Contents

Published: Wednesday 23 September 2020

Early Day Motions tabled on Tuesday 22 September 2020

Early Day Motions (EDMs) are motions for which no days have been fixed.

The number of signatories includes all members who have added their names in support of the Early Day Motion (EDM), including the Member in charge of the Motion.

EDMs and added names are also published on the EDM database at www.parliament.uk/edm

[R] Indicates that a relevant interest has been declared.

New EDMs

909The Nourish charity

Tabled: 22/09/20 Signatories: 1

Neale Hanvey

That this House recognises the tremendous support offered to parents of children with additional support needs by Nourish, a charity set up by parents in Kirkcaldy to bring together families affected by disability, supplying information and links with other organisations as well as preventing isolation by providing an inclusive space for families to support each other to relax, unwind and offload; welcomes the opportunity the organisation has to improve its services by moving to a new facility; congratulates the charity on its fundraising efforts to date; and notes the progress made towards the £15,000 needed to set up the new Nourish support centre.

910Plastic-free Dalgety Bay

Tabled: 22/09/20 Signatories: 1

Neale Hanvey

That this House congratulates Dalgety Bay on becoming the third community in Fife and one of just over 100 in the UK to be awarded Plastic-free Community status by Surfers Against Sewage; recognises the hard work of volunteers to gain this accreditation in June 2020, just nine months after forming Plastic-free Dalgety Bay; and welcomes efforts to unite campaigners against single-use plastics from across Fife under the banner of the Plastic-free Fife Network to help communities eliminate unnecessary use of single-use plastics.

911Battle of Prestonpans commemoration

Tabled: 22/09/20 Signatories: 1

Kenny MacAskill

That this house joins in commemorating the 275th anniversary of the Battle of Prestonpans; notes that the battle was a decisive victory for Jacobite troops, dramatically increasing morale and leading directly to the early success and eventual failure of the 45 Rising; congratulates the Battle of Prestonpans 1745 Heritage Trust on holding a small socially distanced event; and notes that a fuller commemoration is planned for 2021.

912Riverside Hall’s response to covid-19

Tabled: 22/09/20 Signatories: 1

Chris Stephens

That this House commends the Riverside Hall in Govan, Glasgow, for their inspiring work during the covid-19 outbreak by supporting families and children in the community with the delivery of over 5,000 emergency food parcels to isolated pensioners and local children and the offer of a regular prescription pick-up service; further commends the effort of their staff and local volunteers at the hall to bring a little cheer and combat the risk of mental health difficulties and social isolation among vulnerable people in the Govan area by reaching out with daily contact to make sure that those people knew they had support if they needed it; and thanks everyone involved with the community hall including staff, external agencies and volunteers who gave up their time to support those people most at need in their community at a time of national difficulty.

913First Ministers' call for aerospace support

Tabled: 22/09/20 Signatories: 2

Gavin Robinson

Sir Jeffrey M Donaldson

That this House commends the joint position taken by the First and Deputy First Ministers of Northern Ireland, the First Minister of Scotland and the First Minister of Wales in calling upon the Government to provide targeted, bespoke assistance for the UK's aerospace sector; agrees that without such intervention tens of thousands of high-skilled jobs across the UK could be lost; implores the Government to consider seriously and advance quickly its proposal for an aerospace task force; urges Government to urgently confirm an extension to the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme for this vital sector that spans the economies of the UK's four nations; and expresses admiration for the constructive co-ordination that Unite the Union has deployed in this regard.

914Upgrading digital selling skills to safeguard jobs

Tabled: 22/09/20 Signatories: 1

Martyn Day

That this House recognises that with unemployment rising Britain needs to sell its way out of recession to safeguard jobs; notes that the pandemic has speeded up the digitisation of how UK businesses sell by 5.3 years; notes that 93.3 per cent of SMEs do not train their staff in digital skills; and calls on the Government to take forward a range of measures to promote digital selling skills especially in SMEs in order to safeguard jobs across the whole economy.

