Session 2013-14
House of Commons
1st April 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
1130 TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT (S. I., 2014, No. 16) 28:2:14
52That 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.
1214 RELEASE OF SAKINEH MOHAMMADI ASHTIANI 24:3:14
27That this House welcomes the release of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani from prison in Iran; notes that Mrs Ashtiani was sentenced to death by stoning after being convicted of adultery in 2006; further notes the Early Day Motion tabled on 19 July 2010 to raise awareness of Mrs Ashtiani's case; further notes that her case was suspended in 2010 after international pressure, including a letter to the President of Iran signed by 119 hon. Members, ultimately reducing her sentence to 10 years; welcomes the news that Sakineh Ashtiani has been allowed to leave prison; further notes the Prime Minister's involvement in raising the case of Mrs Ashtiani with the Iranian government; calls on the Government to urge the Iranian government to review other cases where women have been convicted of adultery; and further calls on the Government to put pressure on the Iranian government to outlaw the practice of stoning and other forms of the death penalty, flogging or imprisonment for those convicted of adultery, a violation of the Declaration of Human Rights to which Iran is a signatory.
1215 CONGRATULATIONS TO WILLIAM CAMPBELL-TAYLOR 24:3:14
20That this House congratulates William Campbell-Taylor for becoming the first ever Labour councillor elected to the City of London local authority; and wishes him well in his aim of using the ancient institutions of the City for the common good.
1216 CUTS TO THE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE 24:3:14
39That this House recognises that cuts to the Fire and Rescue Service put the public at risk; is concerned at the detrimental impact upon 999 response times; notes that the Fire and Rescue Service costs less than £1 per week per adult, which represents exceptional value for money; and calls on the Government to halt any further cuts and ensure sustained investment for the Fire and Rescue Service.
1217 USE OF CHEQUES 24:3:14
28That this House calls for cheques to be accepted by all suitable establishments, including banks, energy companies, utility companies, shops and public bodies; highlights that plans to abolish the cheque in 2018 were scrapped following mass support for the cheque; notes that cheques are the favoured legal tender for many people, the majority of whom are overwhelmingly pensioners; further notes the increasing incidence of businesses refusing to accept the cheque as payment for services; questions the rationale of saving the cheque as a method of legal tender if people are denied the right to use it in many establishments; further notes that establishments refusing to accept cheques make the lives of those who wish to pay by cheque much harder; reminds large establishments that they serve their customers, not the other way around; celebrates that cheques are in some circumstances the safest method of payment; suggests that the use of cheques could be subject to a minimum spend requirement as debit and credit cards are in many establishments; and calls on the Government to work with the Payments Council to undertake a review into possible methods of protecting customers' rights to use cheques in appropriate circumstances.
1219 HUNTING BAN 24:3:14
25That this House notes with great concern that the Government is considering amending the Hunting Act 2004 by eliminating the restrictions on the number of dogs which may be used to help farmers shoot foxes; is concerned that any weakening of the Hunting Act could permit fox hunting for sport to resume; further notes that there is great public opposition to allowing fox hunting to take place in the UK; further notes that there is no evidence suggesting foxes are a significant cause of missing livestock; urges the Government to listen to the voices of the vast majority of people in the UK who are opposed to blood sports; believes that if the Government does want to relax the ban, the proper way to go about this is through primary legislation rather than through a statutory instrument; further believes that a fox being torn apart by dogs should not be considered a sport; further urges the Government to ensure compliance with the existing legislation rather than attempting to weaken it; and further believes that deliberate cruelty to animals should have no place in this country.
1220 LEGAL AID AND ADVICE (S. I., 2014, No. 607) 24:3:14
34That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2014 (S.I., 2014, No. 607), dated 12 March 2014, a copy of which was laid before this House on 14 March, be annulled.
1222 SKILLS AND EMPLOYMENT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 24:3:14
25That this House calls on the Government to ensure that young people are fully prepared throughout their education to enter the job market; notes with concern the large number of young people who lack basic skills; further notes the recommendations from the British Chambers of Commerce Skills Manifesto, for schools, businesses, chambers and local bodies to work together to ensure young people are granted the most opportunities for employment; and urges a greater development of employability skills and careers education throughout the national curriculum.
