Session 2013-14
House of Commons
18th 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
1147 PALESTINIAN REFUGEES IN LEBANON 10:3:14
20That this House recognises the current political situation in Lebanon and the need to affirm legitimate governance in a time of crisis; acknowledges the impact of Syrian refugees on Lebanon and the political concerns this is raising for the stability in the country; expresses deep concern over the discrimination against Palestinian refugees in Lebanon due to their status and the resulting lack of access to legal mechanisms; calls on the Lebanese authorities to ensure the safety and security of all Palestinian refugees within Lebanon; and further calls on the Government to assure Lebanon of the necessary support in assisting the refugees present in Lebanon, ensuring the provision of food, medical supplies and basic rights.
1149 10 YEARS OF FAIRTRADE LEEDS 10:3:14
7That this House congratulates the city of Leeds on celebrating 10 years since becoming a Fairtrade city; commends the Leeds Fairtrade City Steering Group for its inspiring commitment to promoting Fairtrade in communities across Leeds; highlights the value Leeds' residents place on ensuring sustainable development for farmers and workers around the world; acknowledges that local schools, businesses and universities have achieved Fairtrade status; agrees that Leeds is an excellent example for other towns and cities around the UK considering pursuing Fairtrade status; notes that more can still be done to ensure fairness for marginalised producers across the globe; and looks forward to many more years of progress for the Fairtrade movement.
1150 USE OF TASERS ON CHILDREN 10:3:14
11That this House is appalled that the use of Tasers on children by the Metropolitan Police has risen six-fold over four years; notes that according to the Children's Rights Alliance for England, and based on a Freedom of Information request, stun guns were used on 53 young people in the city in 2013 compared to nine in 2008; further notes that 70 per cent of the incidents occurred in four London boroughs, Croydon, Lewisham, Lambeth and Southwark; believes that children should never be subject to Taser assault; and calls on the Home Secretary to invoke an immediate ban on their use.
1156 SCAMS AGAINST THE VULNERABLE 10:3:14
33That this House congratulates Age Cymru on its timely and vital campaign to protect vulnerable older people in Wales from scams, such as postal scams, nuisance calls, investment scams, fake PPI recovery offers, internet repair scammers, courier scams and internet scams; and calls for the Government to examine the case for drastically increasing the scope and the scale of No Cold Calling zones to protect older people from rogue traders and high pressure salespeople on their doorstep and for internet service providers to work with other service and product providers to supply easily and affordably higher levels of security capable of blocking or quarantining scams.
1157 PENSION ENTITLEMENT FOR MILITARY WIDOWS AND WIDOWERS 10:3:14
31That this House expresses sympathy with the military widows and widowers forced to surrender their 1975 Armed Forces Pension Scheme entitlement when deciding to marry or cohabit with a new partner; acknowledges the enormous sacrifices made by military spouses on behalf of the UK, often raising a family single-handedly while a loved one serves overseas; believes it is cruel and unfair to make those who become widows and widowers to make a choice between having a new relationship and financial security; notes that the 2005 Armed Forces Pension Scheme does not require widows and widowers to sacrifice their entitlement if they find a new partner; further believes that the savings to the taxpayer made by widows and widowers sacrificing their pension entitlement is minimal and that in 2013 there were only 10 1975 Armed Forces Pension Scheme 75 widows payments voluntarily surrendered at an annual saving of £31,294; supports the Forces Pensions Society campaign, backed by the Royal British Legion, to abolish this unfair and unnecessary provision; and urges the Government to amend the 1975 Armed Forces Pension Scheme so that widows and widowers no longer have to sacrifice their entitlement when cohabiting or marrying a new partner.
1159 LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND SCHOOL SUPPORT WORKERS' PAY 10:3:14
24That this House recognises that local government and school support workers provide an excellent and essential service to the public; expresses concern about levels of local government pay; further recognises that local government workers have endured a real terms 18 per cent reduction in basic pay since 2010; believes that low pay in local government is resulting in significant economic hardship for them and their families; supports the National Joint Council (NJC) pay claim for 2014-15; notes that this would deliver the Living Wage for the 500,000 lowest paid local government workers; further notes that 55 per cent of the cost of the claim could be met through increased tax and national insurance income and reduced spending on in-work-benefits; and therefore calls on local government employers to accept the NJC claim and offer a pay award which includes an emphasis on fair rewards for the lowest paid and hard-pressed sections of the workforce.
