PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY'S CHEMISTRY WEEK (31 October 2005)

That this House welcomes the launch of the Royal Society of Chemistry's biennial Chemistry Week 2005; notes that among its key objectives is a commitment to encourage an interest in science among young people; applauds the efforts that are being made throughout the United Kingdom, especially by teachers in primary and secondary schools, to revitalise the science curriculum and to convey the excitement of science to pupils and students; further notes the wide range of activities organised by the Society in local communities all over the country which are designed to illustrate the Chemistry Week theme of Know Chemistry and the Society's nationwide photography competition to mark the 400th anniversary of the first use of the word `chemistry' in the Oxford English Dictionary; congratulates the celebrated author Bill Bryson on receiving the Society's prestigious President's Award for outstanding services to science; further notes that the Society has sent a copy of his award-winning book A Short History of Nearly Everything to every secondary school in the country to encourage an interest in science; and acknowledges the unrivalled contribution that the study of chemistry and the chemical sciences has made and continues to make to the understanding of nature, to the quality of life, and to the knowledge economy of the 21st century.

Sponsored by:
Dr Brian Iddon (Labour)