Contents

Published: Thursday 7 September 2023

Early Day Motions tabled on Wednesday 6 September 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

1577Scottish Asian Restaurant Award nominees

Tabled: 6/09/23 Signatories: 1

Christine Jardine

That this House congratulates Prana and St John’s Curry Club in Edinburgh West constituency on their nomination for the Scottish Asian Restaurant Awards; notes that over 10,000 people voted online for their favourite venues, with 70 businesses making the shortlist from around Scotland; recognises the importance of local businesses to the economy; notes with concern the difficulty restaurants are facing during the cost of living crisis; wishes the two restaurants good luck with the awards; and encourages everyone to support local restaurants and businesses, where possible.

1578Zain's Curry House, Dalry

Tabled: 6/09/23 Signatories: 1

Patricia Gibson

That this House congratulates Zain's Curry House in Dalry, North Ayrshire, on securing the accolade of Takeaway of the Year for the second consecutive year at the Food Awards Scotland 2023; further congratulates Zain’s Curry House on being named as Best Takeaway in South West Scotland at last year’s awards; recognises that these awards continue to build on the family-run business’ many achievements including being awarded Best Takeaway Restaurant in Ayrshire by the Asian Catering Federation in 2021; applauds the continued hard work of owner Khurum Jabbar, Head Chef Abdul Jabbar and the dedicated staff who have worked so hard to secure such acclaim and recognition and to attract a loyal customer base; commends Zain’s Curry House for its 23 years of service and many contributions to the local community, including its work with charities such as Homeless Project Scotland; and once again wishes Zain’s Curry House continued success in serving the community of Dalry and beyond.

1579Education Secretary’s handling of the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in schools

Tabled: 6/09/23 Signatories: 1

Munira Wilson

That this House censures the Secretary of State for Education, the Rt hon. Member for Chichester for her failures in handling the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) crisis in schools, which has resulted in mitigation measures taking place in 156 schools, including many that have fully or partially closed; and believes that her ministerial salary should be removed until all schools affected by RAAC are open to all pupils.

1580Compensation for nuclear test veterans

Tabled: 6/09/23 Signatories: 1

Peter Grant

That this House recognises the contribution of the nuclear test veterans, including the Royal Fleet Auxiliary veterans who were present during the nuclear testing programme from 1952 to 1967; acknowledges the sacrifices made by more than 20,000 British personnel who took part in these atomic tests; notes that nuclear test veterans have suffered various health conditions as a result of exposure to high levels of ionising radiation; welcomes the decision to award commemorative service medals honouring the nuclear test veterans, whilst also questioning why it took over half a century for such medallic recognition to be granted; laments the fact that thousands of nuclear test veterans died without their sacrifice being formally acknowledged; believes that current measures do not go far enough; and calls for a package of financial compensation for nuclear test veterans and their families.

1581St Kitts and Nevis, 40th anniversary of Independence Day

Tabled: 6/09/23 Signatories: 1

Daniel Kawczynski [R]

That this House celebrates that Tuesday 19th September 2023 will mark the 40th anniversary of Independence of the Federation of Saint Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis; recognises the UK’s painful history of using the Islands of St Kitts and Nevis as slave colonies; also celebrates the contributions of the Kittitians and Nevisians diaspora who now live in the UK; emphasise the shared bonds of friendship between the UK and St Kitts and Nevis through language, history, laws, and democratic traditions; and calls on the Government to deepen the political, economic and cultural ties that bind together these two great nations and Commonwealth members who share HM King Charles III as Head of State and Sovereign.

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.

