House of Commons
17th January 2014
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

898 LEGAL AID AND ADVICE (S. I., 2013, No. 2790) 18:12:13
Dr Julian Huppert
Jeremy Corbyn
Mr Adrian Sanders
Jim Dobbin
John McDonnell
Sir Alan Meale
*11
Valerie Vaz

That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Criminal Legal Aid (General) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 (S.I., 2013, No. 2790), dated 1 November 2013, a copy of which was laid before this House on 4 November, be annulled.

899 LEGAL AID AND ADVICE (S. I., 2013, No. 2791) 18:12:13
Dr Julian Huppert
Jeremy Corbyn
Mr Adrian Sanders
Jim Dobbin
John McDonnell
Sir Alan Meale
*11
Valerie Vaz

That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Criminal Legal Aid (Financial Resources) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 (S.I., 2013, No, 2791), dated 1 November 2013, a copy of which was laid before this House on 4 November, be annulled.

905 SUPPORT FOR CLAIMANTS UNDER THE IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM ACT 1999 6:1:14
Mr Barry Sheerman
Sir Peter Bottomley
Ms Margaret Ritchie
Mark Durkan
Jim Dobbin
Martin Caton
*12
Valerie Vaz

That this House is concerned that support rates under section 4 and section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 are very austere; notes that a maximum payment of £35.39 per person per week is barely half the sum of income support and is often not sufficient to cover essential medical, food and transport costs; deems the maximum level of support of just £5.06 per person per day as a strong driver of asylum seekers' social exclusion in society; urges the Government to raise the support rates under section 4 and section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to a minimum of £45.44 per person per week, representing 80 per cent. of income support, for single adults; recognises that the cashless payment methods under which section 4 benefits are issued place detrimental limits on how families and individuals can buy fundamental goods and services and access transport; believes that restrictions on the use of the cashless payment method unfairly favour just nine of the UK's largest retailers, which damages local businesses; supports a move towards cash methods for distributing support payments; and urges the Government to reassess the conditions used to determine granting of support rates under section 4 so that they include people who are currently being refused or withdrawn from support but who clearly have substantial health needs as was the case previously.

907 LEGAL RECOGNITION FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT ASSOCIATE WITH A PARTICULAR GENDER (No. 2) 6:1:14
Dr Julian Huppert
Sir Peter Bottomley
Mr Mike Hancock
Kelvin Hopkins
Martin Caton
Mr David Ward
*22
Mr Clive Betts

That this House recognises the issues faced by those in the UK who identify themselves as non-gender, bi-gender or intersex; believes that many of those who are non-gendered or bi-gendered feel compromised and diminished as a result of inappropriate gender references on their personal identity information; acknowledges that all passports issued by HM Passport Office are currently gender-specific and it is therefore not possible to obtain a passport that contains no reference to gendered identity; understands that, alongside F (Female) and M (Male), the International Civil Aviation Organisation's Document 9303 already contains X (unspecified) as a permitted character for three permitted characters under the mandatory sex element for machine-readable travel documents; notes that in Australia and New Zealand citizens are able to obtain a non-gender specific X passport and that India, Nepal and Pakistan also recognise the legitimacy of X as a preferred option when M and F are not appropriate; further believes that allowing this possibility in the UK would go a long way to amend this discriminatory policy which denies non-gendered and bi-gendered people a legitimate identity; and therefore urges the Government and HM Passport Office to make non-gender-specific X passports available to those UK passport holders who do not identify with a particular gender.

909 THREATS TO ANABEL HERNÁNDEZ 6:1:14
Jeremy Corbyn
John McDonnell
Jim Sheridan
Kelvin Hopkins
Mark Durkan
Mr Elfyn Llwyd
*31
Valerie Vaz

That this House salutes the bravery of Mexican journalist Anabel Hernández whose recently published book on Narco Wars has highlighted issues of security and corruption in Mexico; is appalled that in common with many investigative journalists she faces constant death threats; notes that on 21 December 2013 her home was invaded by an armed gang in an attempt to find her and threaten her life; supports campaigns to secure the freedom and security of journalists to go about their work; and calls on the authorities in Mexico to ensure the safety and security of Anabel Hernández and the many serious investigative journalists who are also constantly threatened.

