Published: Thursday 18 January 2024

New EDMs

291Classification and regulation of NHS medical associate roles and patient safety

Tabled: 17/01/24 Signatories: 3

Claudia Webbe

Jeremy Corbyn

John McDonnell

That this House believes that the renaming of NHS medical assistant roles to physician associate and anaesthesia associate is confusing the public by blurring the clear distinction between doctors and other professionals who do not have medical qualifications and training; believes that this misleads the public and notes with regret the case of Emily Chesterton, whom the coroner ruled should have been sent to hospital for emergency admission but was misdiagnosed by the same physician associate on both occasions and treated for a calf sprain; agrees that the planned regulation of these non-medical roles by the General Medical Council adds to this potentially dangerous confusion; notes that nine out of 10 doctors in a recent survey believe that the increased scope and number of these roles is dangerous to patients and highly misleading; further notes that the Royal College of GPs has opposed the Government’s planned expansion of these associate roles; calls on the Government to revert the titles of these roles immediately to their previous titles of Physician Assistant and Anaesthesia Assistant to ensure the safety of patients and the proper functioning of the NHS and to regulate them through the Health and Care Professions Council, as the British Medical Association has recommended; and further calls on the Government to ensure that the NHS Workforce Plan must fill physician roles with fully-qualified physicians, maintaining a clear distinction between medically-qualified roles and other roles.

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292Young Lives vs Cancer

Tabled: 17/01/24 Signatories: 1

Paul Girvan

That this House notes the Young Lives vs Cancer report entitled Running on Empty which explores the costs that young cancer patients and their families face when travelling for treatment; expresses concern at the finding in the report that it costs young cancer patients and their families on average £250 per month and, depending on their location, can be far higher in some cases; expresses strong concern that, consequently, 27 per cent are having to cut back on food, 20 per cent are falling behind in paying bills, 20 per cent are having to sell their possessions, 10 per cent are having to delay or miss treatment and, in some cases, are having to give up their homes as they are unable to meet housing costs; further notes the report's conclusion that the current support available is inadequate with only 12 per cent of families receiving any support to cover travel costs; and supports Young Lives vs Cancer's call for the establishment of a Government-funded young cancer patient travel fund to address this unfairness.

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293Angus gin

Tabled: 17/01/24 Signatories: 1

Dave Doogan

That this House congratulates the Gin Bothy on their gin being selected for this year’s Oscars nominee gift bags; commends the growth of this multi-award-winning business trading from Glamis in the heart of Angus and propelled by its founder Kim Cameron’s leadership and vision; welcomes Gin Bothy’s use of locally-sourced ingredients; celebrates their expansion to larger production premises in Forfar; highlights their growing order book and international success in markets in Europe and the US; and values their contribution to the immensely important food and drink economy in Angus and Scotland.

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294Minimum salary threshold for skilled worker visa

Tabled: 17/01/24 Signatories: 1

Tim Farron

That this House notes with concern that increasing the skilled worker visa salary thresholds for chefs to £38,700 will have a detrimental impact on the hospitality industry and local economy of rural tourist destinations on top of the lasting effects of covid-19; and calls on the Government to ensure that any salary threshold increase for chefs reflects the needs of the rural tourism economy.

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295Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency

Tabled: 17/01/24 Signatories: 1

Grahame Morris

That this House is dismayed at the complacency and obstinacy of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) management in its implementation of the flawed Driver Services Recovery Programme; notes concerns raised by the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union that the programme poses significant safety risks to examiners and candidates; further notes the strength of feeling demonstrated by PCS members working for the DVSA across England, Wales and Scotland in voting overwhelmingly for industrial action to protect the integrity of the driving test and their existing terms and conditions; recognises the need to reduce the backlog of tests but insists that this must not be at the expense of safety standards or the erosion of existing staff terms and conditions; and urges Government intervention to bring the intransigent DVSA management back to the negotiating table to address the union’s concerns and to seek a resolution to the dispute.

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296Presidential election in Taiwan

Tabled: 17/01/24 Signatories: 1

Layla Moran

That this House congratulates president-elect, William Lai, on his recent emphatic victory in the Taiwanese Presidential Election; further congratulates former Liberal International vice-president and current vice-president-elect, Hsiao Bi-khim, on her success; thanks outgoing President, Tsai Ing-wen, for her wonderful service; commends the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the Liberal Democrat sister party in Taiwan, on its ongoing success in the region; and recognises the vital work that the DPP continues to undertake in the Indo-Pacific as a British and liberal ally.

