Session 2014-15
House of Commons
9th March 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
782 BETTING, GAMING AND LOTTERIES (S. I., 2015, No. 121) 10:2:15
15That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Gaming Machine (Circumstances of Use) (Amendment) Regulations 2015 (S.I., 2015, No. 121), dated 2 February 2015, a copy of which was laid before this House on 4 February, be annulled.
827 HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN GAZA 2:3:15
51That this House agrees with the United Nations Secretary-General that there is a dire humanitarian situation in Gaza; fears the outbreak of further hostilities unless the situation improves dramatically; notes the considerable amount of British and other international aid required to keep Gaza from deteriorating further and to assist in the reconstruction of infrastructure and homes; regrets that the Israeli authorities continue to refuse access to British elected representatives to visit Gaza via Erez checkpoint; further notes that, given the dangerous security situation in the Sinai, the Israeli-controlled Erez crossing is the only viable entry point; and asks the Government to do everything in its power to persuade the Israeli authorities to permit parliamentary access into Gaza to assess the situation, the needs of the population and how British funds are being spent.
828 POLICE WIDOWS' PENSIONS 2:3:15
26That this House recognises that police officers often place themselves in the way of harm to protect their communities, sometimes making the ultimate sacrifice and leaving behind families and loved ones; believes that we have a moral and public duty to ensure all police widows and widowers are financially provided for for their lifetime; is deeply concerned that the Police Pension Regulations 1987 do not allow police widows or widowers the opportunity to marry or cohabit, without losing their right to a police widows' or widowers' pension for life; agrees with the Police Federation of England and Wales that it is morally and ethically wrong to make police widows and widowers and their dependants effectively choose between future financial security and the possibility of future personal happiness; welcomes the fact that the Police Pension Regulations 2006 allow new entrants or serving officers to transfer to a new scheme which permits their survivors to access benefits which are payable for life regardless of whether they remarry; regrets that nevertheless many police widows and widowers still remain disadvantaged by the Police Pensions Regulations 1987, and calls on the Government urgently to review the Police Pensions Regulations 1987 to ensure that the families of those who have served their community and been lost in the line of duty receive financial security regardless of their decision to remarry or cohabit.
829 PARDON FOR PEOPLE CONVICTED UNDER REPEALED ANTI-GAY LAWS 3:3:15
17That this House welcomes the recent pardon granted to Alan Turing for his conviction under anti-gay laws; recognises that a further 50,000 to 100,000 men were also convicted of offences under those laws during the 20th century; believes this is one of the UK's great historical injustices; notes with concern the continued problem of homophobia in Britain today; and calls on the Government to issue, firstly, a universal apology to all men convicted of consenting adult same-sex behaviour under now repealed anti-gay laws and, secondly, a pardon, on a case by case basis, for all men convicted of consenting adult same-sex behaviour under now repealed anti-gay laws, with the convicted person or their partner, family, descendants, friend or any interested third party being eligible to apply for a pardon to the Home Secretary.
831 HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN MEXICO 3:3:15
26That this House notes, on the occasion of the State Visit to the UK of the President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, that continued violations of internationally accepted labour rights take place on a daily basis in Mexico, many of which have been carried out in an attempt to crush the National Miners' and Metalworkers' Union of Mexico (SNTMMSRM); further notes that the US State Department's 2012 Human Rights Report concluded that the Mexican government did not consistently protect workers' rights in practice; condemns the continued use of protection contracts in which many thousands of workers are governed by illegitimate collective agreements that they have never ratified, were never consulted on and in many cases have never seen; further condemns arbitrary denials of trade union recognition, limitations on the right to strike, and serious health and safety problems in the mining and petroleum industries; believes the existence of free and independent trade unions is essential to the functioning of any democracy; and therefore calls on the Government to make representations to the Mexican government to carry out fundamental reforms to ensure that Mexican labour law respects and enforces international standards; and following the complete exoneration of SNTMMSRM General Secretary, Napoleon Gomez Urrutia, of all allegations against him, that the government of Mexico will guarantee his freedom, safety and wellbeing when he decides to return to Mexico.
833 EPILEPSY IN THE UK 3:3:15
29That this House is aware that there are more than 500,000 people in the UK who are affected by epilepsy, an illness that can develop in anyone at any age and be difficult to diagnose, with treatment often taking years to successfuly be established; understands that currently only one in five sufferers are being seen by specialists within the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended waiting period; further notes that significant numbers also experience severe problems or delays in accessing other services or treatment to help manage their condition; further notes that many people having this illness often have to claim benefits to cope and remain independent and that claiming periods for accessing such support can often be lengthy and stressful with many assessors having only a limited knowledge of this illness; and calls on the Government to provide better training for benefits assessors dealing with such conditions, provide sufficient investment to deliver quicker access to specialists and ensure full provision for patients in their communities.
