That this House is concerned that the vital role of the British Council in promoting Cultural Relations and education, arts, and English language training across the globe will be undermined by the current programme of closures, cuts and outsourcing being undertaken as a result of financial pressures; notes that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the sponsoring department of the British Council, refused to provide a grant to cover a reduction in revenues during the covid...
That this House notes with great concern that the average cost of a tank of petrol or diesel is now over £100; recognises the heavy financial burden this is placing on households and businesses across the UK; notes that in rural areas with limited public transport this cost burden is particularly acute; and calls on the Government to further reduce fuel duty beyond the 5p per litre announced in the Spring Statement, and to introduce a temporary reduction in VAT applied across the UK, to reduc...
That this House notes with disappointment the recent below-inflation pay offer by OCS to security staff working on the HM Courts & Tribunals Service estate; believes this offer falls woefully short of what these front-line workers deserve and continues the unacceptable position of poverty pay on the HM Courts & Tribunals Service contract, which has led to widespread problems involving recruitment and retention; expresses concern that OCS is accredited by the Living Wage Foundation despite not...
That this House has no confidence in the Prime Minister because he has broken the covid-19 lockdown laws that his Government introduced, has presided over a culture of serial rule-breaking in Downing Street, has undermined standards in public life, and has failed to take action to support millions of families in the midst of a cost of living emergency.
That this House welcomes Volunteers’ Week which is scheduled to take place from 1st to 7th June; understands the campaign, which started in 1984, means to mark its 38th year by formally saying thank you to volunteers across the UK; also thanks the teams involved in each of the four nations for spearheading respective campaigns; notes the tremendous work of Volunteer Scotland and its partners to further develop and promote volunteering campaigns; understands that Scotland’s Volunteering Action...
That this House supports Carers Week 2022, which is taking place from 6 to 12 June; recognises this year’s theme of making caring visible, valued and supported; emphasises the invaluable contribution that millions of unpaid carers make across the UK on a daily basis, by providing care to their family and friends who are disabled, ill or older and need support; highlights that unpaid carers save the British taxpayer £400 billion each year; acknowledges that unpaid carers have been under additi...
That this House recognises the outstanding work of the staff of NHS Lanarkshire in overcoming the challenges of the covid-19 pandemic and continue to work tirelessly every day to address the backlog; notes the hard work of the back office staff who supplied PEE, ensured O2 supplies were available and rapidly mobilised remote working technology for GPs and other key health care staff; commends all those staff who responded to the fire at Hairmyres Hospital in the midst of the pandemic; applaud...
That this House expresses its gratitude and thanks to the hard-working and dedicated staff that work in our health services, particularly during the trying period of the covid-19 outbreak; notes that there has been a significant increase in pressure on GP surgeries in the last five years, with rising workloads, a lack of funding to meet demand and a difficulty in recruiting and retaining staff, as highlighted by the Kings Fund; expresses the deep concern that in the past year a further 6 GP s...
That this House looks forward to celebrating Face Equality Week which will run from 16th May to 20th May; notes that the covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on those living life with a visible difference or disfigurement, with the charity Changing Faces reporting an increase in people who have experienced hostile behaviour because of their visible difference, from 2019 to 2021, rising from 34 per cent to 43 per cent; joins Changing Faces on calling for the public to better understa...
That this House celebrates local East Dunbartonshire charity organisation The Sporting Aces on winning the Best Sport Based Community Charity at the Non-Profit Organisation Awards 2022; understands The Sporting Aces to be the first and only charity in East Dunbartonshire aimed at promoting inclusion for multi-sport activity; notes the group work with adults, young people and children who have a range of physical, learning and communication difficulties to advance public participation in sport...
That this House congratulates the students of BA(Hons) Art and Contemporary Practices at UHI Inverness on the opening of their Graduate Showcase on the 13th of May 2020, celebrating the end of their studies; recognises the hardships that Lecturer Frank To, Joint Programme Lead Rachel Fermi and students Isla Jacobs and Jemima Macdonald have faced during the covid-19 Pandemic, and the challenges this has posed to learning and creativity; commends the resilience of artists in the Highlands durin...
That this House notes Mental Health Awareness Week running from 9 to 15 May 2022; further notes that the Mental Health Foundation are focussing on awareness of the impact of loneliness on mental health and the practical steps that can be taken to address it; highlights the awful finding that one in four adults feel lonely some or all of the time; takes this opportunity to thank all those voluntary organisations and churches who were at pains to ensure that their members were not completely is...