1160 FUTURE OF BBC THREE 10:3:14
23That this House is concerned at the proposal of BBC management to recommend the closure of BBC Three by autumn 2015; notes that this is the first time in the BBC's history that it has proposed to close a television channel; further notes that BBC Three has given birth to hugely popular content such as Little Britain and Gavin and Stacey, alongside innovative current affairs programmes aimed at a youth audience such as the 60 Seconds format; regrets that this £50 million saving follows an extensive round of cuts and job losses under the Delivering Quality First agenda and is a result of the freeze in the licence fee together with having to absorb the World Service, S4C and the roll-out of broadband; fears that the proposal will lead to compulsory redundancies; urges BBC management to take this proposal off the table pending the outcome of negotiations over renewal of its Royal Charter; and joins the National Union of Journalists in urging all parties to commit to an uprating of the TV licence by at least the rate of inflation in order to ensure that quality diverse public service broadcasting that plays an enormous role in the broader creative industry can continue to flourish.
1161 FIREARMS LICENCE FEE 10:3:14
28That this House urges the Government to increase the firearms licence fee to eliminate the £17 million burden placed upon police services to subsidise private gun ownership; notes that the current fee stands at £50 while its costs the police £196 to process each private gun licence; further notes that police services across the country are facing severe financial pressures resulting in a reduction in the number of frontline and specialist police officers; agrees that every measure possible should be taken to protect funding for vital police work; and acknowledges that when the Government is imposing extensive public spending reductions it is unacceptable to use funding earmarked for policing to subsidise an activity by a small minority of the British public.
1162 ASBESTOS MANAGEMENT IN SCHOOLS 10:3:14
35That this House welcomes the Department for Education's policy review for the management of asbestos in schools; notes that the review was called following the Committee on Carcinogenicity's conclusion that children are more vulnerable to asbestos exposure than adults; further notes the evidence given to the Education Select Committee by a leading epidemiologist that between 200 and 300 people could die each year from their asbestos exposure experienced as a child at school; and calls on the Government to look to Australia where a National Strategic Plan for asbestos has recently been introduced which will establish long-term strategic policies for the eradication of asbestos disease and will set systems, timelines and processes for the safe removal of asbestos materials from public and commercial buildings, with priority being given to schools.
1163 IRANIAN OPPOSITION 11:3:14
15That this House is deeply concerned by remarks made by the Iraqi and Iranian justice ministers regarding the extradition of members of the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran the main Iranian opposition movement; recalls, that the residents of Camp Liberty are protected persons and people of concern under the terms of the Fourth Geneva Convention and that any attempt to extradite them to a country in which they would face either torture or execution would be both unlawful and in breach of the principle of non-refoulement; calls on the Government to use its influences as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council to secure the safety and well-being of those people until a lasting and peaceful solution can be found.
1164 BOB CROW 11:3:14
58That this House records with sadness the tragic loss of Bob Crow, RMT General Secretary; sends its deepest condolences to his family, friends and the members of his union; and recognises him as one of the most outstanding trade union leaders of his generation, who was very much loved by his RMT members and also respected across the transport industry for his tireless work for a better and safer transport system.
1166 CHANGES TO TYRE REQUIREMENTS DURING MOTs FOR BUSES AND COACHES 11:3:14
17That this House notes the tragic deaths of three people in September 2012 following an avoidable coach crash caused by a faulty front tyre; recognises the inquest verdict that the cause of the crash was the age of the tyre; further accepts the coroner's ruling that tyres deteriorate significantly with age; believes that the Department for Transport (DfT) should urgently commission appropriate research into the effects of tyre ageing on road traffic accidents with the possibility of introducing a maximum age limit; welcomes the guidelines published by the DfT in December 2013; further notes the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency should undertake an immediate review of all passenger service vehicles' tyres to ensure that they are operating within the DfT's guidelines; and further believes that the Government should make representations to the EU to amend existing legislation to ensure all buses and coaches are required to have tyres with a maximum age of 10 years.
1167 EUROPEAN UNION REFERENDUM 11:3:14
19That this House believes that the UK's democracy needs to be both representative and participatory and trusts the British people to make fundamental decisions about its future; further believes that the world economy is robust enough to withstand a referendum; and therefore calls for the future of the UK's relationship with the rest of Europe to be put to a standalone referendum at the earliest opportunity.