834 FANS ON THE BOARDS OF FOOTBALL CLUBS 4:3:15
5That this House congratulates Greenock Morton Football Club for voluntarily appointing Nick Robinson, chairman of the club's Supporters' Trust, to the board; believes that football fans should have a voice in every boardroom; recognises that this is the only way to ensure that those running football clubs share information, power and responsibility with the fans; notes that this is what the fans themselves are saying; is concerned that fans are often disregarded when clubs take important decisions; is convinced that having fans in the boardroom is a good thing for the game; calls on other clubs across the UK to take similar steps; praises the Greenock Morton Chairman Mr Douglas Rae not only for his board's leading example to put fans at the heart of football but his commitment to Greenock Morton Football Club over many years.
835 FURTHER EDUCATION FUNDING 4:3:15
5That this House deplores the cuts to the further education budget which will impact severely on Bradford College and on other colleges throughout the country; notes that 24 per cent is to be cut from that budget in the next financial year; believes that crucial stepping stones back into learning for many people, including those who missed out on qualifications at school and those who need to update skills and retrain, will be removed; further notes that since 2009 student numbers have fallen by one million and the University and College Union believes a further 400,000 will go with the next round of cuts; and calls on the Government to reverse this appalling loss and to boost further education and people's life chances by not only retaining but increasing the present sums spent on this crucial arm of education.
836 SEWAGE ON RAILWAY TRACKS IN SCOTLAND 4:3:15
16That this House is dismayed that ScotRail train services and also East Coast rail services into Scotland still discharge effluent onto railway tracks; is concerned that there is no formal or legal requirement to stop train operating companies from discharging toilet waste onto the track or to force rolling stock leasing companies to retrofit controlled emission toilets to those trains that currently discharge waste onto the track; believes it is utterly disgraceful that rolling stock and train companies are making billions in profits while railway track workers have to endure being splashed with effluent and passengers witness disgusting conditions; is further concerned about the impact on track workers' health and welfare; and calls for the UK and Scottish Governments to take immediate action to clean up UK rail routes.
837 SIKH SOLDIERS IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR 4:3:15
16That this House notes the contribution of Sikh soldiers in the First World War when over 138,000 Indian troops fought in Belgium and France, many of them Sikh; recognises that more than one-quarter of these soldiers would become casualties; further notes that in March 1915, 100 years ago, Sikh troops along with counterparts from around the British Empire fought in the bloody battle of Neuve Chapelle and many made the ultimate sacrifice; further recognises that Sikh regiments lost nearly four-fifths of their men and three regiments stood at only 16 per cent of their original strength; and urges the Government to support the erection of a permanent monument in Central London to highlight and commemorate their brave actions and grave losses.
838 NATURAL RESOURCES OF PALESTINE 4:3:15
13That this House acknowledges the view of the World Bank that Israel's occupation is preventing Palestine from accessing its natural resources, including not only oil and gas but also agricultural land and water acquifers; notes the natural gas reserves of Gaza Marine One and Noa South of Gaza Marine Two are in Gaza's territorial waters and contain at least $5 billion of gas; further notes that BG Group has held a licence since 1999 but Israel's intransigence has prevented it from commencing exploration; further notes the already operational Meged oil field in Israel is believed to contain reserves of at least 3.5 million barrels and to extend into the Occupied West Bank; further notes that Israel has also issued licences for oil exploration in the occupied Golan Heights in violation of international law; recalls that the Oslo Accords oblige Israel to co-ordinate exploration for natural resources in shared territory with the Palestine Authority and share its benefits; and therefore calls on the Government, together with its European partners, to press Israel to abide by its obligations and cease obstructing legitimate Palestinian endeavours aimed at accessing its natural resources.
839 PRIME MINISTER'S QUESTION TIME 4:3:15
4That this House is appalled at the demeaning spectacle of Prime Minister's Questions, where the Leader of the Opposition's questions are not answered by the Prime Minister, who uses the occasions as a bully pulpit for his own chosen issues; notes the widely expressed public revulsion at this ill-mannered, pointless spectacle; and calls for its replacement by meetings where the Prime Minister will answer questions from 20 randomly-selected backbenchers in a committee room in an atmosphere of calm and dignity.
