Published: Monday 4 March 2024

New EDMs

448Dundee Contemporary Arts 25th Anniversary

Tabled: 1/03/24 Signatories: 1

Chris Law

That this House celebrates the twenty-fifth anniversary of the opening of Dundee Contemporary Arts; recognises that DCA has established a reputation as an internationally renowned centre for contemporary arts; notes that millions of people have visited the centre since its opening in March 1999, with hundreds of thousands estimated to visit every year; further notes that, to mark the occasion, DCA are hosting a special programme of events; believes that cultural institutions like DCA are more important than ever for our local communities; and wishes all at DCA all the best for the future.

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44940th Anniversary of the 1984-85 Miners' Strike

Tabled: 1/03/24 Signatories: 1

Jon Trickett

That this House commemorates the 40th anniversary of the 1984-85 miners’ strike that began in March 1984 in response to the Thatcher government's plans to destroy the British coal industry; notes that the National Union of Mineworkers decided to strike after the National Coal Board announced the closure of 20 collieries, although declassified Cabinet Papers reveal they secretly planned to close 75 collieries over a three year period; further notes that over 165,000 miners took part in the strike which lasted a whole year, whilst hundreds of thousands of their family members loyally supported them; condemns the violence deployed by the British state against mining communities as seen at Orgreave, in Hemsworth and elsewhere; believes the dispute represented an assault on the whole British labour movement, as well as the post-war “Attlee settlement” which has had lasting consequences for the entire working class with the subsequent decline in workers’ rights; recognises that the short-sighted decision to destroy the British coal industry devastated mining communities but also damaged the entire British economy with particularly grave implications for the North over the long-term; honours the bravery and dignity of the mining communities who resisted the destruction of the coal industry; commends the solidarity shown towards mining communities by the wider public; and demands justice for mining communities, including those who suffered miscarriages of justice at Orgreave and elsewhere, the restoration of mineworkers’ pensions and large-scale public investment in areas devastated by the destruction of the coal industry.

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450Democracy and human rights in Senegal

Tabled: 1/03/24 Signatories: 1

Bell Ribeiro-Addy

This House notes that President of Senegal, Macky Sall, has delayed the general election that was meant to take place in February 2023, which has been accompanied by a violent crackdown on subsequent protests by the Senegalese police and gendarmerie who have been witnessed using brutal and often lethal tactics; notes that four people have died amid protests over the announcement of the delay of the Presidential election; further notes the calls by the President of the African Union Commission and the US Department of State for the urgent reinstatement of the election and the rejection by the Senegalese constitutional council of the decision to suspend the elections which has led to Macky Sall agreeing to reschedule the election and to stand down; calls on the UK Government to back the calls for immediate fair and free elections and to call for the lifting of the suspension of political parties, the freeing of opposition party members who are currently political prisoners, the ending of the repression of media outlets and the shutting down of the internet, the arresting and assaulting of journalists and to condemn all anti-democratic measures and abuses of human rights.

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451Funding for children's hospices

Tabled: 1/03/24 Signatories: 1

Sir George Howarth

That this House is concerned that children’s hospices are yet to receive written confirmation of how and when they will receive their NHS England Children’s Hospice Grant in the 2024-25 financial year, nor how much they are likely to receive; is concerned about the impact that this is having on children’s hospices’ ability to budget and plan their lifeline care and support to seriously ill children and families in 2024-25; is also concerned by the variation in integrated care board spending on children’s hospices across England, which varied by as much as £483 per child or young person in 2022-23, according to responses to freedom of information requests made by the charity Together for Short Lives; calls on the Government to urgently confirm how and when the £25 million NHS England Children’s Hospice Grant will be distributed in 2024-25; and further calls on the Government to direct NHS England to hold integrated care boards to greater account for the way in which they commission children and young people’s palliative and end of life care.

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452110th anniversary of St Bede’s Catholic Primary School

Tabled: 1/03/24 Signatories: 1

Kate Osborne

That this House congratulates St Bede’s Catholic Primary School in Jarrow on its 110th anniversary; recognises the heritage and community that this school represents; further recognises the importance of schools across the country in celebrating their history; and notes that St Bede’s Catholic Primary School, which is part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, was the first Catholic school in Jarrow, and is a source of pride for the constituency.

