Contents

Published: Friday 23 October 2020

Early Day Motions tabled on Thursday 22 October 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

1054Creation of Shetland Space Centre

Tabled: 22/10/20 Signatories: 1

Mr Alistair Carmichael

That this House welcomes the Government’s approval of the Shetland Space Centre’s plans to build and operate a satellite launch site on Unst in Shetland; notes that the spaceport will create hundreds of new, high-quality jobs, not only locally in the Northern Isles but across the country; recognises that this will strengthen the UK’s position as a European small satellite launch destination of choice; congratulates Shetland Space Centre for this development; and calls on the Government to support similar initiatives to maintain the excellent work of the UK's space agencies.

1055Protecting Avanti West Coast Customer Resolutions jobs

Tabled: 22/10/20 Signatories: 2

Tahir Ali

Ian Mearns

That this House notes that the Train Operating Company Avanti West Coast is proposing to relocate staff from the Customer Resolutions Centre in Birmingham to the parent company, First Group’s contact centre in Sheffield, a distance of around 90 miles; understands that the distance between Birmingham and Sheffield makes it unlikely that staff will be able to transfer to the new location; is concerned that these proposals put 60 posts at risk of redundancy and could be damaging to the local economy in Birmingham; is aware that since March 2020, Avanti West Coast has been in receipt of public funding via an Emergency Measures Agreement and Emergency Recovery Measures Agreement; believes that Avanti West Coast should withdraw its proposals so that the jobs remain in Birmingham and all redundancies are avoided; and calls on the Government to ensure that future public funding for Avanti West Coast is dependent on it retaining all Customer Resolutions posts in Birmingham.

1056Students' mental health during the covid-19 outbreak

Tabled: 22/10/20 Signatories: 1

Mr Barry Sheerman

That this House recognises that immense strain that students are currently under with regard to covid-19 restrictions implemented across UK universities; recognises that the need for accessible and high-quality mental health provision is paramount for the welfare of students across the country; notes the profound impact that the current restrictions will have on the academic engagement for many students; urges the Government to consistently and deliberately review restrictions across all UK universities to determine their effectiveness in curtailing the spread of covid-19 and the impact that they are having on the welfare and academic performance of students; and further urges the Government to increase investment in high-quality mental health services across all universities, regions and countries of the United Kingdom.

1057Murrayfield Ice Rink

Tabled: 22/10/20 Signatories: 1

Christine Jardine

That this House regrets the difficult decision to close Murrayfield Ice Rink for the foreseeable future; recognises its historical importance at the heart of local community life since it opened to the public in 1952; further recognises its necessity to the sporting and tourism industry as home to Scottish ice hockey champions, the Murrayfield Racers; applauds the achievement of Murrayfield to successfully provide training opportunities to athletes, including European Championship medallists; notes that it is the only permanent ice rink in Edinburgh; further notes the benefits of ice skating to both physical and mental health; expresses deep concern over potential job losses and the impact on affected individuals and their families; and calls for necessary funding to be made available to safeguard the ice rink for the employment and enjoyment of future generations.

1058United Nations Day on 24 October 2020

Tabled: 22/10/20 Signatories: 1

Stephen Farry

That this House joins in celebrating United Nations Day on 24 October 2020, marking the 75th anniversary of the United Nations Charter coming into effect; acknowledges the significant contributions made by the United Nations Organisation and the other agencies of the United Nations System to international peace and security, humanitarian protection and assistance, the promotion of human rights, economic, social and cultural co-operation, the global environment and climate change, sustainable development and tackling poverty along with many other interventions; stresses the importance of a rules based international order and international co-operation around shared global challenges; and calls on the Government to ensure that the UK plays a proactive, leadership role in pursuing reform to ensure that the United Nations can have a more enhanced and effective role over the years ahead.

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.

986Support for outdoor education centres

Tabled: 8/10/20 Signatories: 6

Tim Farron

Layla Moran

Jim Shannon

Daisy Cooper

Wera Hobhouse

Hywel Williams

That this House recognises the importance of outdoor education and residential centres in developing young people’s confidence and teambuilding skills; understands the severe plight that jobs and businesses in the sector are facing as a result of the covid-19 crisis; urges the Department for Education to review the current policy of no residential visits as they are an essential part of children’s education and establish a clear timeline for when residential visits are likely to resume; urges the Government to provide a Leisure and Tourism industry specific funding package, including residential outdoor centres for when the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme ends in October 2020; and urges the Government to help protect outdoor education charities with financial support in 2021.

