Commons business papers

Contents

Published: Tuesday 20 December 2022

Early Day Motions tabled on Monday 19 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

716Rural communities

Tabled: 19/12/22 Signatories: 1

Helen Morgan

That this House recognises that one in five people in the UK live in a rural community; acknowledges the significant impact of the cost of living crisis on rural areas; notes with concern the ongoing ambulance crisis in rural and coastal communities; further notes that farmers in rural communities are struggling with increasing running costs, unfair trade deals and a botched rollout of the ELMS scheme; notes that councils in rural communities are struggling to deal with an increasingly strained budget and are often required to spend a greater proportion of their budget than their urban counterparts on social care; and calls on the Government to create a cross-departmental Minister for Rural Communities to lead the way in addressing these issues and ensuring rural communities are fully considered in decision making.

717Royal Conservatoire of Scotland 175th anniversary

Tabled: 19/12/22 Signatories: 1

Alison Thewliss

That this House congratulates the Royal Conservatoire on their 175th anniversary in 2022; notes that they have been teaching the performing arts in Glasgow since 1847; understands that the institution has grown over the past 175 years to become consistently ranked within the world’s top 10 performing arts institutions; further notes that the Royal Conservatoire ranked fifth in the QS World Rankings for Performing Arts Education in 2022; appreciates the contribution the institution makes to the arts in Glasgow and in Scotland; and wishes them all the best for the future.

718The Wayside Club 90th anniversary

Tabled: 19/12/22 Signatories: 1

Alison Thewliss

That this House congratulates the Legion of Mary, who in 2022 celebrated 90 years of service to those in need through their work at the Wayside Club; understands a Mass of Thanksgiving to mark this was hosted by the Franciscan community at Blessed John Duns Scotus on 18 September; notes that The Wayside Club was established in 1932 to meet the needs of the homeless and those suffering from hardship, addiction to alcohol or gambling and continues to do so to this day; thanks them for their support to many people in Glasgow who need it; and wishes them the very best for the future.

719Glasgow Women's Library and 30 Years of Changing Minds project

Tabled: 19/12/22 Signatories: 1

Alison Thewliss

That this House congratulates Glasgow Women's Library on receiving funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a two-year project celebrating the fourth decade of the library after celebrating its 30th anniversary in September 2021; notes that since 1991 Glasgow Women's Library has grown from an unfunded, grassroots project into a renowned and respected heritage resource which has worked tirelessly to increase the knowledge and understanding of women’s history, lives, and achievements; understands that the 30 Years of Changing Minds project is already well underway to publicly mark 30 years of an exceptional organisation that has informed and responded to equality's agendas; and wishes them many more years of success for the future.

720Scottish Detainee Visitors 20th anniversary

Tabled: 19/12/22 Signatories: 1

Alison Thewliss

That this House congratulates Scottish Detainee Visitors on their 20th anniversary; understands that the project offers non-judgmental social, emotional and practical support to people in Dungavel detention centre, the only one of its kind in Scotland; notes that it provides a vital service for detainees in supplying information, signposting and mobile top-ups to help people keep in touch with friends and family; further notes that above all the most important aspect of their service is the friendship and solidarity they offer, invaluable to those who have been detained; and wishes them all the best for the future.

721Power in Shetland following severe weather disruption

Tabled: 19/12/22 Signatories: 1

Mr Alistair Carmichael

That this House commends the efforts of Scottish and Southern Electricity Network (SSEN) engineers and partners, emergency services and communities during power outages caused by severe weather disruption in Shetland; understands that 5,289 properties lost power on 13 December 2022 due to snowstorms and ice bringing down power lines; further understands that all homes that had lost power were reconnected the afternoon of 18 December 2022, meaning some homes had been without power for six days; pays tribute to the hard work of all SSEN staff, and crews from other contracted companies, many of whom had travelled up to Shetland from the Scottish mainland to assist with the power restoration; notes that weather conditions remained extremely difficult, with workers out in low temperatures and high winds; further commends the response of emergency services in assisting people affected by the severe weather, local resilience partnership organisations and Shetland Islands Council which provided advice and welfare support to those affected; commends NorthLink Ferries for their assistance in transporting vital equipment and crew to Shetland; praises the community response, in particular the provision of shelter, warm spaces and hot food to people whose homes had lost power; further notes that despite all properties being restored to power ongoing work remains on the network to restore normal operation; and expresses gratitude to all continuing to work to restore normal operation to Shetland’s power network.

