Contents

Published: Thursday 16 November 2023

Early Day Motions tabled on Wednesday 15 November 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

60Scottish Gymnastics lifetime achievement award

Tabled: 15/11/23 Signatories: 1

Drew Hendry

That this house congratulates Liz Danby on receiving a lifetime achievement award from Scottish Gymnastics for the decades of service she has committed to helping children and young people get involved in gymnastics; notes that she set up a schools gymnastics programme to improve accessibility to the sport; recognises that her enthusiasm and support helped hundreds of young people across the Highlands; pays thanks to her for her commitment and dedication over the years; and wishes her all the best for her retirement.

61Litter on motorways

Tabled: 15/11/23 Signatories: 1

Sir Mike Penning

That this House deplores the huge amount of litter on motorways, access road, junctions and verges; notes that there is a crystal clear legal obligation on National Highways to ensure roads are kept clear of litter; and calls on National Highways to act on this obligation, use motorway gantries to promote anti-littering messaging, ensure staff and contractors remove signs, sandbags and cones following roadworks in a timely manner and ensure contracts include financial penalties for not doing so.

62VAT on audiobooks

Tabled: 15/11/23 Signatories: 1

Sir Mike Penning

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; further 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.

63Plastics in the world's seas

Tabled: 15/11/23 Signatories: 1

Sir Mike Penning

That this House notes that according to the UN there will be more plastic in the sea than fish by 2050; calls for the Government to publish a strategy for promoting a circular economy in respect of plastics, including setting targets and measures for the elimination and recycling of single-use plastics; further calls for the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to establish a task force to develop proposals to encourage the use of reuse and refill models of packaging, to report annually to Parliament on the implementation of the strategy, to ensure that UK targets for the elimination and recycling of plastic packaging are more demanding than equivalent targets set by the EU, and to require manufacturers and retailers to pay for the cost of recycling plastic; calls for Government to set annual targets for reducing the quantity of plastic waste that is incinerated; further calls for the Secretary of State to publish a plan for banning the export of plastic waste by 2027, make provision for the purpose of reducing the cost of recycling plastic, including measures to encourage the standardisation of plastic packaging, give powers to the Office for Environmental Protection to enforce legislation relating to plastic pollution, and make provision for the purpose of encouraging the development of sustainable alternatives to plastic packaging; and calls on the Government to publish a plan for the use of fiscal policy to incentivise investment in recycling infrastructure and sustainable behaviour by consumers and retailers.

64Ban on the import of foie gras

Tabled: 15/11/23 Signatories: 1

Sir Mike Penning

That this House condemns the production of foie gras by force-feeding ducks and geese which causes severe physical and psychological pain for the animals involved; welcomes the continued ban on production of foie gras in the UK; and calls on the Government to introduce the promised ban on the import of foie gras immediately.

65Redundancies at Reach plc and sustainability of the press

Tabled: 15/11/23 Signatories: 6

Ian Byrne

Grahame Morris

Chris Stephens

John McDonnell

Rebecca Long Bailey

Liz Saville Roberts

That this House is dismayed at the extent of substantial job cuts announced by Reach plc, publisher of titles including The Mirror, Daily Record, Daily Star, Manchester Evening News, Irish Mirror and Liverpool Echo; notes that the company has indicated an estimated 450 posts will be made redundant at the company, including 320 editorial roles; further notes that this represents the third round of job cuts at the publisher this year alone; fears that the quality of news provision will inevitably be impacted by the loss of talented and experienced staff; calls on the management to work collaboratively with the National Union of Journalists to avoid compulsory redundancies; and urges the Government to take immediate action to protect the sustainability of the press and encourage investment in quality journalism at local, regional and national levels.