911 STATUTORY EMPLOYMENT LEAVE FOR BEREAVED PARENTS 6:1:14
Mr Tom Harris
Jim Shannon
Ms Margaret Ritchie
Jim Dobbin
Mr James Gray
Sir Alan Meale
*53
Valerie Vaz

That this House believes that parents who suffer the death of a child should have the right to paid time off from their employer in order to grieve; recognises that most employers offer flexibility and support to employees in such tragic circumstances; deplores the significant number of employers who force bereaved parents to go back to work too early or take sick leave in order to grieve; congratulates the Jack's Rainbow campaign for highlighting the injustice that parents who suffer such a tragic loss have no statutory right to paid employment leave; and calls on the Government to amend the Employment Rights Act 1996 to enshrine in law the right to statutory bereavement leave for parents.

912 CAMP LIBERTY - ISSUING OF VISAS 7:1:14
Sir Alan Meale
Mark Durkan
Sir Peter Bottomley
Mr Mike Weir
Jim Shannon
John McDonnell
*21
Valerie Vaz

That this House is aware of the plight of the 3,000 residents of Camp Liberty in Iraq who have been promised United Nations protection but who instead regularly face violence, assaults, physical torture and intimidation; understands also that the Iraqi authority frequently denies relatives visas to visit their loved ones; and urges the UK Government to inform the controlling regime that such behaviour is neither acceptable nor in the spirit of freedom, justice or democracy.

931 ACTION ON SUGAR CAMPAIGN 9:1:14
Keith Vaz
Jim Dobbin [R]
Kelvin Hopkins
Mr Mike Hancock
Sir Alan Meale
Mark Durkan
*27
Valerie Vaz

That this House welcomes the launch of the Action On Sugar campaign, an unprecedented call to action to tackle and reverse the obesity and diabetes epidemic by 15 leading health experts from across the world including Professor Graham MacGregor, Dr Aseem Malholtra, Professor Andrew Rugg-Gunn, Professor Aubrey Sheiham, Professor David Haslam, Professor Jack Cuzick, Professor John Wass, Professor Peter Sever, Professor Philip James, Professor Simon Capewell, Professor Sir Nicholas Wald, Professor Timothy Lang, Dr Mike Rayner, Dr Robert Lustig and Dr Yoni Freedhoff; notes that the campaign calls for a 20 to 30 per cent reduction in sugar added by the food industry, which would result in a reduction in calorie intake of approximately 100kcal per day; recognises that unnecessary calories hidden in food and drinks are causing children and adults to become obese as well as causing dental cavities and putting people at a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes; further recognises that Public Health England has warned that by 2050, 60 per cent of men, 50 per cent of women and 25 per cent of children will be clinically obese, and that voluntary agreements with industry are failing to provide any significant changes to our nation's health; and further notes that the campaign calls on the Secretary of State for Health to take urgent action to address the twin epidemics of obesity and type-2 diabetes by abolishing the Responsibility Deal and giving public health targets back to the Food Standards Agency to enforce the recommended 20 to 30 per cent reduction in added sugar.