722Glasgow Print Studio 50th anniversary

Tabled: 19/12/22 Signatories: 1

Alison Thewliss

That this House congratulates Glasgow Print Studio on their 50th anniversary in 2022; notes the contribution the organisation has made to Glasgow's cultural landscape; understands that the studio started as a grassroots organisation, providing workshop space to artists, and has since grown into a professional art organisation with more than 300 members; further notes that the occasion was marked by a special exhibition at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum featuring 130 Scottish artists; and wishes them every success in the future.

723Scotia Bar 230th anniversary

Tabled: 19/12/22 Signatories: 1

Alison Thewliss

That this House congratulates the Scotia Bar in Glasgow on their 230th anniversary in 2022; understands it is thought by many to be Glasgow's oldest pub; notes the contribution to Glasgow's cultural landscape the bar has offered over the years, as a home for live music, poetry and political activism, as well as being host to some of Scotland's best loved musicians such as Billy Connolly and Gerry Rafferty; and wishes them many more years of success in the future.

724Swadish by Ajay Kumar and the British Curry Awards 2022

Tabled: 19/12/22 Signatories: 1

Alison Thewliss

That this House congratulates Swadish by Ajay Kumar on winning Best in Scotland at the British Curry Awards 2022; understands the restaurant aims to blend fresh, locally sourced Scottish ingredients with traditional Indian flavours; notes its success; further notes that it is very proud to bring the Curry Oscar back home to Scotland; and wishes it every success in its future endeavours.

725Motherwell and Wishaw Citizens Advice Bureau 80th anniversary

Tabled: 19/12/22 Signatories: 1

Marion Fellows

That this House congratulates Motherwell and Wishaw Citizens Advice Bureau on reaching its 80th anniversary; recognises the tremendous work done by staff and volunteers at the charity to assist local people with free, confidential and independent advice on a wide range of issues from consumer affairs and energy advice, to immigration and housing rights; notes that since the Bureau’s records began, they have dealt with almost 925,000 cases, achieved over £57million of financial gain for their clients and rescheduled over £88million of clients’ debt; acknowledges that without the presence of the Bureau in the community over the last eight decades, many citizens would have suffered unnecessary hardships; and extends its grateful thanks to the Motherwell and Wishaw Citizens Advice Bureau and its very best wishes for a successful future.

726The Big Top 30 year anniversary

Tabled: 19/12/22 Signatories: 1

Alison Thewliss

That this House congratulates The Big Top toy shop on their 30 year anniversary in 2022; understands this family business spans generations; appreciates that this traditional toy shop in Glasgow City Centre is a firm favourite among locals, selling toys such as puppets, kites, bouncy balls and rocking horses; and wishes them many more years of success.

727Bridgeton Citizen's Advice Bureau 40 year anniversary

Tabled: 19/12/22 Signatories: 1

Alison Thewliss

That this House congratulates Bridgeton Citizen's Advice Bureau on their 40 year anniversary in 2022; notes that the organisation was founded in 1972 and has helped countless individuals and families in the time they've been open; recognises the vital work that Citizen's Advice does in Bridgeton, Glasgow, and beyond; and appreciates that their work is as important as ever during this cost of living crisis.

728Royal Mail industrial action

Tabled: 19/12/22 Signatories: 1

Patricia Gibson

That this House fully supports the more than 100,000 postal workers at Royal Mail engaging in strike action in an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions; notes the £758 million in profit made by Royal Mail in the financial year 2021-2022, an increase of £56 million from the previous financial year; acknowledges that the hard work and dedication of Royal Mail’s workforce has heavily contributed towards the organisation’s yearly profits; values the essential work carried out by Royal Mail staff across the UK; denounces Royal Mail’s intentions to cut 10,000 jobs by August 2023, including 6,000 redundancies; urges Royal Mail to negotiate a fairer deal to better support their workforce now and in the future; and wishes Royal Mail workers every success in their fight for better pay and conditions.

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.

672Free School Meals For All campaign

Tabled: 6/12/22 Signatories: 48

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.

684Decision to approve the Whitehaven coal mine

Tabled: 8/12/22 Signatories: 11

Tim Farron

Stephen Farry

Wendy Chamberlain

Richard Foord

Ben Lake

Jonathan Edwards

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: 25

Siobhain McDonagh [R]

Kim Johnson

Claire Hanna

Richard Burgon

Marion Fellows

Dan Carden

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.

686Compulsory prepayment meters

Tabled: 9/12/22 Signatories: 14

Jon Trickett

Ian Lavery

Dan Carden

Kim Johnson

Neale Hanvey

Jim Shannon

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.