That this House recognises the impact of the covid-19 outbreak on pupil and staff absences; believes there is potential for further disruption in the coming weeks; commends the tireless work of school leaders, teachers and support staff to ensure schools are as safe as possible for the exam season; yet notes that schools have been informed by the Department for Education that stocks of lateral flow tests are not to be distributed; calls on the Government to immediately communicate to schools ...
That this House thanks everyone involved in Bluevale Community Club based in the communities of Dennistoun and Haghill in the East End of Glasgow; recognises that the club was formed by two local residents and has developed in a very short period of time from being a boxing club to a fully fledged community organisation; understands that the covid-19 pandemic gave the club the impetus to start providing mental and physical health support along with food programmes for people of all ages leavi...
That this House commends The Boys’ Brigade on how it has adapted to challenging circumstances over the last two years and has continued to provide much needed opportunities for thousands of children and young people in communities across the UK to learn, grow and discover during the covid-19 pandemic; notes that in March 2020, for the first time in its history, the organisation had to suspend its face-to-face activities, and responded by launching a new weekly digital programme of activities ...
That this House congratulates Soup to Go on celebrating its 1st Birthday since rebranding from Broth and Blather at the Stratcherrick Hall; recognises the incredible work that the team has done to provide free lunches to those in need across the community throughout the covid-19 pandemic and the continuation of the hard work post-pandemic; and commends the fundraising efforts put in place following the end of funding and the commitment from the whole team to continue to give back.
That this House recognises the issue of digital inequality and data poverty in the UK due to the lack of access to basic broadband; acknowledges that this lack of access to broadband perpetuates the level of loneliness in citizens all across the UK; appreciates the work that the organization WaveLength has done over the last 80 years to combat loneliness within the UK through the provision of technology; understands that the efforts of WaveLength are needed now more than ever after the covid-...
That this House notes the importance to the UK economy of the aerospace sector, which has an annual turnover of £33.9 billion and is the world’s second-largest aerospace industry, employing more than 14,000 people directly in high-skilled, well-paid jobs and four times that number in the supply chain; further notes that the covid-19 pandemic has had a catastrophic impact on the aerospace and shipbuilding industries, with an estimated 20,000 jobs and thousands of apprenticeships lost since the...
That this House recognises the work of the Morrison family who have operated Craigneuk Post Office since 1982; commends the outstanding work of Christine Morrison who served as postmistress and who would always go that extra mile for her customers, from 1982 until her death in 2010; further commends the continued outstanding work of her son Scott who took over the Post Office as postmaster in 2010; acknowledges the vital work that Scott has done to operate this community hub particularly over...
That this house notes with great regret Terumo Europe’s announcement that they intend to transfer their medical technology production facility in Knowsley to Costa Rica, with a loss of 110 jobs; further regrets the company’s failure to agree a redundancy package that, although in excess of the statutory minimum legal requirement, would mean that those on lowest pay would still not receive fair recognition of their contribution, particularly during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic and, more...
That this House is dismayed by Government plans to end the availability of telemedical abortion care services for early medical abortions up to 9 weeks and 6 days gestation, beyond September 2022; notes that access to this temporary service during the covid-19 lockdowns was crucial to ensuring that women needed an abortion were still able to access vital women’s health services; further notes that the availability of at-home abortion pills has halved women’s waiting times for abortion service...
That this House is disturbed by the findings of the Secrets and Fries report published on 17 March 2022 by War on Want, which exposes a circular, paper transaction by McDonald’s which it alleges has the primary purpose of reducing McDonald’s tax obligations by creating a UK tax shelter for its global franchise income; notes that report further alleges that mechanism could be depriving the UK exchequer of at least £295 million in public funds over ten years without having any corresponding eco...
That this House observes with concern the ongoing increase in fuel prices across Scotland and the UK, with the cost of petrol and diesel in the UK hitting an all-time high; notes that the Government announced at the recent Autumn Budget that fuel duty rates will remain frozen at 57.95 pence per litre; highlights that drivers are charged a further 20 per cent in Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel including fuel duty, resulting in drivers effectively being double-taxed, with increased t...
That this House congratulates Lancaster District Community and Voluntary Solutions on securing funding to continue its important work building and supporting communities across the Lancaster District; notes the crucial support that the charity offers to over 500 individuals and organisations in offering financial planning, training and capacity building for charities and voluntary sector leaders; welcomes the development of the Lancaster District Volunteer Centre which seeks to build resilien...