Session 2014-15
House of Commons
15th December 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
454 PUBLIC SERVICE PENSIONS (S. I., 2014, No. 2848) 30:10:14
283That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Firefighters' Pension Scheme (England) Regulations 2014 (S.I., 2014, No. 2848), dated 23 October 2014, a copy of which was laid before this House on 28 October, be annulled.
572 EDUCATION (S. I., 2014, No. 2765) 27:11:14
29That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Education (Student Support) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 (S.I., 2014, No. 2765), dated 14 October 2014, a copy of which was laid before this House on 16 October, be annulled.
606 BRITISH SIGN LANGUAGE 8:12:14
16That this House welcomes the British Sign Language (Scotland) Bill which was introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 29 October 2014; recognises that the Bill promotes the use of British Sign Language (BSL) by requiring Scottish Ministers and relevant public authorities to prepare and publish BSL plans; further recognises that BSL is the preferred language of between 50,000 and 70,000 people within the UK and since 2003 has been recognised by the Government as an official minority language; and calls on the Government to bring forward similar proposals to raise awareness and promote BSL across the UK.
607 ACCESS TO DUODOPA FOR PEOPLE WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE 8:12:14
17That this House believes that people with Parkinson's disease should always have the full range of treatment options open to them; notes with concern that in England people with Parkinson's disease are currently unable to access Duodopa; recognises that Duodopa is a licensed and often life-changing treatment that can give people back their independence when all other treatment options have been exhausted; further recognises that, when people cannot access Duodopa, their health and care needs significantly increase, with significant cost implications; further recognises that the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group review of Duodopa has been characterised by delays and a lack of transparency; and calls on NHS England urgently to review the availability of Duodopa and take action to ensure that people are able to access the treatment.
608 DIABETES AND DEMENTIA 8:12:14
25That this House is deeply concerned by reports that diabetes is directly linked to early onset dementia; notes that evidence from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health demonstrates that uncontrolled diabetes ages the mind by five years, hastening the onset of dementia; further notes evidence that the risk of dementia is reduced through a healthy diet, exercise and controlled blood pressure; and calls on the Government to promote education programmes addressing the link between diabetes and dementia.
609 BAHRAIN BASE 8:12:14
22That this House is appalled that Britain has signed an agreement with the government of Bahrain to establish a permanent military base at Port Mina Salman in Bahrain; believes that this announcement will be deeply upsetting to all those who have suffered human rights abuses by the government of Bahrain and its officials, and will serve to send a message that the UK Government is not interested in justice, rule of law and reconciliation in Bahrain; notes the protests in Bahrain since the announcement was made; believes that the increased British military presence is likely to exacerbate tensions in the region; and calls on the UK Government to play a much more constructive role in Bahrain to help end, and ensure appropriate redress for, serious human rights violations, and to encourage meaningful dialogue leading to substantive political reform.
611 UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS DAY—IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS 10:12:14
9That this House congratulates those families who have brought the In Their Footsteps display to London on International Human Rights Day; notes the recent statement by the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights that budget cuts cannot be used as an excuse for not upholding the rule of law and also that by not conducting effective, independent and reasonably prompt investigations into killings by security forces in Ireland the Government is in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights; deplores the fact that the families of the victims of the conflict in Ireland, regardless of which organisation killed their loved one, continue to be denied justice; further notes the broad consensus surrounding the inadequacy of the current mechanisms for dealing with the past in Ireland; recognises the importance of the upcoming Coroner's Court inquests and those currently being undertaken; calls on the Government to ensure the adequate resourcing of the Coroner's Court in respect of legacy cases; and further calls on the Government to commit fully to the establishment of acceptable and effective mechanisms to deal with the past and the necessary financing of such mechanisms.
612 BUFFER ZONES AROUND ABORTION CLINICS AND PREGNANCY ADVISORY BUREAUX 10:12:14
6That this House notes with concern the recent escalation in anti-abortion activity targeted at women and staff attending abortion clinics and pregnancy advisory services; further notes that approaching and recording women and staff, alongside the distribution of misleading information and distressing images, intimidates women and jeopardises access to legal healthcare services; believes in upholding the right to peaceful protest; further believes that the right to peaceful protest should not interfere with the fundamental right for women to make individual reproductive choices; further notes that campaigns against women exercising their sexual health rights can continue without occupying the space immediately outside clinics; supports the British Pregnancy Advisory Service's Back Off campaign to implement buffer zones outside reproductive health clinics as a means of ensuring that women are not harassed or obstructed from accessing confidential advice and treatment; and calls on the Government to bring forward legislation to protect the rights of women to access lawful healthcare by enabling the introduction and implementation of buffer zones around clinics offering abortion and sexual health services.