1223 BARCLAYS AND TAX HAVENS IN AFRICA 24:3:14
30That this House notes the negative impact of tax havens and tax avoidance generally on developing African countries; believes that a reliable and robust tax regime is essential for the provision of services and amenities to developing communities and that local tax avoidance in such communities only further increases the likelihood of certain countries having to depend on foreign aid provided by taxpayers in nations such as the UK; acknowledges therefore the disadvantage suffered by certain developing countries as a result of Barclays Bank's Offshore Corporate Division and its promotion of Mauritius as a way of channelling offshore investment into Africa; condemns the practice of encouraging offshore tax avoidance in those regions and recognises that, as the UK's most prominent bank in Africa, Barclays Bank has an obligation to reflect the moral economic attitudes of the Government and the British people; and calls on the Government to condemn these practices and on Barclays to live up to its own corporate responsibilities by closing down its Offshore Corporate Division, becoming more transparent by making a detailed tax strategy public and proving that any remaining activities in tax havens are not linked to tax avoidance, further proving that Barclays intends to play a positive role in Africa on tax by demonstrating that it is pursuing a constructive and fully transparent relationship with the relevant tax authorities, and supporting the development of strong local tax collection systems and strong on-shore finance sectors in the African countries in which it operates.
1225 2 SISTERS FOOD GROUP 25:3:14
13That this House notes with great concern the closure of Solway Foods' Corby site, owned by 2 Sisters Food Group, with the loss of approximately 900 jobs; regrets that management have referred to the site as unviable and refused to commit to the long-term future of the business in Corby, despite the council's offer of financial assistance with relocating to an upgraded facility elsewhere in the area; further notes that the redundancies follow on from around 2,400 redundancies at firms, including RF Brookes, Vion and Avana, forced to close within two years of their acquisition by 2 Sisters Food Group; believes that the company's owner and Chief Executive Mr Ranjit Singh Boparan appears deliberately to be undermining job security, pay and conditions of employees of the companies he has acquired; further notes that the overall turnover of 2 Sisters rose by 23 per cent last year to exceed £2.8 billion; and therefore supports members of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union in campaigning to defend their members and calls on management to enter meaningful negotiations to protect jobs in the industry.
1226 PUBLIC SERVICE PENSIONS (S. I., 2014, No. 525) 25:3:14
22That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Local Government Pension Scheme (Transitional Provisions, Savings and Amendment) Regulations 2014 (S.I., No 525) dated 5 March 2014, a copy of which was laid before this House on 10 March, be annulled.
1228 EDUCATION CENTRE, LONGTON 25:3:14
8That this House welcomes of opening of the new education centre in Longton for specialist provision of the charity Nacro of quality education and support for young people with complex educational and behavioural needs in Stoke-on-Trent and the surrounding area; believes that education and learning is the key to equip young people with the skills, motivation, aspiration and work-based opportunities for the support they need to move their lives on and away from crime; notes the positive impact the new education centre in Longton will have in reducing truancy and offending rates and the rehabilitation of young offenders; and supports Nacro in its specialist services and the development of service models for sector-wide improvement and to overcome the multiple barriers faced by young people when there is a rising number in Stoke-on-Trent who are not in education, employment or training.
1230 COMMUNITY ENERGY IN SUSSEX 27:3:14
5That this House welcomes the ambition in the Community Energy Strategy that by 2015 it will be the norm for communities to be offered the opportunity of some level of ownership of new, commercially-developed onshore renewable projects; believes that progress towards this should start immediately; applauds the large number of community energy schemes already operating, gaining a great deal of experience and expertise in installing locally-owned solar and wind generation; notes that there are at least six solar farm developments currently in the planning system in Sussex; supports the suggestion from Community Energy South and Brighton Energy Co-operative that planners require at least some degree of community ownership as a condition of planning for new solar farm developments; draws attention to the guide these organisations have produced that sets out how community groups, planners and developers can work together to enable community-ownership of local renewable energy assets; and urges local planners, councillors and Ministers to follow this guide and to do all they can to ensure community ownership fulfils its potential to offer not only a good return for local investors but also considerable local community funds that can be reinvested in community energy efficiency and local amenity enhancements.
