Contents

Published: Thursday 19 January 2023

Early Day Motions tabled on Wednesday 18 January 2023

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

767Deans Primary and Nursery Class

Tabled: 18/01/23 Signatories: 1

Hannah Bardell

That this House notes the recent inspection report by Education Scotland for Deans Primary and Nursery Class which found the school to be good and very good across all leading indicators; congratulates Headteacher, Mrs Stewart, her depute, Mrs Wallace, and their team for their performance in ensuring good outcomes for all children and their families; recognises that the school achieved ‘very good’ for ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion; highlights that children at Deans felt supported in a number of ways, including daily wellbeing check-ins, a tailored health and wellbeing curriculum, with staff ensuring the needs of every pupil were met on a daily basis; and further notes the commitment from all members of staff to continue to work on their ambitious school improvement priorities.

768Environment Agency workers industrial action

Tabled: 18/01/23 Signatories: 11

Olivia Blake

Apsana Begum

Nadia Whittome

Zarah Sultana

Jon Trickett

Mick Whitley

That this House fully supports the thousands of Environment Agency workers in their pay dispute, notes that they are engaged in the first strike action over pay to take place since the Environment Agency was established; further notes that while Environment Agency staff undertake vital work in responding to environmental incidents and emergencies including floods and major pollution events, these workers have seen the value of their pay eroded by over 20 percent since 2010; highlights that it wishes Environment Agency workers every success in their fight to secure a fair pay deal that reflects the vital work they do; and calls on Ministers in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to urgently engage with Environment Agency trade unions to seek a resolution to this dispute.

769Citizens Advice Cymru research on prepayment meters

Tabled: 18/01/23 Signatories: 1

Jonathan Edwards

That this House expresses concern at research by Citizens Advice Cymru which indicates that across Wales the service dealt with more cases of households unable to top up their prepayment meter in 2022 than in the previous 10 years combined; notes that research by Citizens Advice Cymru indicates that a third of prepayment meter users in Wales are struggling with payments; further notes that prepayment meters whilst useful for budgeting are a more expensive way to pay for energy consumption; further expresses concern at the research which indicates that 32 per cent of prepayment meter users in Wales were disconnected from their energy supply last year, that 23 per cent have been disconnected at least once a month, that 10 per cent have been without energy for over 24 hours; notes the potentially dangerous consequences for households being without electricity or heating, especially the vulnerable, and the pressure this places on health and social care services; further notes that the research indicates that 71 per cent of prepayment meter users are worried about keeping up with payments; is concerned that Citizens Advice local offices are reporting a three-fold increase in the number of consumers being switched to prepayment meters by energy suppliers last year; and supports Citizens Advice in calling on a prohibition of forced prepayment meter installations until consumer safeguards are introduced and a review of all prepayment meter customers with the aim of moving consumers to credit meters where necessary to reduce the risk of disconnections.

770Yeti Airlines Flight 691

Tabled: 18/01/23 Signatories: 1

Mr Virendra Sharma

That this House acknowledges the terrible impact of the crash of Yeti Airlines Flight 691; pays tribute to the work of the Nepalese Emergency Services and all first responders; remembers the 72 passengers and crew; and conveys its sympathies to the family and loved ones of those in the accident.

771UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen

Tabled: 18/01/23 Signatories: 1

Kim Johnson

That this House notes with concern the ongoing devastation of the war on Yemen, which has repeatedly been named one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world since the Saudi-led Coalition first launched airstrikes in March 2015; further notes that the Government continues to allow arms sales to Saudi Arabia, and continues to provide logistical support to Saudi forces in Yemen despite overwhelming evidence of serious violations of international humanitarian law; reminds the Government that criteria 2(c) of the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria precludes licensing where there is a clear risk that items might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law; notes with concern the failure of the warring parties to renew the first truce in six years, brokered by the UN, which was sustained for six months in 2022; calls on the Government to end all support for the war and suspend all arms sales to Saudi Arabia; and urges the Government to use all diplomatic means at its disposal, including the UK’s position as penholder on Yemen at the UN Security Council to support the role of the Yemeni people, including women and children, in building sustainable peace, to advocate for an end to the mahram male guardian requirement across governorates under Houthi control, and call for the creation of an independent, international accountability mechanism that would investigate, publicly report and pursue accountability for the most serious violations of international law committed in Yemen by all parties to the conflict.