915Midlothian Young People’s Advice Service grant from BBC Children in Need

Tabled: 22/09/20 Signatories: 1

Owen Thompson

That this House congratulates MYPAS (the Midlothian Young People’s Advice Service) on its award of a £67,851 grant from BBC Children in Need’s Next Steps Fund; understands that this will fund a full-time counsellor over the next 18 months to engage with young people adversely mentally affected by the situations brought about by the covid pandemic, with particular regard to LGBT+ young people; notes that MYPAS promotes the health and wellbeing of young people (aged 12 to 25) in Midlothian through the provision of drug and alcohol services, street work, art therapy, counselling, sexual health drop-ins and more; notes the serious impact on young people’s mental health caused by the pandemic; and commends organisations such as MYPAS which seek to address this.

916Ian Miller's retirement from Scotmid Co-operative

Tabled: 22/09/20 Signatories: 1

Owen Thompson

That this House sends its best wishes to Ian Miller upon retiring from Scotmid Co-operative after 17 years on the co-operative’s East Regional Committee and nine years on its central board; notes that Ian served as a branch manager in Penicuik for 15 years and has held society membership for 36 years; and commends him for his contribution to the community.

Added Names

Below are EDMs tabled in the last two weeks to which names have been added. Only the first 6 names and any new names are included.

860Employment practices on redundancy and rehiring

Tabled: 8/09/20 Signatories: 40

Gavin Newlands

Grahame Morris

Chris Stephens

Sam Tarry

Drew Hendry

Kirsten Oswald

That this House notes with alarm the growing number of employers, especially in the retail, hospitality and aviation sectors, who are making employees redundant before re-employing them on less-favourable terms and conditions; believes that these employers are cynically using the covid-19 crisis as cover to reduce staff costs at a time when they should instead be focused on supporting their employees through this pandemic; agrees with Unite the union and others that this fire-and-rehire practice makes a mockery of workers’ rights and goes against the spirit, if not the letter, of UK employment legislation; and calls on the Government to close this legal loophole as a matter of urgency, for example by amending the Employment Rights Act 1996 to specify that such redundancies should automatically be regarded as unfair dismissals.

873The global wildlife trade and prevention of future zoonotic pandemics

Tabled: 10/09/20 Signatories: 6

Sir David Amess

Jonathan Edwards

Lloyd Russell-Moyle

Martyn Day

Jim Shannon

Claudia Webbe

That this House notes with concern the increased risks of future pandemics from the continued exploitation and commodification of wildlife in the global wildlife trade; further notes that zoonotic diseases are responsible for over two billion cases of human illness and over two million human deaths each year, that sixty percent of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic and that seventy percent of these are thought to originate from wild animals; understands that the trade in wild animals is the likely cause for the emergence of the covid-19 pandemic and that the over-exploitation of wildlife has been identified as one of the dominant drivers of biodiversity loss; considers that this is not the first time that infectious zoonotic diseases have been linked to wild animals in recent years with SARS, Ebola and MERS all believed to have passed from wildlife to humans; and calls on the Government to show global leadership to ensure a pandemic like this never happens again by utilising the opportunity of the G20 meeting of world leaders in November to call for a ban of the international commercial trade in wild animals and wild animal products, and to work with other Governments, global institutions and bodies elsewhere to bring about an end to the global wildlife trade.

880Suspension of income requirements for family visas

Tabled: 14/09/20 Signatories: 43

Stuart C McDonald

Jim Shannon

Jonathan Edwards

Deidre Brock

Margaret Ferrier

Richard Thomson

That this House notes that there are thousands of couples and families who are currently separated, or at imminent risk of becoming separated, due to restrictive income requirements for British nationals and settled residents wishing to be joined in the UK by a partner from outside the EEA; welcomes the Minister for Immigration's commitment of 23 March 2020 that no one will have a negative outcome through the immigration system due to a circumstance that was beyond their control; further notes that family separation would clearly constitute such a negative outcome; further welcomes that Minister’s statement of 1 September 2020 that the circumstances brought about by the coronavirus pandemic are exceptional; notes with concern, however, that income requirements continue to be imposed on the sponsors of people applying to enter or remain in the UK with their British families despite those assurances; notes that guidance for caseworkers makes no mention of flexibility in the application of income requirements; is deeply troubled by the potential impact on those who must meet those income requirements of mass job losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic; and calls on the Government therefore to immediately suspend income requirements.

