Session 2014-15
House of Commons
5th September 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
277 GOVERNMENT POLICY ON DERELICT AND ABANDONED BUILDINGS 21:7:14
17That this House recognises the devastating effect that derelict and abandoned buildings can have on a community, both commercially and on its landscape; notes that such sites can pose a serious health and safety risk, especially as an attraction to homeless and younger people; further notes the effect of land banking as a barrier to regeneration and to sustainable development; and calls on the Government to bring forward legislative proposals to allow local planning authorities to tackle sites in their communities including allowing an administration charge to be levied against property owners to cover costs of safeguarding and assessing the site and to introduce a land value tax on vacant sites, similar to that already imposed in Denmark and discussed in the Barker Review 2003, in line with the value of business rates which would be payable if a permitted development had already taken place.
284 DEATHS OF PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS 22:7:14
33That this House notes the widespread cross-party questioning of Israel's wholly disproportionate and brutal attack on the Palestinian people of Gaza as expressed in the Chamber on 21 July 2014; further notes that thousands of people marched in protest in London at this attack on 19 July 2014; further notes that an even greater number will attend another demonstration on 26 July 2014; further notes the Gaza weekend death toll of more than 150 Palestinians with a disproportionate number of women and children; further notes the repetitive Israeli media spin about targeting militants; acknowledges the strength of character of Palestinians and their medical workers including Dr Mads Gilbert who describes the situation vividly, 'the rivers of blood will keep running the coming night' and who calls upon leaders to spend 'just one night' in Gaza which would 'change history'; and calls on the Government to do everything in its power to end the slaughter of the Palestinian people.
285 70th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BURMA CAMPAIGN 22:7:14
56That this House recognises with respect and gratitude all who fought in the war in Burma 70 years ago; notes that this was the longest land campaign of the Second World War; salutes the memory of nearly 40,000 British and Commonwealth Service personnel who died in the fighting, as well as the thousands more killed in captivity; and commends the work of The Not Forgotten Association, a tri-service charity for the wounded in keeping alive the memory of such sacrifices.
289 NATIONAL ROAD VICTIM MONTH 22:7:14
18That this House commends the national road safety charity RoadPeace for organising National Road Victim Month every August to remember those killed or injured on our roads; notes that August is a particularly poignant month since the first person ever killed in the UK by a car, Bridget Driscoll, died on 17 August 1896; further notes that there is an increased risk of children being injured or killed while on holiday from school and encourages increased caution; further notes that, according to Department for Transport figures for the year ending June 2013, there were 1,730 deaths and a further 21,800 serious injuries on UK roads; therefore supports the Secretary of State for Justice in launching a full review of all driving offences and penalties and announcing tougher punishments; and calls on the Government to go even further and suspend licences of those on bail for criminal driving offences, ensure driving bans do not run concurrently with prison sentences, and bring forward proposals to create a new offence for drug driving.
294 TUITION FEES AND THE FUNDING OF EDUCATION 22:7:14
19That this House notes the introduction and rapid increase in tuition fees in further and higher education since 1998 and acknowledges with concern the findings of the Third Report of the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee session 2014-15, on Student Loans; further notes that tuition fees and associated marketisation have decisively failed to create a sustainable funding system for universities; further notes that, in order to fund tution fees, the Government can now expect to loan in excess of £10 billion per year, much of which it will never recover; further notes the extreme negative impact of fees and privatisation on the stability of universities and colleges, access to education, student poverty and the conditions of academic and other staff; further notes that the number of people studying part-time has dropped by 40 per cent since the tripling of home undergraduate tuition fees in 2010; further notes that tuition fees no longer exist in Germany; believes that the choice being presented to the public, between an inaccessible and debt-driven market and a free system open only to a social elite, is no choice at all; believes further that progressive taxation is the only fair and workable way to fund education; supports the conclusions of the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee's report that an overhaul of the system is needed; calls for an urgent review of education funding led by those who work and study in education; and further calls for the abolition of all tuition fees in further and higher education.
295 APPOINTMENT OF CLERK OF THE HOUSE 1:9:14
82That this House believes that the recommendation of Ms Carol Mills to be Clerk of this House should be subject to, and contingent upon, a pre-appointment hearing and report by a select committee.
297 DR ELIZABETH GARRETT ANDERSON AND WOMEN IN SCIENCE 1:9:14
19That this House commends the contribution to medical science by Elizabeth Garrett Anderson who was born in London in 1836; notes that in 1865, Dr Anderson was the first Englishwoman to qualify as a doctor after passing the Society of Apothecaries' examinations; praises Dr Anderson's work in 1866 to establish a dispensary for women in London; further notes that in 1870 Dr Anderson was made a visiting physician to the East London Hospital and in 1872 she founded the New Hospital for Women in London, which was staffed entirely by women; further notes that Dr Anderson helped found the London School of Medicine for Women in 1874 and was appointed dean in 1883; further notes that because of Dr Anderson's pioneering work an Act was passed in 1876 that permitted women to enter medical professions; further notes that during her retirement in Aldeburgh in Suffolk, Dr Anderson became the first female mayor in England in 1908; and calls on the Government to ensure that young women are encouraged to pursue careers in science.
