Session 2013-14
House of Commons
31st October 2013
Notices of Motions for which no days have been fixed
('Early Day Motions')
The figure following this symbol is the number of Members who have added their names in support of the Motion, including the Member in charge of the Motion.
After an Early Day Motion (EDM) has been printed for the first time, it is only reprinted when names are added or amendments tabled; only the first six names and any names added since the last printing are included. After the week in which a Motion is first printed and the following week, added names and amendments appear only in a separate paper, Mature EDMs, distributed the next Thursday. In the meantime, they are available for inspection by Members in the Table Office and the Library or on the EDM database at edmi.parliament.uk
598 WORLD POLIO DAY 21:10:13
52That this House notes that World Polio Day is on 24 October 2013; further notes that within five years polio, like smallpox, can be eradicated across the world; recognises that in the last 25 years cases are down 99 per cent with 2.5 billion vulnerable children reached through vaccination programmes which offer a blueprint for cost-effective, targeted and outcomes-driven international public health intervention; further notes that just three countries, from an original 125, now have endemic polio – Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan; understands that vaccination programmes must focus on these countries to eradicate the disease and prevent its return elsewhere; further recognises the contribution of more than 50,000 British Rotarians towards a polio-free world through their volunteering and £20 million fundraising contribution; realises that the funding gap for this final effort to eradicate polio is a tangible £620 million; appreciates that the Government has contributed a world-leading £600 million towards eradicating polio to date; and calls on the Government to help finish the job of creating a polio-free world by continuing to commit funding, maintaining the UK's commitment to the World Health Organisation, Rotary International, CDC and Unicef's Global Polio Eradication Initiative and associated Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan 2013-18 and ensuring the UK's continued global leadership role through seeking support from international bodies, governments, non-governmental organisations, corporations and the wider general public to help eradicate this disease once and for all.
599 COMMUNITY PUBS 21:10:13
39That this House supports community pubs; notes that 80 per cent of pubs are small businesses; further notes that business rates form a significant part of a pub's fixed costs; and calls on the Government to support the British Beer and Pub Association and CAMRA's Better Rates for Pubs campaign to extend small business rate relief for pubs beyond April 2014, promote take-up of rural rate relief for pubs and review the revaluation process for pub business rates to ensure that the valuation accurately reflects the pub's actual turnover.
600 DETENTION OF KIERON BRYAN IN RUSSIA 21:10:13
30That this House notes with concern the detention by the Russian authorities of journalist Kieron Bryan who was under contract to record a film for Greenpeace when he was arrested on 19 September 2013, and is now detained in Murmansk; believes that he is neither a criminal nor a threat to the Russian state and that he should be released immediately; is dismayed that he is facing charges of piracy which carry a sentence of up to 15 years' imprisonment; and is grateful for the support given to him by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Ministers of that Department and consular staff.
601 NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE STAFF TERMS AND CONDITIONS 21:10:13
20That this House recognises the hard work and professionalism of the staff of the National Audit Office (NAO) in providing assurance on the use of public money and helping Parliament to hold those who spend it to account; asserts an interest in the welfare of NAO staff and notes with concern the attempts by NAO management to reduce the terms and conditions of existing staff, including reducing contractual sick pay and leave entitlements; is aware that with no Government departments seeking to reduce the contractual conditions of existing staff, NAO staff are facing a bigger cut to terms and conditions than all existing civil servants; is concerned that the lack of a clear financial case for these changes, especially at a time when NAO staff have a lower sickness absence rate than both the public and private sector averages, will have the potential to undermine workers' rights in other organisations should NAO management succeed in seeing through their plans; and calls on the Government and the NAO Chairman, Comptroller and Auditor General to withdraw these changes and enter into urgent talks with employees and their representatives.
603 TEXTILE WORKERS IN BANGLADESH 22:10:13
34That this House notes that Bangladesh is currently the world's second-biggest producer of textiles and garments, and that it's mostly-female workforce of four million people are the lowest paid in the world and face appalling working conditions on a daily basis for less than £28 a month; deeply regrets the tragic disasters at garment factories across Bangladesh in recent months, which have claimed well over 1200 lives, left tens of thousands too injured to work and pushed millions more into poverty; commends Global Citizen's See Through Fashion campaign, which is working with the British fashion industry to encourage retailers to sign up to the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, which will ensure better safety and working conditions for the people who make a majority of Britain's clothes; further commends industry leaders like Primark, Arcadia, River Island and Matalan for signing up to the Accord to ensure that their supply chains are transparent and do not expose their consumers to the moral toxicity of wearing clothes manufactured admidst such fatally-flawed business practices; condemns the deplorable delay of the remaining British retailers like Edinburgh Woollen Mill who also own Peacocks and Sports Direct, who continue to refuse to sign the Accord and who find themselves in an ever-shrinking minority of British retailers on the wrong side of both the financial and moral arguments; and urges them to sign up to the Accord at the earliest opportunity.
