Contents

Published: Thursday 20 January 2022

Early Day Motions tabled on Wednesday 19 January 2022

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

868200 years of HM Coastguard

Tabled: 19/01/22 Signatories: 1

Jim Shannon

That this House notes and celebrates local Coastguard teams as they celebrate 200 years in service; marks the great sense of pride in HM Coastguard and how this milestone anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on what the service has achieved to date; further notes the ongoing commitment by HM Coastguard to keeping all people safe; notes the importance of the formation of HM Coastguard in the 18th century, which initially dealt with the smuggling of goods following the introduction of taxes on imports and exports; further notes its expansion to today, where it manages 310 Coastguard Rescue Teams, made up of 3,500 volunteers and can call on 10 search and rescue helicopter bases; and thanks and praises the dedicated work of HM Coastguard in the Constituency of Strangford, including stations in Donaghadee, Portaferry and across the whole of the United Kingdom.

869Blargoans Company awarded for outstanding service

Tabled: 19/01/22 Signatories: 1

Jamie Stone

That this House congratulates the Blargoans Company on winning the award for Outstanding Service at this year’s Scottish Renewables Green Energy Awards; notes that this is in recognition of Blargoans’ exceptional work in supplying customers, especially renewable energy giant Statkraft and its various Highland projects, before, during and since the Covid-19 pandemic; recognises the company’s flexibility and swift responses have allowed it to thrive and prosper in challenging economic times; and commends the Blargoans Company for realising the business opportunities arising in the renewable energy sector.

870Campaign to introduce a PumpWatch body for fair fuel prices

Tabled: 19/01/22 Signatories: 1

Robert Halfon

That this House recognises the significant financial impact on the motorists from retailers failing to reflect the fall in oil prices at the pump; understands that when oil prices rise companies often pass that increase on to motorists, but when they fall, the saving is not passed on; further recognises the action the Government has taken to freeze fuel duty for twelve consecutive years saving the average motorist £15 every time they fill up; notes the success of the campaign group FairFuelUK and Howard Cox in saving motorists billions of pounds; and calls upon the Government to take further steps to form a PumpWatch body to ensure fair prices at the pumps.

871Holocaust Memorial Day

Tabled: 19/01/22 Signatories: 1

Ian Paisley

That this House notes that on 27 January 2022 the UK will observe Holocaust Memorial Day marking the 77th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, where an estimated 1.1 million Jewish men, women and children were murdered; commemorates the six million victims of the Holocaust and the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution; further notes that the House pays tribute to the commitment of Holocaust survivors and Kindertransport refugees who share their experiences with young people across the country; acknowledges the importance of the Holocaust Educational Trust's work in schools across the UK and in particular the Lessons from Auschwitz Project, which has so far given more than 41,000 students and teachers the opportunity to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau; welcomes the establishment of a permanent National Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre adjacent to Parliament; pays tribute to the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust for organising the national Holocaust Memorial Day event; and urges all Right hon. and hon. Members to observe this day so that the appalling events of the Holocaust are always understood by future generations.

872Removal of titles

Tabled: 19/01/22 Signatories: 6

Rachael Maskell

Clive Lewis

Dawn Butler

Cat Smith

Emma Hardy

Kim Johnson

That this house acknowledges that geographically based titles can become an affront when an individual falls into disrepute; and calls on the Government to introduce a mechanism in law whereby geographically based titles can be removed in certain circumstances such as when the individual’s associations, engagements or actions infringe the rights or safety of others, or are not in keeping with the ethical, social or economic values or interests of the place.

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.

822Post Office Horizon compensation scheme

Tabled: 6/01/22 Signatories: 77

Kate Osborne

Paula Barker

Wera Hobhouse

Kim Johnson

Allan Dorans

Alan Brown

That this House believes that the 555 litigants, who won civil proceedings against Post Office Ltd in 2018-19, should not be excluded from the Post Office Horizon compensation scheme; that the exclusion of these litigants from the compensation scheme is having and will continue to have a direct and devastating impact on these individuals and their families, especially as they exposed the scandal against all odds and have been left with the legal bill for doing so; resolves that all those affected by this scandal, including the 555 litigants, must receive compensation that is commensurate with the suffering they have faced; and strongly urges the Government to put in place an external compensation scheme that is outside the scope of the Post Office and provide this group with the redress they not only deserve but are entitled to.