772The work of Inspiring Scotland

Tabled: 18/01/23 Signatories: 1

Patricia Gibson

That this House commends the Scottish Government and Inspiring Scotland's provision of almost £118,000 in funding to eco-friendly projects on the Isle of Arran; notes Scottish Government funding of more than £3 million this year for projects across rural Scotland; further notes that rural and island communities have been disproportionately impacted by the cost of living crisis; understands that these communities are experiencing significantly higher costs for heating, transport and housing than their urban counterparts; recognises the positive impact this funding will have for Arran’s island community; acknowledges the significance of the work carried out by funding recipients Eco Savvy, Arran Development Trust, Pirnmill Village Association, and Lamlash Improvements Association to establish greater energy support and guidance for island residents and to grow the energy security and extreme weather resilience of the community; and wishes these groups every success in improving the lives of the people of Arran.

773Homes for Good Gold World Habitat Award

Tabled: 18/01/23 Signatories: 1

Alison Thewliss

That this House congratulates Homes for Good in Glasgow on winning a prestigious Gold World Habitat Award; understands they use an innovative model with transforms empty homes; notes they were founded in 2013 and have housed over 1000 people on low incomes or at immediate risk of homelessness into high quality homes; appreciates the massive difference Homes for Good have made to many lives in Glasgow; further notes that the World Habitat Awards are organised by World Habitat in partnership with UN-Habitat and are the world's leading housing awards, recognising and highlighting outstanding and revolutionary housing projects worldwide; and commends Homes for Good on this fantastic achievement and wishes them every success in the future.

774Nationality on the electoral registration form

Tabled: 18/01/23 Signatories: 1

Liz Saville Roberts

That this House notes its concern that it is not possible for individuals to identify as Welsh as a separate nationality on the electoral registration form or on the annual Household Enquiry Form; further notes that this results in many people in Wales being unable to state their own nationality as 55 per cent of the population identify as Welsh and not British; notes that this inability for people to express their nationality of choice risks communities across the UK feeling disenfranchised and underrepresented; and calls for both the electoral register and the annual Household Enquiry Form to be amended so that they can properly reflect all nationalities that make up the UK.

775Medical Radioisotope Production

Tabled: 18/01/23 Signatories: 1

Liz Saville Roberts

That this House recognises the urgent need to ensure the future security of supply of nuclear medicine and welcomes the announcement of major new plans to make north Wales a global centre of excellence as the leading location for medical radioisotope production in the UK; notes that the project ARTHUR (Advanced Radioisotope Technology for Health Utility Reactor) would see the creation of a public sector national laboratory for the supply of medical radioisotopes which are vital for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as cancer and heart disease; also notes that most of the European facilities currently producing medical radioisotopes are coming to the end of their productive life, leaving the UK facing the prospect of having to ration these life-saving nuclear medicines by 2030; further notes that loss of supply would have a significant detrimental impact on patient outcomes and survival; acknowledges that the project would create long-term and sustainable jobs and produce medical radioisotopes for health services across the four nations of the UK; and calls on the UK Government to work with the Welsh Government in their efforts to create project ARTHUR.

776Open Doors and the World Watch List 2023

Tabled: 18/01/23 Signatories: 1

Patricia Gibson

That this House applauds the work of the charity Open Doors which has, for more than six decades, supported persecuted Christians globally; understands that this year marks the 30th anniversary of Open Doors' research into those countries where Christians face the greatest levels of persecution, information on which is published in its annual World Watch List; notes that in the World Watch List 2023, North Korea returns to the top of this list, scoring the highest number of points ever recorded by the charity; is deeply concerned that more than 360 million Christians experience high and extreme levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith; is alarmed that when the Open Doors World Watch List started, Christians faced high, very high or extreme levels of persecution in 40 countries and, 30 years on, that number has nearly doubled to 76 countries; recognises that this means that 1 in 7 Christians now experience at least high levels of persecution and discrimination which shows that persecution of Christians for their faith is a human rights outrage which is growing; is appalled that sexual violence is a key weapon used against Christian women and girls globally; and urges the UK Government to recognise faith as an additional vulnerability in all conflicts and use every diplomatic tool at its disposal as well as its role on the international community to make all possible efforts to uphold freedom of religion or belief which is a basic human right and must be recognised as such.

