Contents

Published: Thursday 23 November 2023

Early Day Motions tabled on Wednesday 22 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

94Lawfield Primary School in Midlothian

Tabled: 22/11/23 Signatories: 1

Owen Thompson

That this House congratulates Lawfield Primary School for becoming the first school in Midlothian to win the Sport Scotland Gold School Sports Award; acknowledges that the Mayfield school is one of only 104 schools to achieve the accolade; recognises the work of acting headteacher Jennifer Allison, active schools co-ordinator Carolyn Cameron, PE teacher Enrique Castillo and pupils and other staff; further recognises the school’s bid to use sport to support wider achievement; admires the school’s work to break down barriers to participation and make sure all pupils have opportunities to be active, inspired and enjoy sport; and wishes all pupils, staff and parents every success in the future.

95Retirement of Stephen McLellan from Recovery Across Mental Health

Tabled: 22/11/23 Signatories: 3

Mhairi Black

Kirsten Oswald

Gavin Newlands

That this House congratulates Stephen McLellan for his 33 years of service in the West of Scotland for Recovery Across Mental Health (RAMH); notes that RAMH do vital work giving support to individuals and communities that experience mental ill health; recognises that Stephen’s efforts and contribution in supporting our communities have been both admirable and invaluable; and wishes Stephen all the best for his retirement.

9625th Anniversary of East Kilbride Visually Impaired Group

Tabled: 22/11/23 Signatories: 1

Dr Lisa Cameron

That this House celebrates the 25th Anniversary of East Kilbride Visually Impaired Group; recognises that the group was started by Brian Hunter in 1998 with five attendees and has grown to having more than 30 attendees each week who benefit from local support and services; commends all volunteers and members, including Margaret Taylor, the Group Secretary, who first joined eleven years ago making everyone’s tea; thanks everyone providing transport who ensure that members can access meetings where they enjoy sharing experiences and a sense of community; further commends those providing funding for this invaluable work to continue across East Kilbride as it is run on a voluntary basis; calls for wider advocacy and inclusive policy development involving visually impaired people; and wishes East Kilbride Visually Impaired Group ongoing success for the future.

9720th Anniversary of East Kilbride Healthy and Active Group

Tabled: 22/11/23 Signatories: 1

Dr Lisa Cameron

That this House celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the Healthy and Active group in East Kilbride; commends every volunteer and staff member who are dedicated to supporting the East Kilbride community in helping members to achieve inclusion, personal independence and confidence; recognises that the group started 20 years ago with the inception of the Shopmobility service; further recognises that Healthy and Active have significantly expanded their services to include a community hub and wellbeing and cost of living support alongside outdoor activities; and wishes every ongoing success to Healthy and Active for the future.

98Cost of applying for indefinite leave under the bereaved partner concession

Tabled: 22/11/23 Signatories: 1

Stuart C McDonald

That this House supports the Refugee and Migrant Forum of Essex and London’s call for a fee waiver to be introduced for grieving widows applying for indefinite leave to remain under the bereaved partner concession; notes that the death of a loved one brings multiple emotional, practical and financial costs; acknowledges that people whose leave to remain in the UK is tied to a partner who dies are in a particularly vulnerable situation; regrets that the spouses of deceased partners are now required to pay £2,885 for the concession despite the application costing just £491 for the government to process; further notes that people who cannot afford this fee may be forced to leave the UK or face detention and removal after the death of their partner; notes that the lack of a fee waiver for the concession discriminates against women who constitute almost 70 per cent of those on family visas; believes it is irrational for the government to introduce a concession in recognition of these applicants’ vulnerability but first insist on payment of a fee that people cannot afford; and calls for a fee waiver to be introduced.

99Joan Jara

Tabled: 22/11/23 Signatories: 6

Jeremy Corbyn

John McDonnell

Zarah Sultana

Apsana Begum

Richard Burgon

Beth Winter

This House notes with sadness the recent passing of Joan Jara in Santiago; acknowledges that she was the widow of the late Victor Jara who brought so much joy to the people of Chile and who inspired the election of Salvador Allende in 1970 until his murder in the 1973 coup; recalls that Joan lived in exile in Britain throughout the worst of the Pinochet years and on her return to Chile contributed to the musical and artistic scene; commends her determination to keep hope and popular unity alive; and deeply regrets her passing.