1231 INCINERATION OF FOETAL REMAINS IN NHS HOSPITALS 31:3:14
8That this House is deeply concerned about recent reports of the incineration of foetal remains by NHS trusts, two of which were found to have burnt the bodies of aborted or miscarried foetuses and babies to generate power for heat; and calls on the Care Quality Commission to investigate fully UK hospitals to understand how widespread this practice has been.
1232 RANA PLAZA COMPENSATION 31:3:14
6That this House, mindful that 24 April 2014 will be the first anniversary of the tragic Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, and noting that the victims and their families have yet to be fully compensated, welcomes the launch on 24 March 2014 of the Rana Plaza Arrangement compensation fund negotiated under the auspices of the International Labour Organization by employers and unions in Bangladesh and globally and by the government of Bangladesh; urges companies sourcing from Bangladesh, and especially those sourcing from Rana Plaza, to make sufficient contributions to meet the £24 million target by 24 April 2014; and calls on the Government to encourage companies to do so.
1233 ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE REFORMS OF LEGAL AID 31:3:14
5That this House acknowledges that 1 April 2014 is the anniversary of the implementation of the reforms to civil legal aid; notes that since 1 April 2013 a range of civil and family issues have been removed from the scope of legal aid including debt advice, welfare benefits and private family law matters where no domestic violence can be proven to have taken place in the past two years; is concerned that due to the reforms of civil legal aid tens of thousands of families will no longer have access to justice and that this will have an entirely negative effect on the most vulnerable children in society; welcomes the campaign against cuts in legal aid organised by the Justice Alliance; further notes that the Family Courts Unions Parliamentary Group will host an event on the anniversary of these reforms in Parliament to hear from the professionals and staff working in the field first-hand accounts of the devastating effect they have had on the lives of children and families across the UK; and therefore calls on the Government to urgently address the serious concerns that have arisen since the start of implementation and review its entire programme of reform of civil legal aid.
1234 SAVE THE INDEPENDENT LIVING FUND 31:3:14
14That this House is deeply concerned by the plan to close, by June 2015, the Independent Living Fund (ILF) on which over 18,000 severely disabled people rely instead of being in residential care; questions the Government's rationale for local authorities taking over this funding given their higher overheads and squeezed budgets; notes that experts believe this financial pressure and loss of experienced ILF staff will mean current recipients will be placed in residential care or left at home without adequate care provision; further notes that many users will no longer be eligible for any local authority care funding because of tightening of eligibility criteria; is aware that the average cost of the ILF at £345 per week is less than half that of the average cost of residential care at £738 per week; is reminded that in November 2013 the Court of Appeal upheld a legal challenge to the Government's decision to close the ILF in March 2015, because the Department for Work and Pensions had breached equality duties; and urges the Government to respect its obligations under the UN Convention of the Rights of Disabled Persons by maintaining the ILF and reopening applications which were closed in 2010.
1235 PRIVATE AMBULANCE TRANSFER PROVIDER IN THE EAST MIDLANDS 1:4:14
1That this House notes that Arriva Transport Solutions has failed to meet key targets since it took over patient transfer to and from hospitals from East Midlands Ambulance Service in July 2012; is extremely concerned that more than 22 per cent of journeys are so late that patients miss their appointment time; is alarmed that the commercial general manager of Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals described this record as having a massive impact on the ability of hospital staff to carry out their jobs; and calls on the Government to hold a public inquiry into this failure of a private provider to perform an essential service and for ambulance transfer services to be brought back into efficient public ownership.
1236 NUISANCE CALLS ACTION PLAN 1:4:14
2That this House welcomes the publication of the Nuisance Calls Action Plan by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport; notes that the Action Plan sets out the actions being taken by Government, regulators, consumer groups and industry to tackle nuisance calls; further welcomes the news that the Government will consult on lowering the legal threshold for when firms can be fined for making nuisance calls; further welcomes the announcement by the Ministry of Justice that there are plans to impose fines of hundreds of thousands of pounds on claims management companies which use information gathered by unsolicited calls and texts and other bad practices; and calls on the Government to continue to work with regulators and industry to ensure that the measures set out in the Action Plan do tackle the plague of nuisance calls once and for all.