605 RUGBY LEAGUE WORLD CUP 2013 22:10:13
18That this House welcomes to the UK the national teams of Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, France, Ireland, Italy, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga and USA for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup; hopes for victories for England, Scotland and Wales over whichever opposition they play over the course of the tournament; congratulates all those involved in RLWC2013 on the build-up to what will be the biggest and best rugby league international event to date; is grateful to all the volunteers in Team 13 for their involvement; notes the record number of crowds achieved even before the tournament kicks-off; is looking forward to a fantastic spectacle of international sport; and further hopes it will be another major multi-national sporting event for which Britain can be proud.
607 DETENTION OF GREENPEACE ACTIVISTS IN RUSSIA 22:10:13
48That this House is concerned that 28 Greenpeace activists, a freelance photographer and a freelance videographer, from 18 countries in total, have been detained in Russia since 19 September 2013, following a peaceful protest at the Prirazlomnaya oil drilling platform operated by Gazprom in Arctic waters; notes that there are six British nationals among those detained: Iain Rogers, Frank Hewetson, Kieron Bryan, Alexandra Harris, Anthony Perrett and Philip Ball; considers the piracy charges they face to be completely unfounded; observes that President Vladimir Putin and his adviser Mikhail Fedotov have made similar comments regarding the absence of any justification for accusations of piracy and that 11 Nobel Peace Prize laureates including Archbishop Desmond Tutu have written to the Russian President calling for the excessive charges to be dropped; welcomes steps taken by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to provide consular assistance and make representations to Russian officials; urges the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to ensure these efforts continue as a matter of priority; further notes the overwhelming support from global civil society, which has seen over 1.5 million people appeal for the release of the Arctic 30; and calls on the Government to continue to make urgent representations to the Russian government to secure the release of all detainees without delay.
608 ELECTRICAL FIRE SAFETY WEEK 2013 22:10:13
36That this House notes that, according to the Electrical Safety Council (ESC), misuse of electrical appliances is now the number one cause of dwelling fires in Great Britain; welcomes safety messages from the ESC, Fire Kills campaign and fire and rescue services nationwide in the context of Electrical Fire Safety Week 2013; and urges householders to undertake basic visual safety checks in order to stop preventable fire accidents from occurring in their own home.
610 ENERGY PRICES AND THE PROFITS OF UTILITIES 23:10:13
22That this House notes the suggestion of Sir John Major for a windfall tax of excess profits of energy utilities; and calls for detailed proposals for such an approach to be developed by the Government with a view towards protecting the more vulnerable members of society.
613 EXTENSION OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 23:10:13
29That this House praises the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the transparency and openness it has brought to the public sector and the public right of access of information held by central and local government and its agencies; notes that public services delivered by private companies are currently beyond the scope of the 2000 Act; further notes that, as growing amounts of public services are privatised, ever decreasing amounts of public spend are subject to freedom of information; and supports calls to extend the legislation so that public services contracted out to the private and third sector are covered by freedom of information legislation.
615 NATIONAL ADHD WEEK 23:10:13
20That this House notes that National ADHD Week was held from 14 to 20 October 2013; further notes how attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has the ability to complicate a child's life and that of its family without the correct and continued support; and urges that no barriers are placed in the way of a child's success who suffers from ADHD.
616 ARMED FORCES COVENANT 23:10:13
19That this House notes that service personnel are disadvantaged as a direct result of the absence of an armed forces covenant in Northern Ireland; and calls on the Government to ensure that any such disadvantages are addressed and identified needs are met.
617 HUMAN TRAFFICKING (No. 2) 23:10:13
26That this House recognises the growing phenomenon of human trafficking within the UK's local communities; and supports the efforts of each individual group as they raise awareness within schools, churches and communities in an attempt to end this heinous crime.
