Contents

Published: Thursday 2 March 2023

Early Day Motions tabled on Wednesday 1 March 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

917Tribute to John Motson OBE

Tabled: 1/03/23 Signatories: 1

Sir Mike Penning

That this House pays tribute to the late John Motson OBE, celebrated football commentator, until recently a long-time resident of Hemel Hempstead constituency, who sadly passed away at the age of 77; recognises his 50-year career at the BBC and that his commentaries for BBC Sport achieved iconic status and that he was one of the most recognisable voices in UK football for a whole generation; and sends condolences to his wife Ann, family and friends and mourns the passing of a football legend and a gentleman.

918Mongoose Plastics Ltd, Glenrothes 40th anniversary

Tabled: 1/03/23 Signatories: 1

Peter Grant

That this House congratulates Mongoose Plastics Ltd of Glenrothes on their 40th anniversary; notes that the family-run business was established on 14 February 1983 by George Cameron and the late Adam Gordon; acknowledges that Mongoose Plastics Ltd has extensive experience in plastic fabrication for a range of markets from the electronics industry to medical and automotive companies; commends Mongoose Plastics Ltd on their work to incorporate recycled plastics into their processes; recognises the significant positive impact that small businesses such as Mongoose Plastics have on local communities and the local economy; and wishes Mongoose Plastics Ltd well for the future.

919Glenrothes Knitting and Crochet Club 10th anniversary

Tabled: 1/03/23 Signatories: 1

Peter Grant

That this House congratulates the Glenrothes Knitting and Crochet Club on their 10th anniversary; notes that the club was founded by Jayne Murphy on 15 January 2013 at Christ Kirk, Pitcoudie, before outgrowing that location and moving to their current home at Edison House in Glenrothes in September 2013; commends the Glenrothes Knitting and Crochet Club on the donation of various knitted items to charity throughout the last decade; recognises that the club has donated items such as premature baby hats and baby blankets to the maternity unit at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy as well as contributing hats for the homeless to the YMCA in Glenrothes, taken part in the Big Knit for Age UK and knitted blankets for the Rosyth hedgehog hospital; and extends its thanks to the Glenrothes Knitting and Crochet Club for their good works and wishes them well for the next 10 years.

920BBC Local Radio services and industrial action

Tabled: 1/03/23 Signatories: 2

Grahame Morris

John McDonnell

That this House recognises the overwhelming mandate for industrial action secured by members of the National Union of Journalists at the BBC, following an industrial action ballot over the Corporation’s plan to cut local radio services in England; notes that the figures of 83 per cent voting for strike action on a turnout of 69 per cent demonstrate that BBC journalists have no confidence in management plans; understands that the resulting strike action will involve National Union of Journalists members working on BBC local radio, regional TV and online; supports the National Union of Journalists in suggesting that the BBC’s investment in digital services should not come at the expense of local radio and the communities it serves; and therefore calls on management to meaningfully engage over the plans and ensure that local radio services enjoyed by 5.7 million listeners every week are protected.

921Wales Air Ambulance Service

Tabled: 1/03/23 Signatories: 1

Liz Saville Roberts

That this House welcomes the news that the Wales Air Ambulance Service will continue to operate out of its Caernarfon and Welshpool bases, securing its short-term future till at least 2026; notes that Gama Aviation will become its new aviation partner having secured a seven-year contract to provide aviation services to the air ambulance in Wales; acknowledges that the news comes following months of uncertainty as plans were announced to centralise operations at only one site in northeast Wales despite opposition from rural communities in Gwynedd and mid-Wales; maintains that the Air Ambulance provides a crucial and valued service to northwest and mid Wales; thanks all of those who contributed to the campaign to persuade the charity to maintain operations at Caernarfon and Welshpool, particularly those who have benefited from the work of the Air Ambulance and shared their experiences during the campaign; further notes that the campaign spanned several public meetings, petitions, and Senedd debates to maintain the service; and encourages everyone, if they can, to participate in the upcoming engagement process over the service’s long term future, which is set to begin in the Spring.

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.