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297Pastel bakery, Midlothian

Tabled: 17/01/24 Signatories: 1

Owen Thompson

That this House congratulates Pastel bakery in Newtongrange, Midlothian, for their recent successes at the prestigious World Championship Scotch Pie Awards; recognises their gold award for their chicken and chorizo pie and silver for their steak pie; acknowledges how this is an incredible accomplishment and a testament to the dedication, creativity and hard work put into their bakery; applauds the bakery’s commitment to excellence, combined with an innovative approach and attention to quality; further acknowledges how this award is a well-deserved recognition of the Pastel’s team’s efforts and the exceptional experiences they provide to customers; and wishes Pastel continued success and acclaim 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.

243Pension restitution for women born in the 1950s

Tabled: 8/01/24 Signatories: 52

Kim Johnson

Claudia Webbe

Sir Jeffrey M Donaldson

Claire Hanna

Jim Shannon

Mick Whitley

Mohammad YasinImran Hussain

That this House welcomes the positive interventions from so many hon. Members from across the House on behalf of women born in the 1950s who have suffered pensions loss through the targeting of their pension rights; pays tribute to constituents and campaigners in their ongoing fight for justice; recalls that women born in the 1950s were subject to discriminatory laws; and encourages the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to join mediation, noting there are no impediments to doing so.

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251School Meals Coalition

Tabled: 8/01/24 Signatories: 24

Sir Stephen Timms

Mrs Sharon Hodgson

Mr Clive Betts

Caroline Lucas

Liz Saville Roberts

Chris Stephens

Bell Ribeiro-Addy

That this House welcomes the creation of the School Meals Coalition; notes the Coalition is a partnership of 96 countries, with responsibility for over 60 percent of the world’s population, spanning the full range of geographies and across high, middle and low-income countries; congratulates the Coalition in supporting the reinstatement of school meals programmes following the closure of schools as a result of covid-19; further welcomes the fact that in 2022, 418 million children benefited from school meals compared to 388 million in 2020; further notes the importance of school meals as they protect and support children’s health and education while additionally providing wider societal benefits; calls upon the Government to join the School Meals Coalition; and commits to supporting the Coalition’s goal that every primary school aged child globally receives a healthy nutritious meal every day in school by 2030.

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263Gerry Kelly MLA

Tabled: 10/01/24 Signatories: 3

Ian Paisley

Carla Lockhart

Mr Gregory Campbell

That this House welcomes the judgment of 8 January 2024 of the High Court in Belfast in the case of Gerry Kelly MLA versus Malachi O'Doherty, throwing out a libel case brought by Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly in which he sought to prevent a journalist from stating that Mr Kelly had shot a prison officer during the Maze Prison escape in 1983; welcomes the description by the judge of Mr Kelly's case as scandalous, frivolous and vexatious; notes that the judgment found there was no damage to Mr Kelly's reputation, as he had served prison sentences for the 1973 Old Bailey bombings, is someone publicly identified as a former IRA member and has included material in his books which makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for him to rebut the argument that he was not a joint tortfeasor in respect of the battery; further notes the judge's conclusion that even if one accepts Mr Kelly has not explicitly admitted pulling the trigger, the content of his books appears to make Mr Kelly civilly liable, on the balance of probabilities, for the shooting of Mr Adams; and acknowledges the positive impact such a judgement will have on freedom of expression for both the public and the press.

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267Flood resilience

Tabled: 11/01/24 Signatories: 2

Sarah Dyke

Tim Farron

That this House is concerned by the impact of flooding caused by the recent Storm Henk following a year of frequent flooding in many parts of the UK; supports calls for extreme weather resilience plans to be in place for all communities in identified catchment areas; notes the significant impact flooding has on people’s mental health and the anxiety it can cause; recognises that some of the most vulnerable people in society are unequally affected by flooding; understands that the increased cost burden on homeowners damaged by flood damage through increased insurance or uninsurable homes is significant; and calls on the Government to increase Environmental Agency funding in order to increase the flood resilience of communities across the UK.

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269Holocaust Memorial Day

Tabled: 11/01/24 Signatories: 9

Bob Blackman

Sir Mike Penning

Alison Thewliss

Jonathan Edwards

Dr Lisa Cameron

Jim Shannon

Mr Gregory CampbellDeidre Brock

That this House notes that on 27 January 2024 the UK will observe Holocaust Memorial Day on the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau; further notes that the UK will come together to remember the 6 million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered and the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution; pays tribute to the Holocaust survivors, including many who share their testimony day in, day out, to ensure the horrors of the past are never forgotten; thanks the Holocaust Educational Trust for its work to educate every person from every background in the UK about the Holocaust and its contemporary relevance; pays tribute to the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust for organising the national Holocaust Memorial Day event; and urges all Right hon. and hon. Members to observe this day and to pledge to speak out against antisemitism, which in recent months has risen exponentially and which needs to be tackled head on.

