Published: Monday 20 March 2023

New EDMs

979Ukrainian artists

Tabled: 17/03/23 Signatories: 1

Jamie Stone

That this House notes the important role artists from Ukraine have played in sustaining morale and winning international hearts and minds during the terrible year of Russian invasion; urges the Government to set up a fund to enable British arts organisations to continue this work by presenting Ukrainian artists, musicians, dancers and others; and encourages the Government to help artists from Ukraine collaborate with colleagues in the UK.

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.

925Shawarma King in Glasgow

Tabled: 3/03/23 Signatories: 5

Alison Thewliss

Patrick Grady

Allan Dorans

Chris Law

Patricia Gibson

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.

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927The Loan Charge

Tabled: 6/03/23 Signatories: 74

Karl Turner

Sammy Wilson

Dr Lisa Cameron

Sir Desmond Swayne

Allan Dorans

Sir Julian Lewis

Beth WinterMhairi Black

That this House is concerned that suicides have been linked to the Loan Charge and that despite the Morse Review, thousands face unaffordable demands, with the risk of further suicides; notes that most people facing action were mis-sold schemes and that HMRC are demanding scheme users repay disputed tax; further notes that HMRC have not requested action from people who recommended, promoted, operated the schemes; recognises that section 44 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 deems agency workers to be taxable as employees of agencies; believes that HMRC should have collected tax from agencies; criticises HMRC for transferring the liability to individuals alone despite its own historic failures; further recognises that HMRC are pursuing open enquiries for schemes before 2011 despite the Morse Review conclusion the law was unclear; calls on the Government to work with all parties to find a fair resolution; believes that a full independent investigation into the Loan Charge, including the conduct of HMRC is required; and further believes that taxpayer rights must be enshrined in law and enquiries closed after four years if HMRC fail to act.

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939Increases to registrants’ fees of the Health and Care Professions Council

Tabled: 7/03/23 Signatories: 17

Emma Hardy

Colum Eastwood

Jonathan Edwards

Jim Shannon

Kim Johnson

Karl Turner

Tony Lloyd

That this House agrees that proposals to increase registrants’ fees of the Health and Care Professions Council by 20 per cent in July 2023 should be scrapped; notes that increasing registrant fees by this amount would add to the severe financial pressures amid a cost of living crisis, resulting in health and care staff struggling to pay these mandatory costs; further notes that the Health and Care Professions Council is independent of Government and is responsible for setting its registration fees policy and any changes must be ratified by Parliament; and calls on the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to intervene and protect registrants from this excessive hike in fees.

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954P&O Ferries one year on

Tabled: 13/03/23 Signatories: 19

Karl Turner

Grahame Morris

John McDonnell

Ian Mearns

Mr Alistair Carmichael

Gavin Newlands

Beth Winter

That this House is concerned that no sanctions have been imposed on P&O Ferries, DP World or flag states for the openly unlawful dismissal of 786 directly employed UK seafarers on 17 March 2022; is alarmed that despite the Government’s announcement of its Nine Point Plan on P&O Ferries on 30 March 2022, P&O Ferries’ agency crews are still being paid as low as £3.96 per hour and work unsafe roster patterns of up to 17 weeks at sea; is also concerned that the Insolvency Service decided, without conducting a public interest test, not to prosecute P&O Ferries for criminal offences; notes that a Seafarers Charter based on collectively bargained terms and conditions still has not been agreed; supports the RMT and Nautilus International’s call for mandatory sectoral bargaining through fair pay agreements in the ferry industry, prohibition of seafarer discrimination, stronger trade union and employment rights, excluding DP World from Freeport tax reliefs and revoking P&O Ferries' Royal Charter; and calls on the Government to work with the maritime unions in adopting these measures as part of a new deal for UK seafarers.

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955BBC impartiality

Tabled: 13/03/23 Signatories: 13

Karl Turner

Daisy Cooper

Kate Osborne

Kenny MacAskill

Stewart Hosie

Tommy Sheppard

Nadia Whittome

That this House notes with deep concern the recent saga at the BBC surrounding Match of the Day host Gary Lineker and the lack of appropriate leadership from Richard Sharp, chair of the BBC; believes that this matter highlights a serious failure in implementing proper, politically impartial leadership at the BBC, which has put its reputation as one of Britain's most trusted institutions in question; and calls for the immediate resignation of Richard Sharp.

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956Winston's Wish

Tabled: 13/03/23 Signatories: 20

Christine Jardine

Tim Farron

Stewart Hosie

Jamie Stone

Jim Shannon

Helen Morgan

Tony Lloyd

That this House notes the work of the childhood bereavement charity, Winston’s Wish; congratulates the charity on reaching its 30th anniversary in 2022; notes that they supported over 30,000 children in 2022; further notes with concern the lack of automatic support available for bereaved children upon the death of a parent; also notes with concern that there is no official data available for the number of children in need of support; applauds the wide range of services they provide for bereaved children including support groups, hotlines, online chats and email support; wishes Winston’s Wish every success for 2023; and urges the Government to introduce a new register of bereaved children to ensure no child is alone when they lose a parent or guardian.