618 REFUGEES 23:10:13
20That this House expresses condolences to the families of those refugees who lost their lives trying to enter Europe in sub-standard carriers; notes the rescue of 350 people by the Italian authorities; and calls on European governments to take measures to prevent further tragedies and to offer resources to police the waters between Africa and Europe.
620 SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE DURING RECONSIDERATION OF EMPLOYMENT AND SUPPORT ALLOWANCE REFUSALS 23:10:13
58That this House notes that at present people who apply for employment and support allowance (ESA) and are declared fit for work can ask for this decision to be reconsidered prior to lodging a formal appeal; further notes that at present people can continue to receive ESA at the assessment rate during this period; welcomes the introduction of reconsideration in all cases as of 28 October 2013; expresses concern that people will no longer be able to claim ESA during this period; further expresses concern that their only alternative will be to apply for jobseeker's allowance (JSA), for which being fit for work is a condition of receipt; further notes that since October 2008 four in 10 appeals have been successful; fears that in future people who are awarded ESA on appeal will be ineligible for both ESA or JSA during reconsideration; believes that the Government has a duty to support those who cannot support themselves through no fault of their own; and calls on Ministers to bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that ESA claimants can continue to receive the benefit at the assessment rate during this period.
As an Amendment to Sheila Gilmore's proposed Motion (Support For People During Reconsideration Of Employment And Support Allowance Refusals):
1Line8, after `successful', insert ', which suggests that, at a minimum, the appeals system is doing what it was designed for'. 29:10:13(a1)
622 FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION'S 150TH ANNIVERSARY 23:10:13
32That this House congratulates the Football Association (FA) on the occasion of its 150th anniversary on 26 October 2013; notes that the FA is the oldest governing body in football; commends the FA's not-for-profit commitment to supporting football since 1863; further commends the £100 million invested by the FA annually into football including facilities for grassroots football, coaching programmes for boys and girls, and development programmes for people with disabilities; welcomes the FA's valuable contribution to and support of the national game; and looks forward to hearing the progress of the newly-appointed FA Commission into English Football.
623 PRIVATISATION IN THE PRISON SERVICE 23:10:13
21That this House calls for an urgent and independent review into the impact of privatisation in the Prison Service; is concerned that the latest Ministry of Justice report on prison annual performance ratings, published in July 2013, gave the G4S-run HM Prison Oakwood and Serco-run HM Prison Thameside the lowest ranking possible; is alarmed that the Chief Inspector of Prisons in his report on an unannounced inspection of that prison in June 2013, has confirmed that drug use at the 1,600-place privately-run HM Prison Oakwood, which opened in April 2012, is more than twice the rate of similar jails, while inmates find it difficult to get hold of clean prison clothing, basic toiletries and cleaning materials; would be deeply concerned at any suggestion that the newly-proposed super prison near Wrexham be a privately-run prison; and calls on the Secretary of State for Justice to commission an independent review to consider the overall impact of privatisation in the Prison Service, addressing the process, finance and impact on prisoners, staff, communities and the public.
624 BBC1 AND THE NATIONAL ANTHEM 23:10:13
5That this House calls on the British Broadcasting Corporation to restore the British National Anthem on BBC1 at the end of each day's programming before the switch over to BBC News 24; regrets the decision to play God Save The Queen on BBC1 for the last time on 3 October 1997; and believes that this proud tradition should be reinstated.
625 AZERBAIJAN ELECTION 24:10:13
12That this House is appalled at the evidence of many abuses in the recent general election in Azerbaijan, including an official announcement of the result before voting began; applauds the thorough scrutiny by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe that reported manipulation of voter lists, results and protocols, including cases of votes being reassigned to a different candidate, with 58 per cent of observed polling stations assessed as bad or very bad, with clear indications of ballot box stuffing in 37 polling stations and every conceivable violation of voter identification; notes that the US State Department found that the election fell short of international standards; is astonished that the Council of Europe (COE) monitoring group reported no irregularities; and believes that its incredible conclusion further dents the COE's reputation as a champion of human rights.
626 DIABETES COURSE KIDS IN CONTROL OF FOOD - KICk-OFF 24:10:13
24That this House congratulates Dr Kath Price and nurse Julie Knowles from Sheffield Children's Hospital for their award at the annual Quality in Care Awards for the best improvement programme for children and young people; notes that this pair of medics set up an education course for school children with diabetes; welcomes the five-day scheme called Kids in Control of Food – KICk-OFF which was designed with help from teachers at King Edward VII school in Broomhill; recognises that the course teaches youngsters aged 11 to 16 with Type 1 diabetes how to match insulin doses to their particular lifestyles; further notes that there are about 29,000 children and young people with diabetes in the UK, an estimated 26,500 of whom have Type 1 diabetes, about 500 have Type 2 diabetes and a further 2,000 have not been diagnosed; and further welcomes the scheme’s work towards reducing children's risk of long-term health problems.