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.

736Severe pectus excavatum treatment

Tabled: 9/01/23 Signatories: 5

Karl Turner

Jim Shannon

Rebecca Long Bailey

John McDonnell

Chris Stephens

That this House is concerned that the decision by NHS England to withdraw the surgery treatment for severe pectus excavatum and carinatum in its Clinical Commissioning Policy in 2019 has created a block for patients to access the relevant surgery; notes that severe pectus excavatum and carinatum treatment is routinely commissioned in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales and that due to the decommissioning of this service by NHS England in 2019, there is no surgery available and, in addition, no individual funding requests are being approved even for the most severe cases; acknowledges some moves by NHS England to allow 10 surgeries per year and support a study into the severest 10 per cent of patients; highlights that 90 per cent of patients who receive surgery in the devolved nations would not be able to receive the same procedure in England; notes that no teenagers or young adults with severe psychological distress have any access to surgery, no matter how deforming this abnormality is; and calls on the Government to bring into force, without delay, a timetable for reversing this NHS England Clinical Commissioning Policy.

737Bus services in rural areas

Tabled: 9/01/23 Signatories: 11

Helen Morgan

Jim Shannon

Mohammad Yasin

Wera Hobhouse

Mr Alistair Carmichael

Jamie Stone

That this House recognises the lack of adequate bus service provision across the UK; acknowledges that the problem is particularly significant in rural communities; notes that the lack of bus services leads to difficulties for some in getting to work, school, or hospital appointments; further notes that this has a detrimental impact on the local economy; and urges the Government to pass the Bus Services Bill, which would ensure that every town with a population of over 10,000 people has a regular bus service operating seven days a week, and that local health services, including hospitals and GP surgeries, are serviced by those buses.

741Recognition of the Holodomor as a genocide

Tabled: 9/01/23 Signatories: 10

Tony Lloyd

Jim Shannon

Jonathan Edwards

Mohammad Yasin

Liz Saville Roberts

Hywel Williams

That this House recognises the Holodomor as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian people in 1932 and 1933 by the Soviet regime headed by Josef Stalin; commemorates the lives of the seven million people who were brutally annihilated; condemns these acts as a systematic campaign of starvation and destruction of Ukrainian cultural and ethnic identity; further condemns the Soviet regime’s confiscation of food, restriction of population movement, rejection of external aid, and brutal crackdown on protests and suppression of the Ukrainian language for the purpose of Russification; commends the work undertaken to commemorate the dead; calls on the UK Government to promote further awareness of the Holodomor and condemn any attempt to deny or distort this historical truth as being anything less than genocide; and further calls on Parliament to join other parliaments in recognising the Holodomor as a historical reality.

742Attacks on the Brazilian Congress

Tabled: 9/01/23 Signatories: 33

Richard Burgon

Ms Diane Abbott

Jeremy Corbyn

Apsana Begum

Ian Lavery

Bell Ribeiro-Addy

This House condemns the attacks on the Brazilian Congress, Supreme Court, and Presidential Palace on Sunday 8 January 2023 by supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro who refused to accept his recent election defeat; notes that this happened a week after the inauguration of President Lula da Silva and is the latest far-right attempt to disrupt Brazilian democracy through violence and intimidation; is deeply alarmed by the disturbing rise of political violence against supporters of President Lula including killings, violence against Lula’s Workers' Party officials and attacks on pro-Lula marches that took place during the recent election campaign; believes President Lula’s democratically-elected administration must be allowed to govern without fear of violence or continued threats; extends our solidarity with President Lula, the governing Brazilian Workers' Party, and all Brazilian democrats against attempts by the far-right to overturn the democratic process in Brazil; and calls on the international community to offer its full support for the upholding of the democratic will of the Brazilian people and to do all it can to ensure those responsible for the 8 January 2023 events are held to account.

748Holocaust Memorial Day 2023

Tabled: 11/01/23 Signatories: 30

Bob Blackman

Liz Saville Roberts

Hywel Williams

Ben Lake

Stewart Hosie

Patrick Grady

That this House notes that, on 27 January 2023, the UK will observe Holocaust Memorial Day, marking the 78th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, where more than 1.1 million people died, including nearly one million Jewish men, women and children; 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 tens of thousands of 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.