857Judgment on Bahrain state immunity

Tabled: 20/02/23 Signatories: 15

John McDonnell

Jim Shannon

Kenny MacAskill

Mick Whitley

Andy McDonald

Richard Burgon

That this House welcomes the High Court’s landmark ruling that the Kingdom of Bahrain does not have state immunity in a case brought by two UK-based Bahraini dissidents against the Bahraini government over spying allegations involving the use of spyware, which enabled it to conduct surreptitious surveillance on Bahraini political activists living in the UK and recognises that this decision comes in the same month as the 12 year anniversary of Bahrain’s pro-democracy uprising; further asserts that this decision clearly confirms that Bahrain and other states which conduct transnational repression on UK soil cannot hide behind state immunity and will be held accountable; and calls on the Government to protect individuals on UK soil from foreign cyber attacks and to hold the government of Bahrain to account.

882Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria (No. 2)

Tabled: 21/02/23 Signatories: 14

Liz Saville Roberts

Jim Shannon

Jonathan Edwards

Angus Brendan MacNeil

Hywel Williams

Ben Lake

That this House mourns the lives lost and damaged caused by the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria; notes that over 47,000 people have died so far and that an estimated 300,000 people in the region are left homeless; and calls on the Government in the short term to implement a family visa scheme for Turks and Syrians who have been left homeless and have family in the UK, and in the long term to establish safe routes for all people who are affected by similar tragedies to be able to find sanctuary in the UK.

893VAT on audiobooks

Tabled: 23/02/23 Signatories: 21

Sir Mike Penning

Dr Philippa Whitford

Margaret Ferrier

Allan Dorans

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

Deidre Brock

That this House recognises that audio books, now popular and widely available across all genres; from business to academic, from historical to self help, are a lifeline for many people with sight loss, visual impairment, dyslexia or other reading disabilities; agrees that audio books offer unique opportunities for visually-impaired and dyslexic people to improve their education on a par with their peers; recognises that audio books enable visually-impaired and dyslexic people to continue working independently for longer and thereby contribute to the economy for longer; recognises that audio books open up a world of information, literature and poetry to visually-impaired and dyslexic people; welcomes the zero-rate VAT for e-books but also recognises that e-books, when read aloud by automated text-to-speech, are difficult to listen to for long periods, lack intonation, may mispronounce names and places, can often read out every bracket and notation, making it difficult to comprehend or recall meaning; notes that other European countries have recently reduced their rates of VAT on audiobooks, including Norway to zero; and calls for equal VAT-status to be applied to audio books as already exists for e-books and physical books.

894Warm Home Discount Scheme

Tabled: 23/02/23 Signatories: 9

Steve McCabe

Valerie Vaz

Caroline Lucas

Mrs Paulette Hamilton

Jonathan Edwards

Charlotte Nichols

That this House notes that many households are struggling with the cost of their energy bills; welcomes the decision to expand the Warm Home Discount to reach more households; is concerned by the number of people who were previously eligible for the Warm Home Discount who are no longer receiving it due to the energy rating of their household, despite their circumstances not changing; is further concerned that energy costs are being measured using Valuation Office Agency data and not including efficiency measures such as insulation; and calls for a review of how energy costs are measured and how it is that many households are no longer able to receive the discount despite being eligible to do so in the past.

899Retirement of Joan Fraser of the Lomond and Argyll Advocacy Service

Tabled: 24/02/23 Signatories: 6

Martin Docherty-Hughes

Jim Shannon

Gavin Newlands

Alison Thewliss

Chris Law

Allan Dorans

That this House notes that Joan Fraser of the Lomond and Argyll Advocacy Service has announced her retirement from the organisation after 23 years of supporting and advocating for vulnerable people across West Dunbartonshire; understands that the Lomond and Argyll Advocacy Service plays an invaluable role in providing independent advocacy to adults with a learning disability, adults who use mental health services and people over 65 across the community; wishes to put on record thanks to Joan for her dedicated and vital work over the years; and extends best wishes on her retirement.