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.

6Immigration

Tabled: 7/11/23 Signatories: 29

Sir Stephen Timms

Bell Ribeiro-Addy

Dawn Butler

Tim Farron

Kim Johnson

Clive Lewis

That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, praying that the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2023 (S.I., 2023, No. 1004), dated 14 September 2023, a copy of which was laid before this House on 15 September 2023, be annulled.

22Night Riviera Sleeper Service

Tabled: 8/11/23 Signatories: 14

John McDonnell

Ian Mearns [R]

Grahame Morris

Alison Thewliss

Richard Burgon

Patrick Grady

That this House recognises that the Night Riviera Sleeper service, operated by Great Western Railway (GWR) between London Paddington and Penzance, plays a vital role in providing sustainable and low-carbon travel between the capital and west of England; believes the staff employed on the Night Riviera provide a high-quality service to passengers; notes that research has found that travel by train is seven times more environmentally friendly than flying; further believes that reliable and high-quality rail links to areas popular with tourists support local economies and jobs; further notes that around 100 Sleeper services have been cancelled between September and November this year due to engineering works; further believes that wherever possible cancellations should be avoided and alternatives such as changes to the route or timing of the service should be considered; further understands that the rolling stock used to operate the Night Riviera is reaching the end of its natural lifespan; understands that GWR’s business plan for 2022 requires it to provide proposals to the Government about the future provision of the Night Riviera Sleeper; further understands that, that in light of this, concerns have been raised by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers about the future of the Night Riviera Sleeper; therefore calls on GWR and the Government to commit to maintaining the service, ensure all jobs on the Night Riviera Sleeper will be protected, and set out a plan for investing in this vital service.

25Scientific hearing on animal experiments

Tabled: 8/11/23 Signatories: 17

Martyn Day

Allan Dorans

Caroline Lucas

Alison Thewliss

Jonathan Edwards

Claudia Webbe

That this House applauds the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022, enshrining in law the ability of animals to experience joy and feel suffering and pain; notes the science-based campaign For Life On Earth, with its Beagle Ambassador, rescued laboratory dog Betsy; is shocked to see the continuing harrowing exposés that show thousands of laboratory dogs being intensively bred in the UK, underlining the consequences of the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022; notes that scientists in the wider scientific community, outside of the animal-based research sector, acknowledge the failure of animal testing in the search for human treatments and cures, and that those experts include pharmaceutical industry scientists, an Editor in Chief of the British Medical Journal, the US-based National Cancer Institute, which states cures for cancer have been lost because studies in rodents were believed, and the Food and Drug Administration, which states that nine-out-of-ten new medicines fail to pass human trials because animals cannot predict responses in humans; further notes Doctors Greek and Shanks' Trans-Species Modelling Theory, founded upon the theory of evolution, which explains why animals fail as predictive models of humans; and calls on the Government to mandate a rigorous public scientific hearing, judged by independent experts from the relevant science fields, to cease the funding of the now-proven failed practice of animal experimentation and increase funding for state-of-the-art human-based research, such as human-on-a-chip and gene-based medicine, to prioritise treatments and cures for human patients, and stop the suffering of innocent laboratory dogs and other animals.

44Breast cancer screening and entitlement to paid leave

Tabled: 13/11/23 Signatories: 8

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: 6

Jonathan Edwards

Chris Stephens

Jim Shannon

Claire Hanna

Caroline Lucas

John McDonnell

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: 23

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.

49Changes to the Highway Code for vulnerable road users

Tabled: 13/11/23 Signatories: 6

Helen Morgan

Jonathan Edwards

Richard Foord

Wera Hobhouse

Jim Shannon

John McDonnell

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.