613 KURDISTAN EMERGENCY APPEAL 10:12:14
11That this House warmly welcomes the Kurdistan Emergency Appeal launched by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) UK representation, the Kurdish community and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Kurdistan region; notes that the appeal for funds and goods, such as blankets, has been necessitated by the presence in Kurdistan, whose population is normally five million people, of about 1.5 million refugees and internally displaced people, most of whom arrived with nothing to their name; recognises that the KRG has sought urgently to provide shelter but this has been stymied by an Iraqi federal government decision this year to cut budget payments to the region, UN funding shortfalls and bureaucracy; is concerned that deaths will result from the coming cold winter and rains; and commends the appeal as allowing the British public and the Kurdish diaspora once again to contribute directly to relieving the plight of those escaping from the so-called Islamic State.
614 SUPPORTING CARERS 10:12:14
15That this House notes that there are an estimated 6.5 million carers across the UK; is seriously concerned that ongoing cuts to social care budgets are having a huge impact on the demands on individual carers; understands that if the estimated cost of unpaid care and support to ill, older or disabled people was paid by the state it could well be in excess of £100 billion; believes that it is unfair to expect these dedicated people to be forced into debt and financial hardship; and therefore calls on the present and future Governments to pledge to reform carers' benefits, stop cutting support to carers and protect vital support services from further cuts to prevent carer ill-health and isolation.
615 FINES AND COMPENSATION ENFORCEMENT 10:12:14
12That this House applauds the work of staff in the National Crime Enforcement Service who have continued to improve collection rates of fines and compensation set by the criminal courts despite cuts to staff; welcomes moves to give staff access to data held on defaulters by HM Revenue and Customs to help further improve collection rates; notes that it is not always possible to recover every debt due to insufficient information on the defaulter being available or because of their personal circumstances such as homelessness; is alarmed by reports from Citizens Advice Bureau regarding the behaviour of poorly regulated private bailiffs who fall short of public sector collection rates of 2013 and are only collecting 22.7 per cent of fines arising from distress warrants in full; is concerned that the Government is seeking to use uncollected fines as a reason for privatising this well performing public service; and urges the Government to scrap its plans to privatise under the Compliance and Enforcement Service Project.
616 CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS 10:12:14
21That this House notes the provisions of the Children and Families Act 2014 and in particular the legislation regarding children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities; further notes that there is wide variation between the interpretation and implementation of the reforms between local authorities, both in the funding arrangements for specialist education and in outcomes, and notes that this has resulted in young people with special educational needs and disabilities being denied appropriate independent advice and guidance, being pushed into inappropriate placements or excluded from education altogether; further notes that local authorities are both funders and commissioners and this situation can cause conflicting incentives; calls on the Government to publish stricter guidelines on how to adhere to this Act; calls for standardised delivery of local authorities' Local Offers; and further calls for regular analysis of the quality of the Local Offers and the independence of the guidance provided to young people.
617 PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS 11:12:14
6That this House condemns the persecution of Christians, particularly in the cities of Donetsk and Lugansk in Ukraine recently where some Christians have been killed or injured; and calls on all relevant authorities to help bring such persecution to an end.
618 PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALL CLUBS AND THE LIVING WAGE 11:12:14
44That this House notes that there are people carrying out vital jobs in Premier League football clubs who are paid less than the living wage; further notes that not one Premier League football club has signed up to become a living wage employer nor collected information on how many people working within their club might be on low pay; further notes that some Premier League football clubs choose to pay their players wages of up to £300,000 per week whilst the cleaners, catering staff and security guards working at the club are not paid enough to live on; believes that the Premier League should accept responsibility for ensuring all staff, either directly employed or outsourced, are paid a living wage; calls on the Premier League to immediately gather information on how many people carrying out jobs in Premier League football clubs are paid less than a living wage; and requests club supporters actively to campaign to that end.
619 PRIVATE HIRE CHARGES FOR WHEELCHAIR USERS 11:12:14
5That this House notes the important campaign led by People First Keighley and Craven, and Turning Point, to stop drivers of wheelchair-accessible private hire vehicles from charging extra to carry wheelchair users; and urges the Government to bring into force section 165 of the Equality Act 2010, which states that private hire firms which have vehicles that have been designated as accessible by a local authority must carry passengers in wheelchairs without making an additional charge.