900World Book Day 2023

Tabled: 24/02/23 Signatories: 25

Valerie Vaz

Richard Foord

Jonathan Edwards

Mary Kelly Foy

Jamie Stone

David Mundell

That this House supports World Book Day in its mission to promote reading for pleasure; commends tis success in distributing 50 million book tokens annually to children; with a further 101,000 books donated to children by publishers, the Arts Council and others; notes reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child's future success; further notes with concern that reading for pleasure is at its lowest level since 2005, with fewer than one in two children and young people aged nine to 18 saying they enjoyed reading; recognises the importance of children from all backgrounds having the opportunity to choose and own a book; calls on all Members of the House to be reading champions for their constituencies; and warmly welcomes World Book Day's celebration in schools and homes across the United Kingdom on 2 March 2023.

901Supporting independent and local journalism

Tabled: 24/02/23 Signatories: 9

Daisy Cooper

Richard Foord

Jonathan Edwards

Jim Shannon

Tim Farron

Wendy Chamberlain

That this House recognises the crucial role that small, independent news publishers play in a democracy; notes the importance for communities of accessing truly local news that speaks to their needs and experiences; laments the sharp decline of local news production due to falling revenue and a rapidly evolving news economy; celebrates the growing innovation in independent news to respond to the challenges its providers face; welcomes the recommendations made by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee’s report on the sustainability of local news which build on the 2019 Cairncross Review of public interest news, noting in particular the directive to help independent news publishers become competitive and profitable in the face of tech giant market disruption, also reflected in the 2022 Public Interest Journalism Working Group’s recommendations to the Scottish Government; and therefore; resolves to ensure that publishers large and small benefit from a publisher-platform bargaining code in the forthcoming Digital Markets, Consumers and Competition Bill.

902The late John Ogden, the Green Shack seafood hut, Oban Pier

Tabled: 24/02/23 Signatories: 8

Brendan O'Hara

Jim Shannon

Patrick Grady

Anne McLaughlin

Gavin Newlands

Alison Thewliss

That this House note with great sadness the passing of John Oggy Ogden, the owner of the world-renowned Green Shack seafood hut on Oban Pier, which since he established the business in 1990 has provided hundreds of thousands of visitors and locals with the very best of Scottish seafood, with his now legendary prawn sandwich being recognised by the Observer magazine as being The Best in Britain; sends its sincere condolences to his family, particular his long-time partner Marion Ritchie; and wishes Marion and the staff at the Green Shack all the very best in the future as they build on John’s outstanding success.

903Strathaven Choral Society's 50th anniversary

Tabled: 27/02/23 Signatories: 4

Dr Lisa Cameron

Jim Shannon

Chris Law

Allan Dorans

That this House congratulates Strathaven Choral Society on reaching its 50th anniversary; notes its significant achievements in involving the local community in choral music over those five decades; recognises the founder, the late David Knox, whose inspiration, vision and high standards have been continued by his successors; applauds the current Musical Director, Christopher Barr, for his skill, enthusiasm and patience in striving to maintain and improve the fine performance and reputation of the choir; acknowledges the accompanists, amateur and professional musicians alike who have participated in not only enriching the music-making, but also bringing enjoyment to members and audiences throughout the Society’s history; and commends the commitment and enthusiasm of Linda Ormiston, Honorary President and loyal ambassador, as well as the Society’s hard-working committee members, choir members past and present, supporters and friends, for the achievements, awards and experiences of the Society over the past 50 years of bringing choral music to the community.

90460th anniversary of Nicholl Oils and electric vehicle charging rollout

Tabled: 27/02/23 Signatories: 5

Mr Gregory Campbell

Jim Shannon

Sir Mike Penning

Colum Eastwood

Paul Girvan

That this House notes the continuing success of locally-owned family businesses such as Nicholl Oils, based in Greysteel County Londonderry; congratulates them on over 60 years of trading, and the recent joint development the firm has announced with renewable company Everun to roll out one of the largest independently-owned and operated network of electric vehicle charging points across Northern Ireland; and wishes them years of continued success.

