Session 2014-15
House of Commons
6th January 2015
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
623 OESOPHAGEAL CANCER WESTMINSTER CAMPAIGN 15:12:14
42That 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.
625 BEER DUTY BUDGET 2015 15:12:14
37That 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
28That 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
39That 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
22That 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
29That 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
46That 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
49That 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
32That 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.
633 DISTRIBUTION OF ASYLUM SEEKERS 16:12:14
7That this House believes that asylum seekers should be homed widely in the country to assist community assimilation and to share fairly the strains and burdens on services that newcomers create; is astonished that Cardiff has 976 section 95 migrants, double the total in all of South East England outside of London and that Newport has 391, while the constituency of the Home Secretary has one and those of the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Prime Minister have none; and calls on hon. Members to encourage their areas to accept their responsibilities and welcome at least the average total of migrants homed elsewhere.
634 DETENTION OF ANTI-SLAVERY CAMPAIGNERS IN MAURITANIA 16:12:14
36That this House is extremely concerned about the arrest and detention of high-profile anti-slavery campaigner and 2014 Presidential election runner-up, Biram Dah Abeid, and a number of campaigners and members of the Haratin minority in Mauritania engaged in peaceful protests against contemporary forms of slavery in the country in November and subsequently charged with multiple offences; is dismayed to hear allegations of the detainees' mistreatment, including sleep deprivation, denial of medical care and not being allowed family visits and of some detainees having been forced to sign false confessions; notes that Mauritania is consistently ranked as having the highest rate of slavery in the world, despite slavery being criminalised in 2007; and calls on the Government to raise these cases and related issues with the Mauritanian government and to work with its EU partners in the country to bring an end to slavery and landowners' exploitation of marginalised sections of society and to push for much needed land reforms.
635 BAKERS' ASTHMA 16:12:14
34That this House notes with concern that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reports that levels of work-related asthma could be ten times as prevalent as official figures would suggest; notes that for nearly a decade, bakers and flour confectioners, together with vehicle sprayers, have consistently been the occupations recording the highest number of newly-recorded cases each year; regrets that due to HSE funding cuts, regular inspections of small independent and craft bakeries do not take place; further notes the research of Professor Paul Cullinan of the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London which suggests that incidence of unreported bakers' asthma is particularly high in supermarket scratch bakeries; believes that major employers like supermarkets have a responsibility to work with experts in occupational health and trade union representatives to develop best practice in limiting exposure to flour, enzymes and other dusts; and calls on the Government to reverse cuts to the HSE's budget so that regular inspections can take place to ensure that workers are properly protected.
636 ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS (No. 2) 16:12:14
45That this House welcomes the Government commitment to allow animal experiment licences to be obtained under Freedom of Information Act rules and to end the use of animal experiments to test household product ingredients; notes that the former Home Office Minister, the hon. Member for Lewes, stated that these commitments were to take effect before the General Election; and urges the Home Secretary to proceed in this direction at the earliest opportunity.
637 FIFA ETHICS COMMITTEE REPORT INTO WORLD CUP BIDDING PROCESS 16:12:14
30That this House questions the findings of the FIFA Ethics Committee report into World Cup bidding; notes the objections to the report made by the chair of the investigation, Michael Garcia; expresses deep concerns at the failure to publish Michael Garcia's report in full; calls for this report and all related evidence to be published in full as a matter of urgency; further calls for the publication of the details of all those who refused to co-operate with Michael Garcia's investigation in full or in part; welcomes the decision to refer the matter to the Swiss prosecution authorities and calls for similar referrals to be made to all relevant national enforcement agencies; and believes that unless these actions are taken there will not merely be reputational damage but also potentially damage to the financial viability of FIFA and the international game.
638 REVEREND LIBBY LANE, FIRST WOMAN BISHOP 17:12:14
22That this House congratulates the Reverend Libby Lane, currently Vicar of St Peter's Hale and St Elizabeth's Ashley, on her appointment as Bishop of Stockport; and believes that her outstanding record of service to the community since her ordination in 1994 will stand her in good stead as the first woman bishop in the Church of England.