752Disability and cost of living

Tabled: 12/01/23 Signatories: 11

Christine Jardine

Jonathan Edwards

Ben Lake

Wendy Chamberlain

Richard Foord

Jim Shannon

That this House recognises that there is often a significant income gap between disabled and non-disabled people; further recognises that disabled people are being hit hard by the current cost of living crisis and are much more likely to struggle to heat their homes and cut back on food over the winter; notes that the Resolution Foundation has found that people with disabilities have an available amount to spend that is around 44 per cent lower than that of other working-age adults; further notes that people with a disability are far more likely to be poorer than the rest of the population, with up to a third of adults in the lowest-income households having a disability; notes that almost half of disabled adults said they had to cut back on energy use this winter, compared with almost one-third of people without a disability; and calls on the Government to provide further support for disabled people including financial assistance to help with the cost of living crisis.

755Lewis Capaldi

Tabled: 16/01/23 Signatories: 6

Martyn Day

Jim Shannon

Allan Dorans

Patrick Grady

Marion Fellows

Chris Stephens

That this House celebrates the success of West Lothian singer songwriter Lewis Capaldi, whose single Someone You Loved has been named the UK's most streamed song; notes that his breakthrough hit has accumulated 562 million UK streams, beating Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You and Perfect, respectively; and further notes that the song reached number one in March 2019 and stayed there for a total of seven weeks.

756Creativity of Glasgow North East school pupils

Tabled: 16/01/23 Signatories: 6

Anne McLaughlin

Jim Shannon

Allan Dorans

Patrick Grady

Marion Fellows

Chris Stephens

That this House thanks the schools in Glasgow North East including Barmulloch Primary School, Elmvale Primary School, Haghill Park Primary School, Miltonbank Primary School, St Denis’ Primary School and St Roch’s Primary School for taking part in a Christmas card competition and allowing their creative artwork to be shared on behalf of the constituency; recognises the talent of the pupils and applauds their hard work and the work of their teachers and other school staff; and thanks the winner Eniola from Elmvale Primary School for allowing her design to be shared at Christmas.

757Open Doors World Watch List 2023

Tabled: 16/01/23 Signatories: 9

Mr Gregory Campbell

Jim Shannon

Gavin Robinson

Rachael Maskell

Sir Jeffrey M Donaldson

Mr Barry Sheerman

That this House notes the ongoing need for the work of organisations such as the Open Doors Movement which seek to help and highlight areas across the globe where Christians continue to be persecuted; draws attention to the parliamentary launch on 18 January 2023 of the annual list of those countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution; and calls on the Government to offer support to all those working to end such persecution across the world.

758The death of Mursal Nabizada, former Member of the Afghan parliament

Tabled: 16/01/23 Signatories: 9

Wendy Chamberlain

Jonathan Edwards

Jim Shannon

Richard Foord

Mr Alistair Carmichael

Tim Farron

That this House is deeply saddened by the killing of former Afghan MP Mursal Nabizada and her bodyguard; strongly condemns the actions of their killers; calls for a full and open investigation into the incident; notes with concern the removal of women in Afghanistan from public life; and urges the Government to create an asylum route for Afghan women at risk of harm as called for by the members of the all-party Parliamentary group for Afghan Women and Girls.

759Night Before Christmas Campaign

Tabled: 16/01/23 Signatories: 6

Allan Dorans

Jonathan Edwards

Jim Shannon

Patrick Grady

Marion Fellows

Chris Stephens

That this House recognises and congratulates the inspirational Jodie McFarlane and her family and the outstanding commitment shown by the team of over 100 fantastic volunteers of the Night Before Christmas Campaign (NB4CC) who since 2015 have worked tirelessly and continuously every year to relieve the effects of poverty by ensuring that as many children throughout south west Scotland, who may not have received a gift or present at Christmas did so; thanks all of those volunteers involved in organising, collection, receipt, sorting, packing and delivery of donations; notes that in the first year of operation they delivered around 100 shoe boxes containing gifts; further notes that since that time they have continuously developed their network to encourage referrals from social work, churches, schools, voluntary and other groups; and notes the wonderful generosity of thousands of individual donors and over 150 donating organisations including businesses, churches, local sports teams and others who have provided cash donations, gifts and presents including new pyjamas, books, toiletries, toys, board games, selection boxes, teddy bears, other soft toys, and computer games, valued at over £340,000, enabling an outstanding record 6,840 red bags of joy to be delivered to families and children at Christmas in 2022.