1170 PUBCO-PRICE ESCALATOR AND A FAIR DEAL FOR LOCAL PUBS 11:3:14
18That this House welcomes the 2013 beer duty cut and calls for a freeze in 2014; believes that this has benefited brewers but not pubco tenants who face above inflation pubco price increases; notes that Rob Willock, editor of the Publican's Morning Advertiser called this the pubco price escalator and agrees with his comments on 23 October 2013 that 'there is one area in which pubco lessees still regularly appear to suffer in the relationship with their landlord that remains unregulated and potentially unfair - that of beer pricing' and that 'pubcos fought passionately against the beer-duty-escalator - and won their concession. It's not fair for them to impose the same sort of mechanism on their lessees'; further notes that over six years from 2003 the price of an 11 gallons keg of Foster's increased to Enterprise Inns tenants 4.5 times the increase to freehouses; further notes the latest pubco price hike in February 2014, not followed by wholesalers; deplores Punch Taverns' £2.271 billion profit in 10 years from on-selling beer they don't brew to their own tenants; further notes that the ALMR benchmarking survey shows average tied rents are higher than free of tie, demonstrating that pubco tenants don't get low rents for higher beer prices but are doubly overcharged; and calls on the Treasury to support a market rent-only option for pubco tenants which would allow the open market to self-regulate product price, increase licensee earnings, make pubs more viable and reduce the price of a pint in pubco pubs.
1171 ENDING THE ESCALATOR ON THE DUTY ON SPIRITS 12:3:14
20That this House recognises the huge contribution the Scotch whisky industry makes to UK exports, totalling £4.3 billion in the last full year, and contrasts this with the long-term decline of the domestic market for Scotch whisky; and calls on the Chancellor to end the spirits duty escalator in this month's budget in line with the decision to end it for beer last year.
1173 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION ON DRONES 12:3:14
18That this House welcomes the European Parliament's resolution of 27 February 2014 that calls on member states to oppose the practice of extrajudicial targeted killing through use of armed drones outside the framework of international law; calls on member states to ensure they do not facilitate such killings by other states; further calls on member states to promote greater transparency and accountability on the part of all states using armed drones; expresses concern that increasing use of drones in extraterritorial lethal operations has caused disproportionate civilian casualties and that the UK has not disclosed any fact-finding inquiries into the incidents of civilian casualties caused by drone strikes in Afghanistan; notes that UN Special Rapporteur Ben Emmerson in his report of 28 February 2014 urges states to engage immediately and reach consensus on the core principles governing use of armed drones; and calls on the Government to implement the European resolution.
1174 BINGO TAXATION 12:3:14
9That this House believes that bingo plays an important role in the community; notes that Harlow Mecca Bingo has 54,000 members; further notes that despite being a soft form of gambling, bingo is subject to a gross profits tax of 20 per cent, despite all other forms of gambling being taxed at 15 per cent; and therefore urges the Government to reduce the bingo tax so that it is in line with other forms of gambling.
1175 1988 CHEMICAL WEAPON ATTACK IN HALABJA 12:3:14
15That this House recalls with repugnance the biggest single chemical weapons attack on civilians which was inflicted by the forces of Saddam Hussein on the town of Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan on 16 March 1988; further recalls that 5,000 men, women and children died immediately and many more thousands of people died later or were permanently injured, physically and psychologically; believes that this attack was part of a long-running policy of genocide against the Kurds of Iraq; and further believes that, in the absence of any likely national or international judicial process after so many years, the Government should follow the example of the House which, on 28 February 2013, formally recognised this action as genocide.
1176 COASTAL EROSION 12:3:14
13That this House requests that the Government interacts with all regional assemblies to coordinate a plan of action to address coastal erosion that is affecting up to 80 locations UK-wide.
1177 COMMONWEALTH DAY 13:3:14
8That this House extends best wishes to all those in the Commonwealth as the UK marks Commonwealth Day 2014; notes that the Commonwealth is a powerful influence for good for the future; thanks Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for her leadership and headship of the Commonwealth; and looks forward to the Commonwealth Games which are being staged in Glasgow later in 2014 as a beacon of all that is good within the Commonwealth of Nations.
