Session 2013-14
House of Commons
6th May 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
1220 LEGAL AID AND ADVICE (S. I., 2014, No. 607) 24:3:14
50That 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.
1226 PUBLIC SERVICE PENSIONS (S. I., 2014, No. 525) 25:3:14
47That 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.
1290 TRADING STANDARDS 28:4:14
18That this House welcomes the Trading Standards Workforce Survey published by the National Trading Standards Board and the Trading Standards Institute (TSI); expresses concern at the cuts to local authority trading standards services of up to 86 per cent; recognises these cuts to trading standards put the public at risk of rogue traders, scams and unsafe products; believes that the Government has a duty to maintain adequate consumer protection in the UK and therefore agrees with the TSI that the National Audit Office should look at the system of consumer protection in its entirety including local enforcement when reviewing changes to the consumer landscape; and urges the Government to work with trading standards and local authorities to find solutions.
1291 GOVERNMENT PLANNING POLICY 28:4:14
9That this House shares the concerns expressed by Dame Helen Ghosh, the Director General of the National Trust, about the undue pressure that the Government is placing on local authorities in relation to planning developments and using greenfield rather than brownfield sites; notes the differing perspectives of the Department for Communities and Local Government and HM Treasury on this issue; is concerned that HM Treasury's view impacts adversely on local decision making because of its insistence on development regardless of local opposition; recognises the problems created by this ongoing argument on development across the country with local authorities being forced to take decisions contrary to their wishes and that of the constituents; and urges the Government to review the impact of its policy and involve external, independent persons in that review.
1292 CELEBRATING SCOUT COMMUNITY WEEK 28:4:14
19That this House extends its heartfelt thanks to scouts and their supporters across the country who will be taking part in Scout Community Week between 2 and 8 June 2014; acknowledges their commitment to working in a variety of ways to make a difference in their local communities; praises the work of groups like the 1st Blaydon Scout Group who are working in their community in activities as varied as litter-picking and weeding in streets and public places; and welcomes their involvement with other supportive groups like Sustrans, churches, schools and beavers and cubs groups in this vital work.
1293 PROFESSOR DAME JOCELYN BELL BURNELL AND WOMEN IN SCIENCE 28:4:14
15That this House commends the contribution to science by Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell; notes that she was born in Belfast in 1943; further notes that as a postgraduate student she discovered the first radio pulsars and was listed second on the paper announcing the discovery; further notes that her supervisor shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for this work; further notes that although she was not honoured by the Nobel Committee, numerous other organisations have honoured her for her discovery; further notes that Bell Burnell was the President of the Royal Astronomical Society from 2002 to 2004 and the first female President of the Institute of Physics from October 2008 to 2010; further notes that in February 2014 Bell Burnell was made President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the first woman to hold this position; and calls on the Government to ensure that young women are encouraged to pursue careers in science.
1294 SAFETY CONCERNS ABOUT POLYPROPYLENE MESH DEVICES 28:4:14
22That this House expresses concern at the serious adverse effects currently suffered by thousands of women due to complications from polypropylene transvaginal mesh (TVM) procedures; and informed by both domestic and international evidence, calls on the Department of Health to immediately initiate comprehensive independent research to evaluate the safety of mesh devices, to seriously consider the suspension of TVM implants pending the completion of such research, to introduce mandatory reporting of all adverse incidents by health professionals and work with devolved governments to set up a UK mesh implant register, to introduce fully informed consent with uniformity throughout devolved health boards and clinical commissioning groups and to use the Government's offices to lobby the MHRA to reclassify TVM devices to heightened alert status to reflect ongoing concerns.
1295 STEPHEN SUTTON 28:4:14
23That this House praises the truly inspiring fundraising efforts of Stephen Sutton; understands that Stephen was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer aged 15; considers it remarkable that, now aged 19, Stephen has managed to raise almost £3,000,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust; salutes Stephen's bravery and desire to help others; recognises that Stephen was awarded the Kids Count charity's Most Inspirational Young Person's Award in 2013; further praises Kids Count for raising the profile of young people who inspire others in a truly amazing way; and calls on the Department of Health to follow Stephen's example of doing what it can to improve the uptake of bowel cancer screening.
1297 CANONISATION OF POPES JOHN PAUL II AND JOHN XXIII 28:4:14
10That this House welcomes the historic decision of his Holiness Pope Francis to canonise two Popes, John Paul II and John XXIII, which took place in Rome on 23 April 2014; and notes that both Pontiffs were men of vision, hope and inspiration to millions of their followers in the Roman Catholic Church and millions of non-Catholics throughout the world.