639 ACCESS TO TRANSLARNA THROUGH THE NHS 17:12:14
20That this House is deeply concerned at the decision of NHS England to halt its assessment of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy treatment, Translarna, whilst it reconsiders how it assesses new treatments; understands that Translarna, which received conditional approval from the European Commission (EC) in July 2014, is the first drug to treat an underlying genetic cause of Duchenne muscular dystrophy; notes that under the terms of the EC's conditional approval Translarna would be made available to boys whose Duchenne is caused by a nonsense mutation, who are over five and can still walk; further notes that NHS England has taken its decision at a very late stage of the assessment process; acknowledges the deep concern of families at this delay, who fear that it could prevent their sons from accessing Translarna before they lose the ability to walk; and joins the calls of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign for NHS England to take emergency steps to ensure that Translarna is made available to the children it could help by April 2015.
640 REPLACEMENT OF PACER TRAIN ROLLING STOCK 17:12:14
12That this House notes with concern that antiquated rolling stock, including Class 142 Pacer railbuses, is continuing to be used along Northern rail routes; recognises that these models fail to meet the safety, comfort and capacity standards applied to newer rolling stock, offering particularly inadequate protection in the event of a collision; believes that all passengers are entitled to expect a minimum level of quality for their rail fares; further notes that Pacer modification will not address the fundamental problems with these outdated carriage models; and, following the encouraging remarks of the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Autumn Statement 2014, calls on the Government to make the replacement of Pacer trains a requirement of all invitations to tender for the next Northern and Trans-Pennine Express rail franchises.
641 NATIONAL DEFENCE MEDAL 17:12:14
26That this House notes the significant personal sacrifice armed forces personnel make in their service to the nation once they take the oath or affirmation of allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen; acknowledges that ex-service personnel are proud to receive and wear Her Majesty's Veterans Badge, but notes that it is not awarded posthumously and it is considered by many to be insufficient recognition of the contribution veterans have made to the safety of the nation since the end of the Second World War; and therefore calls on the Government to rescind its decision not to recognise the veterans more appropriately by the award of a national defence medal and instead to establish a working group to work with the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals with a view to implementing a national defence medal as soon as possible.
642 HUMANITARIAN IMPACT OF TRIDENT AND NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY 17:12:14
19That this House welcomes the Government's attendance at the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons conference in Vienna on 8 to 9 December 2014; congratulates the Austrian government on its success in continuing to drive dialogue on nuclear weapons and the need for nuclear disarmament; and urges the Government to publish research on the effect of the detonation of a UK Trident warhead, as a contribution to a global dialogue on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons and for presentation at the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in April and May 2015.
643 ENDING COLD HOMES 17:12:14
29That this House welcomes the Ending Cold Homes: Affordable Warmth Manifesto launched by the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, an alliance of over 50 poverty, environmental and consumer groups, trade unions and other civil society organisations; supports the Manifesto's core aim of ending the misery of fuel poverty in the UK; further supports the six key pledges set out in the Manifesto: to improve the energy efficiency standards of all low income homes to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C by 2025, to make energy efficiency a national infrastructure priority, to implement a cross-departmental fuel poverty strategy, to use trusted agencies and organisations, such as local authorities, to improve homes and encourage health and social workers to refer people for home improvements, to require fuel companies to provide a better deal for low income households, with rebates on fuel bills to all low income consumers and to ensure employment and income policies provide a sufficient income to pay fuel bills and maintain a good standard of living; and therefore urges current and future governments to support the Affordable Warmth Manifesto and take immediate action on fuel poverty to improve the quality of millions of people's lives across the UK.
644 CUBA AND USA 17:12:14
18That this House congratulates Raoul Castro and Barak Obama for formalising relations between their two countries; and looks forward to many future benefits if the US trade embargo is lifted.
645 THE FILM PRIDE 17:12:14
14That this House applauds the film masterpiece Pride as an authentic, moving, witty, rumbustious story of how two bullied tribes were tormented into a touching triumphant solidarity.
646 RAIL FARES 17:12:14
20That this House expresses its concern that rail fares are too high, making it expensive for commuters and other travellers to travel by train; notes that from 2004 onwards the then Government set as its policy on rail fares that they should go up by one per cent above the retail price index (RPI) each year; further notes that this policy was continued under the current Government until 2012; further notes that it was then replaced with a policy of RPI-only increases; welcomes this reduction and the end of the era of above-inflation raises in rail fares, but believes that rail fares are currently too high; and calls on the Government to ensure that rail fares are reduced in real terms.