66Now or Never winner of Restaurant of the Year at the Lancaster Business Awards 2023

Tabled: 15/11/23 Signatories: 1

Cat Smith

That this House congratulates Nichola and Jeff Marshall, directors for Now Or Never restaurant in Lancaster and their whole team after winning Restaurant of the Year at the Lancaster Business Awards; thanks Now or Never for providing a unique, fine dining experience to the city thus boosting the Lancaster night time economy; pays tribute to Nichola and Jeff as small business owners for first opening a hugely successful brunch spot Journey Social and then expanding their horizons by opening Now or Never earlier this year, both venues are deeply valued by the Lancaster community; and wishes them every success in the future.

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.

7Sixth year of detention of Jagtar Singh Johal

Tabled: 7/11/23 Signatories: 38

Martin Docherty-Hughes

Claudia Webbe

Stewart Malcolm McDonald

Jim Shannon

Jonathan Edwards

Stuart C McDonald

That this House notes that Friday 4 November 2023 marked the sixth anniversary of the arbitrary detention in India of Jagtar Singh Johal, a Sikh activist and son of the Rock of Dumbarton held since being abducted from the street during his honeymoon by unidentified assailants who turned out to be undercover police agents; further notes that he alleges that while held incommunicado for 10 days by local police, he was tortured both physically and through electric shocks to his nipples and genitals, something which led him to signing a confession, a confession that has subsequently been used when filing charges against him; supports the ruling of the UN Working Group on arbitrary detention which in May 2022 gave its opinion that Jagtar’s detention was an arbitrary one; urges the Government to also support this opinion and do what it can to achieve Jagtar’s immediate release; further regrets the continuation of the Government’s negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement with the Republic of India as long as a UK citizen remains arbitrarily detained in an Indian prison; and states unequivocally that these negotiations should be paused until such time as the Indian Government addresses Jagtar’s arbitrary detention.

1351st anniversary of the expulsion of Asians from Uganda

Tabled: 7/11/23 Signatories: 8

Bob Blackman

Claudia Webbe

Jim Shannon

Sir Mike Penning

Liz Saville Roberts

Ben Lake

That this House notes that it has been 51 years since the expiry of the deadline set by President Idi Amin ordering the expulsion of more than 70,000 Asians from Uganda against a backdrop of rising anti-Indian sentiment, violence and killings in the country; further notes that 28,606 came to the UK in the autumn of 1972, around half of whom were accommodated for up to six months at 16 resettlement centres around England and Wales; commends the welcome they were given by local communities who rallied around to provide the evacuees with warm clothes, books, toys and activities; acknowledges the work involved in organising exhibitions and events in Tywyn, Wickhambrook, Honiton, Brent, Harrow, Leicester, Peterborough and other places to commemorate the 50th anniversary year by multiple organisations; pays tribute to British Ugandan Asians at 50, an initiative of UK registered charity The India Overseas Trust, to its late Chair, Mr Praful R.C. Patel, the only Asian member of the 1972 UK Government Uganda Resettlement Board, and to the late Mr Manubhai M. Madhvani, distinguished philanthropist and respected community leader who played a critical role in the marking of the 25th anniversary; and recognises the contribution of the British Ugandan Asian community to the UK through business, science, politics and the arts.

1740th anniversary of the bombing at Ulster University Jordanstown

Tabled: 7/11/23 Signatories: 4

Jim Shannon

Sir Mike Penning

Stephen Farry

Mr Gregory Campbell

That this House notes the 40th Anniversary of the murder of three RUC officers who were attending a course in criminology at Jordanstown Polytechnic on 4 November 1983; extends sincere and sustained sympathies to the families of Stephen Fyfe, 28, a married father of a 14 month-old, John Martin, 28, a married father who left a baby daughter and William McDonald, 29, a married father of two who died nine months later having never regained consciousness; notes that the shrapnel bomb exploded at 11:30am in the lecture room that was full of students and killed these men as well as injuring others; and reaffirms the determination of this House to never forget those whose lives were taken in duty to Queen and country by evil and cowardly acts of IRA terrorists and to ensure the memory of their service and bravery lives on.

