Contents

Published: Monday 12 December 2022

Early Day Motions tabled on Friday 9 December 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

686Compulsory prepayment meters

Tabled: 9/12/22 Signatories: 1

Jon Trickett

That this House understands that due to rising energy prices many households are struggling to pay their bills; notes that nearly half a million warrants allowing energy firms to forcibly install prepayment meters in people’s homes have been approved by courts since July 2021, according to a Freedom of Information request; further notes reports in The i newspaper that courts are signing off these warrants in large batches without examining individual cases; recognises that households with prepayment meters have less rights than other customers because they are not entitled to get into more than £10 of debt and if they are unable to pay in advance they are forced to self-disconnect leaving them without power in their homes; further recognises that the rules state that suppliers cannot force-fit a prepayment meter under warrant for people in very vulnerable situations if they don’t want one, charge them for warrant costs on debts, or use warrants on people who would find the experience very traumatic; expresses its concern that warrants are being issued without the appropriate checks being undertaken to make sure that the rules are being followed; believes that nobody should be left without energy this winter as a result of them not being able to afford bills; calls for the Government to immediately implement a legal ban on prepayment meters being forcibly installed without the approval of households; and further calls for the Government to investigate whether courts are following the rules relating to the forced instalment of prepayment meters.

687Hayocks Primary School, Stevenston: UNICEF Gold Rights Respecting School award

Tabled: 9/12/22 Signatories: 1

Patricia Gibson

That this House congratulates the pupils and staff Hayocks Primary School in Stevenston on achieving the prestigious Gold Rights Respecting School award from UNICEF; notes that the Gold award is the highest accolade that UNICEF can bestow on a school in recognition of the excellent progress that the school has achieved in embedding the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in its ethos and curriculum; commends the excellent work of Headteacher Miss Penelope McCann, staff, pupils and wider school community which supported a range of activities to demonstrate that Hayocks Primary School is a safe place to place to learn, where children are respected, their talents are nurtured and all are able to thrive in a supportive environment; and wishes everyone at Hayocks Primary School every success in the future.

688Special Tribunal on Russian Aggression in Ukraine

Tabled: 9/12/22 Signatories: 5

Stewart Malcolm McDonald

Dr Julian Lewis

Christine Jardine

Liz Saville Roberts

Colum Eastwood

That this house seeks justice and accountability for atrocities committed by Russian troops during their invasion of Ukraine, as well as for the crime of the war itself; recognises that the decision by the Russian Federation to launch attacks on Ukraine poses a grave challenge to the post-1945 international order; recognises that in line with international law the invasion has provided for individual criminal responsibility for those who plan, initiate or execute wars of aggression; supports all ongoing investigations into Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, including those before the International Court of Justice, International Criminal Court and European Court of Human Rights; recommends the establishment of an ad hoc special tribunal with a mandate to investigate and prosecute the crime of aggression allegedly committed by the political and military leadership of the Russian Federation; suggests applying the definition of the crime of aggression based on Article 8 bis of the Rome Statute; calls for guarantees that accountability will extend to government and political officials; welcomes the exercise of jurisdiction by the International Criminal Court over war crimes, crimes against humanity, and attempted genocide on the territory of Ukraine; notes that Russian co-operation with such a trial may be one key metric by which we can judge that Europe is on a path towards peace; recognises that a Ukrainian victory is necessary for the integrity of the international system, as are justice and accountability for Russian crimes; and considers that accountability for the crime of aggression against Ukraine must be secured.

689Great Annual Savings Group

Tabled: 9/12/22 Signatories: 1

Grahame Morris

That this House recognises that vital work of Great Annual Savings Group, a business to business cost reduction service, in promoting local enterprise; notes the company has been recognised as the UK’s leading cost reduction specialist for customer care according to Trustpilot; also notes Great Annual Savings was named the second fastest growing company in the North East at the prestigious Ward Hadaway North East Fastest 50 Awards; thanks the Great Annual Saving team for their community legacy supporting over 11,000 businesses, creating 200 jobs and raising over £300,000 for social and charitable causes; commends the executive team for supporting staff throughout the covid-19 pandemic, and praises their work to overcome difficulties created by the cost of living crisis and the collapse of the energy market; highlights the important work of Great Annual Savings and the testimonies of notable businesses from Sunderland Football Club, Ramside Hall Hotel and Castle Eden Brewery who have made significant savings; and calls on the Government to recognise businesses of strategic importance that underpin and support the wider economy by supporting our enterprises to remain trading who would otherwise close.

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.

