Oral Answers to Questions — Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. Kashmir/Jammu. Tuesday, 21 June 2005
Paul Rowen (Rochdale, LDem)
PRMP
21 Jun 2005
National News
Being Gay Is Genetic!
According to a duo of London based researchers, being gay has nothing to do with outside influence or your family environment - it is all determined by your genes. Born Gay: The Psychobiology of Sexual Orientation is a new book which reviews research from the last 15 years and the evidence, the authors conclude, is that people are born with their sexuality defined.
21 Jun 2005
Courts should be able to review asylum decisions
A report by Amnesty International says that the UK government is breaking the law by locking up too many asylum seekers before their claims are dealt with. The report estimates that 25,000 asylum applicants were held in detention centres during 2004, many of whom were particularly vulnerable, such as pregnant women, families with children and torture victims.
20 Jun 2005
Surrey County Council Leader says Epsom & Ewell MP is wrong
The assertion of local Conservative MP Chris Grayling that Epsom & Ewell is always down the priority list when decisions are taken by Surrey County Council was put to Nick Skellett, the Conservative Leader of the Council by Colin Taylor jointly with the other Epsom & Ewell County Councillors, at a council meeting on 14th June. This assertion, which had been made in literature sent to voters prior to the County Council elections in May, was strenuously denied by Mr Skellett.
20 Jun 2005
Doctors Must End Gay Discrimination
Doctors need to do all they can to protect patients and colleagues from discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, a new report by the British Medical Association says. The report, Sexual Orientation in the Workplace, comes in the wake of recent legislation that makes it illegal to discriminate against someone on the grounds of their sexual orientation.
20 Jun 2005
Oxford's Homophobic Crime
A new study has highlighted concerns that homophobic crime is a significant issue in Oxfordshire and that many offences go unreported to the police. A survey of gay people in Oxfordshire found that they have experienced high levels of homophobic harassment and violence throughout their lives. Many saw this abuse as a normal occurrence and it was found that many offences went unreported to the police.
20 Jun 2005