1001Gift Aid Emergency Relief Campaign

Tabled: 12/10/20 Signatories: 28

Patrick Grady

Chris Law

Sir Mike Penning

Martyn Day

Owen Thompson

Stuart C McDonald

That this House marks the annual Gift Aid Awareness Day which fell on 8 October 2020; appreciates that Gift Aid Relief is the practical application of the long-established principle that donations to charities should not be taxed; recognises that the charitable sector is in the middle of the biggest financial crisis it has ever faced, with huge falls in income at the same time as increased demand for services; considers that a Gift Aid Emergency Relief Package would go a long way to keeping vital charitable services running; calls on the UK Government to increase Gift Aid from 20% to 25% for two years from the start of the 2020-21 tax year; further calls on the UK Government to introduce changes to the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme to remove barriers for entry to ensure wider access across the voluntary sector and increase the amount that can be claimed from £8,000 to £10,000; and believes that the cost of such measures need not be prohibitive given that the National Audit Office estimates that £560m of eligible Gift Aid is unclaimed each year and that charities are likely to see an overall fall in donations in the current challenging economic circumstances.

1022Drug deaths

Tabled: 15/10/20 Signatories: 12

Grahame Morris

Ian Lavery

Jeremy Corbyn

John McDonnell

Caroline Lucas

Apsana Begum

That this House is concerned that deaths related to drug poisoning registered in England and Wales rose to a record 4,393 in 2019; notes that two-thirds of drug poisonings are due to drug misuse; further notes that half of the deaths involved an opiate, although cocaine deaths are also rising at an alarming rate; recognises that the highest death rates are in areas suffering greatest deprivation; and calls on the Government to tackle the problem through immediate increased investment in treatment services, encouragement of harm reduction initiatives and expansion of opiate-overdose antidote Naloxone provision.

1029G20 Summit in Saudi Arabia and Human Rights

Tabled: 16/10/20 Signatories: 13

Kenny MacAskill

Stephen Farry

Marion Fellows

Alison Thewliss

Jonathan Edwards

Jim Shannon

That this House notes that Saudi Arabia currently holds the presidency of the G20 and will be hosting the G20 Summit virtually on 21-22 November 2020; is deeply

concerned about Saudi Arabia’s on-going serious and systematic violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, particularly the crackdown on non-violent activists and critics since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman came to power in 2017, which includes the arbitrary detention and torture of women human rights defenders and the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as well as the apparently indiscriminate and disproportionate airstrikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure by the Saudi-led coalition in the conflict in Yemen which may amount to war crimes; and calls on the Government to publicly and privately urge Saudi Arabia to take concrete steps to improve its human rights record in the lead up to the G20 Summit, including immediately releasing all human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience, providing full accountability for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and ending the war in Yemen, and to reconsider the level of its participation in the Summit if these steps are not taken.

1038Minister for Travel

Tabled: 19/10/20 Signatories: 7

Lloyd Russell-Moyle

Rachel Hopkins

Ian Lavery

Claudia Webbe

Jim Shannon

John McDonnell

That this House recognises that the travel trade is a crucial sector of the British economy and furthermore an industry now facing an existential threat as a result of the coronavirus pandemic; regrets that many travel businesses have closed with many more on the brink of collapse due to the Covid-19 crisis with at least 90,000 jobs already lost or at risk across high street travel agents and the wider travel trade sector; welcomes the recent call by the TSSA transport and travel union and others for the creation of a Minister for Travel to arrest this trend and champion the industry; and calls on the Government to act without delay to save Britain's travel trade by providing bespoke sector-specific government support while reconsidering an extension of furlough for the industry.

1039Unionlearn

Tabled: 19/10/20 Signatories: 27

Grahame Morris

Mike Hill

Ian Mearns

Lloyd Russell-Moyle

Ian Byrne

Kate Osborne

That this House recognises the exemplary and invaluable role played by Unionlearn in helping people acquire skills and qualifications to boost their job prospects and make a valuable contribution to the economy; applauds Unionlearn for aiding hundreds of thousands of learners at all levels, from basic numeracy and literacy to degree level qualifications; notes that during the past 12 years more than 40,000 Union Learning Representatives have been trained, and over a quarter of a million people are being given training and learning opportunities through their union every year; is appalled that the Government intends to axe this vital resource at such a challenging time for education, employment and the economy; and calls upon the Government to reconsider and reverse this damaging decision.

1039A1 [Amendment]

Tabled: 20/10/20 Signatories: 1

At end add 'and urges the Secretary of State for Education to consider the value Unionlearn offers in promoting skills and opportunities and to reinstate the scheme.'

1040Support for tourism, leisure, hospitality and the arts

Tabled: 19/10/20 Signatories: 9

Liz Saville Roberts

Hywel Williams

Ben Lake

Jonathan Edwards

Jim Shannon

John McDonnell

That this House recognises the importance of the tourism, leisure, hospitality and arts sectors; further recognises the severe impact Covid-19 has had on their earnings; acknowledges that many of the businesses in these sectors had viable business models and were flourishing before the pandemic and must be supported so that they are ready to open as soon as restrictions can be lifted; notes that outdoor education centres are a specific example of a sector which has been forced to shut down during this crisis; further notes that outdoor education centres are reliant on school residential visits for significant amounts of their funding and so will continue to struggle whilst necessary precautions are in place; recognises the essential role of outdoor education centres in promoting children's health and the necessity of ensuring that such facilities survive the Covid-19 emergency in order to be able to improve young people's opportunities to experience the well-being and health benefits of outdoor activities in future; and calls on the UK Government to underpin health measures with economic support and urgently put packages of support in place to support these sectors, including a further targeted expansion of the furlough scheme.