1178 RANGERS FOOTBALL CLUB 13:3:14
6That this House extends congratulations and best wishes to Rangers Football Club on winning the Scottish League One title with eight games remaining; and wishes the club and its supporters continued success as they complete the next stage in the comeback to the top of Scottish football.
1179 JAMES ELLIS 13:3:14
12That this House mourns the passing of James Ellis, the highly regarded actor, director and poet from East Belfast who was best known for his roles in Z-Cars and the Billy Trilogy, and who made a significant contribution throughout his lifetime to the stage and screen while always remaining true to his Northern Ireland accent.
1180 TACKLING WARZONE RAPE IN CONGO AND BEYOND 13:3:14
14That this House notes the horrific continuation of the use of rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war in conflicts around the world; further notes the shocking scale of this crisis in Congo where an estimated 48 women are raped every hour; applauds the work of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to end these atrocious crimes; welcomes his initiative to host an international conference on warzone rape with UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie in the UK; supports Save the Congo's 48AnHour campaign which aims to mobilise international effort to end Congo's culture of impunity for the use of rape as a weapon of war and for crimes of international concern; and calls on the Secretary of State to support the creation of a hybrid international Criminal Tribunal for Congo to address impunity behind the wars, revenge attacks and conflicts that continue to consume the Congolese people.
1181 VOICE OF THE FUTURE 2014 13:3:14
13That this House congratulates the Society of Biology on organising the Voice of the Future 2014 event on 19 March 2014 at the House and on its continuing commitment under its Royal Charter to serve the public benefit by seeking to assist right hon. and hon. Members with a better understanding of science; notes that Voice of the Future 2014 is taking place during National Science and Engineering Week and involves young scientists and engineers from all over the UK, including A Level science students; further notes that the event will be addressed by the Minister for Universities and Science, the Shadow Minister for Universities and Science and the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser; further notes the special Science Question Time with hon. Members on the Select Committee on Science and Technology; applauds the involvement in this event of many of the UK's greatest science and engineering organisations, including the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Society of Biology, the Institute of Physics, the Biochemical Society, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Society for Experimental Biology, the Society for Applied Microbiology, the British Pharmacological Society, the Society for Experimental Biology, the Society of Endocrinology, the Council for the Mathematical Sciences, the Geological Society, the Royal Astronomical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Open University; and welcomes the contribution that Voice of the Future 2014 can make to building and maintaining a constructive dialogue between Parliament and the younger generation of scientists and engineers.
1182 JIMMY ELLIS 13:3:14
6That this House recognises the immense contribution of Jimmy Ellis, the Belfast-born actor who was so famous for his parts on TV series Z-Cars and the Billy plays; acknowledges the great contribution that he made to drama; and extends sincere condolences on his passing to his circle of family and friends, knowing that he will be remembered as one of Northern Ireland's finest actors.
1184 ACCOUNTABILITY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN NORTH KOREA 13:3:14
13That this House welcomes and fully endorses the findings and recommendations of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry into human rights violations in North Korea; calls on the Government to lead the international community in implementing the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry, including seeking a referral of a case to the International Criminal Court (ICC); urges the Government to work within the UN to renew, strengthen and expand the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, including increasing resources in support of the Special Rapporteur's work, in order to strengthen a continuing mechanism for monitoring, investigation and reporting; further calls on the Government to work with others in the UN to establish a database for evidence with a view to future justice and accountability; and further urges the Government to actively consider every possible mechanism for accountability, including the establishment of an ad hoc tribunal, if a referral to the ICC is not achieved.
1186 EARLY ACCESS TO MEDICINES FOR SUFFERERS OF MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY 13:3:14
14That this House welcomes the introduction of an early access to medicines scheme to accelerate the pace at which innovative treatments are made available to patients; notes the significant impact such a scheme could have in allowing patients affected by rare diseases access to emerging treatments; further notes that in its September 2013 report on access to high cost drugs for rare diseases the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Muscular Dystrophy recommended that the Government bring forward the earlier access to medicines scheme; and praises the work of APPG for Muscular Dystrophy, supported by the Muscular Dystrophy campaigns for its hard work over the last year in pushing for the introduction of this scheme.