1298 SUE TOWNSEND 28:4:14
13That this House is saddened to hear of the death of Sue Townsend; acknowledges her valuable contribution to literature not only in the UK but worldwide; admires her achievement in the sale of over 10 million books translated into around 48 languages worldwide; commends her for her creation of the character Adrian Mole which has come to be ingrained in the country's psyche; recognises the fact that she received an Honorary Master of Arts from Leicester University, was made a Distinguished Honorary Fellow of Leicester University and was awarded the Honorary Freedom of Leicester; and calls on the Government to do all it can to promote creative writing in the UK in honour of Sue Townsend.
1300 COLOMBIA AGRARIAN STRIKE 28:4:14
21That this House notes that campesino, indiginous and Afro-descendent sectors throughout Colombia have resumed a nationwide strike, because of the failure of the Colombian government to adhere to the commitments made following the agrarian strike in 2013; further notes that their demands include an end to the extractive model that concentrates land ownership, an end to legislation which makes the use of genetically modified seeds compulsory and guarantees which protect against the criminalisation and persecution of peaceful protests; is appalled that, during the first agrarian strike, reportedly 19 people were killed, 600 injured and dozens detained and imprisoned throughout the country, following indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks by the armed forces, police and riot squads; therefore urges the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to monitor the situation in Colombia closely to prevent a repeat of such human rights violations from occurring; and further urges the Government actively to consider every possible mechanism for the Colombian government to be held accountable for such violations, including reviewing the Free Trade Agreement between Colombia and the EU.
1301 WILD ANIMALS IN CIRCUSES 29:4:14
41That this House recalls that the backbench debate held on 23 June 2011 resulted in a unanimous direction to the Government to ban the use of wild animals in circuses by July 2012; notes that the Government has since published the Draft Wild Animals in Circuses Bill which has been scrutinised by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee; supports Animal Defenders International in its campaign to end the use of wild animals in circuses; and calls on the Government to reassert its commitment to ending this practice in the Queen's Speech and to introduce a Bill in Parliament before the Summer Recess.
1302 EUROPEAN PROTECTION FOR BEE POPULATIONS 29:4:14
23That this House commends the European Commission's efforts following the decision to temporarily ban the use of neonicotinoids to protect bee populations which play a vital role in supporting the ecosystem and human health through pollinating crops and other flora.
1303 ASTRAZENECA, PFIZER AND THE BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY 30:4:14
7That this House notes the proposed takeover of AstraZeneca by Pfizer, in what would be the largest ever takeover of a British firm; further notes that AstraZeneca employs nearly 7,000 people in the UK and accounts for more than two per cent of UK goods exports; expresses concern about the future employment in the UK of staff currently working for AstraZeneca, including at the existing sites in Macclesfield and Alderley Park and the planned global headquarters and research and development site in Cambridge; and calls on the Government to act as necessary to protect employment and skills in the UK, ensure that the development of the new headquarters in Cambridge continues as planned, with the associated infrastructure needs, and ensure that the UK continues to be a world-leader in science and pharmaceuticals research and development.
1304 NATIONAL WALKING MONTH 2014 30:4:14
15That this House recognises that walking can improve physical and mental health, provides opportunities for families to spend time together walking to school, encourages people to discover their local area, cuts carbon and can save people money; notes that the Living Streets National Walking month campaign takes place during May 2014 to inspire people to walk more; and calls on the Government to support Walk to School Week and Walk to Work Week, which encourage people of all ages to walk more when going about their daily activities.
1305 NEWBORN SCREENING FOR DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY 30:4:14
22That this House welcomes the report of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Muscular Dystrophy on newborn screening for Duchenne muscular dystrophy; acknowledges the support provided by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign in drawing attention to these important issues; notes that with potential treatments for the condition in or entering clinical trial, planning must begin now for a newborn screening programme; further notes the significant advances in genetic medicine that have taken place in recent years; and calls on the National Screening Committee to reflect these advances by updating its appraisal criteria for newborn screening programmes.
1307 PRIVATE COPYING COPYRIGHT EXCEPTION 30:4:14
9That this House notes that the Copyright and Rights in Performances (Personal Copies for Private Use) Regulations 2014 were laid before Parliament on 27 March 2014; further notes that this measure will mean that consumers can legally copy copyright material which they have lawfully acquired for their own private and personal use; observes that the Culture, Media and Sport Committee has stated that it is not convinced that a facility for private copying is factored into the purchase either of music or devices that store, play or copy it (Third Report, Supporting the creative economy, HC674, para 73); believes that the Government has not specified, as it is obliged to by international law, how musicians, composers, performers and creators will be fairly compensated under this proposal; is concerned that the accompanying impact assessment clearly states that the proposal will represent a transfer of value from rights-holders to the technology industry; acknowledges the economic power and cultural impact of the creative industries; and calls on the Government to withdraw these draft regulations and re-lay them in amended form to ensure that the creative content-producing sector does not suffer harm.