841 MAHATMA GANDHI STATUE IN PARLIAMENT SQUARE 4:3:15
9That this House is delighted that the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament Square will be unveiled on 14 March 2015 by the Prime Minister and Indian Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley; congratulates the various stakeholders, including the Gandhi Statue Memorial Trust, Councillor Robert Davies, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for the Built Environment of Westminster City Council and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, who chairs the Gandhi Statue Special Advisory Board; applauds the hundreds of generous donors from the UK, India and around the world; notes that this is the third Mahatma Gandhi statue in the UK, the others being in Tavistock Square, London and Belgrave Road, Leicester; and believes the statue is an important testimony to Gandhi's powerful legacy and a very positive step for the relationship between the UK and India.
842 BENEFITS SANCTIONS 4:3:15
26That this House welcomes the Work and Pensions Committee inquiry into Benefits sanctions policy beyond the Oakley Review; notes the large amount of compelling evidence from the PCS union, charities, welfare advisers and academics showing that the current sanctions regime is excessive, punitive and failing; is concerned that sanctions are not a last resort, as their use and severity have both escalated dramatically and that they hinder rather than enable claimants to get work; and urges the Government to instigate a far-reaching independent review of sanctions and their effects and to suspend the 2013 stricter benefit regime at least until such time as such a review has been completed.
843 EXHIBITION ON THE PILLAGE AND DESTRUCTION OF MORPHOU, CYPRUS 5:3:15
17That this House warmly congratulates the Mayor of Morphou and the members of the Morphou municipality on holding their photography exhibition, Morphou: The Pillage and Destruction of Age-Long Heritage, in the UK to remind the British public, the EU and the major countries of the world of the ongoing injustice and cultural destruction that Morphou and its citizens still suffer from the Turkish military invasion and ongoing occupation of large areas of the Republic of Cyprus since July 1974; notes with deep concern the appalling conditions and cultural destruction of Morphou and its surrounding areas, including cemeteries, one of which has been concreted over and is now used as a car park; and calls on the Government to bring these matters to the attention of the Turkish Cypriot administration and the government of Turkey and to request that they show proper respect for cemeteries and places of religious worship and stop destroying the cultural heritage of not only the Morphou area, but the whole occupied northern part of Cyprus.
845 PARTIAL UPRATING FOR FROZEN PENSIONS 5:3:15
10That this House notes with concern the situation faced by 550,000 British pensioners living overseas, primarily in Commonwealth countries, who are currently deprived of annual state pension uprating adjustments by the Government's frozen pension policy; believes that there is a positive incremental solution of partial uprating, involving introducing annual uprating to all currently frozen pensions going forward, but from their current rate only; further notes that partial uprating would cost just £37 million and carry no legal risks of historic back payment claims; further notes that partial uprating would benefit all currently frozen pensioners immediately by ending the real terms year-on-year decline of their state pensions; further notes that partial uprating would remove the frozen pension problem completely for future retirees; further notes that this would remove a significant current barrier to pensioner emigration from the UK, offering significant consequential savings that would more than cover the upfront costs, even in year one; and calls on the Government to implement partial uprating as an affordable and practical means to offer dignity in retirement to all British pensioners, based on their historic contributions, not place of residence.
846 DEATH OF AVIJIT ROY 6:3:15
5That this House condemns the murder of Bengali US citizen, freethinker, writer and blogger Avijit Roy in Dhaka on 26 February 2015, believed to be carried out by an Islamist group which has claimed responsibility; notes that the recent blockade and general strikes by BNP/Jamaat-e-Islami has led to several deaths from arson attacks and violence which is putting a Muslim-majority secular democratic country in grave danger; calls on the Government to assist Bangladesh in any way possible to help with the crime investigation and curtailing the rise of Islamism; further calls on the Bangladeshi government to show restraint in dealing with genuine peaceful demonstrations and protests; and expects the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party to demonstrate support for the Bangladesh secular and democratic constitution by engaging in urgent talks to restore order, especially among their supporters, and to appeal for calm in the difficult weeks ahead.
847 PSHE AND CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION 6:3:15
6That this House is deeply concerned about recent cases of child abuse across the country; notes that recent reports from the Education Committee, the Joint Committee on Human Rights, the Home Affairs Committee and the Children's Commissioner have all highlighted the key role that Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education can play in keeping pupils safe; further notes that recent reports into child sexual exploitation in Birmingham, Rochdale, Rotherham and Manchester have echoed the important role of PSHE in preventing child sexual exploitation; further notes that the NSPCC, Barnardo's and six royal medical colleges have all called for the subject to be made statutory; and calls on the Government to ensure that children and young people are provided with the skills and knowledge to help protect themselves from child sexual exploitation by making PSHE education a statutory part of the curriculum.