628Maid of the Loch and the National Historic Ships UK Annual Awards

Tabled: 29/11/22 Signatories: 9

Martin Docherty-Hughes

Patrick Grady

Jim Shannon

Owen Thompson

Chris Law

Chris Stephens

That this House congratulates the Maid of the Loch restoration crew on being awarded Group Winner of the Marsh Volunteer Award for Historic Vessel Conservation 2022 at the National Historic Ships UK Annual Awards; believes that this award is a welcome and timely recognition for the valuable and dedicated work carried out by volunteers over the years to restore this much loved vessel on Loch Lomond with the aim of her being relaunched as a fully operational paddle steamer; and wishes all those involved in the Loch Lomond Steamship Company the best of luck in their endeavours.

629Lisa Halley, Guide Dogs Outstanding Person of the Year

Tabled: 29/11/22 Signatories: 7

Chris Law

Jim Shannon

Chris Stephens

Christine Jardine

Anne McLaughlin

Allan Dorans

That this House congratulates Lisa Halley from Dundee on her award of Outstanding Person of the Year at the Guide Dogs People Awards 2022; notes that Lisa received this award for her brilliant work to graduate with a degree in psychology from Abertay University in 2020; recognises that she was supported throughout her studies by her dual guide dog Jumble, who helped give her the confidence to start university; thanks all at Guide Dogs for the excellent work that they do across the country to support people in our local communities; and wishes Lisa, Jumble and all at Guide Dogs all the best for the future.

630Inverness Maritime and Coastguard Search and Rescue: Award

Tabled: 29/11/22 Signatories: 9

Drew Hendry

Jim Shannon

Jonathan Edwards

Chris Law

Chris Stephens

Anne McLaughlin

That this House congratulates Inverness-based Maritime and Coastguard Search and Rescue crew on recently being awarded the 2022 Prince Philip Helicopter Rescue Award; notes that this award is given to an individual member of a helicopter crew, a complete crew or the crews of multiple helicopters, for an act of outstanding courage or devotion to duty in the course of land or sea search and rescue operations; recognises that Captain Rob Green, Captain Simon Hammock, Philip Candle and Duncan Tripp MBE are joint recipients of the award for their efforts in March of this year where they conducted a highly demanding rescue in the most extreme of weather conditions; commends the crew for displaying the highest standard of crew-cooperation, judgement and handling skills to ensure a safe outcome for those in danger; and pays thanks to all those who dedicate their lives to the search and rescue of those who need it.

664Equal private pension entitlement for bereaved unmarried partners

Tabled: 5/12/22 Signatories: 16

Geraint Davies

Jim Shannon

John McDonnell

Tahir Ali

Claire Hanna

Chris Stephens

That this House welcomes the progress that has been made in ensuring unmarried partners have access to public service pensions; further welcomes the decision in 2019 to support the equal treatment of survivors of all legal relationships; recognises that the proportion of unmarried couples in the United Kingdom continues to increase; believes that it is an issue of basic fairness and protection that unmarried couples should receive the same benefits as married couples should one partner die; and calls on the Government to bring forward legislation to ensure that all pension schemes, both public and private, provide for long-term survivor benefits for unmarried survivors.

668National Tree Week

Tabled: 5/12/22 Signatories: 9

Jim Shannon

Sir Mike Penning

John McDonnell

Chris Stephens

Carla Lockhart

Liz Saville Roberts

That this House notes the end of National Tree Week 2022 that lasted from 26 November to 4 December 2022; underlines that National Tree Week is the largest annual tree celebration, marking the start of the tree planting season when millions of trees are planted every year; further notes the initiative by IndiWoods to plant exciting native woodlands throughout Northern Ireland this Winter, all of which consist of native oaks, downy and silver birch, alder, rowan, wild cherry and apple; further underlines the assistance trees offer to our environment, by locking up carbon, reducing surface run-off to help prevent flooding and filter harmful air pollution; and highlights the beautiful scenery trees give us in the countryside and that they improve our mental and physical health.

670Friends of Royal Lancaster Infirmary 2022

Tabled: 5/12/22 Signatories: 2

Cat Smith

Richard Burgon

That this House warmly welcomes the Friends of Royal Lancaster Infirmary for the fundraising efforts for almost 80 years; congratulates them on fundraising for equipment worth nearly £35,000 for the hospital in 2022, including a surgery light for dermatology, hearing test equipment for newborns, a bladder scanner and a vein-finding device; recognises their fundraising also supports staff at the hospital as well as patients and that other donations from the charity include kitchen equipment and furniture for staff break areas, and devices used in staff training; thanks all those involved in the Friends of Royal Lancaster Infirmary; notes the community who use the hospital are grateful to the Friends of Royal Lancaster Infirmary for their ongoing commitment to supporting the hospital which holds an important place at the heart of the community.