1042Result of the Bolivian presidential election

Tabled: 20/10/20 Signatories: 16

Richard Burgon

Jeremy Corbyn

Grahame Morris

Paula Barker

Mick Whitley

Ms Diane Abbott

That this House congratulates Luis Arce and the Movement Towards Socialism party on their victory in the Bolivian Presidential election on 18 October; notes that in his previous role as Economy Minister, Luis Arce oversaw a surge in growth, a sharp reduction in poverty and substantial investment in health and education and wider public services; further notes that these elections were the first held since a military-led coup ousted legitimate President Evo Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous president, last November and forced him into exile abroad; condemns the wave of human rights abuses under the regime imposed by the military-led coup which especially targeted trade unionists, indigenous activists and Movement Towards Socialism activists; hopes that justice is done for all those whose rights were violated by the regime imposed by the military-led coup including those who lost their lives; regrets the response of the UK and US governments to the military-led coup in 2019; and calls on the Government to engage constructively with the new Bolivian government.

1044Local Government Pension Scheme

Tabled: 20/10/20 Signatories: 5

John McDonnell

Paula Barker

Clive Lewis

Jonathan Edwards

Ian Lavery

That this House notes with concern that with the prospect of potentially significant further cuts in jobs in local government, the Government is seeking to drive through plans to cut the pension or severance payments to public sector members of the Local Government Pension Scheme aged 55 and above; and supports those trade unionists campaigning both to expose the implications of the Government’s plans and to oppose their imposition.

1045Eden Court Theatre and Cinema's transformation into a community hub

Tabled: 21/10/20 Signatories: 7

Drew Hendry

Chris Law

Deidre Brock

Ronnie Cowan

Hannah Bardell

Carol Monaghan

That this House commends Eden Court Theatre and Cinema in Inverness on transforming into a community hub to provide an emergency response to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic situation across the Highlands; notes that workers at that venue have been providing help and support to the covid-19 response since March 2020 when that venue was forced to close; further notes that those workers have been nominated for a prestigious humanitarian award, the Achates Philanthropy Prize, which celebrates cultural giving across the UK; and wishes those workers all the best for the future.

10461st Battalion The Highlanders' Guinness World Record

Tabled: 21/10/20 Signatories: 8

Drew Hendry

Chris Law

Deidre Brock

Dr Philippa Whitford

Hannah Bardell

Ronnie Cowan

That this House congratulates the 1st Battalion The Highlanders for setting a new Guinness World Record for most attendees to complete a mental health course in 24 hours to mark World Mental Health Day; recognises that a total of 45 members from the area took part in the course, alongside 1,622 members from across the UK; notes that the 30-minute course discussed how to recognise the signs of poor mental health and ways to help to end the stigma and discrimination around those struggling with difficulties; and further notes that all those participants will receive a medal and official Guinness certificate to honour their achievements.

1047Scottish Poppy Appeal 2020

Tabled: 21/10/20 Signatories: 13

Drew Hendry

Chris Law

Gavin Newlands

Deidre Brock

Dr Philippa Whitford

Stewart Malcolm McDonald

That this House recognises the excellent work of Poppy Scotland through the Scottish Poppy Appeal which runs annually from 26 October to 11 November; further recognises that the Scottish Poppy Appeal is Poppy Scotland’s largest fundraising campaign; acknowledges the importance of that appeal in paying tribute to the millions of people who lost their lives during conflict; and calls on the community to support the Scottish Poppy Appeal in recognition of the sacrifices made by service personnel.

1050Police brutality and End SARS protests in Nigeria

Tabled: 21/10/20 Signatories: 9

Layla Moran

Mr Alistair Carmichael

Stephen Farry

Ed Davey

Sarah Olney

Christine Jardine

That this House condemns the reported deliberate shooting of unarmed protesters in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria; calls on the Nigerian Government to demonstrate their commitment to human rights and fulfil obligations to hold the police to account for extra-judicial killings, widespread torture and other ill-treatment of detainees in their custody; supports the call from the Nigerian people and Amnesty International to bring those responsible for committing such crimes to justice in fair trials; calls on the Nigerian authorities to comply at all times with international human rights standards on policing, in particular the UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials and the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials; and urges the UK Government to take action to reprehend such actions.

1051Closure of TSB Easterhouse branch

Tabled: 21/10/20 Signatories: 3

David Linden

Chris Law

Carol Monaghan

That this House expresses disappointment in response to the news that TSB Bank will be closing its Easterhouse branch in Glasgow; notes that the closure of bank branches across the UK severely disadvantages the rural population, the elderly and people without access to appropriate technology; highlights that bank branches act as vital services for those unable to access online banking services; condemns the closing of that bank branch during a pandemic, which will undoubtedly cause people to travel further to access in person banking; and urges TSB to urgently reconsider its closure of the Easterhouse branch.