628 LACK OF AUDIO DESCRIPTION FROM ONLINE STREAMING COMPANIES 24:10:13
12That this House notes that the three largest online streaming companies, Netflix, LoveFilm and Sky, do not offer audio description as part of their services; further notes that audio description is essential to enable blind people to use these services and that, without it, these services are effectively denied to blind people; calls on these online streaming companies to introduce audio description as soon as possible; and further calls on the Government to use its influence to ensure that audio description is introduced by Netflix, LoveFilm and Sky.
630 OPEN GOVERNMENT AND ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS 28:10:13
14That this House is concerned that the current lack of accountability and openness created by the secrecy clause, Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, is a hindrance to public accountability, open government and the replacement, reduction and refinement of animal use in experiments; notes the concerns of the animal experimentation industry about personal information and intellectual property, which are already met by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and are no reason to maintain a blanket ban on information, especially as government polls reveal a decreasing level of public trust in regulation; and calls on the Government to repeal Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
631 TESTING OF HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS ON ANIMALS 28:10:13
19That this House notes that the Coalition Agreement contained a pledge to end the testing of household products on animals; further notes that a response to a Parliamentary Question on 28 March 2011 stated that `the prohibition will apply to both finished household products and their ingredients, although in practice mainly the latter are tested', 28 March 2011, Official Report, column 80W; is disappointed that no action has been taken on this issue to date; and supports the campaign led by Cruelty Free International to call on the Government to introduce a total ban on the testing of finished products and ingredients.
632 ALL-PARTY INQUIRY INTO ELECTORAL CONDUCT 28:10:13
27That this House notes the publication of a report by the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Electoral Conduct; welcomes the cross-party nature of the report and the engagement of such a wide range of political parties in the process; further welcomes the recommendations of that report, including the call for the Equality and Human Rights Commission and Electoral Commission to enhance their activities in facing down racism and discrimination during elections; and calls on the Government, the Electoral Commission, the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the police to respond fully to the recommendations of the inquiry.
633 Y GWYLL/HINTERLAND 28:10:13
14That this House welcomes the launch of S4C's new bilingual prime-time detective drama series Y Gwyll/Hinterland; notes that it represents a new and exciting concept for programmes in Wales, with the all-Welsh cast filming four episodes back-to-back in Welsh and English, with the Welsh-language version to broadcast on S4C and the English-language version pre-sold to BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Four; further notes that the ground-breaking series was filmed and set in the stunning surroundings and landscapes of Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, and Wales; notes that Y Gwyll/Hinterland was filmed as a joint partnership between S4C, Fiction Factory, All 3 Media, and Tinopolis; further notes the success of the première in Aberystwyth on 18 October 2013; further welcomes the international interest in the series with Danish television pre-buying the series, and its showing at BAFTA in London and at Mipcom in Cannes, France; further welcomes its first broadcast on S4C on 29 October 2013 and on BBC Cymru Wales in 2014; wishes the programme continued success in the months ahead; further notes the continued strength and success of television and drama production in Wales; and further notes how important the creative sector is to the Welsh economy and its role in showcasing Wales to the world.
634 LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCE 28:10:13
4That this House is aware that the Government released authority-specific information on local government future funding in July 2013 as part of the consultation of the Local Government Finance Settlement; notes that Coventry City Council has already lost approximately £45 million in the three years to 2013-14 in core Government grant and has had to implement a significant savings programme as a consequence, that a further £19 million cut was also expected for 2014-15 and that the June Spending Round announcement indicated a 10 per cent cut in resources for local government in 2015-16; understands instead that according to the July settlement consultation, the actual cut is over 13 per cent nationally and 15.2 per cent for Coventry; recognises that Coventry will therefore be facing a cumulative cut of 24.2 per cent between October 2013 and 2015-16; further notes that both the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury have indicated that they expect the current trend of austerity settlements to continue for the remainder of this decade; further notes fears voiced by sources within Coventry City Council and other local authorities that, assuming current trends, by 2020 local authorities will only be able to afford the most basic elements of their services, such as statutory minimum levels of service in children's and adults' social care; and calls on the Government to reconsider the scale of the cuts to local government future funding to avoid local authorities having to reduce non-mandatory services.