688Special Tribunal on Russian Aggression in Ukraine

Tabled: 9/12/22 Signatories: 31

Stewart Malcolm McDonald

Dr Julian Lewis

Christine Jardine

Liz Saville Roberts

Colum Eastwood

Stuart C McDonald

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.

690Involuntarily installation of prepayment meters

Tabled: 12/12/22 Signatories: 13

Dan Carden

Jim Shannon

Jonathan Edwards

Mohammad Yasin

Dr Philippa Whitford

Chris Stephens

That this House notes with concern the significant increase in the number of households being involuntarily moved onto prepayment meters; is alarmed by reports that since July 2021 nearly half a million warrants have been issued allowing energy firms to force entry into the UK’s poorest homes, and that at one court in the North of England, magistrates signed off a single batch of 496 utility warrants in just three minutes and 51 seconds as a debt agent representing several major energy firms dialled in by telephone; recognises the injustice that the 4.5 million UK households on prepayment meters face higher average annual bills than those on direct debit; notes that Citizens Advice report an unprecedented number of people who cannot afford to top up their prepayment meter, leaving them facing a choice between being pushed deeper into debt or self-disconnecting; further notes the concerns raised by the End Fuel Poverty Coalition that energy suppliers are using prepayment meter installations under warrant to disconnect indebted customers by the back door; believes that suppliers need to be supporting customers in debt; and calls on the Government to ban the forcible installation of prepayment meters this winter and end the indefensible prepayment meter premium that sees the poorest households paying the highest prices.

69850 Years of Radio Glangwili

Tabled: 12/12/22 Signatories: 4

Jonathan Edwards

Jim Shannon

Chris Stephens

Ben Lake

This House congratulates Radio Glangwili on 50 years of dedicated service; notes that the radio station first broadcasted to patients at Glangwili Hospital, Carmarthen, on Christmas Day 1972; further notes that the station has broadcasted bilingually since its inception, providing both English and Welsh language content; congratulates the station on being a key part of the excellent healthcare provided to patients in West Wales at Glangwili; pays tribute to the vision of the Urdd Gobaith Cymru (Welsh Youth Movement) members who set up the service and to the support they were given by health managers; notes how important the station is in improving the healthcare experience of patients by providing information, reassurance, therapy and a distraction from boredom; and wishes Radio Glangwili well in its next fifty years of service.

69980th anniversary of acknowledgement of Holocaust in the House of Commons

Tabled: 12/12/22 Signatories: 53

Kirsten Oswald

Andrew Percy

Dame Margaret Hodge

Christine Jardine

Jim Shannon

Liz Saville Roberts

That this House notes that Saturday 17 December marks the 80th anniversary of the Government first publicly acknowledging the Holocaust in the House of Commons chamber; recalls that then Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr Anthony Eden MP, during a statement to the House regarding a joint declaration from European allied countries condemned in the strongest possible terms this bestial policy of cold-blood extermination; understands that the House responded to this statement with a spontaneous moment of silence; appreciates the vital work carried out now by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, ensuring people across the UK are aware of the Holocaust and more recent genocides; appreciates their work to ensure that testimony is shared and lessons learned are understood and remembered; and notes that on Thursday 15 December a moment of silence will be observed in the House and survivors of the Holocaust will be present in the Speaker’s gallery.

702Immigration policy and seafarer jobs

Tabled: 13/12/22 Signatories: 17

Karl Turner

Ian Mearns

Grahame Morris

Kenny MacAskill

Chris Stephens

Apsana Begum

That this House is deeply concerned by the impact of immigration policy on seafarer jobs and training in Net Zero industries; notes that the recent extension of the Offshore Wind Workers Immigration Rules Concession 2017 has cost at least 36 UK seafarers their jobs on vessels constructing EDF’s Neart na Gaoithe wind farm off the coast of Fife; shares the RMT union’s concerns over this case; notes that crewing agent ERSG recruited UK seafarers for 12 months work, only to replace them two weeks later with Filipino crew on lower pay and longer contracts; is alarmed that the Home Office has extended this temporary concession at least seven times but has refused to provide Parliament with information on its operation or labour market impact; notes that over 2,000 offshore wind turbines have been constructed in UK waters since 2017; further notes that the wind industry has not requested and does not support this waiver; and calls on the Government to scrap the 2017 concession and to work with trade unions, employers and the Migration Advisory Committee to secure long-term jobs and apprenticeships for UK seafarers in the offshore wind supply chain.