884Centrica

Tabled: 14/09/20 Signatories: 47

John Cryer

Chris Stephens

Dawn Butler

Neil Coyle

John McDonnell

Judith Cummins

That this House recognises the constructive approach taken by GMB Union and Unison in negotiations around their members' pay and conditions with British Gas and its parent company Centrica; condemns the tactics employed by that company in commencing those negotiations with threats to dismiss and re-engage its UK workforce on lesser terms; commends British Gas workers who while furloughed during the covid-19 outbreak voluntarily delivered thousands of food parcels with the Trussell Trust; and calls on the company to do the right thing, withdraw the Section 188 notice of potential redundancies and negotiate in good faith with workers’ unions.

888Rural crime

Tabled: 15/09/20 Signatories: 6

Jim Shannon

Paul Girvan

Lloyd Russell-Moyle

Sir Mike Penning

Allan Dorans

Jonathan Edwards

That this House notes that rural crime cost the UK £54 million in 2019, an increase of almost 9 per cent on the previous year according to the NFU which represents three quarters of farms and rural businesses; further notes the need for investment in security on farms; and calls on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to consider a scheme which would improve security on the farm and prevent rural crime from making the difficult life of a farmer from being unnecessarily more stressful and difficult.

890Macmillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning

Tabled: 15/09/20 Signatories: 27

Alexander Stafford

Tim Farron

Jim Shannon

Ben Lake

Jonathan Edwards

Lloyd Russell-Moyle

That this House welcomes and applauds that nothing stops a Macmillan Coffee Morning, not even coronavirus; acknowledges that cancer hasn’t stopped during the pandemic where one in two people will be diagnosed in their lifetimes; recognises that Macmillan Cancer Support is currently campaigning to restore cancer care and treatment to prevent cancer from becoming the forgotten C in the coronavirus pandemic; notes the charity believes it is facing its hardest year in its 109-year existence, as it juggles delivery of its critical support for people with cancer from its famous nurses to its vital free helpline, alongside a significant drop in income due to fundraising events being cancelled; congratulates Macmillan Cancer Support who will be celebrating their 30th Anniversary of World’s Biggest Coffee morning on Friday 25 September; understands that it is more important than ever to support this much loved annual event and calls on all members to raise a mug on social media this September to demonstrate support for the three million people living with cancer across the UK and show that they will not be forgotten within this crisis.

891Kenyan land dispossession

Tabled: 15/09/20 Signatories: 13

Claudia Webbe

Ms Diane Abbott

Bell Ribeiro-Addy

John McDonnell

Zarah Sultana

Kate Osborne

That this House stands in solidarity with the people of Kenya who are seeking redress for the theft of their lands under the British colonial Government, who handed some 500,000 acres to white settlers, and to British registered companies; recognises that over 100,000 Kipsigi and Talai people were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands in Kericho and Bomet Counties, the best farmland in Kenya, and many left to die of starvation in Gwassi, an arid area miles from their home; notes that similar ethnic cleansing forcibly removed over 50,000 Masai pastoralists in Laipkipa County, so that they are now squatters on their own lands; recognises that this was a systematic and oppressive abuse of many ethnic groups in Kenya; urges the British Government to accept liability and issue a long-overdue apology for these historical injustices; expresses alarm that British registered companies, Unilever Ltd, James Finlay Tea, George Williamson Tea, Sotik Tea and Sotik Highlands Tea continue to occupy stolen lands, artificially fix the price of tea to deny local farmers a fair price, and exploit tea workers with appalling working conditions, substandard housing, with no investment in local schools and communities; supports the campaign of Kenyan people to rectify these historical injustices; and calls upon these ranches, the British Government and these five tea companies, to implement fully the 2019 ruling of the Kenya National Land Commission, and address the colonial and current day oppression and exploitation of Kenyan people.