1187 NEW FOREST SUPPORT FOR HELP FOR HEROES 13:3:14
9That this House salutes the many volunteers throughout the UK who raise substantial funds for Help for Heroes; congratulates, in particular, Elaine Husband, Mary and Nick Pattison, Shelagh Morgan, Lynn England and Claire Parsons of Brockenhurst, whose October 2013 Charity Weekend at the Balmer Lawn Hotel raised £30,348; notes that previously, in October 2011, the same team had raised £23,500; and wishes them every success in surpassing even these totals in October 2015, when the next in this admirable, enjoyable and productive series of events is to be held.
1188 SKILLS FUNDING AGENCY 13:3:14
8That this House is concerned by the Government's restructuring of how apprenticeships are delivered and funded in the UK; notes that the current proposals will see a reduction of 30 per cent in current staffing levels at the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) which is entirely devoted to promoting apprenticeships and assisting employers who are taking part in apprenticeship schemes; further notes that the proposed restructuring will place burdens on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that currently benefit from SFA assistance and advice; is concerned that any additional burdens on SMEs such as training will result in a reduction of apprenticeships due to the time and financial constraints which will inevitably be placed on SMEs; and calls on the Government to halt its restructuring programme and consult fully with staff and their representatives as well as SMEs that currently benefit from the SFA in its current form.
1189 ROLE OF HOUSING IN THE PROVISION OF CARE 13:3:14
11That this House welcomes the launch of On the Cusp?, a new brochure produced by the national charity Care and Repair England (CaRE) highlighting the critical role of housing in the provision of care; notes the causal link between housing conditions and a wide range of common chronic health conditions; further notes the age group most likely to live in poor housing is low income older people over 75; acknowledges the impact of housing on the risk of injury and accidents particularly among older people; believes that enabling older people to live healthier and more independent lives is dependent on the provision of decent, suitable homes; and calls on the Government to address the concerns raised by CaRE by making the connection between population ageing, health and social care policy and the need for appropriate housing.
1190 DEFENCE REVIEW 2015 AND TRIDENT REPLACEMENT 13:3:14
8That this House notes that a National Security Strategy (NSS) and Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) is due to be conducted in 2015; further notes the Defence Committee report, Towards the next Defence and Security Review (Seventh Report, HC 197) and its concern that SDSR 2015 must be about understanding and outlining Britain's place in the world; believes that the decision on whether to maintain a nuclear weapons system beyond the life of Trident is central to this discussion and must be fully debated within the NSS and SDSR process; and urges that the Main Gate decision on the construction of Trident replacement submarines be delayed until after the publication of the SDSR.
1191 TAYFORTH UNIVERSITIES OFFICER TRAINING CORPS 17:3:14
2That this House congratulates Tayforth Universities Officer Training Corps (UOTC) for winning Exercise Northern Lights at Barry Buddon Training Camp near Aberdeen; commends them for demonstrating outstanding ability in the fields of military skills, sports and piping; draws attention to the excellent work done by UOTC throughout the country in providing a diverse range of skills training; and wishes Tayforth UOTC and their colleagues across the UK well in continuing their excellent work far into the future.
1192 A DECADE OF FAIRTRADE YORK 17:3:14
5That this House recognises the achievement of the City of York in celebrating 10 years of being a Fairtrade city; commends the hard work and distinct changes that local shops, schools, businesses and universities have made to achieve York's Fairtrade status; acknowledges the consistent work that York Fair Trade Forum—a voluntary organisation helping to sustain York's Fairtrade city status and create awareness in communities throughout York—does to make people more aware of Fairtrade and to support it; highlights the city's awareness and value of ensuring sustainable development for farmers and other producers globally; notes that more still needs to be achieved to create fairness for developing workers across the globe; and looks forward to many more decades of Fairtrade support and awareness in York and elsewhere in the UK.
1193 WORLD SOCIAL WORK DAY 2014 17:3:14
20That this House notes World Social Work Day on 18 March 2014; recognises social work as a global profession; and commends social workers across the UK for their dedication and hard work with some of the most vulnerable people in society.