[R] Relevant Interest declared
932 HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY 9:1:14
Alistair Burt
Stephen Twigg
Andrew Stephenson
Mr Michael Thornton
Mark Durkan
Jim Fitzpatrick
*79
Martin Horwood Mr David Blunkett Valerie Vaz

That this House notes that 27 January 2014 is Holocaust Memorial Day in the UK, marking the 69th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, where an estimated 1.1 million people were murdered; commemorates the six million victims of the Holocaust; further notes that the theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2014 is Journeys; pays tribute to the commitment of Holocaust survivors who share their experiences with young people across the country; acknowledges the importance of the Holocaust Educational Trust's work in schools across the UK and in particular the Lessons from Auschwitz Project, which has so far given over 22,000 students and teachers the opportunity to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau; also pays tribute to the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust for organising this year's Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations; further notes that a Book of Commitment will be placed in the corridor between the Members' Cloakroom and Members' Staircase; and urges all hon. and right hon. Members to sign the Book and observe the day, so that the appalling events of the Holocaust are always understood by future generations.

937 NON-DIRECT DEBIT SURCHARGE BY ENERGY COMPANIES 13:1:14
Robert Halfon
Mark Durkan
Andrew George
David Simpson
Dr William McCrea
Sir Alan Meale
*24
Jim McGovern

That this House notes that 17 energy companies are effectively charging consumers extra for not paying by direct debit; condemns those companies for that practice; further notes that four energy companies offer other payment methods at no extra cost; concludes that many companies are charging excessive fees to consumers using alternate payment methods; and therefore urges Ofgem and the Government to investigate those charges.

939 CHINA'S POPULATION CONTROL POLICIES AND MR ZYANG YIMOU 13:1:14
Jim Dobbin
Sir Peter Bottomley
Mark Durkan
Sir Alan Meale
Jim Shannon
Martin Caton
*10
Jim McGovern Mr Mike Hancock

That this House notes with profound concern the 7.5 million yuan fine imposed by the Chinese authorities upon Mr Zyang Yimou, the Director of the spectacular opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, simply for having a third child; further notes the severity of the demographic crisis which China's one-child policy has bequeathed the Chinese people; and calls on the Government to intervene in Mr Yimou's case and to stress with the Chinese government the repugnance of all civilised nations at the compulsory abortion, infanticide and sterilisation of women that have been a feature in practice of their draconian population control policies.

940 NON-DIRECT DEBIT SURCHARGE BY ENERGY COMPANIES (No. 2) 13:1:14
Robert Halfon
Mark Durkan
Ms Margaret Ritchie
Andrew George
David Simpson
Sir Peter Bottomley
*20
Jim McGovern

That this House notes that 45 per cent of the British public do not pay for their electricity by direct debit; believes that charging customers extra for not paying by direct debit is ripping off consumers; condemns Airtricity for charging consumers up to £80 per annum for not paying by direct debit; further condemns Atlantic for charging consumers up to £80 per annum for not paying by direct debit; further condemns Better Energy for charging consumers up to £38 per annum for not paying by direct debit; further condemns British Gas for charging consumers up to £73 per annum for not paying by direct debit; further condemns Co-operative Energy for charging consumers up to £60 per annum for not paying by direct debit; further condemns EDF Energy for charging consumers up to £73 per annum for not paying by direct debit; further condemns E.on for charging consumers up to £70 per annum for not paying by direct debit; further condemns First Utility for charging consumers up to £96 per annum for not paying by direct debit; further condemns Green Star Energy for charging consumers up to £30 per annum for not paying by direct debit; further condemns M&S Energy for charging consumers up to £80 per annum for not paying by direct debit; further condemns Npower for charging consumers up to £90 per annum for not paying by direct debit; further condemns Power NI for charging consumers up to £40 per annum for not paying by direct debit; further condemns Sainsbury's Energy for charging consumers up to £73 per annum for not paying by direct debit; further condemns Scottish Hydro for charging consumers up to £80 per annum for not paying by direct debit; further condemns Southern Electric for charging consumers up to £80 per annum for not paying by direct debit; further condemns Spark Energy for charging consumers up to £390 per annum for not paying by direct debit; further condemns SSE for charging consumers up to £80 per annum for not paying by direct debit; further condemns SWALEC for charging consumers up to £80 per annum for not paying by direct debit; and calls on the Government to review this issue with a view to changing this situation.