893Air pollution and inequality

Tabled: 16/09/20 Signatories: 23

Apsana Begum

Claudia Webbe

Ms Diane Abbott

Ian Byrne

Jeremy Corbyn

John McDonnell

That this House expresses its concern at the recent findings of the Environment Agency’s State of the Environment report; notes that air pollution is the single biggest environmental threat to people’s health in the UK; further notes that many environmental factors, such as pollution and flooding, have been found to contribute to an increase in mental health conditions; is further concerned that access to nature is not equally distributed across our society and that exposure to pollution mirrors that difference; recognises that those living in more deprived areas experience the poorest quality of environment, as well as worse health, and that those facts are linked; asserts that in Tower Hamlets, according to campaigners, more than 40 per cent of the borough’s population live with unacceptable air quality; further asserts that examples such as Tower Hamlets often reflect the higher levels of inequality experienced by BAME communities; and calls on the Government to implement clean air policies, accompanied by an equalities report, to ensure that air quality levels are equal across our society and to ensure that the right to clean air is not determined by income or ethnic background.

894Nordstream 2 pipeline

Tabled: 16/09/20 Signatories: 2

Daniel Kawczynski

Jim Shannon

That this House notes the danger posed to the security of NATO by the Nordstream 2 pipeline; and urges the Government to impose sanctions on all companies involved in that project.

895Extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Tabled: 17/09/20 Signatories: 13

John Nicolson

Alison Thewliss

Carol Monaghan

Stephen Farry

Allan Dorans

Liz Saville Roberts

That this House recognises the importance of retaining jobs in industries still affected by the ongoing covid-19 pandemic; further recognises that the cliff-edge October cut-off date of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is set to result in hundreds of thousands of avoidable redundancies; notes research from the Trussell Trust that the end of coronavirus job and income support is expected to spark a 61 per cent rise in food bank use this winter, plunging families across Scotland and the rest of the UK into poverty; and calls on the Government to act in line with other countries such as France, Ireland and Germany by extending the Job Retention Scheme into 2021.

896Teaching of British Sign Language in schools

Tabled: 17/09/20 Signatories: 13

Bell Ribeiro-Addy

Rosie Cooper

Zarah Sultana

Ms Diane Abbott

Apsana Begum

Claudia Webbe

That this House recognises the importance of ensuring that all members of society are able to communicate effectively and clearly; notes that this includes ensuring that people who are deaf or hard of hearing are able to communicate effectively and clearly; recognises that 11 million people in the UK are deaf or hard of hearing, highlighting the need to teach British Sign Language more widely; calls on this Government to introduce British Sign Language classes beginning at Key Stage 1 through to Key Stage 3; and further calls on this Government to introduce a British Sign Language GCSE course.

898Ban on goods produced by state-sponsored forced labour

Tabled: 17/09/20 Signatories: 28

Siobhain McDonagh

Caroline Lucas

Paul Girvan

Andrew Gwynne

Mike Hill

Ian Blackford

That this House welcomes the United States Department of Home Security issuing five Withhold Release Orders which will ban the import of products from the People’s Republic of China produced with state-sponsored forced labour in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region where the Chinese Communist Party government is engaged in systematic human rights abuses against the Uyghur people and other ethnic and religious minorities; notes that the latest orders cover computer parts made by Hefei Bitland Information Tehncology Co., cotton produced by Xinjang Junggar Cotton and Linen Co., clothing from the Yili Zhuowan Garment Manufacturing Co., hair products made in the Lop County Hair Product Industrial Park in Xinjiang, and all products made with labour from the notorious Lop County No.4 Vocational Skills Education and Training Centre, the latter of which is little better than a slave labour concentration camp through which, and through a network of similar camps, genocide is now being perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party against the Uyghur people; and urges the Government to review and upgrade its own import control arrangements to ensure that British consumers are protected from inadvertently supporting slave labour and genocide in China.

