Session 2013-14
House of Commons
6th March 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
1095 MIGRANT WORKERS IN QATAR AND THE 2022 WORLD CUP 24:2:14
25That this House notes that since Qatar won the bid to host the 2022 World Cup the country has experienced a construction boom; further notes that in the last two years hundreds of Indian and Nepalese migrant workers have died working on construction projects in Qatar; moreover is extremely concerned that in the build-up to 2022 hundreds more migrant workers will die due to unsafe working conditions; and calls on the Government, the international community and FIFA to act to urge Qatar in the strongest possible terms to drastically improve working conditions, review the migrant worker sponsorship scheme and properly compensate the families of migrant workers who have been injured or killed.
1096 TEACHERS' EXCLUSION FROM SALARY SACRIFICE CAR SCHEMES 24:2:14
16That this House welcomes the availability of salary sacrifice car schemes for public and private sector workers, providing a boost to the motoring industry and delivering a low cost, low polluting motoring option; notes the popularity of these schemes and their long-term fiscal neutrality to the Exchequer; further notes the current exemption of teachers from the scheme despite all other public and private sector professions being eligible and teachers having access to similar schemes such as Cycle to Work; acknowledges the demand from teachers for having access to salary sacrifice car schemes; and urges the Education Secretary to consider amending the Sschool Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document Agreement to extend access to the schemes for teachers.
1105 FUTURE OF HM LAND REGISTRY 24:2:14
32That this House recognises and appreciates the excellent services which HM Land Registry provides to the public, with customer satisfaction of 98 per cent; notes that HM Land Registry offers value for money, and as a trading fund regularly returns a surplus to HM Treasury; is concerned that the Government's consultation on the introduction of a Land Registry service delivery company does not give any credible reasons for why a change of status is needed; further notes that Ministers are withholding key and detailed information about their future plans for the body, including proposed changes to the size and shape of the organisation; believes that this 150-year-old institution should remain within the Civil Service to ensure that public trust in the Registry's impartiality and freedom to operate without the potential conflict of commercial interests remains; and calls on the Government to acknowledge the success of HM Land Registry in its current form and to stop its plans to privatise this successful and trusted public service.
1112 RE-LAUNCH OF BME CANCER VOICE 25:2:14
27That this House recognises the re-launch on 25 February 2014 of BME Cancer Voice by BHI (Black Health Initiative), an organisation with charitable status which works nationally with a commitment to reducing cancer patient inequalities, increasing early diagnosis, culturally appropriate and equal services within prosthesis, hair loss services and takes account of religious and ethnic differences; and calls on the Department of Health to support its essential work.
1113 GREAT BRITISH SWITCH 25:2:14
18That this House notes the public's ongoing concern with ever-increasing energy prices; recognises research published by the independent regulator, Ofgem, showing that 68 per cent of those who switched gas suppliers and 70 per cent of those who switched electricity suppliers in 2012/2013 believe they have saved money; commends the campaign launched by comparethemarket.com on this matter; and urges the public to support the Great British Switch on 15 and 16 March by taking advantage of the offer to switch energy supplier without penalty.
1116 EFFECTS OF SUPERMARKET PROMOTIONS ON LOCAL NEWSAGENTS 25:2:14
24That this House notes with concern the impact that some supermarket promotions can have on newsagents and convenience stores; recognises that the recent Waitrose offer of a free newspaper with every purchase over £5 in store or on line is likely to have a detrimental impact on the traditional corner shop and newsagents; further recognises the important role that independent retailers play in local communities; and therefore urges people to support local independent newsagents and convenience stores.
1118 PLEURAL PLAQUES COMPENSATION SCHEME 26:2:14
16That this House welcomes the pleural plaques compensation scheme which was introduced in 2010; is disappointed the scheme closed to new applicants on 1 August 2011; and urges the Government to reconsider its decision and put in place further plans to provide compensation to those sufferers diagnosed with pleural plaques since 17 October 2007.
1119 ATOS 26:2:14
6That this House congratulates Atos for seeking to terminate its £500 million contract with the Government prematurely as soon as a replacement can be found; notes that this contract was initially agreed in haste by the previous Labour administration without proper scrutiny and value for money for the taxpayer; further notes that the misery caused by Atos to the thousands of people who have had their benefits stopped without merit and without due attention to their medical notes, was thoroughly unacceptable; and urges the Government to learn lessons from mistakes made by the previous administration and ensure that any contract with a new company does not include the same financial incentives for the company for carrying out an appeal, that the company is only paid for an appeal if the decision is upheld and that the contract is of an appropriate length with a get-out clause if the company is not performing to an adequate standard.