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271Proceedings instituted by South Africa against the State of Israel at the International Court of Justice

Tabled: 11/01/24 Signatories: 16

Hywel Williams

Liz Saville Roberts

Ben Lake

Dr Philippa Whitford

Claire Hanna

Caroline Lucas

Imran Hussain

That this House recognises the continuing violence in Gaza which has resulted in over 23,000 deaths; welcomes South Africa’s request for provisional measures by the International Court of Justice to prevent acts of genocide; urges the Government to carefully consider the application as it upholds its duty to prevent genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention and actively avoid complicity; continues to support those in the UK calling for an immediate ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners and an end to the siege; and calls upon Israel to observe any resulting binding provisional measures aimed at protecting the human rights of Palestinians, including the cessation of fire.

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283Anniversary of the invasion of Baku

Tabled: 16/01/24 Signatories: 2

Bob Blackman

Jonathan Edwards

That this House notes that on 20 January 2024 the UK will observe the anniversary of the invasion of Baku by the Soviet troops in 1990 in response to the popular movement calling for independence of Azerbaijan; further notes that this House pays tribute to the 150 civilians who lost their lives during the invasion of the city of Baku in Azerbaijan; and urges all Right hon. and hon. Members to observe this day so that the events will always be remembered.

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284Journalists in Gaza

Tabled: 16/01/24 Signatories: 21

Grahame Morris

John McDonnell

Claire Hanna

Chris Stephens

Liz Saville Roberts

Jeremy Corbyn

Jonathan EdwardsMick WhitleyTahir AliClaudia Webbe

That this House is profoundly shocked and saddened by the deaths of over 85 journalists and other media workers in Gaza since the Hamas attacks of October 7, with many more critically injured, missing or in detention without trial; believes that journalists in Gaza are the only ones standing between the truth and a total media blackout and that, without their work, the world would not bear witness to these atrocities; is alarmed by reports from the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and the International Federation of Journalists that a further 80 press and media institutions were targeted by Israeli bombing, being totally or partially destroyed in Gaza; calls on the Government to urge the Israeli authorities to desist from targeting journalists or media organisations in these deadly attacks and accept the need to help de-escalate the cycle of violence which has resulted in the mass slaughter of civilians and a humanitarian catastrophe.

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287Water quality in Sri Lanka

Tabled: 16/01/24 Signatories: 3

Munira Wilson

Sarah Dyke

Claudia Webbe

That this House expresses concern regarding water quality in northern Sri Lanka; is concerned by reports stating that the Sri Lankan Government refused to allow independent assessments of water quality in the region; notes that the consumption or use of water contaminated by waste oil has been linked to many diseases and birth defects; calls for steps to be taken to allow all citizens in northern Sri Lanka, the majority of whom are Tamils, to have access to clean drinking water; calls for the area around the Chunnakam power plant complex to be subjected to a full independent investigation; believes that organisations responsible for pollution of ground water in Chunnakam should have a duty to carry out remedial works; and further believes that all citizens affected by water contamination should be provided with competent medical follow-up and be compensated adequately by the Sri Lankan Government.

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288Deaths of journalists in Gaza

Tabled: 16/01/24 Signatories: 8

John McDonnell

Mary Kelly Foy

Jonathan Edwards

Claire Hanna

Tahir Ali

Jeremy Corbyn

Jon TrickettClaudia Webbe

That this House expressers its extreme concern at the mounting and unprecedented death toll of journalists in Gaza; notes that the independent Committee to Protect Journalists has recorded the death of 82 journalists in this conflict since October 2023; welcomes the support provided by the National Union of Journalists for the efforts of the International Federation of Journalists to promote the safety of journalists; and urges the International Criminal Court to expedite its investigation into the evidence submitted of the systematic targeted attacks on journalists by Israeli forces.

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28950th anniversary of the Independent Methodist Church in Ireland

Tabled: 16/01/24 Signatories: 2

Carla Lockhart

Mr Gregory Campbell

That this House marks the 50th anniversary of the Independent Methodist Church in Ireland; recognises the important role churches play within our society; expresses gratitude for the role the Independent Methodist Church in Ireland has had and continues to have on the spiritual wellbeing of many people over the course of the last 50 years; and extends best wishes to all congregations as they mark this 50th anniversary year.