299 NATIONAL PARKS WEEK 2014 1:9:14
13That this House welcomes National Parks Week 2014, running from 28 July to 3 August; sees the UK's national parks as valuable assets to the UK which are enjoyed by millions of visitors each year from all corners of the globe, as well as local British people; celebrates the diverse and varying environments found in our national parks; notes that they are havens for wild flora and fauna, have breath-taking scenery, contain thousands of years of historical heritage and represent opportunities for education, exercise, cultural enrichment, physical and mental peace and spiritual activity and a home for thousands of businesses; further notes that businesses in the national parks make a significant contribution to the British economy and break new ground with environmentally sustainable business practices and technologies; and recognises the hard work that thousands of people undertake to make our national parks a success, including farmers, business people, local residents, national park authorities, tourists and environmentalists.
300 NATIONAL GALLERY'S VISITOR SERVICES AND SECURITY 1:9:14
12That this House commends the knowledge, experience and dedication of the visitor and security services staff at the National Gallery; is concerned that the National Gallery is privatising up to 400 of its staff; does not support the decision to use a private company to manage services that include ticketing, security and information; notes in the past when front-line services have been privatised, experienced staff have left and that new staff have not had the knowledge nor training to provide the same standard of experience; believes that visitor and security services should remain in-house to ensure that world-famous art can be viewed and enjoyed by the public in an educational environment; and calls on the Government to ensure that funding is in place so valuable skills and knowledge of the current staff are not lost.
302 MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY TREAT ME RIGHT CAMPAIGN 1:9:14
27That this House commends the Multiple Sclerosis Society for organising the Treat Me Right campaign; supports the campaign and believes that all licensed multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments should be available on the NHS making everyone eligible for them; notes that people with MS should have fair and equal access to the right treatments at the right time; further supports the goal that all people with relapsing remitting MS should be invited to talk with a specialist about their treatment, in light of new disease modifying drug options in 2014; agrees that accessible information about treatment options, and support to be equal partners in decision-making, should be available to all people with MS; further notes that this year marks a potential revolution in MS treatments for relapsing remitting MS due to the now nine MS drugs approved for use on the NHS; further notes that up to 80 per cent of people with MS retire within 15 years of diagnosis, severely shortening the working lives of young adults and incurring costs to the labour market and economy; and states that there are more than 100,000 people living with MS in the UK and that the Government needs to ensure that the NHS has the right treatment available as it can make a huge difference to their lives, helping control relapses and managing symptoms.
303 LATER LIFE AMBITIONS CAMPAIGN 1:9:14
30That this House welcomes the launch of the Later Life Ambitions campaign and supports its core aim of ensuring a fair, active life for pensioners; notes there are now more people in the UK aged 60 years and above than under 16 years, which will have enormous social and economic consequences for this country; further notes that over 10 million people alive in the UK today are expected to live to be 100 years old; calls on the Government and local authorities to do all they can to tackle the social and economic challenges facing older people and to ensure a positive, ambitious future for further generations; and acknowledges the work of Later Life Ambitions in raising awareness of older people's issues.
304 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ROYAL ANGLIAN REGIMENT 1:9:14
12That this House congratulates The Royal Anglian Regiment on the 50th anniversary of its formation on 1 September 1964 from the former County Regiments of Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire; declares its appreciation to former and current members of the Regiment for their service both at home and overseas; registers with approval that anniversary celebrations were held at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, on 31 August 2014 during which new Colours were presented by HRH the Duke of Gloucester, the Regiment's Colonel-in-Chief; and wishes The Royal Anglian Regiment continued success in the years ahead.
305 FAMAGUSTA 1:9:14
15That this House supports the immediate return of the city of Famagusta to its lawful citizens, displaced following the invasion of Cyprus in 1974, in advance of any comprehensive solution being found to the country's illegal occupation of parts of the island by Turkey; and believes that such a confidence-building measure, which is supported by the United Nations, would act as a bridge towards the securing of a united Cyprus which would then help to bring political, economic and social cohesion to the whole country and its people who range from all this country’s ethnic backgrounds.
