Session 2014-15
House of Commons
9th 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
51That 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
43That 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
33That 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.
636 ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS (No. 2) 16:12:14
53That 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
32That 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.
640 REPLACEMENT OF PACER TRAIN ROLLING STOCK 17:12:14
18That 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.
648 EMPLOYMENT OF SUPPLY TEACHERS 17:12:14
31That 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.
651 CLEVELAND STREET ANGELS 18:12:14
3That this House commends the work of Boro Angels, the Guisborough Nightlights, the Hartlepool Town Pastors, the Redcar Beacons, the Stockton Town Pastors and all other Street Angels programmes; notes that Cleveland-based Street Angels have volunteered over 6,500 hours within the last year to provide a caring presence and support, without judgement and regardless of circumstance, for people on nights out who are in need of assistance; congratulates Cleveland-based Street Angels for its efforts in keeping Cleveland safe and clean through administering first aid to more than 160 people, recovering more than 4,500 bottles and glasses and helping 76 vulnerable people into taxis; and recognises the tremendous service that Street Angels programmes provide to communities throughout Cleveland.
653 DOMESTIC ABUSE IN THE LGBT COMMUNITY 18:12:14
20That 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.
655 CAMPAIGN TO SAVE THE INDEPENDENT LIVING FUND 18:12:14
34That 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.
661 PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS 6:1:15
22That 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.
As an Amendment to Sir Alan Meale's proposed Motion (People With Mental Health Problems):
1Line11, at end add 'and examine the procurement process which disadvantages local specialist employment support services like Northern Rights, a not for profit community interest company with a proven track record of helping people in East Durham with disabilities and mental health problems to overcome barriers to work through tailored one to one support; and commends Northern Rights for working with the most challenging cases who are not catered for or have been failed by the Work Programme and large scale training providers.'. 8:1:15(a1)
662 NHS WALK-IN CENTRES 6:1:15
20That 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.
668 EGYPTIAN CRACKDOWN ON THE GAY COMMUNITY 7:1:15
5That this House condemns in the strongest possible terms the arrest of 26 men in Cairo by the Egyptian government on the charge of debauchery; notes with concern the stigma the ensuing trial will place upon the men involved, causing detriment to their careers and families; believes that this latest arrest is part of a worrying trend of human rights abuses resulting in the restriction of basic rights and freedoms of the gay community in Egypt; recognises the alarming implications that such action has for human rights and freedom within wider Egyptian society; and calls on the Government to work with international partners and all relevant aspects of civil society to do everything in its power to press the Egyptian government to take urgent action in order to guarantee the fundamental human rights of all Egyptian citizens regardless of sexuality, gender, ethnicity or creed.
669 BANGLADESH AND THREATS TO DEMOCRACY 7:1:15
5That this House regrets that the leader of the Bangladesh Opposition, Begum Khaleda Zia, has now been interned in her political office by armed police, that the television station ETV has been closed by the Bangladesh government, that there was an attack on the National Press Club, and that live ammunition has been fired at opposition demonstrations; believes that these actions are not the actions of a democratic government, but instead a government aiming to suppress any opposition; calls for the Bangladeshi government to enter into discussions with opposition groups towards having a further election on a free and fair basis; and calls for the UK Government to use its influence to ensure that Bangladesh moves back towards a society based upon democracy and the rule of law.
670 DEFENCE OF JOURNALISTS AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION 8:1:15
20That this House expresses its heartfelt sympathy to the families of those journalists, police and others who were assassinated or injured at the offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo on 7 January 2015; notes that this attack took place on press day, thereby increasing the casualty list and the potential damage to press freedom; considers that the perpetrators of this heinous crime must swiftly be brought to justice; further notes the bravery of individuals who work in this field despite many of them coming under attack previously, and that in carrying out their jobs they uphold the invaluable and historical right to free speech and freedom of expression which are both integral elements of democracies; acknowledges the solidarity that is being shown around the world on behalf of the victims and their colleagues in standing together in defence of civil liberties at this time; and offers its support to the NUJ in the UK and the International Federation of Journalists for their work in defending the rights of all journalists to do their job without fear of threats, intimidation and brutal murder.
671 FUEL PRICE INQUIRY 8:1:15
2That this House recognises that the UK globally has the highest diesel price, third highest petrol price and in the Western world has the highest fuel duty; believes that with the global price of oil dropping rapidly to $50 a barrel, prices at the pumps should be decreasing in line with the fall however this is not the case; further believes that an investigation into domestic fuel prices is needed; notes the increasing discrepancy between petrol and diesel prices and calls on the Government and the Competition and Markets Authority to launch an inquiry both into the disparity between petrol and diesel prices as well as how the retail price is set; acknowledges the hard work that FairFuelUK has done on this issue and recognises that its campaign now has one million supporters; and hopes that such an inquiry will identify who profits from oil prices, who determines the price of oil at the pumps and why the price of fuel at the pumps does not reflect the global oil price.
672 SERVICE OF THE MARATHA INFANTRY IN THE FIRST AND SECOND WORLD WARS 8:1:15
2That this House recognises the incredible sacrifice and service of the Maratha Infantry during the First and Second World Wars; notes the awards for gallantry made to soldiers from these Infantry battalions who served whilst India was under British rule; and applauds their service and wishes them and their relatives well in the future.
673 EFFECT OF THE LEGAL AID, SENTENCING AND PUNISHMENT OF OFFENDERS ACT 2012 ON INSOLVENCY LITIGATION 8:1:15
3That this House notes the recent report by Professor Peter Walton on the likely impact of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 on insolvency litigation; further notes that Professor Walton's empirical evidence shows that from April 2015 the Act will have a negative impact on creditors, including the taxpayer and businesses, as well as the public interest; notes concerns from business groups representing creditors, including the Institute of Credit Management and the British Property Federation; is concerned that more than £160 million owed to businesses and the taxpayer each year could remain with directors or third parties that have wrongly, negligently or fraudulently taken money out of a business as a result of the Act; and calls on the Government to review the legislation before it comes into force in April 2015.