647 CARDINAL HUME CATHOLIC SCHOOL, GATESHEAD 17:12:14
4That this House recognises Cardinal Hume School's latest achievement in being highlighted yet again by Ofsted in its document which highlights schools that provide excellent solutions with regard to Closing the Gap; recalls that Cardinal Hume Catholic School is a secondary converter academy in Gateshead that serves a largely white British community with above average levels of deprivation; notes that in this school all students, regardless of background, make outstanding progress and end up with GCSE results well above the national average; further notes that a large number of children are eligible for the pupil premium but there is little difference between their attainment and that of other students; welcomes the fact that the school achieved outstanding in every category in its 2014 inspection and has been repeatedly highlighted by Ofsted for its highly successful initiatives in raising standards through a focus on reading, speaking and listening, and writing; further recalls the school has been at the forefront of raising achievement for white working class children and the disadvantaged and disengaged for many years and has had considerable success in this area; and further notes that in addition the school has been highlighted by Ofsted as a school of good practice for the teaching of Literacy (Raising Standards through Literacy, Cardinal Hume Catholic School 2013) and that this work has led to members of the senior staff touring England, visiting some of the most challenging areas in the country in order to support others in their quest to raise standards and tackle underachievement.
648 EMPLOYMENT OF SUPPLY TEACHERS 17:12:14
20That this House recognises that properly qualified supply teachers are an essential resource for schools which wish to deliver the same quality learning experience for pupils when a class's regular teacher is absent; notes that supply teachers are increasingly employed by agencies which siphon off significant amounts of public funding for education into their profits; is concerned that agencies are unable to offer supply teachers membership of the Teachers' Pension Scheme and are driving down their pay, with a recent survey by the National Union of Teachers finding that 40 per cent of supply teachers are getting lower, or significantly lower, pay than three years ago; further notes the uncertainty and disquiet about umbrella companies which increasingly employ supply teachers; and calls on the Government to encourage schools to employ supply teachers directly or through the local authority, rather than using agencies, to ensure supply teachers are paid fairly and have access to pension rights on an equal basis to other teachers.
649 PARLIAMENTARY ICT AND THE 500 RECIPIENT RULE 17:12:14
6That this House registers its growing frustration at the continued imposition of the 500 recipient rule which restricts the offices of hon. Members from replying to more than 500 email addresses in any one email when responding to constituency correspondence; believes that this rule, which came into existence after the migration of Microsoft Office 365, has been introduced for purely financial reasons as part of the agreement with the Microsoft Corporation; further believes that this rule bears little or no relation to the growing volume of email and email campaigns from constituents that hon. Members have to deal with; considers that this rule is an unnecessary, bureaucratic and time consuming constraint; and calls on the Government to make representations to Microsoft to remove the operation of this rule as a matter of urgency, thereby allowing hon. Members and their staff to respond effectively and in a timely and efficient manner to large volumes of email; and further believes that the IT system operating in the UK Parliament should reflect the needs of the UK Government and UK citizens rather than the arbitrary constraints imposed by Microsoft for its own convenience.
650 DOGS TRUST REPORT: THE PUPPY SMUGGLING SCANDAL 17:12:14
26That this House notes with concern the findings of The Puppy Smuggling Scandal report by Dogs Trust which was the result of a six-month investigation into the illegal entry of dogs into the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS); further highlights the documented exploitation of the 2012 changes to PETS; and welcomes the report's recommendations to the Government that it should develop and implement an action plan to address the abuse of PETS and the number of undeclared dogs entering the UK every day, ban the importation of puppies under the age of six months into the UK under PETS, create a centrally-accessible database logging pets' microchip numbers at the point of entry into the UK so that it can be traced when and how a dog has entered the country, and actively encourage cross agency working and develop an intelligence system specifically to record and share data in respect of illegally-traded commercial consignments of animals.
652 REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE (S. I., 2014, No. 1870) 18:12:14
13That the Representation of the People (Variation of Limits of Candidates' Election Expenses) Order 2014 (S.I., 2014, No. 1870), dated 14 July 2014, be revoked.