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959Social care staffing and a national care service

Tabled: 13/03/23 Signatories: 20

Margaret Greenwood

Grahame Morris

Mick Whitley

Charlotte Nichols

Mohammad Yasin

Tony Lloyd

Jeremy Corbyn

That this House expresses concern that there are around 165,000 vacancies in social care in England and that, as of 2020-21, the average hourly pay in independent care homes in England was just £9.01; is further concerned about separate reports that England is projected to need close to 500,000 more care staff by the middle of the next decade; believes that the Government has no credible plan to address the shortage of staff in the social care sector; recognises the impact that chronic staffing shortages in the social care sector can have on unpaid carers, with many forced to give up their careers to look after a loved one; further recognises that many unpaid carers are struggling financially as a result of their caring role, with an increasing number unable to afford their utility bills; calls on the Government to work with stakeholders, including unpaid carers and other people with lived experience, to bring forward plans for a national care service ensuring that care is delivered for people, not for profit.

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963Ian Davis of Dunshalt, Fife

Tabled: 14/03/23 Signatories: 24

Wendy Chamberlain

Peter Grant

Jim Shannon

Alison Thewliss

Liz Saville Roberts

Hannah Bardell

Patricia Gibson

That this House records its great sadness at the sudden death of Ian Holland Davis from Dunshalt, Fife at the age of just 61 years; notes that Ian lost his entire life savings in the London Capital and Finance scandal and that he became increasingly frustrated at the difficulties he then encountered in attempting to ensure that those responsible for the fraud were fully brought to justice and that Government departments and regulatory agencies should be quicker and more open in acknowledging their own failings; places on record a deep concern that these experiences appear to have been significant factors in Ian’s tragic decision to end his own life; commends the dedicated work he carried out as a volunteer for the Transparency Task Force to try and make sure other investors were better protected than he was; further commends his courage in speaking publicly about how he became a victim of fraud; calls upon the Government to ensure that all agencies involved in the fight against fraud are properly resourced and held to account for their performance in protecting innocent people from fraud; and send its heartfelt condolences to Ian’s family and friends as they come to terms with their loss.

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966National Butcher Week

Tabled: 15/03/23 Signatories: 3

Jim Shannon

Carla Lockhart

Sir Mike Penning

That this House notes the conclusion of National Butcher Week and a time to celebrate the wonderful work they do; further notes the craftsmanship and skill it takes to be a butcher, in that they must be able to tell a customer the full traceability of the meat, give assistance and tips on how to cook meat and advise what cuts suit for certain cooking methods; highlights their imperative role in local high streets, city centres and local economy and has for years remained one of the most populated trades for shoppers; further highlights this week as an opportunity to showcase the high-quality products and services that butchers offer, as well as to educate the public on the benefits of buying meat from local, independent butchers; expresses thanks to local butcheries for their dedication to local towns and encourages the public to always consider buying from locally sourced butchers.

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967St. Albert's Primary 50 year anniversary

Tabled: 15/03/23 Signatories: 3

Alison Thewliss

Allan Dorans

Patricia Gibson

That this House celebrates the 50th anniversary of St. Albert's Primary in Pollokshields; understands that celebrations for the young people include an art installation and other activities; notes the fantastic work St. Albert's have done in tackling racism and prejudice through their We Can Be Heroes project, an award-winning series of vibrant short story collections written by pupils at the school; understands the project was undertaken to increase representation of children from diverse backgrounds in Scotland; particularly appreciates the effort and tireless support for students that teachers Shirley-Anne Brightman and Clare Harker have contributed in recent times; wishes them every success in the future.

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972Heritage railways

Tabled: 15/03/23 Signatories: 4

Liz Saville Roberts

Jonathan Edwards

Sir Greg Knight

Jeremy Corbyn

That this House notes the value of the UK’s 173 heritage railways to the economy, tourism and wellbeing; congratulates those recognised by the Heritage Railway Association for excellence in a range of achievements; further notes that from a shortlist of 40 railways, 12 railways won awards that varied from locomotive restoration to those for marketing and communications, environmental innovation, for rising stars and particularly for young volunteers on whom the future of the sector depends; and underlines that after the difficulties of the last three years these achievements are particularly worthy of recognition.

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974Ben Weber South Pole expedition

Tabled: 15/03/23 Signatories: 3

Drew Hendry

Allan Dorans

Jonathan Edwards

That this House congratulates Ben Weber on his achievement of completing a solo journey to the South Pole; notes that he covered 700 miles to raise funds for Cancer Research UK in memory of his late mother; recognises the courage and determination required to complete such a journey; further recognises the enormous impact of cancer on individuals and their families and expresses condolences to those who have lost loved ones to this disease; and applauds Ben's spirit of adventure, perseverance and compassion.

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977Taylor MacKenzie: Special Olympics World Games 2023

Tabled: 16/03/23 Signatories: 2

Chris Law

Stewart Hosie

That this House congratulates Taylor MacKenzie on being the only Scottish swimmer to be chosen to compete at the 2023 Special Olympic World Games, and at 15 years of age, the youngest person to be selected for Great Britain's team to compete against teams from 190 countries; notes the huge obstacles she has overcome and the barriers she has smashed; sees her as an inspiration to anyone with autism and a sporting desire to succeed; recognises her parents for their unwavering commitment and dedication to Taylor’s training; and wishes Taylor the very best of luck at the 2023 Special Olympics World Games and all the best for the future.

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978Immigration

Tabled: 16/03/23 Signatories: 2

Gavin Robinson

Stephen Farry

That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, praying that the Immigration (Electronic Travel Authorisations) (Consequential Amendment) Regulations 2023 (S.I., 2023, No. 305), dated 9 March 2023, a copy of which was laid before this House on 10 March 2023, be annulled.