153170th anniversary of the Korean War armistice

Tabled: 4/09/23 Signatories: 9

Patricia Gibson

Jim Shannon

Jonathan Edwards

Chris Law

Ms Anum Qaisar

Stewart Malcolm McDonald

That this House commemorates the 70th anniversary of the armistice that concluded the Korean War; notes that the conflict was fought from 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953; understands that, following North Korea’s invasion of South Korea, over 80,000 British troops mobilised under the United Nations banner, alongside troops from the United States and 20 other allied countries, in support of South Korea; recognises that 1,109 British service personnel were killed, 236 of them Scots, with thousands more wounded, captured or missing, contributing to the estimated three million service personnel and civilians killed, with, it understands, the Korean peninsula devastated and divided; acknowledges that the Korean War is often called the Forgotten War, as its memory is often overshadowed by the Second World War and the Vietnam War; is aware that no formal peace treaty was ever signed, contributing to what is considered to be a continued uneasy coexistence between the Republic of Korea in the South and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the North, and remembers all who fought in the war, the sacrifices that they made, and those who sadly lost their lives or were maimed in body or mind.

1533Ben Sandilands, 2023 World Para Athletics Championships gold medal winner

Tabled: 4/09/23 Signatories: 4

Neale Hanvey

Jim Shannon

Chris Stephens

Christine Jardine

That this House extends its warm congratulations to 19 year old Kirkcaldy-born laddie Ben Sandilands on his T20 1500 gold medal victory at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris; commends him for his athletic skill and ability as a world class competitor, and for his determination in producing a late run in the final 250m moving up from fifth place to win with a new championship record of three minutes and 42.52 seconds; further congratulates Ben on setting a European record in March 2023 while representing Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the Para-Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai; and also commends team coach Steve Doig, and team mates Steven Bryce and Owen Miller, for their collective encouragement to achieve consistently excellent results.

1537Robbie Shepherd

Tabled: 4/09/23 Signatories: 45

Kirsty Blackman

Jim Shannon

Chris Law

Ms Anum Qaisar

Allan Dorans

Chris Stephens

That this House recognises the life of Robbie Shepherd following his sad passing; acknowledges his outstanding contribution to broadcasting as host of Take the Floor; celebrates his accomplished literary works on Scottish country dancing and Scottish dance music; recalls his championing of Doric; and conveys condolences to his family and friends during this sad time, fit a richt guid loon, what a good man.

1540FIFA Women's World Cup and the Lionesses' legacy

Tabled: 4/09/23 Signatories: 11

Munira Wilson

Wera Hobhouse

Layla Moran

Tim Farron

Sarah Olney

Sarah Green

That this House recognises the extraordinary achievements of the England women’s national football team, the Lionesses, on reaching the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023; notes the historic nature of their success, as the first time England’s Lionesses have reached a World Cup final, and only a year since their heroic victory at the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022; further notes that the only previous time an English senior national football team reached the World Cup final was in 1966, when the ban on women’s football was still in place; congratulates England’s No. 1, Mary Earps, on receiving the Golden Glove for the tournament, in addition to her well-earned title as FIFA Best Women’s Goalkeeper 2022; notes with disappointment the refusal of the England national teams’ sponsor to reproduce Earps’ kit to capture the wave of enthusiasm for goalkeeping she has inspired; praises every Lioness for their invaluable work on and off the pitch to encourage a new generation of footballing talent, regardless of gender; thanks them for their tireless campaigning to level the playing field, improving girls’ access to football and every child’s access to sport in school; calls on the Government to make good on their promise to honour the Lionesses’ legacy by ensuring every child has access to 2 hours of PE per week; and further calls for a progress report on how effective the Schools Games Mark and School Sports Action Plan have been in delivering equal access.

1551Retirement of coxswain Joe Miller from RNLI Troon Lifeboat

Tabled: 4/09/23 Signatories: 16

Dr Philippa Whitford

Allan Dorans

Alan Brown

Patricia Gibson

Jim Shannon

Chris Law

That this House congratulates Joe Millar on his recent retirement from his role as coxswain of the RNLI Lifeboat in Troon, to which he has dedicated 31 years of service, initially as a volunteer, then as a full-time mechanic and, for the last 20 years, as coxswain; gives grateful thanks to Joe for his involvement in numerous rescues and for providing assistance to all types of vessels and persons in distress, including children on inflatable Unicorns, and for unselfishly giving of his own time to the community of Troon by hosting visits to the station and sharing his passion and dedication for the service with groups including primary and secondary schools, youth groups such as the Boys Brigade, Scouts and Guides, Army and Navy Cadets as well as many adult groups; highlights that Joe’s dedicated service has been recognised on several occasions, including four letters of commendation from the RNLI Chief of Operations and one from the RNLI Chief executive, along with a vellum for his leadership and boat handling during the rescue of four people from the Spes Bona V fishing boat; acknowledges Joe as a highly committed professional who is well respected and liked by all within Troon Lifeboat Station and beyond; and wishes Joe a happy retirement.