620 REGISTRATION OF OFF-ROAD VEHICLES 11:12:14
3That this House calls on the Government to introduce a compulsory register of off-road vehicles; notes that Bradford has a high incidence of anti-social behaviour related to the use of off-road vehicles; acknowledges that quad bikes and dirt bikes are used as weapons to perform acts of anti-social behaviour; appreciates that it is almost impossible for the police to safely tackle inappropriate use of off-road vehicles; also notes that the police are unable to investigate such crimes without suitable identification markers on off-road vehicles being registered; further notes that there is currently a voluntary scheme for off-road vehicle owners to register their vehicles in case they are stolen; welcomes the hard work and dedication of West Yorkshire Police's Quad Squad who do a good job at attempting to tackle anti-social behaviour; also welcomes the argument that compulsory registration would enable the police to access more information in order to identify suspect bikes and make it significantly easier for the police to bring to justice those who are illegally riding their vehicles on public roads; celebrates the fact that this measure would reduce crime and increase safety in neighbourhoods and would encourage off-road vehicle users to use their vehicles legally and responsibly; and calls once again on the Government to introduce compulsory registration of off-road vehicles.
621 RENT CONTROLS 11:12:14
4That this House notes the spiralling cost of living in every place in Britain where there is a thriving jobs market, driven by the cost of land and housing; recognises that this has reached a crisis point for many renters; and calls for the Government to give local authorities and the Mayor of London powers to implement rent controls wherever they, accountable to local residents, feel it is the best solution to this crisis.
622 ECULIZUMAB AND aHUS PATIENTS 11:12:14
5That this House applauds the decision by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to recommend that the drug eculizumab be used for treating atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS); notes that this life-threatening disease affects around 200 people in England with 20 to 30 new patients diagnosed with the condition each year; and recognises that a petition of 30,000 signatures was presented to the House calling for the use of this drug.
623 OESOPHAGEAL CANCER WESTMINSTER CAMPAIGN 15:12:14
5That this House notes that the UK has the highest incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma in the world and that incidence is rising; further notes that there are over 8,000 people diagnosed with oesophageal cancer every year in the UK; acknowledges that the survival rate for oesophageal cancer is one of the worst of any cancer, with only 15 per cent survival after five years; further notes that diagnosis for the condition Barrett's oesophagus which can lead to oesophageal cancer is low and that public awareness of the significance of persistent heartburn as a risk factor is very low; welcomes the work of the Oesophageal Cancer Westminster Campaign, a campaign group of patient groups, clinical experts, industry and bereaved families; further welcomes the national Be Clear on Cancer campaign on oesophageal cancer; and calls for the Government and the Department of Health to regard the diagnosis and treatment of Barrett's oesophagus and oesophageal cancer as a national priority to save lives.
624 LANDLORD TENANT IMMIGRATION CHECKS 15:12:14
3That this House notes the introduction of the pilot scheme on 1 December 2014 of the requirement for private sector landlords to conduct immigration checks on their potential tenants; believes that the checks will lead to new fees from letting agents to all of Britain's nine million private tenants on moving to conduct these checks; further believes that almost no undocumented migrants will be caught as they will move into illegal tenancies and in doing so will create a new market for illegal and exploitative landlords; is concerned that the checks will encourage discrimination in the lettings process; further believes that it is morally objectionable to remove from any person access to shelter just as it would be to remove access to water or emergency medical care; and calls on the Government to abandon the scheme immediately.
625 BEER DUTY BUDGET 2015 15:12:14
9That this House welcomes the ending of the beer duty escalator and the positive impact of two successive beer duty cuts in the 2013 and 2014 Budgets in supporting the growth of Britain's breweries and underpinning confidence in the UK's pubs; notes that beer duty is now 13 per cent lower than under the tax rises previously planned, a tax reduction that has been popular with pubgoers, leading to an additional 16,000 jobs and in the first six months following the Budget an extra £44 million in investment; and urges the Government to consider a further cut in beer duty in the 2015 Budget which would secure pub jobs, help keep pub pints affordable and support Britain's much-loved pubs.
626 CENTRALISATION OF BRITISH VISA SERVICES IN INDIA AND BANGLADESH 15:12:14
5That this House is deeply concerned that visa decision-making in South Asia is being centralised at the risk of creating poorer service and less effective oversight; notes crucial regional visa hubs such as Mumbai and Dhaka are being downsized, with Mumbai's visa staff reduced from 70 to 20 despite receiving a similar volume of applications to New Delhi; further notes 323,575 visa applications were made in India alone in 2013; recognises the importance of these areas to the 1.4 million people of Indian origin and 300,000 people of Bangladeshi origin in the UK; considers it vital to maintain good relations with India and Bangladesh; and endorses the campaigns launched by Asian Voice and Curry Life Magazine and the two e-petitions to the UK Government which call on the Government to review these regrettable decisions.