653 DOMESTIC ABUSE IN THE LGBT COMMUNITY 18:12:14
14That this House believes that domestic abuse is a considerable issue for heterosexual, bisexual, lesbian and gay people and in the trans and non-trans community; notes that according to Stonewall's Prescription for Change, published in 2008, one in four lesbian and bisexual women have experienced domestic violence, the same proportion as heterosexual non-trans women, that according to the Stonewall Gay and Bisexual Men's Health Survey 2011, half of gay and bisexual men have experienced some form of domestic abuse and that according to the Scottish Trans Alliance survey, Out of Sight, Out of Mind, published in 2010, 80 per cent of the Scottish trans community have experienced domestic abuse; further notes that the Government, local councils and the police often fail to direct sufficient focus and address the needs of this diverse population of survivors, there being hardly any specialist refuge provision for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gender (LGBT) population in the UK, with women's refuges insufficiently developed to accommodate, assess risks or identify the needs of GBT survivors; and resolves that, as part of a broader programme to improve provision for all domestic abuse survivors, the Government should give consideration to the needs of LGBT survivors by improving guidance to local housing authorities to highlight LGBT-specific services and needs, expanding the provision of emergency accommodation to address the unique needs of LGBT survivors and committing ring-fenced funding for LGBT refuges, as the Home Office has already done with respect to women's refuges.
654 CREDIT UNION FOR UK MILITARY 18:12:14
40That this House welcomes the success of Navy Federal Credit Union in the United States, with its more than four million members and over $50 billion of assets; notes with concern the reports that some British servicemen and their families are having problems with payday loan companies; and calls on the Government to establish a credit union for the UK military and their families.
655 CAMPAIGN TO SAVE THE INDEPENDENT LIVING FUND 18:12:14
21That this House commends and supports campaigners in their ongoing fight to save the Independent Living Fund (ILF) on which nearly 18,000 disabled people with high-support needs rely to live with choice and control in life instead of going into residential care; notes the failure of the High Court case taken by two ILF recipients to stop the Government closing the ILF in June 2015, while noting the judge's comment that the Minister was made fully aware of the inevitable and considerable adverse effect that closure would have on disabled people; further notes that the judge declined to rule on whether the closure may put the UK in breach of its international obligations to advance disabled people's rights to independent living and equality of opportunity under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and reminds all parliamentarians that, as part of Operation Disabled Vote, manifestos and pledges will be measured against the precepts of international human rights as well as of social justice by 12.2 million disabled voters.
656 LONDON HOUSING AND FOREIGN INVESTORS 5:1:15
3That this House believes that the ballooning cost of housing in London demonstrates the economic and social absurdity of allowing international capital to construct the city's housing needs; notes that overseas buyers are taking over large development sites while UK developers are marketing overseas to foreign buyers; further believes that London Mayor Boris Johnson's sole response, to seek a concordat with developers to agree to market in London at the same time as abroad, is both ludicrous and unenforceable; and demands that the Government introduces a tax levy starting at 5 per cent on an increasing scale on the value of properties owned by people who are not registered to pay UK tax, which would help curb property price inflation in the city and aid the many thousands of Londoners in grave housing need.
657 REFORM OF THE ELECTION SYSTEM 5:1:15
2That this House believes that it is fundamentally undemocratic that around 200,000 floating voters in marginal constituencies will determine the UK's next government and the fate of the country; notes that for millions who will vote they are participating in an empty charade; points out that this is one reason why people have lost faith in Parliament and politicians; and further believes that the best way to ensure that every vote counts is to have a system of proportional representation which will help re-establish faith in the political process.
658 CHANGE4LIFE SUGAR SWAP CAMPAIGN 5:1:15
12That this House welcomes the launch of the Change4Life Sugar Swap campaign, which provides advice on how to reduce children's sugar intake; applauds measures to promote a healthy and moderated diet, as one in five young children have been classified as overweight or obese; and notes the serious health issues caused by obesity, including type two diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
659 AUSTRIAN GOVERNMENT NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT INITIATIVE 5:1:15
19That this House congratulates the Austrian government on its call to all states to identify and pursue effective measures to fill the legal gap for the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons and its pledge to co-operate with all stakeholders to achieve this goal; notes that this pledge was made at the end of the Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons held in Vienna on 8-9 December 2014 and attended by 157 states including the UK; applauds the contribution of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent to the conference and the participation of civil society led by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons; agrees that no national or international response capacity exists that would adequately respond to the human suffering and humanitarian harm that would result from a nuclear weapon explosion in a populated area; supports the states led by Austria now calling for work to begin on crafting a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons; and urges the UK Government to participate fully in this new and multilateral initiative.