1553Lily Kelman's success at the World Highland Dancing Championships

Tabled: 4/09/23 Signatories: 10

Drew Hendry

Jim Shannon

Chris Law

Ms Anum Qaisar

Douglas Chapman

Allan Dorans

That this House congratulates Lily Kelman on her recent success at the Under 18 World Highland Dancing Championships; notes that Lily came runner up as well as being awarded best Scottish Dancer; and wishes Lily ongoing success for her upcoming competitions this year, and beyond.

1554Loch Ness 24 Challenge

Tabled: 4/09/23 Signatories: 11

Drew Hendry

Jim Shannon

Chris Law

Douglas Chapman

Ms Anum Qaisar

Allan Dorans

That this House congratulates all those who took part in this year’s Loch Ness 24 challenge; notes that this endurance trail requires participants to clock up as many 7km laps of the trail as possible within the 24 hour timeframe; celebrates female winner Rosie Doull for achieving 24 laps, and male winner Iain Bethune for achieving 29 laps; and, finally, thanks all those who dedicated their time to ensuring this event could go ahead safely.

1555Elsie Normington and the Haven Centre

Tabled: 4/09/23 Signatories: 11

Drew Hendry

Jim Shannon

Chris Law

Ms Anum Qaisar

Douglas Chapman

Allan Dorans

That this House congratulates Elsie Normington and the team at the Elsie Normington Foundation on the recent opening of the Haven Centre in Inverness; recognises that the Haven Centre is a purpose built centre and respite facility for children and adults with complex needs and disabilities with three two-bedroom respite flats for people up to the age of 30, an indoor specialist children’s play centre, a community café, meeting spaces and an outdoor garden; notes that the centre aims to provide an inclusive community space where children and young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities have opportunities to have fun, play, socialise and develop; notes that the Scottish Government committed £1.75 million of funding to allow this development to go ahead; and, finally, thanks all those who dedicated their time and resources to this incredible centre, most notably Elsie Normington, for her tireless dedication to improving the lives of those with additional needs in the Highlands.

1556The Loch Ness Centre in Drumnadrochit

Tabled: 4/09/23 Signatories: 11

Drew Hendry

Jim Shannon

Chris Law

Douglas Chapman

Ms Anum Qaisar

Allan Dorans

That this House congratulates the Loch Ness Centre in Drumnadrochit on their recent reopening on the 90th anniversary of the first Loch Ness Monster sighting; notes that the Centre has undergone a £1.5m transformation; recognises this hour long exhibit that brings the legend of Nessie to life, voiced by Scottish actor David Tennant; and, finally, pays thanks to all of those who dedicated their time to the refurbishment and reopening of this first-class Highland attraction.

1557Highland and Islands Third Sector Interface Saltire Awards

Tabled: 4/09/23 Signatories: 11

Drew Hendry

Jim Shannon

Chris Law

Ms Anum Qaisar

Douglas Chapman

Allan Dorans

That this House congratulates all those who were successful at the recent Highlands and Islands Third Sector Interface Saltire Awards; notes that these awards are a nationally recognised award for volunteering for young people aged 12-25 where they gain certificates signed by Scottish Ministers for the volunteering they have successfully achieved; and pays thanks to the hours of time these volunteers selflessly dedicated for the betterment of our local community.