306 STATUTORY DUTY - FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICES 2:9:14
14That this House is concerned that there currently doesn't exist a statutory duty upon fire and rescue services to respond to incidents of severe flooding in the UK; is aware however that rescue authorities have the power to respond when required under Part 1, section 2 of the Fire and Rescue Act 2004, to protect citizens from serious harm during flooding when circumstances deem it necessary; believes that a more co-ordinated and professional approach to this issue needs to be established using fire and rescue authorities' abilities to deploy skilled personnel via their integral command and control functions, to co-ordinate and respond to any rescue or preventative phases of flooding, threats and incidents; and accordingly calls on the Government to take the necessary steps to bring forward proposals for such a statutory duty within the existing capacity of this most important public service.
308 TREATMENT OF IRAQI MINORITIES BY THE ISLAMIC STATE 2:9:14
24That this House is extremely concerned about the genocidal campaign being waged against minorities in Iraq by the Islamic State (IS) and notes with alarm the evidence recently collected by Amnesty International about IS's brutal campaign to obliterate all trace of non-Arabs and non-Sunni Muslims that has turned the area into blood-soaked killing fields; is shocked by the barbaric treatment of Yazidi and other ethnic and religious minority women kidnapped by IS, particularly reports of women being reportedly gang-raped and sold into sexual slavery; calls on the Government and the international community to take further measures to help secure the release of those held by IS and to assist those at imminent risk of being captured and those facing extreme hardship in refugee camps in Iraq and Syria, including offering to resettle the most vulnerable; and further calls on the Government and the international community to assist in collecting and preserving evidence of these atrocities so that the perpetrators can ultimately be brought to justice.
309 WOMEN'S AID SAVE OUR SERVICES CAMPAIGN 2:9:14
16That this House welcomes the launch of the Women's Aid SOS Campaign: Save Our Services: save refuges, save lives; recognises that specialist domestic violence refuges are life-saving services; acknowledges this national network of services in England is facing a crisis due to funding cuts and poor local commissioning decisions; further welcomes the aim of the SOS Campaign to protect the national network of specialist refuges and commit to exploring a new funding model for these services; acknowledges that a recent YouGov poll shows that 61 per cent of the population think that the Government should do more to preserve the national network of specialist domestic violence refuges for women and children; and calls on hon. Members to support the campaign by meeting with their local specialist refuge, signing the SOS campaign petition and supporting the protection of funding for the national network of life-saving refuges.
310 INTERNATIONAL ACTION AGAINST GENOCIDE 2:9:14
20That this House welcomes the powerful appeal by the UK Kurdish Genocide Task Force, a group that includes legal and academic experts and hon. Members, for signatories to the 1948 Genocide Convention and Member States of the United Nations to act to end, prosecute and punish acts of genocide and crimes against humanity against Yezidi Kurds, Assyrian Christians, Shabaks and Kakayis committed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS); endorses the need for a fact-finding commission of experts to collect eye-witness evidence and prepare a timely record to establish whether the prima facie evidence justifies the international recognition of the above-mentioned acts as genocide and/or crimes against humanity and prosecution of those responsible; notes that the Kurdistan Regional Government is willing to share all evidence in its possession and to provide all assistance within its capability to such a fact-finding commission; believes that the United Nations Security Council should pass a resolution referring the acts committed by ISIS as a new situation to the International Criminal Court; further notes that the international law principle of the Responsibility to Protect obliges individual states and the international community to take effective measures to prevent the commission of genocide and crimes against humanity, if necessary by appropriate military intervention or support of the local forces combating ISIS; and urges the Government to join with others in pursuing these matters with alacrity.
311 UNITE UNION NHS CAMPAIGN 2:9:14
2That this House notes that 'No NHS sell off' or the 'people's NHS' are in fact a front for Unite the Union; further notes that the Unite Union's Social Media Co-ordinator, Andrew Tobert is running the campaign from London; further notes that the campaign being run in Morecambe and Lunesdale is fictitious and the hospital pharmacy is not being privatised and the Trans-Atlantic Trade Partnership will not affect the NHS; and deplores Unite for misleading citizens of the UK.
312 GOVERNMENT POLICY ON CLIMATE CHANGE 3:9:14
10That this House urges the Prime Minister to attend the United Nations meeting of heads of state in New York in September 2014 to discuss climate change; supports the mobilisations and marches to be held on 21 September around the world to demonstrate the groundswell of demand that exists for ambitious climate action; and thanks all of the organisations involved in the mobilisation for bringing people's attention to this important matter.