627 ROYAL MAIL AND THE UNIVERSAL SERVICE OBLIGATION 15:12:14
6That this House notes with gratitude the work Royal Mail carries out all year round and particularly during the period leading up to Christmas; further notes that Royal Mail's competitors are unregulated and, consequently, free to choose what, when and where to deliver; expresses strong concern that companies such as Whistl, formerly TNT Post, regularly fail to deliver hundreds of items on a daily basis in each constituency because they are cherry picking which addresses they find convenient; further notes that this results in additional costs per item as undelivered items of mail are returned to Royal Mail to deliver; further notes that these practices put additional and unfair pressure on Royal Mail revenues, thereby undermining Royal Mail's ability to provide a six day per week service to every household in the UK, the Universal Service obligation; further expresses concern that Royal Mail's competitors frequently pay staff below the living wage and use disreputable employment practices such as zero hours contracts; and calls on Ofcom urgently to investigate this unacceptable situation and take appropriate action to enable Royal Mail to meet its Universal Service obligation.
628 STAFF AT SHELTER HOUSING CHARITY 15:12:14
1That this House supports workers at the housing charity Shelter in defending their terms and conditions and the service they provide to clients struggling with bad housing and homelessness; condemns the cuts to pay of up to £5,000 a year already implemented for new staff and threatened for existing staff which primarily affect the lowest-paid frontline service staff; disputes that Shelter must cut pay in order to compete for contracts; notes that the ability of staff to offer an excellent service is Shelter's strongest competitive advantage; further notes that cuts to pay will undermine Shelter's ability to recruit and retain the best staff; and calls on the management of Shelter to withdraw the proposals to cut pay for staff.
629 FOETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME 15:12:14
7That this House notes the proven link between alcohol ingested during pregnancy and a wide range of health defects affecting the child upon birth, including brain damage, heart, kidney and liver damage and developmental problems; commends the work of groups such as the FASD Trust and FAS Aware in raising awareness of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome; further notes that there is no clear evidence that points to a minimum safe amount of alcohol to consume during pregnancy; and calls for a holistic public health strategy focused on early intervention and encouraging no alcohol during pregnancy.
630 MINDFULNESS IN EDUCATION 15:12:14
15That this House notes that approximately one in 10 children between the ages of five to 16 years old suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder and that 75 per cent of mental disorders emerge before the age of 25 years, about 25 per cent before the age of 12 years; further notes that 40 per cent of teachers leave the profession within five years and that stress is the predominant reason cited for leaving the profession; further notes that where staff turnover is high, lack of stability is likely to have an impact on pupils' learning and the cost is significant; further notes that costs of mental ill health are set to double over the next 20 years and billions of pounds could be saved through emphasis on prevention and early intervention; recognises the solid evidence-base for the reliable impact of mindfulness for adults on many aspects of psychological and physical health and a growing body of work with school staff and young people, showing that mindfulness interventions can have significant impacts in terms of reduced stress, depression and anxiety, increased sense of control, better behaviour, increased social and emotional skills, cognitive skills and performance in terms of focus and attention; believes that all young people and those who work in education, should have access to mindfulness training; and further believes that a Government-funded mindfulness programme will constitute value for money as access will lead to children and school staff being less likely to access costly interventions later.
631 MINDFULNESS IN HEALTH 15:12:14
14That this House believes that all adults with a history of depression should have access to Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) because it halves risk of depressive relapse and can reduce health care utilisation and it is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); notes that despite NICE guidance access to MBCT for depression is very patchy and not available at all in some areas; highlights that prevention of depressive relapse through MBCT is particularly pertinent as up to 15 per cent of the population will experience depression during their lifetime; further notes that the World Health Organisation expects depression to be the second leading cause of disability worldwide by 2020; further notes that at least 50 per cent of people with a history of depression have more than one episode and depression costs the UK economy more than £9 billion a year in lost earnings; recognises that there is strong evidence for the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for other health conditions, in particular for reducing anxiety and depression for people living with cancer and for helping people to cope better with chronic pain; and calls on the Government to support increased availability to MBCT for people living with depression and to ensure further research funding is made available in areas where mindfulness-based interventions are showing promise for other long-term health conditions.
632 COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS ONLINE AND ELECTRICAL SAFETY 15:12:14
1That this House recognises the work of Electrical Safety First, a charity dedicated to preventing deaths, injuries and damage caused by electricity, to raise awareness of people being put at risk by a new trend in which thousands of potentially dangerous counterfeit products are out on sale on social media; notes that sales of illegal, fake goods on social media have increased by nearly 15 per cent in the last year; further notes that, in the past year, the percentage of counterfeit goods seized by authorities because they posed a threat to people's health and safety has doubled, with the number of mobile telephones seized for this reason increasing by over 50 per cent in the last year; further notes that counterfeit electrical products often contain faulty parts, causing electric shocks, overheating and the ability to catch fire contributing to nearly 6,000 house fires; and calls on the Government to assess and tackle the number of dangerous counterfeit electrical goods being sold on social media in the UK.