660 DETENTION OF SHEIKH ALI AL-SALMAN IN BAHRAIN 5:1:15
9That this House is appalled at recent human rights abuses in Bahrain, most notably the multiple charges that have recently been brought against the Bahrainian Opposition Al Wefaz leader Sheikh Ali Al-Salman; believes that unjust arrests and detentions are part of an ongoing campaign by the Bahrain authorities to continue to undermine human rights; and calls on the Government to take action to encourage the release of unjustly-held Bahraini citizens, including Sheikh Ali Al-Salman.
661 PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS 6:1:15
2That this House is aware that many people with mental health problems find it difficult to work because of the impact of their condition and the lack of appropriate support and understanding from employers and that currently nearly half of those receiving employment and support allowances are claiming primarily because of their mental health condition; believes that many people with such health problems want to and many are able to return to work with the right kind of help; recognises that current Government-funded schemes are currently failing this group with three times more without this condition being helped back into work; praises the mental health charity MIND, which has highlighted this fact; and calls on the Government to take people suffering from such conditions out of the current back to work schemes and instead create a new individual programme which understands the needs of this group of unemployed people that provides them with the personalised and specialist support they need.
662 NHS WALK-IN CENTRES 6:1:15
1That this House believes that it is unacceptable to shut accident and emergency (A&E) departments when patients have nowhere else to seek treatment; notes that NHS walk-in centres played a major role in reducing the numbers of patients attending A&E; and calls on the Government to encourage clinical commissioning groups right across the country to reintroduce walk-in centres.
663 SAINSBURY'S CEO AND RESIDENTS OF LEICESTER EAST 6:1:15
1That this House is concerned at the refusal of Sainsbury's Chief Executive Officer, Mike Coupe, to meet residents of Leicester, who are concerned about development projects in their constituency; notes the continued problems with roadworks in Belgrave; and calls on Mr Coupe to take the concerns of the communities within which Sainsbury's operate more seriously.
664 COMMUNITY OF ARRAN SEABED TRUST (No. 2) 6:1:15
16That this House congratulates the Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST) for being awarded the 2014 Nature of Scotland Award for Marine Conservation; notes with congratulation the outstanding work which COAST has done in nearly 20 years in promoting community-led marine conservation; praises COAST's substantial achievements, including the establishment of Scotland's first No Take Zone in Lamlash Bay and the creation of the South Arran Marine Protected Area (MPA); and believes that the organisation serves as an example for all those wanting to strengthen marine protection and supports the organisation's current efforts to ensure that mobile gear is prohibited from the South of Arran MPA to prevent scallop dredging and bottom trawling from further damaging the marine environment in the area.
665 UNION FLAG ON DRIVING LICENCE 6:1:15
2That this House welcomes the statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for Devizes, that motorists in the UK will be allowed to display the Union Flag on their driving licences; supports her comments that 'people in this country rightly take pride in our national flag which is why I am delighted that it will now be displayed on British Driving Licences'; notes with disgust the reported decision by the Environment Minister in the Northern Ireland Assembly to discriminate against motorists in Northern Ireland by not permitting them, as citizens of the UK to have that same right; and calls on the Environment Minister in the Northern Ireland Assembly to reverse his decision forthwith.
666 PRIVATE SECTOR JOB CREATION IN NORTHERN IRELAND 6:1:15
2That this House notes the recent decision on the devolution of corporation tax for Northern Ireland; expresses the hope that there will be significant private sector inward investment as well as the expansion of existing private sector companies; looks forward to properly managed job creation; and calls on the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition, in advance of the General Election, to declare their unambiguous support for the potential that lies ahead and their commitment to tangible assistance in bringing this about.
667 DISPLAY OF UNION FLAG ON DRIVING LICENCES 6:1:15
3That this House notes the Government's proposal to include the Union flag on all new and renewed driving licences in Wales, Scotland and England; further notes that this proposal does not extend to Northern Ireland; further notes that the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport in making the announcement, referred explicitly to promoting the agenda of the unionist parties and believes that this explains its non-implementation in Northern Ireland; believes that this proposal, if implemented, would also cause controversy and division in Wales and Scotland; further notes that it is contrary to the respect agenda between the nations of the United Kingdom; further notes that it is a patently party political gesture; and calls for it to be withdrawn immediately.