313 UK ARMS EXPORTS TO ISRAEL 3:9:14
5That this House notes with concern that, despite Government commitments to keep all weapons export licences under review and despite the recent deaths of more than 2,000 civilians in Gaza, the UK is still permitting arms exports to Israel; further notes that the UK has licensed more than £40 million worth of military exports to Israel since 2010, including components used for drones, bombs and targeting systems; condemns the UK's long history of exporting arms to regimes which use them against their own citizens to suppress dissent and calls for democracy, or for external aggression; further notes that the laser guidance systems of Paveway II bombs - which were used against hospitals, schools and UN refuges in Gaza in the recent conflict - were produced in a factory in Fife, Scotland; further notes estimates that more than 50,000 such bombs have been dropped on Gaza since 8 July 2014; observes that under UK arms export rules, the UK may not issue an export licence for equipment that will be used for internal oppression; further notes with concern that the Ministry of Defence is currently working with Israel-based defence company Elbit Systems on a drone programme worth £1 billion; further condemns the Government's failure to withdraw any of the UK's 131 arms export licences to Israel; further calls on the Government to stop prioritising the profits of wealthy arms companies over human lives and global stability; and asks the Government to reconsider the UK's arms export policy to stop the use of UK-made weapons against civilians.
314 ALLEGATIONS OF WAR CRIMES AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY IN SRI LANKA 3:9:14
16That this House expresses its serious concern at the recent decision by the President of Sri Lanka to deny visas to the UN team investigating allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sri Lanka; condemns strongly the government of Sri Lanka's refusal to co-operate with the UN investigation or to heed the concerns of the international community on accountability and reconciliation; calls into question the timing and credibility of the President of Sri Lanka's decision to expand the mandate of the domestic Commission of Inquiry on Disappearances and to appoint a council of international legal experts to advise the Commission on war crimes allegations; notes the poor history of Sri Lanka's domestic commissions of inquiry to adequately investigate cases of human rights violations; further notes that the actions of the government of Sri Lanka continue to undermine the accountability and reconciliation processes in the country; urges the Government to reaffirm its strong support for the UN-mandated investigation and to condemn the President's denial of visas to the UN team; and calls on Commonwealth member countries, including the UK, to move to suspend the President of Sri Lanka from his position as Chairperson-in-Office of the Commonwealth, given his government is in clear breach of the values and precepts of the association.
315 MIGRAINE AWARENESS WEEK 3:9:14
14That this House endorses Migraine Awareness Week from 7 to 13 September 2014; and supports the work of the Migraine Trust charity to encourage more people to learn about migraines and to seek medical support and assistance.
316 YOUNG WITNESS SERVICE 3:9:14
14That this House congratulates and commends the NSPCC Young Witness Service launched in Northern Ireland to assist witnesses under 18 years and their families at times of great stress; further commends the service to all young people; and encourages the Government to ensure that this service is rolled-out across the whole of the UK.
317 WINNERS OF RUGBY FOOTBALL LEAGUE NATIONAL CHAMPION SCHOOLS COMPETITION 3:9:14
3That this House recognises the achievement of the schools and players that took part in the finals of the Rugby Football League's National Champion Schools Competition over the course of the Challenge Cup weekend; further recognises the competition as the largest rugby tournament in the world with over 1,200 teams and 20,000 participants involved annually; believes this demonstrates the enormous hard work and talent involved from all finalists; congratulates the winners Castleford Academy, Sirius Academy, South Holderness High School, Leigh Academy (Kent), Dowdales High School and Settle College; and is confident that with such talented players, dedicated coaches and staff, and parents and volunteers, rugby league in schools is in a very positive position.
318 DUCHENNE AWARENESS DAY 3:9:14
16That this House acknowledges the first World Duchenne Awareness Day taking place on 7 September 2014; recognises the efforts of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign and other Duchenne charities and support groups to highlight the need for Duchenne research, improved healthcare and independent living across the UK; notes the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign's leading role in fundraising for vital Duchenne research through its Duchenne Research Breakthrough Fund and Duchenne Forum initiative; further notes the new Fast Forward campaign launched by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign calling for faster access to specialist treatments for muscle-wasting conditions which become available; acknowledges the work of the Trailblazers young campaigners network in promoting and enabling a better quality of life and independent living for young men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy; calls on the NHS to meet the required standards of care for more than 2,500 boys and young men in the UK with Duchenne muscular dystrophy through NHS neuromuscular service specifications; and urges the Government to ensure that people affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy have rapid access to emerging treatments which are safe and effective.
320 INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL FOR BUSINESS 4:9:14
8That this House recognises the great success of the International Festival for Business 2014, hosted by Liverpool and the City Region on behalf of the UK as a whole; notes that 75,000 business delegates took part in more than 400 events, making it the largest business festival in the world this year; further notes the very positive feedback that has been received so far from participants and partners; looks forward to the completion and publication of the Interim Evaluation Report this November, exploring the Festival's impact on the economy; commends the Mayor of Liverpool, Liverpool City Council, Liverpool Vision and partners for their excellent work in delivering it; and further looks forward to seeing the plans for the International Festival for Business 2016, which will once again be staged in Liverpool and the City Region.