30Jobs at news publisher Reach

Tabled: 9/11/23 Signatories: 7

Owen Thompson

Allan Dorans

David Linden

Jim Shannon

John McNally

Chris Stephens

That this House recognises the hard work and dedication of Reach journalists in Scotland at local and national news brands such as the Daily Record and Edinburgh Live; notes with dismay that Reach, the UK’s largest commercial news publisher, will cut 450 jobs - about a tenth of its workforce - across its national and regional newspapers; urges the publisher to work with unions such as the NUJ to minimise the upset and disruption to an already hard pressed workforce; further notes the central importance of journalism in a democratic society; regrets that these cuts will risk the loss of more talented staff providing our communities with accessible, relevant news through public interest journalism; and urges Reach management to immediately make a realistic substantive commitment to the future of journalism in Scotland.

41Indepen-dance Bridgeton studio opening

Tabled: 9/11/23 Signatories: 7

Alison Thewliss

Patrick Grady

Allan Dorans

David Linden

Jim Shannon

Chris Stephens

That this House congratulates Glasgow-based inclusive dance company Indepen-dance on the September 2023 opening of their new studio and office space in Bridgeton; recognises the work of Indepen-dance in widening access to both the professional and non-professional dance sectors for disabled people, their carers, children, young people, and their families; understands that the Bridgeton venue includes a studio, office space, and the Coffee Hut, a volunteer-led cafe; appreciates the generous support for the cafe from Tin Donkey Coffee Roasters; thanks the Artistic Director, Karen Anderson, the Chair of the Board, Mairi Breckenridge, and everyone involved in the operation of Indepen-dance for all their hard work; and wishes them all the best in all future endeavours.

43175th anniversary of Royal Black Preceptory 18

Tabled: 13/11/23 Signatories: 2

Carla Lockhart

Jim Shannon

That this House congratulates the Sir Knights of Royal Black Preceptory (RBP) 18 The First Royals of County Down on reaching their 175th Anniversary; recognises the positive role the Institution has played in the local community down through the years; and wishes RBP 18 a very successful and enjoyable anniversary year.

44Breast cancer screening and entitlement to paid leave

Tabled: 13/11/23 Signatories: 6

Jonathan Edwards

Ben Lake

Kate Osborne

Chris Stephens

Jim Shannon

Cat Smith

That this House notes that the UK, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Governments all offer breast cancer screening to women aged 50 to 70 every three years; supports such policies as an important preventative health care strategy; calls for employment law to be amended to remove barriers to and ensure that women do not lose pay and entitlements for attending appointments; and commends the work of the JG HR Pledge campaign for raising awareness of and encouraging employers to pledge to support their employees to attend regular screening appointments.

45Wealth taxation and EU Tax Observatory report on global tax evasion

Tabled: 13/11/23 Signatories: 3

Jonathan Edwards

Chris Stephens

Jim Shannon

That this House welcomes the EU Tax Observatory inaugural report on global tax evasion; notes that the report indicates that the richest people in the world are operating on the edge of legality to evade paying tax; expresses concern at the findings of the report that the very richest use shell companies and other measures to reduce their tax burden to between 0% and 0.6%; further notes that real estate in expensive cities such as London provides a vehicle for the very wealthy to avoid paying tax; notes that the report calls on the 3,000 richest people in the world, with combined assets of $13 trillion, to be taxed at a rate of 2% of their total wealth; estimates that such a measure would raise £205 billion annually; and joins calls for the G20 Summit in Brazil in November 2024 to begin efforts to introduce a global wealth tax on the very richest people.