635 FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION 28:10:13
33That this House expresses concern at the abhorrent crime of female genital mutilation (FGM); notes the work of the British Arab Federation in its efforts to tackle this issue; calls on the Government to implement a change in the law to protect girls living in Britain and British girls from being taken to other legal jurisdictions with the intention of carrying out FGM; further calls for better enforcement of the law relating to parents and guardians who organise FGM and medical practitioners who conduct FGM procedures; and further calls for better education to support young girls in resisting FGM and to empower communities to confront that crime.
637 PRAYERS AT COUNCILS 29:10:13
10That this House notes the ever decreasing number of Councils who pray and read from the Bible at the onset of meetings; congratulates those Councils such as those in Northern Ireland who continue to respect the tradition and necessary act of seeking God's face before making decisions; and asks the Government to send out information to all councils to underline the fact that councils can pray under the Localism Act 2011 if they choose to do so.
638 LABOUR AND TRADE UNION LAW IN IRAQ 29:10:13
22That this House notes that the international trade union movement has urged successive Iraqi governments to amend the labour and trade union laws which place substantial restrictions on the fundamental rights of workers, including to associate freely, to bargain collectively and to strike; further notes that the US last year put under review Iraq's trade preferences, in large part over the Iraqi government's failure to adopt ILO-complaint legislation; and respectfully urges the Iraqi authorities, in full consultation with the trade unions, to implement new laws that overcome Saddam Hussein's restrictions on the fundamental rights of Iraqi workers so that their organisations can play a full role in helping construct a pluralist Iraq.
639 TRUSTEES' WEEK 2013 29:10:13
28That this House welcomes the fourth annual Trustees' Week between 4 and 10 November 2013 as an opportunity to recruit new trustees and to celebrate the work of nearly one million charity trustees across the UK and the vital contribution they make to civil society; notes the importance of the role good trustees and good governance play in successful charities across the UK; encourages everyone to think about the difference they could make to the community by becoming a trustee and to look at the Trustee's Week website for more information; urges hon. Members to attend the Trustees' Week reception at the Cabinet Office on 5 November 2013; and thanks the Charity Commission, OSCR, the Small Charities Coalition, Charity Finance Group, NCVO, SCVO, and Reach Volunteering for having had the foresight to establish Trustees' Week as an annual event, alongside a host of additional partners.
640 KINGS SCIENCE ACADEMY IN BRADFORD AND THE FREE SCHOOL PROGRAMME 29:10:13
4That this House is deeply concerned that a report which catalogued a series of financial irregularities at the Kings Science Academy in Bradford appears to have been suppressed for five months by the Department for Education; notes that more than £80,000 of public money was misused with false invoices submitted to cover party expenditure, pay for first-class rail travel and buy furniture for staff; additionally notes that the building, which cost £10 million, was also paid for by the taxpayer; points out that the principal Sajid Raza appointed his brother to the board of governors and employed his sister as a senior teacher while his wife also worked at the school and his father drove the bus; demands that the Department for Education report into the fiasco is published un-redacted so that those responsible are named; further demands that a fraud inquiry is opened into these matters; believes that the Prime Minister, who visited the school, should regret his words of praise; and concludes not only that there has been a total failure of governance but that crucial oversight of free schools by the Department is demonstrably negligent.
641 FORMATION OF THE POST-CRASH ECONOMICS SOCIETY AT MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY 29:10:13
7That this House congratulates the economics undergraduates at the University of Manchester who have formed the Post-Crash Economics Society, which aims to combat the orthodox neoliberal globalised free market teaching which has been churned out by many universities over the last 40 years and has been accepted and embraced by the leadership of the main political parties; notes that this neoliberal free market model has resulted in a massive increase in wealth for the richest one per cent of the population, while the vast majority of people have seen their incomes, terms of employment, public services and standard of living eroded; and hopes that students studying economics at other universities will follow the example of the Manchester undergraduates and challenge their own universities to acknowledge the failure and instability of unregulated free markets which resulted in the 2008 financial crisis, and which would have caused even more misery and destruction of jobs and businesses if the Government had not stepped in and nationalised parts of the financial sector, and the Bank of England had not injected vast sums of money into the economy through quantitative easing.