760Killing of Palestinian journalists

Tabled: 16/01/23 Signatories: 23

Grahame Morris

John McDonnell

Liz Saville Roberts

Chris Stephens

Caroline Lucas

Jeremy Corbyn

That this House welcomes submissions to the International Criminal Court (ICC) by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate and the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) following the killing of Palestinian journalists by Israeli forces; recognises the need for such intervention following the commission of deplorable attacks against journalists in Palestine over several years, resulting in the killing of 48 journalists, including Shireen Abu Akleh, since 2000; joins the National Union of Journalists in condemnation of ongoing impunity for crimes committed against journalists enjoyed by members of the Israeli forces; urges immediate action by the ICC prosecutor to investigate and prosecute those responsible for attacks against and killing of journalists in Palestine; regrets that delays to action amount to a denial of justice to victims; and demands respect for the rights of journalists to undertake their work without fearing for their safety due to the actions of Israel Defense Forces.

763Dartmoor National Park

Tabled: 16/01/23 Signatories: 10

Richard Foord

Jim Shannon

Wendy Chamberlain

Mr Alistair Carmichael

Tim Farron

Sarah Olney

That this House celebrates 75 years of the Ten Tors challenge on Dartmoor; values the important contribution outdoor activities have on people’s mental and physical health; fully supports the Countryside Code and the principles that preserve our green spaces; believes that everyone has a right to access and enjoy our national parks; expresses regret that a recent High Court judgment will impact the free use of land on Dartmoor National Park for wild camping; and calls on the Government to bring forward new legislation to safeguard the rights of individuals to continue using National Park land for camping without hindrance.

764Sexual assault dare cards

Tabled: 17/01/23 Signatories: 3

Kirsty Blackman

Jim Shannon

Chris Stephens

That this House believes that dare cards which encourage inappropriate touching or sexual harassment of others should no longer be sold by retailers, this follows a recent sexual assault in Aberdeen City, where a man was sexually assaulted by a woman during a hen party dares game; and calls on Amazon and other online retailers to ban the sale of these dare cards.

765Father Achi of Saint Peter and Paul in Paikoro, Nigeria

Tabled: 17/01/23 Signatories: 4

Jim Shannon

Sir Jeffrey M Donaldson

Sir Mike Penning

Alexander Stafford

The House extends its condolences to the family of Nigerian priest Father Isaac Achi, and to his parish of Saint Peter and Paul in Paikoro Nigeria; condemns in the strongest of terms the brutal murder of Fr Achi who was burned alive by armed terrorists on Sunday 15 January 2023; urges the government of Nigeria to address the deteriorating security situation in Nigeria as a matter of priority so that all faith and belief groups might enjoy freedom of religion or belief; and implores the government of Nigeria to ensure free and fair presidential elections next month, free from fear of armed terrorist groups.

766Adoption of Passivhaus Standards in Scotland

Tabled: 17/01/23 Signatories: 4

Douglas Chapman

Jim Shannon

Dr Philippa Whitford

Chris Stephens

That this House recognises that the Scottish Government has adopted the Passivhaus standards for all future buildings, with new minimum environmental design standards for all new build housing to meet a Scottish equivalent to the Passivhaus standard in order to improve energy efficiency and thermal performance on the journey to net zero; understands that this legislation will be implemented in the next two years, with a commitment to a robust verification process to meet these ambitious standards; recommends that the UK Government follow suit and draft an equivalent design standard for the rest of the UK in order to increase energy security, reduce bills and improve indoor air quality in all new builds; commends the group behind the design and construction of the UK's largest education Passivhaus building that is due to open in Dunfermline and West Fife constituency in 2024 at the new Woodmill and St Columba's High School campus; and further commends Alex Rowley MSP for initiating the Bill in the Scottish Parliament.