1237 IMPRISONMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYERS IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 1:4:14
2That this House expresses concern at the conviction and imprisonment of human rights lawyers Doctors Mohamed al-Mansoori and Mohamed al-Roken in the United Arab Emirates; notes with concern that both men have been sentenced to 10-year prison sentences after being convicted of 'plotting to seize power'; highlights the International Commission of Jurists has described both men's trial as 'manifestly unfair' and that Amnesty International defines the pair as prisoners of conscience; believes that Doctors Mohamed al-Mansoori and Mohamed al-Roken have been imprisoned simply for their work in defending human rights and representing activists in political trials; further believes that both men should be released immediately; and calls on the Government to put every diplomatic pressure on the government of the United Arab Emirates to secure this.
1238 PUB IS THE HUB AND THE BIG SOCIETY AWARD 1:4:14
2That this House congratulates the Pub is the Hub initiative in winning the Prime Minister's Big Society Award at the Publican Awards; commends the Prime Minister's decision in recognising Pub is the Hub with this award; welcomes the Department for Communities and Local Government's announcement of a further £20,000 of funding, in addition to existing £150,000 funding until 2015, to provide specialist advice to pubs and help diversify their services; recognises the fantastic work that the Pub is the Hub initiative does to help pubs in rural communities to stay at the heart of village life by providing additional services; further recognises that the Pub is the Hub initiative has worked with over 400 pubs across England and Wales; and wishes further success to this already fantastic initiative in the future.
1239 PETITIONS TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 1:4:14
1That this House notes that a group of parents, in conjunction with the association of McKenzie Friends, went from the UK to petition the European Parliament on 19 March 2014 about miscarriages of justice in the family courts in England and Wales; further notes that this included José and Carla Pedro, a Portuguese family living in Grantham, who were arrested on return; further notes that they saw this as an action to punish them for petitioning the European Parliament; further notes that a second petitioner Emyr Wyn Jones was prevented from having contact with his children because Carmarthenshire Council deliberately arranged a meeting to discuss contact at a time that they knew conflicted with his attendance at the European Parliament and had previously punished him by curtailing contact when he told his children he was going to the European Parliament; further notes that Article 5 of the 1688 Bill of Rights confirms the right of petition; and recognises that this should be read through to the European Parliament and is concerned that authorities in the UK appear to be taking actions to prevent people from complaining about the way the authorities are acting.
1240 CRIMINALISING EMOTIONAL ABUSE 1:4:14
1That this House notes the Government's suggestion of legislation to criminalise emotional abuse; further notes that the vast majority of emotional abuse cited in care proceedings relates to domestic violence between the parents; accepts that this does at times cause emotional trauma for children; further notes, however, that domestic violence is already criminal; further notes that it is already the case that some rape victims do have their children removed from them as a result of the rape; recognises that criminalising the emotional abuse that results from domestic violence would at times also criminalise the victims; and calls on the Government to be very careful not to criminalise the victim of domestic abuse if it decides to continue with proposals to criminalise emotional abuse.
1241 DEATHS OF MINERS IN THE WORLD WARS 1:4:14
2That this House pays tribute to the hundreds of miners who lost their lives in the two world wars; points out that the deaths of those, like the miners, in reserved occupations, have received no recognition; notes that September 2014 sees the centenary of the start of the First World War in which 165 men and boys lost their lives in the Yorkshire coalfield alone while in the Second World War a further 385 perished in Yorkshire; and believes that in recognition of their part in keeping the home fires burning and industry turning a fitting statue should be erected at the National Arboretum and that plaques bearing the names of those killed at work in those conflicts should be added to war memorials throughout the country so that families can pay their respects on Remembrance Day.
1242 SPORT ENGLAND AND THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION 1:4:14
1That this House believes there is no justification for Sport England providing £30 million in funding to the Football Association (FA) to develop grassroots football; points out that while welcoming the cut of £1.6 million in the grant, the FA has an annual income of over £300 million and presides over the richest football organisation in the world, the Premier League; further believes that senior football clubs, and principally those in the Premier League, have failed to properly invest in grassroots football; notes that the Premier League currently gives just 3.7 per cent of its annual turnover to amateur and non-senior football, some £45 million, and contrasts that with the wage bill of just one club, Manchester City, which last year spent £233 million on salaries; is convinced that the lack of sufficient local high-standard facilities is responsible both for the drop in numbers of those playing the amateur game and is hindering the development of young talent; and calls on the FA to ensure that the Premier League is made to double its annual contribution, joined by the Government, so that more people are playing the game, particularly young people, which can only benefit the clubs and the national team.