943 AIRTRICITY CHARGES FOR NOT PAYING BY DIRECT DEBIT 14:1:14
Robert Halfon
Jim Shannon
Martin Caton
Sir Peter Bottomley
Mr Nigel Dodds
Mr Mike Hancock
*6

That this House condemns Airtricity for charging consumers up to £80 per annum for not paying their gas and electricity bills by direct debit; notes that 45 per cent of households do not pay their electricity bills by direct debit; further notes that one million British adults do not have a bank account so paying by direct debit is impossible; recognises that this hits the poorest and most vulnerable people in society the hardest; and calls on the Government and the regulator to review this issue.

944 VENDING MACHINES IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS 14:1:14
Jeremy Corbyn
Jim Shannon
Mr Elfyn Llwyd
Mr Ronnie Campbell
Martin Caton
Sir Peter Bottomley
*10
Valerie Vaz Mr Mike Hancock

That this House notes the introduction of a number of newly-installed vending machines on the Parliamentary Estate packed with crisps, fizzy drinks and confectionery; questions the thinking behind the installation of these additional machines within an institution which purports to care about the health of the nation via the work of many hon. and right hon. Members devoted to health-related issues via All-Party Parliamentary Groups, Early Day Motions and other parliamentary means; further notes the fact that 2014 commenced with National Obesity Week; and calls on the House of Commons Commission to reconsider the content of those machines with a view to ensuring that they be altered to include fruit and a number of health beverages and snacks so that all who work in Parliament will have easy access to nutritious items rather than those significantly more detrimental to our health and wellbeing and thus that of the NHS.

946 FIREFIGHTERS' ADDITIONAL PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS 14:1:14
Kate Hoey
John McDonnell
Jeremy Corbyn
Katy Clark
John Cryer
Kelvin Hopkins
*26
Jim McGovern

That this House recognises that firefighters in the 1992 Firefighters' Pension Scheme currently pay 12.9 per cent of their salary into an unfunded scheme; is concerned at the Government's proposal which will take their contributions to 14.2 per cent from 1 April 2014; notes that a firefighter earning £1,650 per month net will pay around £340 a month or £4,000 a year in employee contributions; further notes that firefighters who are members of the 2006 New Firefighters Pension Scheme will pay around 12.6 per cent by April 2015 and will have seen an increase of 4.1 per cent in just four years; acknowledges that a recent YouGov survey of over 6,000 firefighters found that 43 per cent of respondents would be likely or very likely to opt out of the pension scheme if the Government's proposals were implemented although 78 per cent of these would reconsider their decision if the Government did not impose the full increase; is concerned that the Treasury's initial forecast of £72.6 million savings over three years from these increases is based on an opt-out rate of one per cent, with every percentage opt out costing the scheme £3.5 million per annum in lost contributions and an opt-out rate of over seven per cent would nullify the Government's projected savings; believes that the proposed contribution increase is self-defeating, unworkable and will destabilise the firefighters' pension scheme; and calls on the Government to enter into meaningful negotiations with the Fire Brigades Union and reconsider its intransigence on firefighters paying such high additional pension contributions.

951 DIAGNOSIS OF ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER 15:1:14
Jim Dobbin
Pat Glass
Sir Alan Meale
Jim Shannon
Valerie Vaz
Mr Mike Hancock
*6

That this House notes the 10 fold increase over 10 years of labelling children with diagnoses of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); further notes the pharmaceutical drugs prescribed for this condition are similar to cocaine, have numerous side effects including suicide, depression and anxiety and costs the health service tens of millions of pounds; affirms that there is no objective test to demonstrate the existence of this condition and that the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has expressed deep concern about children being misdiagnosed with ADHD; strenuously opposes the unnecessary drugging of children; calls for rigorous control of the prescribing of psychoactive drugs to children; and further calls for NHS money currently spent on pharmaceutical drugs to be diverted into research into the dietary and environmental causes of the symptoms currently labelled as ADHD.