47Seasonal Worker visa scheme

Tabled: 13/11/23 Signatories: 11

John McDonnell

Jon Trickett

Jonathan Edwards

Kate Osborne

Chris Stephens

Kim Johnson

That this House notes the recent report by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the Independent which identified issues of racism, wage theft and threats of being sent back home in 19 farm inspection reports produced by the Home Office between 2021 and 2022; recognises that migrant seasonal workers are integral to the UK’s horticultural sector and that working conditions under the seasonal worker visa must urgently be improved; further recognises that the current iteration of the seasonal worker visa is due to expire at the end of 2024 and that improvements to working conditions must be implemented before any decision to extend the scheme is made; calls on the Government to urgently complete and publish a review of the seasonal worker visa scheme in line with the recommendations that it accepted by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration in the report entitled An inspection of the immigration system as it relates to the agricultural sector, published in December 2022; further calls on the Government to implement the recommendations on the seasonal worker visa scheme of the report by the House of Lords Select Committee on Horticulture entitled Sowing the seeds: A blooming English horticultural sector (November 2023); and calls on the Government to engage with independent civil society organisations advocating for the rights of migrant seasonal workers in the recently formed Seasonal Worker Interest Group to address the design-related issues from the seasonal workers visa scheme.

48Iran's influence in the Middle East

Tabled: 13/11/23 Signatories: 2

Bob Blackman

Jim Shannon

That this House is deeply concerned by the role of the Iranian regime in the deadly conflicts in the Middle East; notes that for over four decades Iran’s regime has adopted a dual strategy of domestic suppression, such as the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners, mostly supporters of the PMOI/MEK, and creating external crises by warmongering and use of terrorism to assure its own survival; recalls that for years Khomeini rejected a ceasefire in the Iran-Iraq war, vowing to liberate Qods, Jerusalem, via Karbala despite the huge death toll inflicted; further recalls that Iran’s regime uses proxy terror groups to carry out terrorist attacks in the region; is deeply concerned by the regime’s use of hostage diplomacy to extract concessions from the West, examples of which include the release of its diplomat-terrorist, sentenced to 20 years in prison for trying to bomb an NCRI rally, by Belgium in return for hostages illegally held by Iran; reiterates that there can never be peace in the Middle East while Iran’s regime remains in power; and urges the Government to target warmongering in Tehran by proscribing the IRGC and supporting the Iranian people’s desire for regime change.

49Changes to the Highway Code for vulnerable road users

Tabled: 13/11/23 Signatories: 5

Helen Morgan

Jonathan Edwards

Richard Foord

Wera Hobhouse

Jim Shannon

That this House appreciates the recent changes made to the Highway Code relating to protecting vulnerable road users; understands that new rules 212-215 help ensure that other road users treat these users with care; observes that these rules have been added specifically because the Highway Code previously lacked rules to protect vulnerable road users such as horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles; recognises that the frequency of incidents which include these users shows that the new rules have not been publicised enough; and calls on the Government to raise awareness of the new rules and establish better communication and education of the Highway Code to protect all road users.

51Veterans Day bank holiday

Tabled: 13/11/23 Signatories: 12

Grahame Morris

Jonathan Edwards

Kate Osborne

Lloyd Russell-Moyle

Rebecca Long Bailey

Chris Stephens

That this House wishes to honour the service and sacrifice of our Armed Forces with a new bank holiday on the day after Remembrance Sunday; notes that many countries have a dedicated Veterans Day public holiday; recognises that, by international standards, the UK is amongst the countries with the fewest public holidays; highlights the need for more bank holidays in the second half of the year because the majority of the current statutory bank holidays are during the spring and summer months; and believes that any such proposal from the Government would command significant cross-party support.

52Immediate bilateral ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict

Tabled: 13/11/23 Signatories: 15

Layla Moran [R]

Jamie Stone

Richard Foord

Christine Jardine

Munira Wilson

Daisy Cooper

That this House believes that only a two-state solution can deliver the security which both Palestinians and Israelis deserve; further believes that Hamas cannot be allowed to continue in charge of Gaza; condemns the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas in Israel on 7 October 2023; deplores the violence in the weeks since; notes with horror the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, affecting millions of innocent Palestinian civilians, the ongoing hostage situation and the risk of regional escalation; notes that it is increasingly clear there will be no military solution that will eliminate Hamas and that movement towards a political solution is needed; accordingly urges the Government to call for an immediate bilateral ceasefire to provide space to achieve that political solution; further notes that such a ceasefire would be contingent on both parties sticking to it and that if one party breaks the ceasefire, a military option remains on the table; believes that this is not an end goal but a step towards peace; disagrees with those who advocate freezing the conflict, which leaves Hamas in charge of Gaza and does not look to the future; and notes that an immediate bilateral ceasefire would provide time to facilitate the delivery of aid into Gaza, facilitate the release of the hostages and provide space to intensify diplomacy towards delivering a political solution with Hamas out of Gaza, two states and a lasting peace.