1121 UGANDAN GOVERNMENT'S TREATMENT OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PEOPLE 26:2:14
23That this House strongly condemns Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's decision to sign into law the Anti-Homosexuality Bill which further criminalises homosexuality and introduces life sentences for aggravated homosexuality, making it lawful to report lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people to the authorities; is appalled that the Ugandan Red Pepper newspaper has published the names of 200 LGBT people putting their lives at risk; urges the Government to take immediate action working with its partners in the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the EU to make it absolutely clear to the Ugandan government and the members of the Ugandan Parliament who voted in favour of the Bill that their cavalier disregard for fundamental human rights is intolerable and to formally requests that the UN Human Rights Council investigates this persistent violation of LGBT people's fundamental human rights; and requests that the Government seeks to assist those affected in Uganda in every possible way by working with allies who share the UK's commitment to LGBT equality.
1123 FAIR TAX MARK 26:2:14
38That this House notes that the Government is losing much more than £1 in every £10 it seeks to collect from companies to tax evasion and avoidance; further notes that according to a recent Institute for Business Ethics poll, the public is now more concerned about tax avoidance than any other issue of corporate conduct; shares the public opposition to companies that avoid and evade paying the tax they owe; further notes the emergence of boycotts of companies such as Amazon and Starbucks; welcomes, like ICAEW and others, the launch of the Fair Tax Mark and the certification of Midcounties Co-opeative, Unity Trust Bank and others, who have been accredited as seeking to pay the tax that they owe in the right place at the right time; believes that such a mark will usefully provide consumers with the information they need to make ethical purchasing decisions based on the behaviour of corporations, and ultimately lead to additional tax revenue being paid to HM Revenue and Customs; and therefore calls on the Government to endorse the idea of a Fair Tax Mark, to work with its founders to put fair tax at the centre of the corporate social responsibility agenda and to redouble its efforts to clamp down on corporate tax evasion and avoidance.
1124 MIGRATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND TIER-ONE VISAS 26:2:14
15That this House notes with concern the recommendation of the Migration Advisory Committee that would allow foreign millionaires to bid for fast-track tier-one UK visas; rejects the principle that the right to stay in the UK could be sold off to affluent people, even if they would donate money to the UK; recognises that this policy would widen the gap in opportunity between the rich and poor applying for a tier-one visa; and recognises the benefit of allowing talented, motivated and hard-working people to apply for the right to settle in the UK, regardless of their financial background.
1125 NEW BEATSON CANCER CHARITY 26:2:14
18That this House welcomes the launch of the new Beatson Cancer Charity, which brings together the resources of Friends of the Beatson and the Beatson Oncology Centre Fund; recognises that this new charity will support the vital work of the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre in Glasgow which is the UK's busiest cancer treatment centre and second busiest in Europe; understands that the launch and subsequent development of this new charity is a unique and significant step in the fight against cancer in the UK; further welcomes that the Beatson Cancer Charity is determined to beat cancer and that through a programme of active fundraising it will help fund improvements and innovation in services, provide enhanced medical equipment, fund additional nursing, radiology, physics and research posts, as well as fund education, training and staff development at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre; further welcomes that the charity will focus on facilitating high quality research programmes and ground-breaking early stage research to improve cancer treatment; understands that the Beatson Cancer Charity will adopt a partnership approach; further welcomes the Beatson Cancer Charity's support of the vision of the Beatson in Glasgow being rightfully regarded as an internationally renowned comprehensive cancer centre attracting the highest calibre of professional staff and developing state-of-the-art, pioneering techniques and treatments that will change the face of cancer treatment on a local, national and international scale; further recognises the importance of this new charity in the fight against cancer; and looks forward to hearing more about its work in due course.
1126 TIM MARTIN ON PUBCO MODEL 27:2:14
7That this House agrees with the recent comments by Tim Martin, chairman of the successfully managed pub company JD Wetherspoon, that large leased pub companies disregard the plight of their tenants; also agrees with Mr Martin that the founders of Punch Taverns, Hugh Osmond, and Enterprise Inns, Ted Tuppen 'bought the large tenanted pub estates of the major brewers, using borrowed money, and then hiked up the rents and the beer prices paid by tenants'; endorses his assessment that this unsustainable economic model has led to thousands of pubs having to close; and calls on the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to intervene urgently in order to protect the great British pub.
1127 WORKING TO REDUCE THE USE OF ANIMALS IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH 27:2:14
21That this House notes the publication of Working to reduce the use of animals in scientific research, following the pledge in the Coalition Agreement to work to reduce the use of animals in scientific research; believes that effective implementation of this should lead to specific targets; is concerned that the document contains neither timescales nor targets for any reduction; and supports the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection in its call for the Government to set unambiguous targets for reductions in animal experiments before the end of the current Parliament.