835Human rights in Bahrain

Tabled: 11/01/22 Signatories: 47

Margaret Ferrier

Sir Peter Bottomley

Tony Lloyd

Brendan O'Hara

Jim Shannon

Kenny MacAskill

That this House is concerned by continuing serious human rights violations in Bahrain, including the ongoing arbitrary detention and inhumane treatment of prisoners of conscience, including Abduljalil al-Singace, Hassan Mushaima, Abdulwahab Hussain, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and Sheikh Ali Salman; notes that Freedom House in its 2021 report rated Bahrain as not free and that Bahrain is ranked 150 out of 167 countries in The Economist’s 2020 Global Democracy Index and 168 out of 180 in the World Press Freedom Index 2021; urges the Bahraini Government to release all prisoners of conscience, enable civil society representatives and human rights defenders to operate freely, permit genuine political opposition and independent media, and end the use of the death penalty; further urges the Bahraini Government to initiate a substantive and inclusive in-country dialogue on political and constitutional reform and to cooperate with human rights organisations and experts, including from the UN, to allow for, inter alia, an independent assessment of prison conditions and its reform agenda; and calls on the Government to review its funding to and other agreements with Bahrain and to meet human rights defenders and organisations, civil society representatives and non-violent opposition from Bahrain, as well as to take action to hold Bahraini officials responsible for serious human rights violations to account.

838Funding for nutrition-related aid programmes

Tabled: 11/01/22 Signatories: 11

Patrick Grady

Jim Shannon

Allan Dorans

Chris Law

Amy Callaghan

Liz Saville Roberts

That this House calls on the Government to urgently reconsider its decision not to pledge any new funding at the December 2021 Nutrition for Growth Summit hosted by Tokyo; notes that the Government did not set targets for its impact in this area at the summit; is concerned that the UK was previously considered a leader in combatting malnutrition but has since reduced nutrition-specific international aid by 70 per cent which is disporportionate to reductions elsewhere and has undermined the UK's international reputation in addition to putting millions of lives at risk; notes that malnutrition is still linked to 45 per cent of deaths among under fives worldwide; and calls on the Government to urgently commit to investing £120 million per year over the next five years in nutrition-specific programming and to renew its commitment to reach at least 50 million people with nutrition-specific programming by 2025 as campaigned for by international charities in the field prior to the summit.

848Compassion, respect and integrity in politics

Tabled: 13/01/22 Signatories: 31

Liz Saville Roberts

Ian Blackford

Ed Davey

Caroline Lucas

Claire Hanna

Debbie Abrahams

That this House condemns the organisation of social gatherings and events at Downing Street during the periods of covid-19 lockdown; further condemns the lack of transparency from the Government regarding the parties and reluctance to disclose attendance; believes that when Members and Ministers do not acknowledge or apologise for making statements that are not accurate and refuse to correct the record, they endanger the reputation of the House of Commons; calls for action to strengthen the values of compassion, respect, and integrity in politics; further calls for the introduction of a new law to strengthen the ability of Parliament and the public to hold politicians to account for deliberate lying and misrepresentation; recommends that Parliamentary time be allocated for a debate on such a law as soon as possible; and is concerned that failure to take action on this matter could erode confidence in our democracy.

849Healthy Start Vouchers

Tabled: 17/01/22 Signatories: 14

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

Mick Whitley

Alison Thewliss

Jim Shannon

Charlotte Nichols

Apsana Begum

That this House notes that 218,002 families on low incomes in England are currently unable to access their entitlement to the Healthy Start scheme; also notes that, between November and December 2021, take-up of the scheme dropped by more than a fifth, from 65 per cent to 51 per cent, meaning that out of 449,748 potential beneficiaries, only 231,746 are enrolled on the scheme; further notes that no local authority in England has a take-up rate of higher than 62 per cent; and calls on the Government to enact Feeding Britain's proposal for an automatic registration scheme, similar to the one which sees pensioners on low incomes receive their Warm Home Discount automatically, to secure full take-up of the scheme and overcome barriers such as low awareness, bureaucracy, and stigma which prevent take-up being higher.