54Food banks

Tabled: 14/11/23 Signatories: 3

Jon Trickett

Kim Johnson

Clive Lewis

That this House notes with extreme concern the new figures from The Trussell Trust which showed that 1.5 million food parcels were provided to people between April and September 2023 by food banks in the charity’s UK-wide network, which is a 16% increase on the same period in 2022; highlights that 320,000 people have needed to use a food bank for the first time in the past six months; notes that a record 540,000 food parcels were provided for more than 265,000 children living in families who could not afford the essentials, which is an 11% increase compared to the same period last year; highlights the grave concerns expressed by the UN Poverty envoy Olivier De Schutter on poverty levels in the UK; and urges the Government to act now to tackle poverty by ensuring decent pay, investment and high quality public services.

55Protections for the green belt

Tabled: 14/11/23 Signatories: 2

Jon Trickett

Jim Shannon

That this House expresses its concern about building developments on green belt land; notes that the Secretary-General of the United Nations has said that humanity is becoming a weapon of mass extinction; further notes that the extinction of wildlife species has a knock-on impact on the wider ecosystem and causes escalating levels of environmental destruction, which plays a significant role in climate breakdown; regrets that many local plans contain proposals to build on green belt land, including in an area of the Wakefield District that is home to ancient woodland and a number of rare and endangered bird and animal species; also regrets that the Government failed to support amendments to the Levelling Up Bill, which would have prevented building on areas with vulnerable and endangered species; believes that Parliament must do more to ensure that our country’s natural environment is protected; further believes that access to green spaces not only enhances quality of life, but also helps with mental health, tackling obesity and improving general health; recognises that there is a considerable need for new housing in the UK, but thinks that this should be built whilst limiting the damage to the natural environment and should be affordable for local people; calls on the Government to protect green belt land by adopting a brownfield first policy and tougher protections for endangered species; and further calls on the Government to ensure that local authorities have the final say over developments in their areas.

58Taxation of savings and inheritance

Tabled: 14/11/23 Signatories: 2

Mr Gregory Campbell

Jim Shannon

That this House notes recent reports that in the 2023-24 financial year, tax paid on savings income is due to reach more than £6.5 billion, a rise of approximately 100% since 2022, and the expected take through inheritance tax of approximately £8 billion, which has increased over 30% in the same period; notes that the Treasury expect to receive almost £15 billion in tax next year from these two sources alone; further notes that this is income that has already been taxed largely from earned and saved income; and calls on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to introduce tax reductions aimed at hard-working taxpayers, particularly the millions who are in the middle-income bracket.

59Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, Laudate Deum

Tabled: 14/11/23 Signatories: 3

Dr Lisa Cameron

Patrick Grady

Jonathan Edwards

That this House welcomes Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, Laudate Deum, which builds on his encyclical letter Laudato Si’, that calls on world leaders to put global common good ahead of self interest; urges international governments to commit to a transition from fossil fuels that is binding and measurable; acknowledges the injustice that it is the world’s poorest communities that are disproportionately affected by climate change, despite contributing the least to global emissions; commends the work of the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development and the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund who work alongside climate vulnerable communities to respond to climate change and with Global South organisations to campaign for global leadership to tackle climate change; and notes the significance of Pope Francis’ message to world leaders ahead of COP28 to be ambitious in their pledges to tackle climate change and provide their fair share of financing to meet existing climate finance pledges.