899Phoenix Cup (No. 2)

Tabled: 21/09/20 Signatories: 2

Wendy Chamberlain

Jim Shannon

That this House celebrates the 25th and 26th Phoenix Cups which are currently being held in Scotland; notes that the Phoenix Cup provides a fantastic platform for sport for people with disabilities; congratulates Scottish Disability Golf and Curling for planning this important event in the face of huge logistical challenges posed by the covid-19 pandemic; and wishes the best of luck to all the participants in those cups.

900Moria Refugee Camp in Greece

Tabled: 21/09/20 Signatories: 5

Hywel Williams

Jonathan Edwards

Ben Lake

Liz Saville Roberts

Jim Shannon

That this House expresses deep concern at the ongoing crisis in the Moria Refugee Camp in Greece; notes with alarm that the Greek authorities are struggling to move thousands of migrants to safety after the overpopulated refugee camp burned down; is distressed that an estimated 13,000 people were left without access to clean water, food, shelter and proper sanitation; is disturbed by the news that during the operational move, the NGO Médecins Sans Frontières were denied access to its new clinic in Lesbos for several hours by the Greek police, leaving thousands of refugees without the necessary medical aid that they need to survive; is appalled by the living conditions that migrants in the Moria Camp have had to endure for years; emphasises that refugee camps must meet basic living requirements that ensure the safety and security of the inhabitants; calls on the UK Government to work with European partners to find a solution to this issue; and further calls on the UK Government to grant asylum to the most vulnerable migrants that are still trapped in Moria Camp.

901Loch Ness Hub

Tabled: 21/09/20 Signatories: 3

Drew Hendry

Jim Shannon

Chris Law

That this House welcomes the news that the Loch Ness Hub in Drumnadrochit will be used as a Community Transport Hub, tours and ticket sales office, baggage transfer base, tourist information hub and will promote local business, and things to do in the area; recognises that the hub is a community benefit company, which will put profits from its operations back into the community; notes that the hub has launched a community share offer, to allow the local community to invest in what matters to them; and wishes the hub continued success for the future.

902Ukrainian miners' strike

Tabled: 21/09/20 Signatories: 3

John McDonnell

Jonathan Edwards

Jim Shannon

That this House notes that iron ore miners in Ukraine have been on strike since 3 September 2020 at the mines of KZRK in the city of Kryvyi Rih; salutes those courageous protests including an underground sit in, against unacceptable working conditions, low wages, authoritarian management, a lack of necessary tools and attacks on retirement rights; notes that the Kryvyi Rih City Council has appealed to the President to assist the miners and resolve that dispute; condemns intimidation of the families of union leaders and the use of the security service the SBU against the mineworkers; recognises the iron ore market currently enjoys high profitability; and calls on the employers linked to the oligarchs Ihor Kolomoisky and Rinat Akhmetov to recognise the miners' just demands and settle that dispute.

903Planning for health and wellbeing

Tabled: 21/09/20 Signatories: 4

Caroline Lucas

Hilary Benn

Jonathan Edwards

Jim Shannon

That this House is concerned about the low quality of new homes and places that are being created; recognises the overwhelming evidence of the link between people’s mental and physical health and the quality of their homes and neighbourhoods, including access to nature; notes the number of new homes which lack decent space and natural light; further notes that many homes do not provide walkable access to green space; is further concerned that the Planning White Paper reduces democratic accountability, significantly reduces the number of affordable homes delivered overall but particularly in rural areas and gives developers too much power over local decisions; and calls on the Government to put democracy, affordability, people’s health and wellbeing, and a right to access to nature for all at the heart of the planning reform process.