50Persecution in Pakistan

Tabled: 13/11/23 Signatories: 6

Jim Shannon

Jonathan Edwards

Jon Cruddas

Carla Lockhart

Sammy Wilson

John McDonnell

That this House is deeply concerned by the ongoing attacks, discrimination and persecution faced by Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan; recognises that these communities are integral members of the Pakistani society and have made significant contributions to its culture, history, and economy; notes with concern the rising incidents of forced conversions, kidnappings, property confiscations and violence against Hindus, Sikhs, Ahmadis and Christians, which infringe on their fundamental rights to freedom of religion, belief and security; condemns any form of religious intolerance and violence; urges the Government of Pakistan to uphold its international obligations to protect the rights of all religious minorities within its borders; calls on the Government of Pakistan to intensify efforts to ensure the safety, security, and well-being of its religious minority communities; calls on the UK Government to engage with the counterparts in Pakistan on these issues to strengthen human rights monitoring in the region.

51Veterans Day bank holiday

Tabled: 13/11/23 Signatories: 19

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.

53Refugee campaign groups from the North East

Tabled: 13/11/23 Signatories: 9

Ian Lavery

Jon Trickett

Kate Osborne

Chris Stephens

Kim Johnson

Mick Whitley

That this House welcomes the lobby of Parliament by refugee groups from the North East of England to be held in Room S of Portcullis House from 2.00pm to 4.00pm on Tuesday 28 November; proudly acknowledges that the UK has, for centuries, provided a haven for those fleeing oppression; understands that many people seeking asylum display qualities of great courage and resilience and have abilities which can serve this country well; and urges all hon. Members to attend the lobby in order to hear the case for a fair system of asylum that enables safe routes to get to the UK, treats human beings with dignity and care in a timely and efficient manner, and allows them to make an immediate contribution to the UK through paid work.

54Food banks

Tabled: 14/11/23 Signatories: 9

Jon Trickett

Kim Johnson

Clive Lewis

Caroline Lucas

Ian Lavery

Mary Kelly Foy

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: 3

Jon Trickett

Jim Shannon

John McDonnell

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.

59Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, Laudate Deum

Tabled: 14/11/23 Signatories: 6

Dr Lisa Cameron

Patrick Grady

Jonathan Edwards

Mary Kelly Foy

Ian Byrne

John McDonnell

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.

Tabled: 20/11/23 Signatories: 3

Adam Afriyie

Jim Shannon

John McDonnell

That this House welcomes the proposal for an app entitled Bettor Help by the Gamblers Consumer Forum which would offer an alternative to affordability checks and a clinical-based solution towards tackling gambling harm; notes there is no body of evidence that suggests that intrusive affordability checks curb addiction; further notes the sparse research that suggests addiction can be characterised by financial loss; urges the Government to consider the impact of affordability checks on British horseracing, an industry woven into the iconic sporting tapestry of our country and an economic powerhouse for job opportunities; further urges the Government to consider the consequences of using non-clinical solutions in addiction-related regulation, such as minimal pricing for alcohol in Scotland which actually saw alcohol-related deaths surge, and to contrast that with the successes of clinical solutions like clinical group therapy; encourages Members to note that Dr Robert Lefever, a world-leading expert in addiction recovery who has treated over five thousand patients, contributed clinical screening questions to this proposal; and further encourages Members to note this app proposal has been overwhelmingly supported by 68% of the UK public following a poll conducted by YouGov on behalf of the Gamblers Consumer Forum.

72Puppy smuggling

Tabled: 20/11/23 Signatories: 10

Owen Thompson

Jim Shannon

Patricia Gibson

Deidre Brock

Ian Byrne

Grahame Morris

That this House recognises the vile puppy smuggling trade and sterling efforts by Dogs Trust to end this cruel practice; shares the deep fears of many people about the suffering of dogs and puppies at the hands of smugglers; recognises the seriousness of this welfare issue and acknowledges the disappointment of many that the Kept Animals Bill, which had the potential to crack down on this illegal trade, was dropped; and backs the Trust’s demands that we bring an end to the horrors of puppy smuggling.

73125th anniversary of the University of East London

Tabled: 20/11/23 Signatories: 3

Sir Stephen Timms

Jim Shannon

John McDonnell

That this House congratulates the University of East London on its 125th anniversary; recognises its invaluable contribution to social justice through education, skills training and enterprise in East London and around the world; commends its commitment to championing equity, diversity and inclusion in higher education, and to driving social mobility through expanding the access of people from marginalised backgrounds to graduate employment; welcomes its work towards a green and healthy world through partnerships with businesses and communities; expresses gratitude for its commitment to research and community projects addressing health and economic inequalities; resolves to continue to work with universities to tackle the complex challenges facing the communities we serve; and extends warm greetings to the University of East London on its milestone anniversary and looks forward to its continued success in years to come.