642 LLANGYNDEYRN 1963 29:10:13
8That this House remembers the successful campaign led by the people of the Gwendraeth Fach valley against the flooding of their communities and prime agricultural land by Swansea Water Corporation; notes that the proposals would have led to the drowning of several thriving Welsh language communities; further notes that these communities continue to be strong Welsh speaking today; pays tribute to the peaceful resistance of the people of Llangyndeyrn and surrounding communities; and further notes that the campaign to save the valley is an inspiration to future generations who fight to protect the land and natural resources of Wales from exploitation.
643 SAFE REGISTERED NURSE STAFFING ON HOSPITAL WARDS 29:10:13
15That this House shares deep concern about occasions when patient safety has been compromised on acute hospital wards; believes that any cases of inexcusably poor nurse practice should be rooted out; notes however, that many reports on such cases provide compelling evidence of a link between the adequacy of registered nurse numbers and the quality of patient outcomes; supports the work of the Safe Staffing Alliance in highlighting the need for safe registered nurse staffing , that cases of poor staffing should be routinely reported and that hospital care should be underpinned by a fundamental standard where a limit of eight patients to each registered nurse, excluding the nurse in charge, should never be breached; further notes recent supportive comments by respected authorities including Robert Francis QC; and calls on the Government to introduce new benchmark standards of safe registered nurse staffing on hospital wards.
644 CHARTISM AND PARLIAMENT 29:10:13
49That this House welcomes the recent lecture by Professor Malcolm Chase as an apposite recognition in Parliament of the Chartist Movement's legacy to parliamentary democracy; acknowledges with gratitude Mr Speaker's significant contribution to celebrating the 175th anniversary of the People's Charter by officially opening the Chartist exhibition in the No Lobby and allowing the Chartist lecture to be given in Mr Speaker's State Rooms; recognises the support of Mr Speaker's Advisory Committee on Works of Art in establishing the permanent exhibition, Chartism 1838-1858, in the Upper Committee Corridor; notes that there is a web version of the exhibition at www. parliament.uk/art-chartism; notes that the Dearsley Windows at the end of St. Stephen's Hall include a depiction of the Chartist period; and places on record the professionalism of Melanie Unwin, Deputy Curator of the Parliamentary Art Collection, and the commitment of the All Party Group on Archives and History in accomplishing these appropriate tributes to our great forerunners, the Chartists.
645 JAILED QATARI POET 29:10:13
9That this House notes that the Qatari poet, Muhammad ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami, has now served two years of a 15 year sentence for allegedly criticising the Qatari government in the wake of the Arab Spring; believes that this is an outrageous sentence to impose for the exercise of freedom of speech; calls on the Qatari government to free Mr al-Ajami; and calls on the Government to make urgent representations to the Qatari government calling for his release.
646 BENEFACTORS AND PATRONS OF FREE SCHOOLS AND CONFLICT OF INTEREST 29:10:13
9That this House is gravely concerned that apparent benefactors and patrons of so-called free schools are able to benefit financially, directly or indirectly, from contracts awarded to them or to their companies; notes that a company of the Conservative vice-chairman Alan Lewis, who is a patron of the Kings Science Academy in Bradford, is being paid almost £6 million over 20 years to lease the land on which the academy was built with £10 million of public money; believes that such deals are not just against the public interest but involve a clear conflict of interest; and calls on the Government to ensure that those setting up so-called free schools or becoming patrons of them cannot benefit financially, directly or indirectly, through contracts placed by so-called free schools.
647 SECRET IMPRISONMENT 29:10:13
7That this House notes that at a hearing on 18 September 2013 where the claimant had applied to have the female defendant imprisoned for contempt of court it was decided that the court should sit in secret; further notes that an anonymised judgment was produced giving the reasons for this, but that has not as yet been published on Bailii, in contravention of the practice directions in respect of committals for contempt of court; further notes that at a hearing of the Royal Courts of Justice there was an initial attempt to treat the hearing as being in chambers; further notes that a woman was committed at the hearing to prison for contempt of court; further notes that no listing of the case occurred in contravention of the practice directions; further notes that the woman concerned has still not been named notwithstanding a request to the Head of News of the Judicial Office; further notes that there is no reference to this case on Bailii in contravention of the practice directions; is saddened by the fact that UK citizens are still being imprisoned effectively in secret; and calls for the judiciary to follow the proper procedures and the Government to report on when citizens are imprisoned for contempt of court to enable an audit of imprisonments to occur in order to ensure that none are secret.