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453Craig Bainbridge, Volunteer of the Year

Tabled: 1/03/24 Signatories: 1

Patricia Gibson

That this House congratulates Mr Craig Bainbridge on winning the accolade, Volunteer of the Year by the Scottish Centre for Personal Safety; notes that this volunteer-run, Ardrossan based charity provides personal safety training to vulnerable individuals, organisations and businesses across Scotland; recognises that its empowerment-focussed and trauma-informed approach has helped increase participants’ self-esteem and confidence; further recognises that Scottish Centre for Personal Safety was honoured with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2020 in recognition of its commitment to empowering and lifesaving work; understands that Mr Bainbridge is an integral part of the charity’s instructor team through his provision of personal safety training on numerous courses, including personal safety for women, in the workplace, and for people with learning disabilities; notes that he also champions the charity’s Thursday night Krav Maga classes for women and children; commends Mr Bainbridge for his dedication and professionalism as a volunteer which is a credit to both the Scottish Centre for Personal Safety as well as the people of North Ayrshire; and wishes him every success in his ongoing efforts to support and empower vulnerable people.

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.

422Closure of the Inter Faith Network

Tabled: 23/02/24 Signatories: 12

Wera Hobhouse

Sarah Dyke

Wendy Chamberlain

Jim Shannon

Helen Morgan

Christine Jardine

Sarah Green

That this House deeply regrets the Government’s announcement that it will cut off funding to the Inter Faith Network; further regrets that this decision came despite new Government funding having been promised; notes with concern that islamophobia is rising and antisemitism in the UK is at the highest level on record; recognises the importance of inter faith dialogue at a time of heightened community tensions; further recognises the valuable work done by the Inter Faith Network and its branches around the country to bring communities together and nurture tolerance and understanding; further notes with concern that there is no organisation to take the Inter Faith Network’s place; and urges the Government to reinstate funding to the Inter Faith Network.

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428Islamophobia

Tabled: 26/02/24 Signatories: 17

Christine Jardine

Sarah Dyke

Jim Shannon

Wendy Chamberlain

Jamie Stone

Liz Saville Roberts

Sarah Green

That this House condemns the recent rise in Islamophobic and antisemitic incidents across the UK; regrets that leading charity TellMAMA recorded more than 2,000 anti-Muslim hate cases since Hamas’s terror attacks on 7 October 2023; notes with concern that this represents a 335% increase on the same period last year; further notes with the concern the gendered aspect of these attacks, as women were the target of 65% of these cases; acknowledges that there have been similarly concerning increases in anti-Semitism across the UK in the same time period; condemns the Government’s decision not to bring forward an official definition of Islamophobia; emphasises the importance of standing up to religious hatred in all its forms; and urges the Government to appoint an independent adviser on Islamophobia to help tackle anti-Muslim prejudice in our communities.

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442School minibus safety

Tabled: 28/02/24 Signatories: 3

Sarah Edwards

Jim Shannon

Jonathan Edwards

That this House notes that 18 November 2023 was the 30th anniversary of the Hagley M40 minibus disaster, where twelve children and their teacher died; further notes that there is still no legislation to ensure best practice in the use of school minibuses, and a repeat of the tragedy is a distinct possibility; notes the inequality enshrined in current legislation and regulation whereby private schools are required to operate to a higher standard of safety than state schools by being required to have a full public service vehicle operator’s licence, whereas state schools can operate transport services for hire or reward with a permit under Section 19 of the Transport Act 1985, a much lower standard of safety management; notes that the existing legislative framework is confusing for school managers and enforcement officers alike; and calls on the Government to ensure that all schools with minibuses are required to have a full public service vehicle operator’s licence, hence operating to best practice and aiming to ensure that all pupils and staff come home safe.

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446Serco contracts

Tabled: 29/02/24 Signatories: 2

Kate Osborne

Jon Trickett

That this House condemns the Ministry of Justice's plans to hand a further £200m of public money to Serco; notes Serco's extensive record of failures, monitoring people with GPS technology; further notes that this contract replaces a prior contract with Capita; notes that since 2020 the Home Office has been dramatically expanding the number of people without British citizenship including people seeking asylum, and people born or raised in the UK who are forced into wearing electronic tags; notes the wide range of physical and mental harms caused by this practice; is concerned about dangers that targeting groups for sweeping surveillance powers poses; notes the complete lack of evidence of surveillance effectiveness as acknowledged in the Home Office's own documents; and demands that resources go to assisting people in need rather than paying profiteers to run mass surveillance programmes under the hostile environment immigration policy.

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447Withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty (No. 2)

Tabled: 29/02/24 Signatories: 3

Wera Hobhouse

Sarah Dyke

Jonathan Edwards

That this House welcomes the UK’s withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty; regrets that the UK has lagged behind nine EU member states including France, Germany, Spain and Italy in withdrawing; recognises the need for a new global framework to incentivise global investment in the renewable energy sector to meet global targets to reduce emissions and reach net zero; and calls on the Government to back a new framework replacement Renewables Treaty to drive innovation, cooperation and the greater adoption of renewable energy.