705Closure of the Middlesbrough Diamorphine-Assisted Treatment programme

Tabled: 14/12/22 Signatories: 12

Andy McDonald

Dan Carden

Stuart C McDonald

Caroline Lucas

Alex Cunningham

Grahame Morris

That this House is dismayed that the pioneering Middlesbrough Diamorphine-Assisted Treatment programme has closed due to the withdrawal of funding; applauds the exemplary efforts of Danny Ahmed and his colleagues at the addiction treatment clinic in helping to save and rebuild lives; recognises the success of this scheme in providing invaluable health benefits to participants and reducing offending and criminal justice costs significantly, as verified by Teesside University’s independent evaluation; acknowledges that drug deaths are at record levels, with people in Middlesbrough statistically more likely to die from a drug-related death than a car accident; notes that the Government’s Drugs Strategy, From Harm to Hope, published a year ago, stated that the cost of drug misuse is absolutely staggering and the human toll is incalculably larger, measured not in pounds lost but in lives shattered; further notes that the strategy stressed the need for evidence-based interventions and innovation, and identified Middlesbrough as the area worst-affected by opiate use; reaffirms the cross-party views of the Home Affairs Committee and the Drugs, Alcohol and Justice APPG that this evidence-based and cost-effective treatment scheme should be continued; and calls on the Government to ensure that the Middlesbrough Diamorphine-Assisted Treatment is rescued and restored at the earliest opportunity and sustainable funding can be secured.

706Treatment of workers at Orchard House Foods, Gateshead

Tabled: 14/12/22 Signatories: 7

Ian Mearns

Jeremy Corbyn

Bell Ribeiro-Addy

Ian Byrne

Ian Lavery

Grahame Morris

That this House is shocked and angered by the treatment of workers made redundant at Orchard House Food’s Gateshead factory; notes that the company - which supplies companies such as Marks and Spencer, Morrisons and Pret a Manger - remains a going concern with some workers offered the chance to relocate to the Midlands; understands that the majority have been unable to relocate and were initially promised redundancy payments within two weeks of receiving their final pay slip, in most cases on 9 December; is outraged to learn that the workers have since been informed that there will be a delay in processing these redundancy payments until the New Year; is concerned about the impact on families now facing the prospect of Christmas without an income and yet to receive a penny of support from the company, leaving many worried about heating their homes or feeding their children; and calls on the management of Orchard House Foods to ensure that all redundancy payments are received in full prior to Christmas.

707Alcohol-specific deaths

Tabled: 14/12/22 Signatories: 7

Dan Carden

Mary Kelly Foy

Ms Marie Rimmer

Allan Dorans

Ian Lavery

Caroline Lucas

That this House is seriously concerned by the sharp increase in alcohol-specific deaths in data released by the Office for National Statistics on 8 December 2022, revealing that in 2021 there were 9,641 deaths,14.8 per 100,000 people, from alcohol-specific causes registered in the UK, the highest number on record, representing a 7.4 per cent increase since the previous year and a 27.4 per cent increase since 2019, the last pre-coronavirus pandemic year; notes the clear regional differences in alcohol-specific mortality and alcohol harm with alcohol-specific mortality ranking highest in the North East for eight consecutive years, with double the number of deaths at 20.4 per 100,000 than the London region on 10.2 per 100,000; is alarmed by a lack of a UK Government alcohol strategy, noting that the last strategy was published in 2012; and calls on the Government to take immediate steps to address alcohol harm by commissioning an independent review of alcohol harm to inform a new alcohol strategy.

708Diagnosis and support for PANS and PANDAS

Tabled: 14/12/22 Signatories: 2

Sarah Green

John McDonnell

That this House notes that Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS) are conditions caused by misdirected immune responses and brain inflammation following common infections; acknowledges that these conditions can lead to a range of physical and psychiatric symptoms including anxiety, tics, behavioural regression, motor and sensory abnormalities, insomnia, OCD and irritability; expresses concern at the educational difficulties and sudden deterioration in school performance these symptoms can cause for children suffering from the conditions; regrets that knowledge of these conditions is low among medical professionals in the UK; further regrets that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has not yet published guidance on dealing with PANS or PANDAS; welcomes the work of PANS PANDAS UK, a charity working with families and children impacted by the conditions; and calls on the Government to support their campaign to increase early diagnosis and effective treatment by ensuring that both conditions are recognised in every GP surgery, every school and every hospital in England.