1559Air Traffic Control disruption

Tabled: 4/09/23 Signatories: 5

Wera Hobhouse

Jim Shannon

Jonathan Edwards

Munira Wilson

Christine Jardine

That this House notes with concern that a major fault in the Air Traffic Control system lead to significant disruption for passengers; further notes that nearly 2,000 flights were cancelled with around 250,000 passengers disrupted; believes that the NATS service bears responsibility for the issue; further believes that the Government has let passengers down; urges compensation to be paid to passengers as quickly as possible, so no one is left out of pocket; calls on the Government to review the bonus payments for the NATS executive team following the disruption; and further urges them to ensure compensation for any future Air Traffic Control failure is paid automatically.

1561Holm Grown community garden

Tabled: 4/09/23 Signatories: 11

Drew Hendry

Jim Shannon

Chris Law

Ms Anum Qaisar

Douglas Chapman

Allan Dorans

That this House notes the opening of Holm Grown, a community garden in the Holm area of Inverness; recognises that Holm Grown is a community growing initiative led by Holm Community Council, run in partnership with Incredible Edible Inverness; commends the work that has been done over the last two years to transform previously unused land; thanks all volunteers and supporters who contributed to this projects success; and encourages all people in the local community to make use of this space, which is free for all to use.

1569South Lancaster Churches Together 25th anniversary

Tabled: 5/09/23 Signatories: 3

Cat Smith

Jim Shannon

Patrick Grady

That this House notes that on Sunday 17 September at St Bernadette's Catholic Church, South Lancaster, Churches Together will celebrate its 25th anniversary with songs of praise; and congratulates all the churches that have come together over the past 25 years in the spirit of ecumenicalism and community spirit to serve and pray for the communities across South Lancaster and beyond.

1570150th Anniversary of St Augustine’s Episcopal Church, Dumbarton

Tabled: 5/09/23 Signatories: 3

Martin Docherty-Hughes

Allan Dorans

Chris Stephens

That this House notes that St Augustine’s Episcopal Church in Dumbarton recently held anniversary celebration events to mark 150 years of serving the people of Dumbarton and surrounding areas with their ecumenical needs and working with the local community; understands that as well as providing a place of worship for the local community, it also has a community hall which local numerous groups use to tackle social issues that are found at the heart of town ministry, particularly poverty and recovery from addiction; further notes that in addition to these local groups the Church is the base for the local food bank, Food for Thought, which provides emergency food aid five days a week to those struggling to provide for their families; and believes that the Church has played an invaluable role in the development of the town and the local community and wishes it well for the next 150 years.

1571World Suicide Prevention Day 2023

Tabled: 5/09/23 Signatories: 5

Jim Shannon

Christine Jardine

Stewart Malcolm McDonald

Sir Mike Penning

Chris Stephens

That this House marks World Suicide Prevention Day 2023, held on 10 September; highlights this year's aim to focus attention on the issue, reduce stigma and raise awareness among organizations, governments and the public, giving a singular message that suicides are preventable; notes the theme for World Suicide Prevention Day 2021-2023 is creating hope through action and that whilst there has been a reduction in the number of people committing suicide over the last 10 years, the numbers are still worryingly high; further highlights how this day offers an opportunity to remind people that it's good to talk and that recovery is always possible; thanks organisations such as the International Association for Suicide Prevention and the World Health Organisation for the key roles they play in promoting the importance of suicide prevention; and encourages those with suicidal thoughts to always speak to someone and know the necessary support is there to help people overcome difficult times.

