Early Day Motions tabled on Friday 3 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

925Shawarma King in Glasgow

Tabled: 3/03/23 Signatories: 1

Alison Thewliss

That this House congratulates Shawarma King in Glasgow on winning the Best in Scotland title at the British Kebab Awards; understands this is the second year in a row the team have brought this coveted award home to Scotland; notes the popularity of the shop, with large queues frequently spotted outside; understands that other Scots takeaways nominated for the award included 5 in 1 in Montrose, Dante’s Fish Chips & Kebab in Dumfries, Kurdish Best Kebab House in Edinburgh, and Mr Chef in Uddingston; notes that the awards recognise and champion the efforts of local kebab takeaways and restaurants across the nation; appreciates the achievement of Shawarma King in winning this award twice; and wishes them every success in future endeavours.

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.

893VAT on audiobooks

Tabled: 23/02/23 Signatories: 33

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: 13

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.

920BBC Local Radio services and industrial action

Tabled: 1/03/23 Signatories: 21

Grahame Morris

John McDonnell

Apsana Begum

Jim Shannon

Ben Lake

Hywel Williams

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.