850Lullaby Lane Nurseries named finalists in the SME Employer of the Year category at the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards

Tabled: 17/01/22 Signatories: 7

Amy Callaghan

Allan Dorans

Alison Thewliss

Jim Shannon

Chris Law

Douglas Chapman

That this House congratulates the team at Lullaby Lane Nurseries in East Dunbartonshire on being named finalists in the SME Employer of the Year category at the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards 2022; understands that Lullaby Lane Nurseries has been providing quality childcare services across the community since 2013; notes how valued these nurseries are in the community; further notes the team’s focus on attachment-led practices for children which enable them to reach their full potential and how passionate the staff are about early years learning; commends Lullaby Lane Nurseries for their efforts to support families and the community throughout the covid-19 pandemic; recognises that this achievement is a testament to the team’s hard work over the years; and looks forward to seeing what more Lullaby Lane Nurseries will achieve in the future.

860War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation payments

Tabled: 18/01/22 Signatories: 20

Owen Thompson

Angela Crawley

Hannah Bardell

Ian Blackford

Marion Fellows

Carol Monaghan

That this House believes that the current process for claiming War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation payments is not fit for purpose and drives many veterans to give up on claims, severely deteriorates many veterans’ mental health, drives many into poverty, and increases the risk of suicides; applauds our veterans for the immense sacrifices they have made and believes that all veterans deserve to be fairly compensated for injury, illness and death caused by their time in service; but is deeply concerned about the mental health impact on veterans of the complexity, lack of transparency and lack of impartiality in the process of putting in a claim, requesting a review of evidence and engaging with the War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Tribunal, which results in too many veterans not getting the level of payment they need and then facing complex processes in order to get an increase; believes that serious questions must be answered with regards to the use of Veterans UK medical assessors in assessing claims, in particular the practice of the same medical assessor assessing a veteran’s claim at three separate stages of the process instead of separate assessors being used to ensure impartiality and a range of opinions; is deeply concerned by reports of medical evidence and paperwork being removed from veterans’ evidence bundles by Veterans UK during the tribunal process; and calls on the Government to honour its duty of care to veterans by launching an independent inquiry into the failings of the current system.

861Protecting Hindus and minorities, Indian legislation on genocide and atrocities prevention and commemoration of the 32nd anniversary of genocide of Hindu Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu and Kashmir

Tabled: 18/01/22 Signatories: 2

Bob Blackman

Jim Shannon

That this House commemorates the 32nd anniversary of the attack in January 1990 by cross-border Islamic militants on the population of Jammu and Kashmir; expresses its condolences to the families of all those who were killed and injured in this massacre; condemns the desecration of the holiest sites in Jammu and Kashmir; is concerned that the Kashmiris who fled persecution have still not seen justice for the atrocities committed against them; commends the resilience and courage shown by the members of Kashmiri Pandit community who survived this gruesome ethnic genocide and who did not resort to taking up arms but instead pursued education and aspiration; deplores those sponsoring such cross-border terrorist attacks and demands that such attacks cease immediately; further notes that the international principle of the responsibility to protect obliges individual states and the international community to take effective measures to prevent the commission of genocide and crimes against humanity as suffered by the Kashmiri Hindu community; and urges the Government of India to fulfil its long-standing international commitment to recognise and acknowledge the worst form of genocide of Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir and enact the proposed Panun Kashmir Genocide Crime Punishment and Atrocities Prevention Bill, therefore delivering the long awaited justice for the Kashmiri Pandits in exile; and further urges the UK Government to extend the UK’s long standing commitment to protect the victims of genocide to the Kashmiri Pandits.