672Free School Meals For All campaign

Tabled: 6/12/22 Signatories: 33

Zarah Sultana

Ian Byrne

Kim Johnson

Caroline Lucas

Munira Wilson

Apsana Begum

That this House notes that 3.9 million children are growing up in poverty and that the cost of living crisis is estimated to push another 500,000 children into poverty; recognises that free school meals ensure millions of children get a hot, healthy meal each day, but that as millions of families struggle with the cost of living crisis, more children are being forced to learn on empty stomachs, with restrictive eligibility, complicated registration and stigma built into the means-tested system; welcomes campaigning to extend free school meals, including those led by the National Education Union, the Daily Mirror and the Food Foundation; and calls on the Government to extend free school meals to all primary school children in state schools in England, as proposed by the Free School Meals for All Bill, formally known as the Free School Meals (Primary Schools) Bill.

679The Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill

Tabled: 7/12/22 Signatories: 8

Caroline Lucas

Geraint Davies

Wera Hobhouse

Jim Shannon

Claire Hanna

Richard Burgon

That this House recognises the overwhelming importance of achieving clean air in order to protect life and health now and for future generations; notes that 5th-9th December marks the seventieth anniversary of the Great Smog of London in 1952; welcomes the Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill, known as Ella’s Law, in the House of Commons after passing third reading in the House of Lords and securing significant cross-party support; welcomes the Bill as a measure which would ensure the human right to breathe clean air and thus prevent the deaths of children and other vulnerable people whilst helping to protect the environment and mitigate climate change; further recognises the need for targets, deadlines and proportional enforcement, that the Bill would help fulfil the UK’s commitment to the landmark UN resolution which recognized the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a human right and that the current law does not adequately protect children such as Ella Roberta Adoo Kissi-Debrah who tragically died as a consequence of air pollution; expresses its deep sympathy to her mother Rosamund and other families of children whose health has been curtailed by air pollution; urges the Government to increase investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy to reduce harmful emissions and the cost of living for households; and calls on the Government to support the Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill as a measure to achieve clean air.

683Withdrawal of Advance Purchase on Departure tickets from Northern Trains ticket offices

Tabled: 8/12/22 Signatories: 22

Cat Smith

Ian Mearns

Tim Farron

Dan Carden

Grahame Morris

Rebecca Long Bailey

That this House notes with concern that Northern Trains has recently withdrawn Advance Purchase on Departure rail fares from sale at its ticket offices; understands that advanced purchase tickets are designed to offer best value fares to passengers; therefore believes that the withdrawal of Advance Purchase on Departure fares may mean that passengers are not able to access the best value fare for their journey; further understands that this franchise is controlled by the Department for Transport via the Operator of Last Resort; is concerned about reports from Government and Train Operating Companies that they wish to close the majority of ticket offices across the rail network; understands that Advance Purchase on Departure fares will remain available online and at Ticket Vending Machines; is therefore concerned that the withdrawal of certain fares from ticket offices is aimed at pushing passengers away from ticket offices; believes that this policy disadvantages people who cannot use online ticketing or Ticket Vending Machines, and that disabled and elderly passengers could be disproportionately affected; further believes that the full range of fares should be available to passengers at Northern ticket offices; and calls on the Government to ensure that Advance Purchase on Departure fares are reinstated at Northern ticket offices as a matter of urgency.

684Decision to approve the Whitehaven coal mine

Tabled: 8/12/22 Signatories: 4

Tim Farron

Stephen Farry

Wendy Chamberlain

Richard Foord

That this House deplores the Government’s decision to approve a new coal mine in Whitehaven, Cumbria; believes that it damages the United Kingdom’s international reputation and sets a terrible example of climate leadership; recognises that, while the coal mine will create 500 time-limited jobs, the Local Government Association estimate 6,000 green jobs could be created in Cumbria by 2030; understands that British Steel and Tata Steel have no plans to purchase coal from the mine and that 87 per cent of the coking coal produced will be exported; and demands that the Government reverses its decision to approve the Whitehaven coal mine and invests in green, renewable jobs in Cumbria to provide secure, long-term employment.

685Energy costs for families of seriously ill children

Tabled: 8/12/22 Signatories: 5

Siobhain McDonagh [R]

Kim Johnson

Claire Hanna

Richard Burgon

Marion Fellows

That this House is concerned by the growing energy costs that families of seriously ill children who rely on life-sustaining equipment at home are paying; welcomes the donation made by Kate Winslet to Carolynne Hunter, mother to Freya, 13, who has severe cerebral palsy and relies on receiving oxygen for chronic breathing problems, to fund her energy bill; further welcomes Together for Short Lives’ Cost of Living Support Fund, which will help ease the burden of families’ rising bills, so they can keep life-sustaining equipment running; recognises that families should not have to rely on the generosity of celebrities or charities to fund their energy bills; and calls on the Government to take additional, urgent action to ensure that families of seriously ill children who rely on life-sustaining equipment at home can afford the energy they need.