905Formula One in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and human rights

Tabled: 27/02/23 Signatories: 13

Wendy Chamberlain

Richard Foord

Jamie Stone

Mr Alistair Carmichael

Tim Farron

Munira Wilson

That this House expresses grave concerns over the role of Formula One and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile in sportswashing the appalling human rights records of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia; notes that Saudi Arabia executed 81 prisoners in one day in 2022, while Bahrain imprisons its population at the highest rate of any country in the Middle East and North Africa region, with an estimated 1,300 political prisoners; condemns F1’s refusal to engage with key stakeholders including human rights groups, such as the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy when awarding Bahrain the longest contract in F1 history, breaching F1’s own policy; urges the Government to support an an independent and impartial inquiry to assess the implications of F1 races in human rights violation, the adequacy and effectiveness of F1’s current human rights policy, or lack thereof, and its implementation and their responses to evidence of serious human rights violations in F1 host countries; further urges the Government to support calls for the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile to adopt a human rights policy consistent with the UN’s Guiding Principle on Business and Human Rights; further condemns the ongoing imprisonment of political leaders in F1 host nations including Bahrain; and calls on the Government to use all available leverage to make representations to Bahrain for them to immediately and unconditionally release political prisoners, including Hassan Mushaima, Dr Abdulajalil AlSingace, Sheikh Ali Salman, Abdulhali AlKhawaja, Ali AlHajee, Najee Fateel, Sayed Nizar Alwadaei and death row inmates Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa.

907Pakistan Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2023

Tabled: 28/02/23 Signatories: 2

Jim Shannon

Paul Girvan

That this House notes with concern that the Pakistan National Assembly passed the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2023 on 17 January 2023; believes that this Bill will further restrict freedom of religion or belief in Pakistan and, if passed by the Senate, will further marginalise the already persecuted communities in Pakistan and will have serious implications on minority groups; condemns the Bill's targeting of Pakistan’s Shia community and overall impact for all minority faith groups; regrets that the Bill will pose further challenges to freedom of religion or belief in Pakistan, and yet serve to strengthen extremist groups and extremist ideology; and urges the Government to raise this pressing matter with their Pakistani counterparts and advocate for the rights of the persecuted communities in Pakistan.

90850th anniversary of Action Cancer

Tabled: 28/02/23 Signatories: 2

Carla Lockhart

Paul Girvan

That this House congratulates Action Cancer, a leading Northern Ireland Cancer Charity, on its 50th anniversary; recognises the vital working of the charity to save lives and support local people through cancer awareness, prevention, detection and support; pays tribute to the staff and volunteers who make this work possible, including fundraisers; and wishes the Charity well for this anniversary year and for the future.

909World Day of Prayer

Tabled: 28/02/23 Signatories: 3

Jim Shannon

Sir Mike Penning

Paul Girvan

That this House notes World Day of Prayer on Friday 3 March 2023 which is an international ecumenical Christian laywomen's initiative run under the motto Informed Prayer and Prayerful Action; highlights that it is celebrated annually in over 170 countries on the first Friday in March; further notes that this years prayer focus is on Taiwan; encourages people to take time on Friday to acknowledge the power of prayer and pray for Taiwan; and thanks those who are passionately advocating and stirring people to remember other nations in prayer in this difficult time.

910Phoenix Clinic and Resource Centre 30th birthday

Tabled: 28/02/23 Signatories: 2

Jim Shannon

Paul Girvan

That this House notes the 30th birthday of the Phoenix Clinic and Resource Centre in Newtownards; offers sincere congratulations on reaching this milestone; thanks all staff for the tremendous work that they do with young residents who live with a range of challenging illnesses and physical disabilities; and wishes them continued success as they provide care in a fun and exciting way for the years to come in the future.

911Death of John Motson

Tabled: 28/02/23 Signatories: 4

Jim Shannon

Jonathan Edwards

Sir Mike Penning

Paul Girvan

That this House notes the passing of legendary football commentator John Motson OBE who passed away at the age of 77; notes the high esteem that he is held in by Northern Ireland Fans due to the coverage of Northern Ireland's World Cup group triumph over Spain in 1982; and conveys sincere sympathy to his family who will mourn the passing of this renowned giant in the world of sporting commentary.