709Costs of public sector pay rises

Tabled: 14/12/22 Signatories: 21

Richard Burgon

John McDonnell

Bell Ribeiro-Addy

Ms Diane Abbott

Jon Trickett

Andy McDonald

That this House rejects the claim made in the media by the Prime Minister that it would cost an additional £28 billion to award a pay-rise for all public sector workers in line with inflation; notes that according to economists and fact-checkers the Prime Minister's claim is vastly inflated; further notes that the Institute for Fiscal Studies in its Green Book estimates that pay rises in line with inflation for public sector workers would cost about £18bn and that the Government would, in addition, get around a third of this back in tax revenues reducing the cost further by around £6bn; further believes therefore that such a pay award could cost less than half of the government’s stated £28bn figure; notes that one of the many fair options available for funding such a pay increase in line with inflation would be to equalise Capital Gains Tax rates with income tax rates which would raise up to £17 billion a year; and calls on the Prime Minister to withdraw his claim and to make an offer of a pay award in line with inflation which would be a huge step towards reaching a resolution to avoid further strikes.

710Palestinians living in Masafer Yatta

Tabled: 15/12/22 Signatories: 2

Tony Lloyd

Caroline Lucas

That this House is deeply concerned by the Israeli High Court of Justice’s decision to approve the eviction of Palestinians living in the Masafer Yatta region of the occupied West Bank to make room for Israeli military training; highlights that the demolitions and confiscations occurring in the occupied West Bank contravene international humanitarian law and undermine social stability and security; strongly condemns the proposed forced removal of over 1,000 Palestinians, including 580 children who are at imminent risk of displacement; emphasises that those involved stand to lose their homes, belongings, access to water, livelihoods, primary health facilities and schools; is appalled that Israeli forces raided and demolished a recently-built Palestinian primary school in Masafer Yatta that served 22 students from four different villages; and calls on the Government to press the Israeli authorities to halt all forcible evictions and demolitions in the occupied West Bank.

711Global hunger and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (No. 4)

Tabled: 15/12/22 Signatories: 6

Tony Lloyd

Jonathan Edwards

Stephen Farry

Caroline Lucas

John McDonnell

Ben Lake

That this House is concerned by the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, where severe drought has left 9.9 million people facing hunger and 24 million in need of humanitarian assistance; highlights that 2.2 million children in Ethiopia are acutely malnourished; recognises the role that climate change plays in the scale and severity of this crisis; highlights that the UN has listed Ethiopia in the top five countries in need of humanitarian aid; highlights that the World Food Programme was only able to reach 10 per cent of mothers and children across northern Ethiopia needing nutrition support in August due to a lack of funding and supply shortages; emphasises the effects of the conflict in Tigray which has displaced hundreds of thousands and left 90 per cent of the region’s population in acute need of food assistance; notes that between April 2021 and June 2022 at least 1,900 children under five died from malnutrition in Tigray; further notes that the World Food Programme says aid shipments to Tigray are not meeting needs, and that although roads into the region have opened since the peace agreement, delivery remains constrained; is dismayed that the world is set to fail the UN Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030; and calls on the Government to (a) do all it can to ensure sufficient humanitarian aid reaches Tigray, (b) support international and non-governmental humanitarian organisations operating in Ethiopia, and (c) restore the commitment to spending 0.7 per cent of GNI on international aid.

713160th anniversary of Laings of Inverurie

Tabled: 15/12/22 Signatories: 8

Richard Thomson

Allan Dorans

Douglas Chapman

Marion Fellows

Gavin Newlands

Dave Doogan

That this House pays tribute to the continuing success and growth of Laings of Inverurie, established as an independent family business in 1862, who have recently celebrated their 160th anniversary as one of the largest independent retailers of kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms in the UK; acknowledges the vital importance of independent businesses like Laings to the retail sector and the importance of such business to the long-term economic prospects of our local economies; further commends the owners, management and staff of Laings for their commitment to excellent service to the many thousands of loyal customers in Aberdeenshire and beyond; and wishes the company continued success into the future.

715Regulator of Social Housing’s report on Rochdale Boroughwide Housing

Tabled: 15/12/22 Signatories: 2

Tony Lloyd

John McDonnell

That this House acknowledges the report by the Regulator of Social Housing following its investigation into Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) after the death of Awaab Ishak; is shocked by the report’s conclusions, including that there have been significant failures in the way RBH manages damp and mould in its homes, resulting in harm to tenants, that RBH waited nearly two years after Awaab Ishak died to check other homes on the estate where he lived, and that once RBH did finally check these homes they found that almost 80% of tenants there had signs of damp and mould; notes the very belated resignation of the board of RBH, who so signally failed to provide any adequate scrutiny of the actions of the Chief Executive; insists that any reconstituted board must be charged with the obvious importance of their role in making RBH accountable for protecting the interests and particularly the health of RBH tenants; notes that in the past there were local authority representatives on the board of RBH but these were removed; and believes that a strong role for elected members of the local authority is key to ensuring accountability and that social housing is maintained to an acceptable standard.