the excellent work of the charity Orbis which provides medical assistance to people in developing countries with sight problems; applauds the work of the dedicated team of volunteer nurses and doctors who make this life-changing work possible; and further recognises the generosity of those who support this charity to enable these eye operations to take place so the individuals concerned can gain independence and transform their lives.

That this House recognises the excellent work of the charity Orbis which provides medical assistance to people in developing countries with sight problems; applauds the work of the dedicated team of volunteer nurses and doctors who make this life-changing work possible; and further recognises the generosity of those who support...

That this House is deeply concerned by the decision by the Office for the Third Sector to divert ??750,000 from the Campaigning Research Programme to top up the Hardship Fund; notes that the Campaigning Research Programme was for organisations with a turnover of less than ??150,000 and that the Hardship Fund is for those over ??200,000; is alarmed that this decision has been made despite the fact that grants to 32 small charities from the Programme's fund had already been approved, and that it was made without any effort to consult those charities affected or the sector more broadly; is concerned that this runs counter to the terms of the Compact for charities and sets a poor example to other public bodies; and calls on the Government to reinstate the funding for the Programme without delay.

That this House is deeply concerned by the decision by the Office for the Third Sector to divert ??750,000 from the Campaigning Research Programme to top up the Hardship Fund; notes that the Campaigning Research Programme was for organisations with a turnover of less than ??150,000 and that the Hardship...

That this House notes that household budgets across the country are being squeezed and family life can be very tough; congratulates the staff and volunteers working with Parentline, the national parent support charity, which provides a 24-hour, free, confidential helpline and the Got a Teenager website, for the work they do to help parents with teenagers and children; recognises that building communities that are good for children means listening to parents and giving them the help they need; and therefore calls on the Government to continue to fund Parentline and for hon. Members to refer constituents experiencing difficulties to Parentline via the confidential free telephone helpline and their online support.

That this House notes that household budgets across the country are being squeezed and family life can be very tough; congratulates the staff and volunteers working with Parentline, the national parent support charity, which provides a 24-hour, free, confidential helpline and the Got a Teenager website, for the work they...