849 DIAGNOSIS OF ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER 6:3:15
13That this House notes the ten-fold increase over 10 years of labelling children with diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); further notes the guidance by NICE on the serious potential side effects of pharmaceutical drugs prescribed for this condition; affirms that there are serious concerns about the overuse of drug treatment and notes that the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has expressed deep concern about children being misdiagnosed with ADHD; and calls for a significant review of existing treatments and for existing studies and non-drug methods for treating children with symptoms diagnosed as ADHD to be looked into in greater depth including potential causes such as toxins in the environment, poor nutrition and other biophysical reasons.
850 HUDDERSFIELD LITERARY FESTIVAL 6:3:15
2That this House celebrates the commencement of the Huddersfield Literature Festival taking place from 5 to 15 March 2015; applauds the innovative and high profile events it holds to support and showcase new, emerging writers and performers since its inception in 2006; joins the Festival and others like it in its celebration of the written word; salutes its work in bringing in people and revenue to town centres; and encourages parents and teachers to pass on the joy of reading and performing to the next generation.
851 FUNDING OF FURTHER EDUCATION COLLEGES 9:3:15
1That this House believes that further education colleges are central to improving the nation's skills; shares the concerns of those working and studying in further education regarding the recently announced 24 per cent cuts to non-apprenticeship adult education funding in England; recognises that this will have a devastating effect on the sector and will shut the door on those sections of the community that rely on adult education the most; and therefore urges the Government to rethink this spending reduction which could threaten the future prospects of hundreds of thousands of people across the country.
852 MEDIATION WITH UNESCO FOR THE REPATRIATION OF THE PARTHENON SCULPTURES 9:3:15
10That this House is aware that half of the Parthenon sculptures, controversially removed from Athens by Lord Elgin 210 years ago using a flimsy legal justification during the Ottoman occupation of Greece, remain on display in the British Museum; notes that, when presented with the facts, the British public favours the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles in Athens; further notes an opinion poll conducted by YouGov in October 2014 which shows only 23 per cent of the British public think they should stay in Britain; is further aware that the British Museum has abandoned most of its conventional arguments and now advances the novel concept of a universal museum; regrets the Government's apparent decision to reject the offer from UNESCO to mediate with the Greek government; and calls on the Government to reverse this decision and to demonstrate that Britain is prepared to express its standing in the world by engaging in a gracious act to reunite these British-held Parthenon sculptures with those now displayed in the purpose-built Acropolis Museum in the shadow of the monument to which they belong, the Parthenon in Athens.
853 THE LATE LORD MOLYNEAUX OF KILLEAD KBE PC 9:3:15
2That this House notes with sadness the passing of Lord Molyneaux of Killead KBE PC who faithfully served the constituencies of South Antrim and Lagan Valley as a member of this House from 1970 to 1997 and was highly respected by colleagues across the political spectrum throughout his parliamentary career; praises the leadership that he provided in Northern Ireland during the dark and difficult years of the 'troubles' and the part he played with John Major and others in laying the foundations for the progress that has been made towards peace and stability; and expresses its heartfelt sympathy to his family circle.
854 STATE OF MEDIA FREEDOM IN TURKEY 9:3:15
1That this House is concerned about widespread reports of growing authoritarianism in Turkey, particularly illustrated by, but not restricted to, the state censorship and imprisonment of journalists in Turkey; notes the continued imprisonment since 14 December 2014 of Hidayet Karaca who is the chief executive of a Turkish television network of channels, and the arrest of 20 journalists in a series of dawn raids in Turkey in mid-December 2014, including Ekrem Dumanli, who is the editor-in-chief of Turkey's largest circulating newspaper and Sedef Kabas, who is a television presenter facing a prison sentence for posting a tweet about a corruption probe involving high-profile names, and most recently the arrest, charge and remand of investigative journalist Mehmet Baransu; welcomes the statement by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and the EU Commissioner for Enlargement Negotiations that the latest crackdown is against the European values and standards Turkey aspires to be part of; further notes the need for the Turkish authorities to remove travel bans imposed on journalists and to drop all criminal charges against them and release all other journalists behind bars in the country; and further calls on the Government to raise these and other concerns that give rise to a growing sense of authoritarianism in Turkey with their counterparts in Turkey.