862Low carbon vehicles and construction work

Tabled: 18/01/22 Signatories: 2

Claudia Webbe

Jim Shannon

That this House recognises that many businesses use Volumetric Mobile Plants (VCM) that deliver concrete to many other small local businesses and that VCM businesses contribute £386 million annually to the national economy, support 5,800 FTE jobs and an additional 9,850 jobs in the wider economy; accepts the evidence of 200 UK construction companies that reducing their weight from 38.4 and 44T to 32T damages the ability of those vehicles to supply the widest possible range of cements to the biggest number of customers in one trip, replacing single lorry journeys with multiple journeys, causing a much higher carbon footprint, with more fuel used and generating more CO, Nox, SO2, VOCs and PMs; further recognises that the Government’s decision to limit operations at 32 tonnes from 2028 means that many current mobile plants, which cost £230,000, are effectively scrap; considers the carbon impact of this policy that will add 23 million more VCM/lorry kilometres to UK roads, 598,000 more VCM/lorry journeys each year, 120,000 additional tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere and extra carbon costs in excess of £7 million per year; and thus calls on the Government to commission an up-to-date study from Highways UK on the impact of 38.4T and 44T VCMs on the road infrastructure as well as an environmental impact of the policy to use lighter VCMs with a view to make permanent the temporary 38.4T and 44T weight limits.

863Rough sleeping in Southern Oxfordshire

Tabled: 18/01/22 Signatories: 4

Layla Moran

Jim Shannon

Jamie Stone

Tim Farron

That this House congratulates Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire District Councils on recording zero people sleeping rough on 31 December 2021; notes the hard work of the housing team at those councils in achieving homelessness prevention rates of over 75 per cent, compared to the South East average of 55.6 per cent; recognises the effectiveness of employing a Housing First strategy to tackle rough sleeping; encourages the Government to fund and implement this nationally; notes the Government's manifesto commitment to end rough sleeping by the end of this Parliament and calls on the Government to end the needless criminalisation of people still sleeping rough by fully repealing the archaic and cruel Vagrancy Act 1824.

864Cervical Cancer Prevention Week

Tabled: 18/01/22 Signatories: 8

Dr Philippa Whitford

Hannah Bardell

Marion Fellows

Allan Dorans

Jim Shannon

John Nicolson

That this House notes the week commencing 17 January 2022 is Cervical Cancer Prevention Week; recognises that, while not always easy, attending cervical screening allows diagnosis and treatment of Human Papilloma Virus, as well as early detection of Cervical neoplasia, and can therefore save lives; believes that no-one should feel alone or confused when receiving their cervical screening results; and highlights that Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust provides information and support and encourages Members to support that campaign to promote the vital importance of attending cervical screening.

865Miscarriage leave and employment policy

Tabled: 18/01/22 Signatories: 8

Angela Crawley

Hannah Bardell

Allan Dorans

Jim Shannon

John Nicolson

Paula Barker

That this House believes that the Government should introduce a policy of paid miscarriage leave; is aware that the Government has so far been hesitant to introduce such a policy; notes that, in the UK, two weeks parental bereavement leave and pay is in place after stillbirth, however there is no such support for anyone who has experienced a miscarriage before 24 weeks of pregnancy; understands that miscarriage is an extremely traumatic experience and that more support should be provided to families that experience such a loss; considers unacceptable the Government’s position that Statutory Sick Pay or annual leave are adequate compromises for a specific miscarriage leave provision; recognises that the provision of paid miscarriage leave is in line with the need to develop a more proactive approach to workplace health and wellbeing as expressed in the Taylor review of modern working practices; assesses that this issue should be viewed under the Taylor review’s ambition of fair and decent treatment in the workplace, including health and wellbeing protections in employment law which serves the wider public interest; and calls on the Government to include paid miscarriage leave in its upcoming Employment Bill.

866East Lothian rowers cross the Atlantic in third place

Tabled: 18/01/22 Signatories: 2

Kenny MacAskill

Jim Shannon

That this House congratulates Ian Baird, Duncan Hughes, Ross McKinney, Fraser Potter and Clive Rooney of North Berwick Coastal Rowing Club, known as Five in a Row, for finishing in third place in the 2021 Talisker Atlantic Challenge; understands that the five men completed the 3000 mile journey from La Gomera in Spain to Antigua in the Caribbean in 36 days, 3 hours and 33 minutes, each taking turns to have two hours of sleep; notes that the group finished third out of thirty six boats, and describe the journey as the hardest thing they have ever done, as falling from the boat would have been fatal as the craft could not be turned around fast enough to find a crew member in the darkness; commends the fundraising efforts that the group made to get them to the starting line, with additional funds raised to be given to the charity Reverse Rett; and wishes the group the best of luck in their futures.