904Policing of the 1984-85 miners' strike

Tabled: 21/09/20 Signatories: 18

Ian Lavery

Ian Mearns

Apsana Begum

Ms Diane Abbott

Jeremy Corbyn

Mick Whitley

That this House welcomes the proposals made by an independent review established by the Scottish Government into the policing of the dispute during the 1984-85 miners’ strike in Scotland to introduce legislation to pardon those convicted for matters related to that strike; notes that the National Union of Mineworkers have been campaigning on these issues since the end of that strike; further notes that during the dispute across the UK 11,291 people were arrested, 8,392 charged and between 150 and 200 imprisoned; calls on the Government to follow the lead of the devolved administration in Scotland and set up an independent review into policing in the UK during the dispute, with a view to issuing pardons to all of those convicted.

905Winter support for tourism hospitality jobs and businesses

Tabled: 21/09/20 Signatories: 5

Tim Farron

Jim Shannon

Wendy Chamberlain

Daisy Cooper

Layla Moran

That this House acknowledges and is grateful for the unprecedented package of support for workers and business throughout the covid-19 outbreak; notes the importance of the spring and summer months for the UK’s £100bn tourism and hospitality industry; recognises that businesses in that sector missed out on much of that season due to lockdown; further recognises that many of these businesses are working at a reduced capacity due to social distancing guidelines which is resulting in lower income for these businesses; further notes the warning from UKHospitality that at least 900,000 jobs in the hospitality sector are at risk without further support; urges the Government to protect jobs and help give the confidence businesses need to help them survive the traditionally quiet autumn and winter months; and calls on the Government to implement proposals put forward by Cumbria Tourism including, helping to fund hospitality and tourism jobs from November 2020 to March 2021, extending funding grants for businesses in the sector and reintroducing the hugely successful Eat Out to Help Out scheme during the winter months.

906Midlothian Young People's Advice Service award from BBC Children in Need

Tabled: 21/09/20 Signatories: 3

Kenny MacAskill

Jim Shannon

Chris Law

That this House welcomes the contribution of £67,851 by BBC Children in Need’s Next Steps Fund to Midlothian Young People's Advice Service (MYPAS); notes that this will fund a full-time counsellor over the next 18 months, engaging with young people aged 12-18, across Midlothian and East Lothian, adversely mentally affected by the situations brought about by the covid-19 outbreak, with particular regard to LGBT+ young people; and congratulates MYPAS on this award which will allow their excellent work to further develop in East and Midlothian.

907Presbyterian Church in Ireland support for South Sudan

Tabled: 21/09/20 Signatories: 3

Jim Shannon

Paul Girvan

Gavin Robinson

That this House notes the work of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland in marking UN World Peace Day by highlighting the violence in South Sudan; further notes the statement produced by churches and agencies affiliated to the Ecumenical Network on South Sudan calling church partners to stand with the world’s newest nation and points out that the conflict has led to a dire humanitarian situation with 7.5 million people requiring humanitarian assistance, and more than 2.2 million fleeing the country; and reaffirms the position of this House to speak up and stand up against persecution in South Sudan.

908The Maltby Miners Welfare Institute

Tabled: 21/09/20 Signatories: 3

Alexander Stafford

Paul Bristow

Jim Shannon

That this House notes the proposed sale of the Maltby Miners Welfare Institute, the Stute, by CISWO, the coal mining charity; acknowledges that miners have paid for the Stute over the years out of their wages to safeguard their mining heritage; is disappointed that CISWO has chosen to put the site on the market; believes CISWO should be the guardian of this site for local people and should safeguard it accordingly; recognises the Stute as being a valuable community asset which is vital to the prosperity of Maltby; asks for CISWO to work with the Maltby Miners Welfare & Recreation Protection Group and other similar organisations to protect this community asset; and calls for the Stute to be opened for use by everybody in the area and wishes for the site to be protected for Maltby’s future generations.