1243 PANORAMA AND THE MAYOR OF TOWER HAMLETS 1:4:14
1That this House believes that the recent Panorama programme about the Mayor of Tower Hamlets was petty, ill-informed and politically-motivated; queries how much of the licence fee was spent to produce a programme which alleged that the Mayor, as chief executive, had made an executive decision to move around £2 million in grants to organisations which have a Bangladeshi or Somali chair; points out that around £1.6 million of a £9.7 million programme goes to organisations with a Bengali or Somali chair, which is 16.5 per cent, while ethnic communities are over 35 per cent of the population; urges the BBC Trust to cast judgment on a programme which can only have been intended to influence the outcome of May's elections; and calls on the Communities Minister to make a statement to the House, rather than on television, which exonerates the Mayor.
1244 QATAR WORLD CUP AND MIGRANT WORKERS 1:4:14
17That this House commends the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians and Building & Woodworkers International for organising a mission to Qatar to draw attention to the appalling health and safety standards on construction sites to which migrant workers are subjected; welcomes the exposé by Kevin Maguire of the Daily Mirror, highlighting the labour camps where tens of thousands of migrant workers are forced to live in abject squalor in overcrowded, insanitary accommodation; condemns the endemic poverty pay where skilled migrant workers, such as carpenters, receive as little as 56 pence per hour; deplores the widespread practice by unscrupulous employers of withholding wages for many months leaving workers destitute and starving; is appalled that 1,200 migrant workers have been killed in Qatar since it was awarded the 2022 World Cup; deprecates the system of sponsored employment in Qatar, known as the Kafala system that denies workers freedom of movement and prevents workers leaving the country without the approval of their employer; regrets the Qatari authorities' refusal to ratify International Labour Organization conventions allowing freedom of association; and therefore calls on FIFA to put Qatar on notice that its right to host the 2022 World Cup will be removed unless action is taken within the next 12 months to stop the exploitation of migrant workers by ending the Kafala system, ensuring all migrant workers are covered by the standards contained in Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy Workers' Charter and allowing migrant workers to elect their own site committees and representatives.
1245 GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL 1:4:14
1That this House recognises the importance of grassroots football to communities; notes that participation in football promotes a healthy, active lifestyle, develops team work and builds lasting friendships among children; further notes with great concern the declining standards of pitches and facilities across the country and the hardships faced by local authorities to invest in grassroots football due to cuts in funding from central Government, often combined with higher charges to use pitches; further notes the huge success of the Premier League at home and around the world leading to soaring revenues and higher wages for players at the very top of the sport; and calls on the Government to work with the Football Association and Premier League to divert more funds from the Premier League into children's grassroots football by committing 7.5 per cent of money produced by domestic and international broadcasting rights, to guarantee the future of English football and to give every child the opportunity to participate in grassroots football.
1246 RAISING LITERACY LEVELS IN PRISONS 1:4:14
13That this House recognises the significant percentage of prisoners who have a basic literacy problem and for whom reading and writing are a massive barrier to rehabilitation and to future employment; believes that raising literacy levels and rehabilitation are linked and are enhanced by regular reading; and calls on the Government to reconsider its ban on books for prisoners.
1247 BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO AND PREVENTING HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN US TOBACCO FIELDS 1:4:14
19That this House, noting that Oxfam America and the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC), being an affiliate of the US equivalent of the TUC, have highlighted onerous conditions faced by migrant farm workers in the tobacco fields of North Carolina and the American South, including exploitation, long hours, child labour and other human rights abuses, that Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) is a major purchaser of the tobacco produced in those fields but refuses to grant freedom of association or worker representation to those workers and that British America Tobacco plc (BAT) is the largest shareholder and a major customer of RAI, holds that only when migrant farm workers have a recognised organisation will their complaints about their working and living conditions be effectively addressed; believes that BAT has a responsibility to ensure that its supply chain is free of human rights abuses and that FLOC's proposals to RAI can achieve that goal in the US; and therefore calls on BAT to use its influence with RAI to reach an agreement with FLOC forthwith.