1130 TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT (S. I., 2014, No. 16) 28:2:14
20That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Collective Redundancies and Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 (S.I., 2014, No. 16), dated 8 January 2014, a copy of which was laid before this House on 10 January, be annulled.
1132 PLANNING DECISIONS AND LOCALISM 3:3:14
8That this House notes the recent planning decision at appeal to allow 504 homes to be built in the village of Barrow in the Ribble Valley; further notes that according to the electoral register Barrow had 304 dwellings two years ago and that over 250 homes have been built or been approved before this recent decision was taken; is concerned that with permission to build 504 more homes, the village of Barrow will have tripled in size within a very short period of time; understands that the application to build 504 new homes was vehemently opposed by the residents, the local authority and local hon. Member; and calls on the Government to give due weight to the views of local residents, councillors and council officers when deciding appeal decisions and to address the meaning of the word localism for the purposes of planning decisions.
1133 DEMENTIA STRATEGY BEYOND 2014 3:3:14
25That this House welcomes the Government's commitment to improving care and services for people with dementia; notes that the National Dementia Strategy and the Prime Minister's Challenge on Dementia have been fundamental to achieving these improvements since the inception of the strategy in 2009; and calls for the commitment to and publication of a renewed Dementia Strategy before the end of the current framework in April 2014.
1135 ROLE OF THE REGULAR ARMY AT HOME AND ABROAD 3:3:14
13That this House notes and is grateful for the sterling work undertaken by the Regular Army in dealing with the consequences of the recent floods in the UK; further notes the worsening situation in Ukraine; questions whether the Government's strategy of reducing the regular armed forces is the right strategy; and calls for a cessation of the disbandment of traditional battalions such as the Fusiliers.
1136 RURAL BROADBAND SPEEDS 4:3:14
7That this House believes that the problems facing rural communities, particularly Misson in Bassetlaw, in gaining access to high speed broadband require solutions that cross regional boundaries; and calls on the Government to honour its promise to create the best high speed broadband network in Europe by 2015 and asks it to act now to prevent the creation of a two speed broadband Britain which penalises rural areas.
1137 BAHÁ'Í COMMUNITY IN IRAN 4:3:14
25That this House notes the restoration of a level of bilateral links with the Islamic Republic of Iran; also notes the encouraging rhetoric of President Rouhani on improving civil rights for Iranian citizens; observes continuing reports of severe human rights abuses perpetrated against the Bahá'í community in Iran, including targeted attacks and murders without proper investigation to hold those responsible accountable, arbitrary arrests and detention; reflects that if the Iranian government is to be given credence for its laudable aim of normalising its international reputation, it should take concrete steps to restore rights to its Bahá'í minority and amend the 1979 constitution to afford Bahá'í citizens of Iran legal protection; and urges the Government to call on Iran to respect the human rights of its minority communities.
1138 VALUING THE WORK OF SUPPLY TEACHERS 4:3:14
23That this House appreciates and values the work of supply teachers in schools; recognises that professional skills and expertise matter; believes that other than in emergencies schools should only use qualified teachers to cover for absent teachers; expresses concern that schools now have little option but to use agencies which charge them at least £50 more a day than is paid to the supply teacher; and calls on the Government to encourage schools to employ supply teachers directly or through the local authority, rather than use agencies, to ensure supply teachers are paid and have access to continuous professional development opportunities and pension rights on an equal basis to other teachers.
1139 FAIRTRADE'S MAKE BANANAS FAIR CAMPAIGN 4:3:14
18That this House celebrates the achievements of the Fairtrade movement in this 20th year since the Fairtrade mark first appeared on shelves in the United Kingdom; further congratulates the Fairtrade movement on sales of some £1.78 billion of Fairtrade products supporting farmers and workers around the world in 2013; further welcomes the Fairtrade Foundation's campaign to Make Bananas Fair which calls on the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to co-ordinate government action to investigate unsustainably low banana prices and act to address their impact on banana farmers and workers in developing countries; and calls on retailers to pay the cost of sustainable production and living wages to banana farmers and workers.
1140 USE OF NHS PATIENT DATA 4:3:14
10That this House welcomes the decision to postpone the upload of patient records under the care.data scheme; believes the public information campaign was inadequate, with large sections of the population left unaware of the requirement to individually opt-out; notes that the scheme did not have the support of GPs or patients; calls on NHS England and the Department of Health to use the six-month delay to listen to and properly address the concerns of doctors and patients; strongly condemns the sale to insurance providers of the medical records of every NHS hospital patient; urges the Government to take seriously patient confidentiality and patients' ownership of their own data; further calls on the Government to ensure that in future NHS data is provided only to NHS bodies for the purpose of improving patient care, and provided only when it has been properly anonymised; further believes that public health data is not a commodity to be sold for private sector profit and should not be treated as such; and further calls on the Government to respect patient confidentiality and patients' wishes about their own data.
