Session 2013-14
House of Commons
24th 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
946 FIREFIGHTERS' ADDITIONAL PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS 14:1:14
46That 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.
948 MENB VACCINE AND CHILDHOOD IMMUNISATION SCHEDULE 14:1:14
22That this House welcomes the public letter signed by over 100 nurses, doctors and scientists, who deal with the consequences of Meningitis, calling for positive decisions on an available meningococcal B (MenB) vaccine for children in the UK; notes their observations that the new MenB vaccine, licensed last year and still undergoing consideration for inclusion in the childhood immunisation schedule (CIS), is estimated to cover 88 per cent. of MenB disease in the UK; recognises that the meningitis vaccinations already in the CIS have been very successful in preventing unnecessary child deaths and long term complications; further recognises that MenB, which remains the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in the UK, mainly effects children, is difficult to diagnose, strikes fast and kills or seriously disables in hours, questions the terms of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) consideration of the potential cost-effectiveness of the MenB vaccine to date; urges the JCVI to re-evaluate their interim conclusions to reflect the health burden of MenB disease , after effects of survivors, quality of life for carers and wider costs for the NHS; and encourages the Secretary of State for Health to consider and take all appropriate steps towards introducing the MenB vaccine, including the option of a UK-wide population-based evaluation, as mentioned in the initial JCVI interim position, which would serve to save lives, prevent disability, and inform further appraisals and investment in vaccine development.
953 DEFIBRILLATORS 15:1:14
40That 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.
971 SOCIAL ECONOMY ALLIANCE 21:1:14
13That this House welcomes the Social Economy Alliance, a new voice on the economy, made up of more than 20 respected social and co-operative enterprises, universities, think tanks, social finance and housing associations; recognises that social and economic policy must be mutually reinforcing and that the UK can foster bottom-up economic growth and take advantage of the many innovations the social sector has created; further recognises that social enterprises and co-operatives are outperforming mainstream businesses and that alternative banks have better returns on assets as well as lower volatility and higher growth, and that these organisations are economically successful while having a positive impact on society and the environment; and calls on the Government to ensure much greater alignment between social and economic policy-making to meet the needs of communities around the UK.
976 CONDUCT OF MORTGAGE LENDERS 22:1:14
8That this House condemns mortgage lenders breaching tracker rate mortgage contracts by unilaterally increasing the margin they charge over the Bank of England base rate in order to increase their profit margins and deliberately targeting borrowers where consumer protection law is ambiguous; and calls on the Government to investigate the alleged associated recent activities of the Bank of Ireland and West Bromwich Building Society.
991 NPOWER CHARGES FOR NOT PAYING BY DIRECT DEBIT 24:1:14
1That this House condemns NPower for charging consumers up to £90 extra 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 for the Government and the regulator to review this issue.
992 FIRST UTILITY CHARGES FOR NOT PAYING BY DIRECT DEBIT 24:1:14
1That this House condemns First Utility for charging consumers up to £96 extra 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 for the Government and the regulator to review this issue.
993 M&S ENERGY CHARGES FOR NOT PAYING BY DIRECT DEBIT 24:1:14
1That this House condemns M&S Energy for charging consumers up to £80 extra 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 for the Government and the regulator to review this issue.
994 ALPHA-1 ANTITRYPSIN DEFICIENCY 24:1:14
1That this House is aware that Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (Alpha-1) is a rare genetic disorder that most commonly results in lung and liver disease leading to significant disability and early mortality; understands that extensive expertise in Alpha-1 exists within the NHS but that there is considerable variation across the country in patient access to specialists and Alpha-1 therapy; notes that there is currently no care model within the NHS that provides integrated multi-disciplinary management for the unique needs of patients with this complex disease; and believes that this can be best addressed with the establishment of a nationally commissioned highly specialised service for Alpha-1.
995 MESOTHELIOMA 24:1:14
2That this House notes with concern that mesothelioma is an invasive form of lung cancer caused primarily by prior exposure to asbestos; recognises that there is currently no cure for this devastating disease and that mesothelioma patients frequently have a very short life expectancy and experience complex debilitating symptoms; further notes that the UK has the highest rate of the disease in the world and that over the next 30 years more than 50,000 people will die of mesothelioma in the UK unless new treatments are found; believes that investment in research into the causes and potential cures for mesothelioma is desperately needed; pays tribute to the great work of the former hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe and Sale East, the late Paul Goggins, to raise the profile of the need for long-term investment into mesothelioma research; and calls on the Government to facilitate the establishment of a long-term sustainable mesothelioma research scheme funded by the insurance industry.