912Hunger in East Africa

Tabled: 28/02/23 Signatories: 2

Layla Moran

Jonathan Edwards

That this House is deeply concerned about the acute hunger crisis in the East Africa region; notes that despite 36.4 million people in the Horn of Africa region suffering with hunger, the Government has cut humanitarian aid to less than a fifth of what it was in the financial year of 2017-2018 in the region; condemns the Government’s decision to abandon the 0.7 per cent target for international development spending; calls on the Government to urgently reinstate the 0.7 per cent target, and to correspondingly increase vital support to people in the regions; and resolves to continue to hold the Government to account on its broken promise on international development spending.

913Scotland and fair trade

Tabled: 28/02/23 Signatories: 3

Patrick Grady

Allan Dorans

Jonathan Edwards

That this House notes the 10th anniversary on 25 February 2023 of Scotland being recognised as a Fair Trade Nation; further notes that recognition of this status commits national and local governments, communities, organisations and individuals to work towards and achieve targets for the use and promotion of fair trade products, and the use where possible of fair trade principles in the development of procurement and purchasing policies, with the aim of ensuring that the producers of goods, such as small farmers or garment workers in developing countries, are paid a fair price for their products; congratulates the many charitable organisations, fair trade shops and community groups that have worked for many years to attain and sustain local and regional Fair Trade awards, which contribute to the award at a national level; welcomes the series of events and activities organised by the Scottish Fair Trade Forum to mark the anniversary, and its commitment to continuing to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of fair trade to some of the poorest and most vulnerable people around the world and as a means of building economic partnerships that promote sustainability and tackle climate change; and wishes all those involved in the movement every success in working for the day when all trade is fair trade.

914Freedom of religion or belief in Iran

Tabled: 28/02/23 Signatories: 2

Alexander Stafford

Jonathan Edwards

That this House deplores the ongoing human rights violations being perpetrated by the Islamic Republic of Iran; notes that these violations come in a context of more general restrictions on the right to freedom of religion or belief for many religious minorities in Iran, including Christians and the Baha’i, and also Sufi and Sunni Muslims; mourns the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after her arrest for wearing the hijab "improperly" and her reported beating by members of the so-called morality police; considers the enforcement of religious dress codes for all Iranian women, regardless of their beliefs, to be a violation of the freedom of religion or belief of women from religious minorities in Iran, and also of Muslim women who do not wish to conform to mandatory hijab; highlights that these restrictions are in violation of Iran’s obligations as a signatory of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR); urges the Government of Iran to amend its constitution and relevant legislation to protect the right to freedom of religion or belief for all Iranians, as envisaged by Article 18 of the ICCPR; and calls on the UK Government to continue to defend freedom of religion or belief, in its fullest meaning, and to support the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran and of the UN’s Special Rapporteurs on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Human Rights in Iran.

915Claremont Rambling Club: 40th Anniversary

Tabled: 28/02/23 Signatories: 2

Dr Lisa Cameron

Allan Dorans

That this House congratulates Claremont Rambling Club in its 40th anniversary year; commemorates its founding members, Ann Stoddart and Cathy Kirk, who first put an advert looking for like-minded people to go rambling with in the local newspaper, East Kilbride News, in May 1983; notes the development of the club, its affiliation with the Ramblers Association, and the example it sets to other walking clubs subsequently set up in East Kilbride; recognises both the senior and junior members, with members up to 85 years-old; acknowledges the commendable and committed community spirit of the club, putting on regular activities that are considered a lifeline by many of the club’s older members; and congratulates Claremont Rambling Club for being awarded a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund, which will enable Claremont Rambling Club to continue to provide this valuable service to the community for years to come.

916The Miley: 30th anniversary

Tabled: 28/02/23 Signatories: 2

Chris Law

Allan Dorans

That this House celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of the designation of The Miley in Lochee as a wildlife reserve; recognises the hard work and dedication of the group of volunteers from the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Angus and Dundee Branch who have helped transform the site over the last three decades; notes that The Miley has been turned from a mile-long stretch of disused railway into a beloved local attraction; further notes that to mark the event volunteers met with local school pupils from St Mary’s Primary School to plant bulbs and wildflower seeds; and wishes the team of volunteers who look after The Miley all the best for the future.