1141 LIVE EXPORT OF HORSES AND PONIES 4:3:14
16That this House notes the exposure by the BBC on its Inside Out programme of the UK's failure in its duty to protect horses and ponies from being exported live for slaughter abroad; is appalled that animals continue to be transported long distances in this process with little regard shown for their health and welfare during such arduous journeys; reminds the Government of promises past and that legislation is currently in place to prevent such treatment from occurring; is also aware that a recently signed tripartite agreement to further restrict the unlimited movement of less financially valued stock is now in place; and urges those responsible to use that tripartite agreement to both police and enforce this policy forthwith.
1142 ARMED FORCES SERVICE MEMORIAL 5:3:14
10That this House applauds the excellent work done by the UK armed forces and the Government's commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant which supports those who have given the most, such as the injured and those who died in service; notes that many service personnel who have lost their lives while serving do not have their names inscribed on the Armed Forces National Memorial although they have all sworn allegiance to their country and undertaken strenuous training; further notes a great many of the said personnel have completed years of service with a significant number of them having served on active operational tours of duty; recognises that the National Memorial Arboretum was set up as a special place for honouring those who served the nation; and supports the suggestion, upon consultation with the Arboretum trustees, that a separate Armed Forces Service Memorial be included at the Arboretum for those who died since World War II, either in service or as a consequence of their service, affording the opportunity to their bereaved families to pay their respects in a special place of honour.
1143 NORTH KOREA 5:3:14
15That this House expresses concern about North Korean human rights abuses and persecution of Christians; further expresses anger that North Korea has concentration camps where horrific crimes take place at Yodok and Chongori and other locations; and requests that the Government engages with the North Korean Ambassador and conveys disgust at how the Christian minority have been treated, opens up discussions with the Chinese authorities to assist Christians and those suffering horrendous human rights abuses and requests that China does not repatriate those fleeing from North Korea to China because of the persecution.
1144 PLANNING IN NATIONAL PARKS AND AREAS OF OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY 5:3:14
7That this House recognises that National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) are beautiful areas of countryside; further recognises that the quality of the environment in National Parks and AONBs is the underpinning for thousands of businesses; believes that sensitive spatial planning is required in order to reap continued economic and environmental benefits; notes that 90 per cent of planning applications in English National Parks are already approved; expresses concern at government proposals to extend permitted development rights to allow up to three additional dwellings to be built on the site of agricultural buildings without the need for planning permission; further believes that this risks significant damage to these precious landscapes, will impact negatively on the rural economy and undermine the ability of National Parks authorities to facilitate local needs affordable housing; calls on the Government to exempt National Parks and AONBs from this proposal; and encourages the Government and everyone with an interest in protecting the finest parts of the countryside to recognise the need for a different approach to planning within nationally protected landscapes.
1145 VIOLENCE AGAINST COMMUNITIES IN COLOMBIA SEEKING LAND RESTITUTION 5:3:14
7That this House welcomes the Victims and Land Restitution Law in Colombia; notes with concern, however, the escalation of violence against communities seeking land restitution; further notes that in several cases this is due to the implementation of development projects involving foreign businesses and the production of agro-industrial crops for export; is alarmed by reports of violence against several communities in the process of land reclamation, notably the Afro-Colombian communities of Curvaradó, Cacarica and COCOMOPOCA and small-scale farming communities of Pitalito and Las Pabas, including reports that shots were fired at members of the Pitalito community, their leaders and lawyer; also notes with concern the escalation of threats against the human rights organisation, the Inter-Church Commission for Justice and Peace (Comision Intereclesial de Justicia y Paz), particularly in the context of increased killings of human rights defenders in Colombia; therefore calls on the Colombian government to provide adequate security and protection for communities, leaders and human rights defenders; and further calls on the Government to raise these concerns with the Colombian government and to report in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office annual Human Rights Report on the implementation of UN due diligence criteria by British businesses in Colombia in relation to land, in compliance with the UK Action Plan on Business and Human Rights; and urges the UK Embassy in Colombia to meet, monitor and report on the aforementioned communities.
1146 ILLEGAL OCCUPATION 6:3:14
3That this House acknowledges the international condemnation of the illegal occupation of Ukraine by Russia but reminds the House that the north of the island of Cyprus has been living under illegal occupation by Turkey and this has been so without similar condemnation from successive Governments.