648 WINDRUSH DAY 29:10:13
17That this House notes the cross-party campaign to celebrate a Windrush Day every year on 22 June to celebrate the positive contribution of the first generation of Caribbean immigrants since the MV Empire Windrush landed at Tilbury Docks on 22 June 1948; recognises that this generation have helped shape the UK's multicultural society, from their contribution to public service to literature, culture and food; and welcomes the statement by the Prime Minister on the 65th anniversary in 2013 praising their fortitude and determination in overcoming difficult challenges; and hopes that the Windrush generation, the last of whom are in their 80s and 90s, are remembered long into the future with an annual day of celebration.
649 CHAGOS REFUGEE ASSOCIATION 29:10:13
12That this House congratulates the Chagos Refugee Association on their conference in Mauritius to mark 30 years since their foundation following their displacement from the Chagos Islands; and recognises that this historical wrong can best be corrected by allowing and facilitating their return to the Islands.
650 INTERNET GOODS DELIVERY SURCHARGES 30:10:13
5That this House notes that people living in the north east of Scotland and the Highlands and Islands are often asked to pay substantial surcharges for the delivery of goods ordered over the internet; is concerned that such charges are often not clear to customers ordering products online; believes that such charges are unfair and discriminate against people living in the areas of the UK which are affected; welcomes the commitment of the UK Government to hold a delivery charge summit with major retailers; and backs calls from the Fairer Delivery Charges campaign for retailers to end excessive delivery surcharges and to offer delivery by Royal Mail when this is the cheaper option.
651 NIGEL DAVENPORT 30:10:13
6That this House notes with sadness the death of Nigel Davenport, a truly great and prolific actor of stage and screen and a former President of Equity, the actors' union.
652 YOUTH ORGANISATIONS IN HARLOW 30:10:13
2That this House notes the remarkable work of youth organisations in Harlow and the value they give to the local community; further notes that they help young people in need, and provide a range of services in education, skills, mentoring, sexual health services, sport, music, culture and other related areas; thanks the Youth Council for the work it does promoting youth issues in Harlow; further notes the consultation announced by Essex Council about the future of youth services; and urges that youth services in Harlow are protected from any future budget reductions.
655 VISTEON UK LTD PENSION SCHEME 30:10:13
19That this House continues to note that, when Visteon UK Ltd was spun off from the Ford Motor Company, employees transferred from Ford's pension fund into the Visteon UK pension fund on the clear understanding that their pension rights would be unaffected; further notes that when Visteon UK subsequently went into administration, now over four years ago, former Ford employees suffered a substantial reduction in their pension rights; regrets that the resolution of any court action is still some way off; believes that Ford should recognise a duty of care to its former employees and should make good the pension losses suffered by those worst affected without the need for legal action; and calls on the Government to use the power and influence at its disposal to help ensure that Ford recognises its obligations and accepts voluntarily its duty of care to former Visteon UK pensioners.
656 CLOSURE OF NHS SERVICES 30:10:13
10That this House notes that the Secretary of State for Health has suffered another embarrassing legal defeat after the Court of Appeal judges ruled he had acted illegally in deciding to cut accident and emergency and maternity services at Lewisham Hospital; has concerns about Government amendment 168a to the Care Bill designed to change the rules to give the power to any hospital administrator appointed in England to dismantle hospital services arbitrarily, as long as a neighbouring hospital is deemed to be failing; believes that this attempt to sneak through a fundamental change to the way decisions are made about local hospitals makes a mockery of local scrutiny and democracy; and calls on the Government to accept that it has lost and to stop trying to change the law to enable it to close successful hospital services that the community wants and needs.
657 STREET LIGHTS AND THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PRIVATE COMPANIES 30:10:13
3That this House notes that many council street lamps are housed on shared poles belonging to utility companies such as Electricity North West or British Telecom; further notes that many such companies have proposed to end this arrangement despite their infrastructure having been largely paid for by the taxpayer; further notes that the cost to council taxpayers of replacing these poles will be prohibitive meaning that many communities will lose large swathes of their street lighting; further notes that the impact of the removal of lights from shared poles will be particularly heavy in rural parishes where the majority of street lamps are not owned by the council; further notes the importance of adequate street lighting in ensuring safety; and calls on utility companies immediately to stop their policy of removing these lights.