7540th anniversary of the killings at Darkley

Tabled: 20/11/23 Signatories: 4

Carla Lockhart

Jim Shannon

Sir Mike Penning

Paul Girvan

That this House remembers the Darkley massacre of 20 November 1983, in which three Republican gunmen attacked worshippers at the Mountain Lodge Pentecostal Church, murdering three members; expresses its sorrow at the loss of life of Harold Brown, Victor Cunningham, and David Wilson in what was a blatant sectarian motivated attack; remembers all those innocent victims of the attack and their families on this 40th anniversary of the attack; and reiterates its opposition to sectarianism, terrorism and the glorification of such actions by terrorists

79Sanctions imposed on Everton Football Club

Tabled: 20/11/23 Signatories: 20

Ian Byrne

Kim Johnson

Mick Whitley

Paula Barker

Peter Dowd

John McDonnell

That this House condemns the grossly unjust points deduction imposed on Everton Football Club by a Premier League Commission, a punishment lacking any legal or equitable foundation or justification for the level of sanction; notes that financial-not-sporting penalties for far more severe breaches have been applied, including the industry-and-community-threatening European Super League; declares that sporting sanctions unfairly punish supporters; notices the improper dismissal of extraordinary mitigating circumstances outlined by Everton; impresses on the House Everton’s investment in North Liverpool, its 2028 Euro Stadium, and the club’s long-standing, commendable commitment to Liverpool’s vulnerable; gravely remarks that these investments are now under threat; that this House contends the Premier League can no longer fairly govern top-flight football without independent scrutiny and legislation; asserts that the Commission’s cavalier approach to points deductions necessitates acceleration of the introduction of the Government’s proposed Independent Regulator; urges the Government to immediately establish an Independent Football Regulator that will safeguard the future of the game, enforce compliance with financial regulation, and establish new guardrails for corporate governance, club ownership, fan engagement, and competition regulation; requests the suspension of all proceedings and sanctions made by the Commission until the Regulator makes its own determinations; and demands fan ownership and board representation.

80Local Housing Allowance and housing supply

Tabled: 20/11/23 Signatories: 29

Paula Barker

Kim Johnson

Mary Kelly Foy

Caroline Lucas

Jim Shannon

Mick Whitley

That this House acknowledges the endemic housing crisis which now affects all communities across the country and the unsustainable rent increases across the private rented sector; affirms the current inadequacy of Local Housing Allowance, frozen since April 2020; believes that Local Housing Allowance has not kept pace with rising rents; recognises that Discretionary Housing Payments are insufficient in reducing the burden on local authority homelessness teams; expresses concern at the strain temporary accommodation is placing on local authority budgets; welcomes any commitment by any of the major parties to increase housing supply over the medium and long term; implores any potential party of government to commit to immediate interventions to alleviate the housing and homelessness emergency in the short term; and urges the Government to unfreeze Local Housing Allowance during forthcoming fiscal events and restore it to, at the very minimum, the 30th percentile of rents in every local authority area.

81Ethnicity data collection for business owners

Tabled: 20/11/23 Signatories: 3

Sarah Olney

Jim Shannon

John McDonnell

That this House believes that entrepreneurs of all ethnic backgrounds should have equal access to finance; recognises the recommendation of the Office for National Statistics that the introduction of a national system of data collection on the ethnicity of business owners would be an important step in improving transparency and addressing inequality in this area; believes that the introduction of an ethnicity field on Companies House director registrations would be an important step toward developing a national framework for capturing the ethnicity of company directors in the UK; welcomes the Government's commitment to Action 55 in its Inclusive Britain report which would take steps towards improving transparency and reducing barriers; and calls on the Government to take immediate action to enact these recommendations.