1572InGAME research and development hub

Tabled: 5/09/23 Signatories: 4

Chris Law

Stewart Malcolm McDonald

Allan Dorans

Chris Stephens

That this House acknowledges the publication of a new report highlighting the transformative role played by the InGAME (Innovation for Games and Media Enterprise) research and development centre in Dundee; notes that InGAME, established in 2018 by Abertay University in collaboration with academic and industry partners, has emerged as a pioneering hub of innovative research and support services for games companies, facilitating creative experimentation, developing scale-up capacity and fostering diversification and growth throughout the Dundee games cluster and beyond; welcomes the findings of the BiGGAR Economics report which shows that companies collaborating with InGAME are projected to generate an estimated £84.7 million gross value added (GVA) for the UK economy over the next 10 years, with £55.3 million GVA and 115 jobs expected to be generated within the Tay Cities Region alone; further notes that the impact analysis reveals that for every £1 of UK public funding invested in InGAME, the project is anticipated to generate an impressive £15.90 GVA for the UK economy, while successfully stimulating £2.08 of research and development investment from industry partners; notes that to date more than 177 research projects have been funded through InGAME’s innovation voucher scheme and more than 2,200 games industry professionals and researchers have been up-skilled through training and engagement activities; and recognises that InGAME’s success was instrumental in Abertay University securing preferred bidder status to host one of four new UK virtual production labs which are funded through UKRI’s Convergent Screen Technologies and performance in Realtime (CoSTAR) programme.

1573Battlefield Rest and The Food Awards Scotland

Tabled: 5/09/23 Signatories: 4

Stewart Malcolm McDonald

Jim Shannon

Allan Dorans

Chris Stephens

That this House congratulates the Battlefield Rest for winning the Best Italian Establishment award and the Restaurant of the Year in Glasgow award at The Food Awards Scotland; recognises the value of the Battlefield Rest as a social hub for people across Glasgow and as a vital part of the local economy; and wishes the Battlefield Rest every continued success.

1574Attacks on Jacqueline McKenzie

Tabled: 5/09/23 Signatories: 3

Bell Ribeiro-Addy

Jon Trickett

Chris Stephens

That this House stands in solidarity with Jacqueline McKenzie, a partner and head of immigration and asylum law at Leigh Day law firm, who has faced unprecedented attacks from the Home Office and the Conservative Campaign Headquarters; believes that these attacks have the direct aim to undermine Jacqueline McKenzie’s professional reputation but have also jeopardised her safety and put her at direct risk of harm; is concerned that these attempts to undermine the work of Jacqueline McKenzie, and other independent lawyers, represents an erosion of values in public discourse, which now permit elected government officials to not only endorse, but also propagate threats against individuals, and in particular those who work aims to defend the rule of law; further believes these attacks are part of an attempt to divert public attention away from the Government’s flawed immigration policies; and calls on Government ministers, departments and Party officials to cease these attacks and act in a manner that is befitting to their role in public office.

1575Pulmonary fibrosis awareness month

Tabled: 5/09/23 Signatories: 8

Mohammad Yasin

Valerie Vaz

Jim Shannon

Christine Jardine

Jon Trickett

Sir Mike Penning

That this House marks Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month which takes place in September; acknowledges the importance of raising awareness of pulmonary fibrosis, a debilitating and often life-threatening lung condition affecting 70,000 people across the United Kingdom; regrets that 1% of all deaths are due to pulmonary fibrosis; recognises the work of Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis, healthcare professionals, and researchers in raising awareness of the reality of living with pulmonary fibrosis; reaffirms the need for fast and accurate diagnosis, as well as access to treatments and pulmonary rehabilitation; understands the need for improved funding for research and support services; and calls on the Government to support initiatives that raise awareness of pulmonary fibrosis, encourage early diagnosis, and promote research into the disease.

1576Freddie Mercury's 77th birthday

Tabled: 5/09/23 Signatories: 4

Seema Malhotra

Christine Jardine

Patrick Grady

Chris Stephens

That this House extends its best wishes to the family of Freddie Mercury, who grew up in Feltham alongside Brian May, on what would have been Freddie’s 77th birthday; recognises the enormous contribution of Freddie Mercury and Queen to music and culture and the love for Freddie, which is still felt around the world; thanks Emi, Rico and Japanese fans for their donation of a Sakura tree in recognition of Freddie’s love of Japanese culture and of cherry trees; and congratulates Angela Parton and volunteers from the Friends of Feltham Green on their organising of an event in Freddie’s honour and the unveiling of the Sakura tree by Freddie’s sister Kashmira and the Mayor of Hounslow Cllr Afzal Kiani, which will be planted in the Freddie Mercury Memorial Gardens and be an inspiration in tribute to Freddie for generations to come.