1194 BAHRAIN FORMULA ONE GP 2014 17:3:14
21That this House opposes the staging of the 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix due to ongoing human rights violations in that country; notes that Human Rights Watch's 2014 World Report highlighted that Bahrain's human rights record regressed in key areas in 2013 drawing particular attention to arbitrary detention, ill-treatment and torture of activists, prosecution and harassment of government critics and a failure to hold those guilty of human rights abuses to account; expresses deep concern that in previous years Bahrain has implemented a severe crackdown before and during the Grand Prix, restricting freedom of movement of persons in the country, detaining and deporting foreign journalists and conducting mass arbitrary detentions in towns close to the Formula 1 circuit; recalls with concern that previous Grand Prix have coincided with the extrajudicial killing of protester Salah Abbas in 2012 and the arbitrary imprisonment and alleged sexual abuse in custody of protester Rihanna al Mousawi in 2013; further expresses disappointment at the continued failure to hold security forces to account for these abuses, as well as the arrest, detention and torture of 27 employees of the Bahrain International Circuit in 2011; and urges the Government to make strong representations to try and prevent the 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix from going ahead.
1195 COMMEMORATION OF THE FALLEN IRISH MEN AND WOMEN OF THE GREAT WAR 18:3:14
4That this House supports and encourages initiatives to promote peace in Ireland and further develop the warm and friendly relations between Britain, Northern Ireland and the Republic of recent years by commemorating the men and women from the Island of Ireland who lost their lives during the First World War; recognises the achievements of the Journey of Reconciliation Trust under the leadership of Glen Barr, OBE, from Northern Ireland and Paddy Harte, honorary OBE, from the Republic of Ireland in inspiring the Island of Ireland Peace Park at Messines, Belgium, in the Ypres salient where the 16th (Irish) and the 36th (Ulster) Divisions fought side by side in June 1917 during the battle for the Messines Ridge; and is encouraged by the positive discussions with the government of the Irish Republic to ensure that the heroism and sacrifice of Irishmen awarded the Victoria Cross during the Great War is remembered with the laying of commemorative paving stones in their home counties in the Irish Republic.
1196 SIX NATIONS RUGBY 18:3:14
4That this House congratulates the Ireland rugby team on its marvellous victory in winning the 2014 Six Nations Championship; and notes the combined strength of the Ireland team in its make up of team members from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
1197 DEPARTMENT OF WORK AND PENSIONS POLICY ON SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS 18:3:14
8That this House is concerned about the shift in the policy of the Department for Work and Pensions requiring deaf people in receipt of Access to Work funds to employ a full-time salaried support worker to enable them to bridge the gap which inhibits their abilities to participate equally in the job market; is worried that this approach will probably lead to other severe problems for deaf people in work where sign language interpreters are required; and calls on the Government immediately to reverse this strategy and instead discuss a better way forward with deaf organisations.
1198 LEGAL AID SPENDING 18:3:14
7That this House notes the need to make savings in the Ministry of Justice's budget; is concerned by the overwhelmingly critical response to the Government's proposals for legal aid, and the impact those proposals will have on access to justice, the integrity of the justice system and the survival of high street solicitors and the independent Bar; and calls on the Government to work with the professions to find alternative savings.
1199 DRAFT NATIONAL INSITUTE FOR HEALTH AND CARE EXCELLENCE GUIDANCE FOR THE USE OF ENZALUTAMIDE 18:3:14
4That this House notes with concern that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued a draft recommendation which will limit the use of the drug enzalutamide, a life extending treatment for men in the final stages of prostate cancer, only to those men who have not received another drug called abiraterone; further notes with concern that this decision will result in men having no other options on the NHS; is aware that prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, that 36,566 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and that 10,000 men die from the disease in England and Wales every year; further notes that there is no way for clinicians to tell which treatment - enzalutamide or abiraterone - will work best for men, making it important for both treatment options to be available to men without this restriction; calls on the Government to ensure that men with prostate cancer are able to access both cancer drugs to treat their health condition and to help prolong their life; and further calls on NICE to reconsider its draft decision and recommend enzalutamide as an alternative treatment to abiraterone, if their clinicians prescribe it.
1200 PARDON FOR ALAN TURING 18:3:14
1That this House welcomes the long overdue pardon of Alan Turing, the man revered for his vital contribution to Britain's war effort by inventing the machine that broke the Enigma code and who received a criminal conviction for having a sexual relationship with another man; deplores the fact he was forced to take oestrogen therapy or be sent to prison if he did not comply; expresses sorrow that he went on to take his own life as a result; further notes that there were 75,895 other gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people who were unfairly convicted for similar offences; and calls on the Government to ensure that they too receive pardons.