82Safe access zones

Tabled: 20/11/23 Signatories: 6

Bell Ribeiro-Addy

Kim Johnson

Ms Diane Abbott

Ian Byrne

Jonathan Edwards

John McDonnell

That this House celebrates the legislative introduction of Safe Access Zones around abortion clinics and buildings offering abortion services in the Public Order Act 2023; notes that although the Act received Royal Assent on 2 May 2023, provisions within the Act about Safe Access Zones, as outlined in section 9, have yet to come into force and require the introduction of a statutory instrument, as outlined in section 35(5) of the Act; is concerned that, until Safe Access Zones are enforced, pro-life protestors are permitted to continue staging protests outside abortion facilities, potentially hindering access to services and intimidating service users and staff; acknowledges that Safe Access Zones are a key instrument to protecting women’s access to healthcare and their right to choose; and therefore calls on the Home Secretary to bring forward a statutory instrument to enforce Safe Access Zones around abortion clinics and buildings offering abortion services without further delay.

83Hearings on the return of African artefacts and ancestral remains

Tabled: 20/11/23 Signatories: 14

Bell Ribeiro-Addy

Mary Kelly Foy

Kim Johnson

Ms Diane Abbott

Zarah Sultana

Ian Byrne

That this House seeks to honour and continue the work of the late Bernie Grant, former Member of Parliament for Tottenham, on the restitution of African artefacts and ancestral remains; notes the recent report by the APPG on Afrikan Reparations entitled, Hearings on the Restitution of Stolen African Artefacts and Ancestral Remains, which brings together a diverse range of experts and perspectives on the matter of restitution of African artefacts and human remains from museums and other cultural institutions; agrees that countries have the right to care for their own cultural heritage, and their own cultural artefacts; is appalled by the disregard shown by the British Museum for the significance of some of the cultural artefacts in its possession, which has led to several cultural artefacts being improperly quantified, organised or labelled; believes this demonstrates the British Museum’s unsuitability to be a proper custodian of the cultural artefacts of other nations; regrets that British institutions are falling behind other countries such as Germany who are now leading on restitution issues after having recognised the moral and ethical dimensions of the issue; suggests that through supporting restitution efforts and implementing necessary changes to legislation and museum practices, the Government can take significant steps towards rectifying historical injustices and fostering a more equitable and inclusive approach to cultural heritage; and calls on the Government to acknowledge and enact the seven recommendations in the APPG for Afrikan Reparation’s report entitled, Hearings on the Restitution of Stolen African Artefacts and Ancestral Remains.

85Paxlovid and clinically vulnerable patients

Tabled: 21/11/23 Signatories: 3

Daisy Cooper

Jim Shannon

Tabled: 21/11/23 Signatories: 2

Patricia Gibson

Jim Shannon

That this House celebrates the 80th anniversary of Age Scotland’s work to support older people; understands that the first meeting of an earlier incarnation of Age Scotland, the Scottish Old People’s Welfare Committee, took place in Edinburgh in January 1943 to support the war effort and the wellbeing of older people in Scotland; acknowledges that the Committee’s aims were to gather information on the present position of the care and welfare of the aged and to raise awareness of the needs of older people; considers that, in the past 80 years, Age Scotland has made an invaluable contribution through its work in helping older people to live as well as possible, in promoting positive views of ageing and later life, and in tackling loneliness and isolation; notes that Age Scotland recently published the findings of its Big Survey 2023, which aims to take the temperature of what it is like to be an older person in Scotland; recognises that one of the events planned to mark this milestone is a parliamentary reception on 15 November 2023 to celebrate the contribution of older people and groups from the North Ayrshire and Arran constituency and across Scotland, including the winners of Age Scotland’s annual awards, and to hear about the charity’s latest research, which outlines the political priorities of people over the age of 50 and how they feel about growing older in Scotland; and wishes chief executive, Katherine Crawford, and everyone at Age Scotland continued success.

93Sail Training Shetland

Tabled: 21/11/23 Signatories: 2

Mr Alistair Carmichael

Jim Shannon

That this House congratulates Sail Training Shetland for earning the Sail Training Organisation of the Year Small Vessel prize from Sail Training International at its annual conference; recognises that the local charity has supported more than 500 young people since 2009; and expresses gratitude to all who have recruited and mentored young sailors throughout and beyond The Tall Ship Races 2023.