952 FLOODING AND THE FIRE SERVICES 15:1:14
Sir Alan Meale
Jim Dobbin
Mr David Crausby
Jim Sheridan
Mr Ronnie Campbell
Ian Lavery
*13
Jim McGovern Mr David Anderson Mr Mike Hancock

That this House is aware that firefighters throughout the UK have recently been involved in responding to the devastating effects of flooding that have hit the nation over the last few months, working tirelessly to keep people safe and reduce damage to homes and businesses; notes that today the role of these public sector workers is extremely diverse in respect of their protection against the worst effects of fire as well as the many other responsible roles they play in protecting communities; is also aware that currently no statutory duty in England and Wales exists upon the Fire Service to attend flooding incidents, thereby restricting the role they might play in planning effectively to minimise damage, injury and death which may occur in any emergency; and calls on the Government to introduce forthwith a duty on the service, replicating that laid down in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

953 DEFIBRILLATORS 15:1:14
Mr David Crausby
John McDonnell
Ian Lavery
Sir Alan Meale
Jim Shannon
Jeremy Corbyn
*9
Jim McGovern Mr Mike Hancock

That this House believes that schools and workplaces in the UK should be equipped with defibrillators; notes that there are 60,000 out of hospital cardiac arrests in the UK every year and that every minute without cardiac pulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation reduces the chance of survival by 10 per cent; and calls on the Government to help save lives and provide defibrillators free of charge to every school in the UK and to bring forward legislative proposals to make it a requirement in the workplace.

954 STATUS OF NETWORK RAIL 15:1:14
Mr Tom Harris
Graham Stringer
Robert Flello
Steve Rotheram
Hugh Bayley
Andrew Miller
*14
Jim McGovern Mr Mike Hancock

That this House notes that the Office for National Statistics is to reclassify Network Rail as a central government body from 1 September 2014, adding Network Rail's £30 billion debt to the national debt; recognises that since Network Rail's creation, Ministers have respected the company's status as a private company by not exercising executive authority over Network Rail's management or operational activity; further recognises that the reclassification of Network Rail as a central government body offers the opportunity for a new relationship between the company and ministers; and believes this new relationship should begin with an instruction from the Secretary of State for Transport to Network Rail's directors that any future proposal for executive bonuses must be approved by Ministers.

956 AL JAZEERA JOURNALISTS IN DETENTION IN EGYPT 15:1:14
Jeremy Corbyn
Ian Lavery
Sir Alan Meale
Jim McGovern
Mr Mike Hancock
*5

That this House is concerned at the safety of Al Jazeera journalists who are still being held in detention in Cairo and thus preventing proper reporting of important news from Egypt by this global channel; urges the Government to put all possible pressure on the government of Egypt to ensure the freedom of all journalists to safely report the events going on in Egypt; and recognises that the freedom of journalists is an integral part of any democratic process.

963 KIDNAP OF FATHER JEAN-PIERRE NDULANI 17:1:14
Jim McGovern
*1

That this House calls on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to make representations to the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the United Nations peacekeeping mission MONUSCO regarding the kidnapping of Father Jean-Pierre Ndulani and his colleagues Anselme Wasikundi and Edmond Bamutute from Our Lady of the Poor Parish Church house in Mbau, North Kivu region on 19 October 2012 by an armed group; notes that the three have been in captivity for over a year despite a ranson being paid; pays tribute to the work Father Ndulani undertook while a priest at Wellburn care home in Dundee for six years; and calls on the local authorities and the international community to increase their efforts in order to secure their release without further delay.

964 TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING (S. I., 2013, No. 3194) 17:1:14
Caroline Lucas
*1

That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure and Section 62A Applications) (England) (Amendment No. 2) Order 2013 (S.I., 2013, No. 3194), dated 17 December 2013, a copy of which was laid before this House on 20 December, be annulled.

Prepared 17th January 2014