658 WORKING CONDITIONS IN QATAR 30:10:13
16That this House expresses its deep concern at reports of the ill treatment of migrant workers in Qatar on construction projects in preparation for the World Cup in 2022; calls on the government of Qatar to guarantee all International Labour Organisation conditions, including the right to join and be represented by an independent trade union for all migrant workers, and enable an independent investigation into reports of slave conditions, witholding of passports and due wages by employers; and futher calls on the Government to make urgent representations to the government of Qatar.
659 CONTROL OF INVASIVE FRESHWATER CRAYFISH 31:10:13
3That this House is concerned at the continued spread of highly invasive American signal crayfish and growing evidence of severe adverse impacts, including on salmon and trout fishing and extensive burrowing into the banks of rivers and canals; notes that invasive species are currently estimated to cost the UK economy £1.7 billion each year; further notes that in Scotland anyone introducing crayfish deliberately or accidentally or caught in possession of non-native crayfish can now be jailed for up to six months and fined £40,000; further notes that the UK's only native crayfish species is predicted to face near-extinction; further notes that unless action is taken, severe damage caused by alien crayfish species will continue to increase; and calls on the Government to give urgent consideration to emulating Scottish biosecurity control measures in England and Wales, to review the 2004 Crayfish Byelaws and to ban the live transport and sale of all alien crayfish species in England and Wales.
660 POLIO IN SYRIA 31:10:13
3That this House is concerned about the occurrence of polio in Syria following confirmation from the World Health Organisation (WHO) that the disease has been identified in the country for the first time in 14 years; is further concerned that the main impact of the disease is being borne by children, who are particularly susceptible to paralytic polio, the most serious form of the disease, and that the WHO regards the risk of further infection as high; notes that the disease is entirely preventable with vaccination and that before the civil war, 95 per cent of children in Syria were vaccinated, and that the UN now estimates that over 500,000 children are currently unvaccinated and at risk; and calls on the Government to do all it can to support aid and delivery organisations operating in Syria to vaccinate all those affected, especially vulnerable children, and to support international efforts to prevent further outbreaks.
661 PILOT BADGER CULL PARLIAMENTARY ASSESSMENT AND VOTE (No. 2) 31:10:13
2That this House recognises that 145 hon. Members signed Early Day Motion 299 expressing concern over the pilot badger cull; notes that since this EDM was tabled the pilot badger culls have killed fewer badgers than was envisaged and that the cull timetable has been extended; further notes that 10 members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons have written a letter to England's Chief Veterinary Officer suggesting that the extension of the badger cull could result in increased suffering of badgers and place both badgers and cattle in and around the cull zones at greater risk of contracting bovine tuberculosis; further notes that the reduced effectiveness of the cull makes vaccination more cost effective; and calls on the Government to make a statement to the House and bring forward a vote to decide on the most cost effective, humane and efficient way to reduce bovine TB.
662 UNDER-OCCUPANCY PENALTY 31:10:13
1That this House recognises that the bedroom tax, spare room subsidy, is unjust, discriminates against disabled and sick people, carers, separated parents, grandparents, the low paid and the poorest, will not reduce homelessness or housing benefit spending as claimed, and puts financial and social strain on communities, landlords and local authorities; and calls on the Government to suspend the policy pending a review of its impact and effectiveness, which should consider writing off the tenant and landlord arrears it has caused.
663 COMMISSION ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY 31:10:13
3That this House welcomes the launch of the Government's Commission on Physical Activity to confront the urgent issue of physical inactivity in children in the UK; notes that the Commission will take a cross-sector approach to investigating the physical inactivity epidemic and take evidence from organisations and individuals across health, sport, transport, urban planning and education; recognises that 31 per cent of boys and 28 per cent of girls aged between two and 15 were classed as either overweight or obese in 2011-12; and reminds the Government of the role of food and drink manufacturers in contributing towards this obesity epidemic that should not be ignored.
664 QUALIFIED TEACHERS 31:10:13
5That this House believes that teachers are the single most important resource of any school, and that parents want and expect their children to be taught by good qualified teachers; further believes that all state-funded schools should provide parents with a guarantee that their children are taught by qualified teachers or those working towards a teaching qualification; notes that the Education Act 2002, enacted under Labour, failed to include a legal requirement for non-maintained schools to employ qualified teachers; and welcomes the fact that there are 3,000 fewer unqualified teachers employed by state-funded schools than when the Coalition Government came to power.