1308 ATTACKS ON CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES IN NIGERIA 30:4:14
16That this House calls on the Nigerian government to take immediate action to stop the relentless attacks on Christian communities that have seen thousands of people killed, Christian homes burned and many Christians' businesses looted and destroyed; notes the continuing silence and indecision of the Nigerian government over taking decisive action, which may be seen as encouragement to those carrying out these attacks; and calls for the Nigerian government to further investigate claims that there could well be some rogue elements in the security forces involved in the attacks.
1309 FRACTIONALS CAMPAIGN FOR FAIR PLAY 30:4:14
7That this House expresses its support for the Fractionals Campaign for Fair Play launched by the fractional staff at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London and supported by the SOAS University and College Union (UCU); notes with concern that fractional tutors and staff at SOAS are employed on temporary contracts which do not reflect the hours necessary to complete even the basic tasks required to teach classes with the result that typically fractional staff work more than twice the hours than their contracts estimate, with the consequence that their actual hourly pay often ranges below the London Living Wage; supports the call by the Fractionals Campaign for Fair Play to all graduate teaching assistants and teaching fellows to work to contract in protest at these conditions with the aim of securing fairer contracts which can guarantee a higher standard of education for students; and urges the management of SOAS to undertake serious and constructive negotiations with the union to address the issues raised by the campaign.
1310 AUTONOMOUS EMERGENCY BRAKING SYSTEMS 1:5:14
7That this House congratulates Thatcham Research for its Stop the Crash campaign to raise awareness about the safety benefits of autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems; notes the growing body of research that AEB reduces the occurrence of low speed crashes by around 20 per cent as well as being important in mitigating the effects of higher speed crashes; and welcomes the initiative taken by esure Group in offering motor insurance premium reductions to encourage people to purchase cars fitted with AEB as standard in order to support safety on UK roads.
1311 GLASGOW AIRPORT, FIRST SCOTTISH AIRPORT TO WELCOME THE A380 1:5:14
4That this House welcomes Glasgow Airport on becoming the first Scottish airport to welcome the A380, the world's largest commercial aircraft; notes that Emirates operated the one-off A380 flight to celebrate the tenth anniversary of its Glasgow to Dubai service which has carried over 2.4 million passengers since its launch on 10 April 2004; recognises this was a significant milestone in Scottish aviation history; believes the A380 service was yet another example of Emirates' commitment to Scotland following the introduction of a second daily flight in 2012; and welcomes the important contribution of Glasgow Airport to the economic success of Renfrewshire and Scotland.
1312 SCHOOLGIRLS IN NIGERIA 1:5:14
22That this House deplores the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls from the Government Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, north-eastern Nigeria on 14 April 2014; fears for their safety; welcomes the Foreign Secretary's condemnation of the attack on 16 April 2014; calls on the Government to support and encourage the efforts of the Nigerian authorities to locate the schoolgirls and bring about their safe return and to seek the engagement of the UN Women's Agency in support of the schoolgirls; and expresses solidarity and support for the right of every girl to receive an education.
1313 20 YEARS OF WOMEN PRIESTS 6:5:14
2That this House notes that the Church of England has celebrated 20 years since the first women were ordained as priests on 12 March 1994; congratulates the first 32 women who were ordained and led the way for many more women to follow them; welcomes the words of the Archbishop of Canterbury during a service at St Paul's Cathedral on Saturday 3 May 2014 that men and women are equally icons, witnesses, and vessels of Christ for the world; praises the progress that has been made, but also notes that there is still more work to do; and calls on the Government to encourage the Church of England's General Synod to bring in legislation for women bishops to be appointed.
1314 OUTSOURCING OF PARLIAMENT'S SEARCH AND SCREENING FUNCTIONS 6:5:14
4That this House values the dedication of House of Commons security staff who are employed by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS); recognises their professionalism and commitment every day to ensure that all those within Parliament are safe; is concerned by plans to outsource search and screening functions for the three main entrances of Parliament, which will affect around 150 staff, when the current contract expires in 2015; and urges the Clerk of the House and the Clerk of the Parliaments to reconsider their proposals and ensure all security functions continue to be carried out by employees of the MPS or by staff directly employed by Parliament.
CORRIGENDUM
In the Notices of Motions given on 1 May 2014, on page 2383, the name of Tracey Crouch should have appeared in support of Early Day Motion 1312, SCHOOLGIRLS IN NIGERIA.