Contents

Published: Friday 10 May 2024

Early Day Motions tabled on Thursday 9 May 2024

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

739Pesticide use in towns and cities

Tabled: 9/05/24 Signatories: 6

Caroline Lucas

Ian Byrne

John McNally

Wera Hobhouse

Liz Saville Roberts

Nadia Whittome

That this House recognises the harm caused to both human health and the environment by the use of pesticides such as glyphosate in our villages, towns, cities and public spaces; notes that glyphosate was designated as probably carcinogenic to humans by the World Health Organisation in 2015, is increasingly being linked to Parkinson’s, and can be toxic to wildlife including bees; further notes that overuse of pesticides in towns and cities is destroying areas that wildlife, including birds, insects, bees and hedgehogs, rely on for food and shelter, and that pesticides run off hard surfaces such as pavements, thereby contaminating water courses and harming aquatic life; commends the more than 100 local authorities across the UK that have either ended their use of pesticides or taken significant steps towards doing so despite limited funds and resources, including by pursuing manual methods such as hand weeding and strimming, new technologies like hot foam and mechanical brushes, and by embracing greener public spaces which benefit both human wellbeing and wildlife; further recognises the importance of ensuring that infrastructure and public spaces remain accessible to all users, including those with accessibility needs; therefore urges local authorities to consult with local disability stakeholders regarding their transition to non-chemical alternatives for weed control; and calls for legislation to be introduced to implement a national phase-out of all pesticide use in public areas under local authority control as has been done in France and Luxembourg.

740Selina Rashid, Say It with Flowers Award

Tabled: 9/05/24 Signatories: 1

Marion Fellows

That this House recognises the achievements and hard work of Selina Rashid who was the recent recipient of Wishaw Press’s Say It with Flowers Award that celebrates those who go above and beyond to help others; congratulates her, along with Abdul and Khalida Rashid, as well as Agnes Ferguson, for running the Post Office and the minimarket convenience store in New Stevenson for over 10 years; further recognises her selfless and generous character that led to being nominated and the recipient of the award; acknowledges her recent going public against the Post Office Network on mystery Horizon shortfalls yet still found time to take care and look after others and the community; and wishes her luck with her new business as a digital creator.

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.

693Building societies

Tabled: 29/04/24 Signatories: 19

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

Jim Shannon

Bob Blackman

Mary Kelly Foy

Lloyd Russell-Moyle

Kim Johnson

That this House recognises the financial and emotional hardship experienced by vulnerable, elderly building society customers and their families through being introduced by building societies which they trusted to firms offering unregulated wills and trusts; acknowledges that the products sold were unsuitable and failed, with investments that did not match members’ attitude to risk, with excessive fees, and ultimately causing the loss of large portions of customers estates, and thereby the loss of their children’s inheritance; highlights the concern victims have that the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has failed to act against the building societies despite many FCA Principles for Business being breached, and that the societies failed to perform satisfactory due diligence on the firms they introduced customers to; and as such believes that the FCA should compel the building societies to fully compensate, including for the upset, stress and hardship caused; calls upon the Government to ensure that, if the building societies make an offer of compensation, that the Creditors’ Committee can negotiate on behalf of the impacted individuals and if necessary give powers to the FCA to compel the building societies to compensate the victims in full; and further calls upon the Government to ensure that similar injustices do not happen in the future.

710Leicester City and the Sky Bet Championship

Tabled: 1/05/24 Signatories: 3

Jim Shannon

Chris Stephens

George Galloway

That this House celebrates the success of Leicester City securing a 3-0 victory at Preston North End on Monday 29 April 2024 to attain a record-breaking eighth Sky Bet Championship title; notes the joy and pride that dedicated fans, including the hon. Member for Strangford, feel as Leicester City have now been promoted to the Premier League; wishes the team every success for the future, following a tremendous season; and believes that they have the support of a fantastic fan base across the UK.

71846th anniversary of the murder of Altab Ali

Tabled: 2/05/24 Signatories: 10

Apsana Begum

Caroline Lucas

Mary Kelly Foy

Jim Shannon

Christine Jardine

Clive Lewis

That this House marks the 46th anniversary of the racially motivated murder of the 25-year-old textile factory worker, Altab Ali, on 4th May 1978; notes that in the 1970s far right activity and racism was prevalent in East London and that Asian and Black people were frequently attacked; recognises that Altab Ali’s murder sparked protests and anti-racist campaigning leading to the historic Battle for Brick Lane and the birth of groups like the Anti-Nazi League and Rock against Racism; plays tribute in particular to the Bangladeshi community and allies in East London’s resistance to far-right extremism and institutional racism; expresses concern at the current increase in far right activity and rising levels of racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism; and stands in solidarity with our diverse communities in opposition to the far right and those who try to divide society with fear, bigotry and intolerance.

719Allocation of levelling up funding

Tabled: 2/05/24 Signatories: 9

Helen Morgan [R]

Wendy Chamberlain

Jim Shannon

Jon Trickett

Lloyd Russell-Moyle

Sarah Dyke [R]

That this House notes with concern the amount spent by local authorities of all parties on bids for levelling up funding that have been unsuccessful; further notes that levelling up funding has not been allocated to the areas with highest levels of deprivation; notes that levelling up funding has not been awarded for projects with a clear regenerative impact, but has been awarded for projects with a purely cosmetic benefit; notes that small awards of funding do not outweigh the impact of significant cuts to real-terms funding for local authorities since 2015; notes that only 10% of funds allocated have been spent to date; notes that local authorities delivering successful project bids have grappled with significant additional costs during the delivery phase, eroding the value of disbursements; and calls on the Government to review the Fair Funding Formula such that resources are allocated to local authorities on the basis of need and the cost of delivering services to local people.

723Trans+ History Week

Tabled: 7/05/24 Signatories: 12

Kate Osborne

Nadia Whittome

Charlotte Nichols

Dr Jamie Wallis

Apsana Begum

Zarah Sultana

That this House welcomes the first ever Trans+ History Week; notes that this groundbreaking initiative is aimed at educating and celebrating the millenia-old history of transgender non-binary gender-diverse and intersex individuals; and further acknowledges that the achievements of trans+ people deserve recognition.

725Government surveillance of bank accounts

Tabled: 7/05/24 Signatories: 22

Richard Burgon

Bell Ribeiro-Addy

John McDonnell

Nadia Whittome

Margaret Greenwood

Apsana Begum

That this House is deeply alarmed by new powers contained within the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill that would allow the Government to engage in the mass surveillance of tens of millions of people's bank accounts; notes that these new powers would force banks to spy on the 23 million individuals in the welfare system, including those who are disabled, sick, caregivers, jobseekers and pensioners, as well as on the private banking data of people related to them including partners, parents, landlords and other associates; further notes that this will be reliant on systems using artificial intelligence to monitor the accounts of all customers to flag activity considered suspicious by the Department for Work and Pensions and believes that this risks creating a Post Office Horizon-style scandal where innocent people suffered wrongful prosecutions, financial ruin and reputational damage; believes that this is a huge infringement on an individual’s right to financial privacy and violates the principle of a presumption of innocence that people should not be spied on unless the police suspect wrongdoing; rejects the idea of treating the disabled, sick, carers or those looking for work as criminals by default; further believes that the Government already has significant powers to review the bank statements of fraud suspects under existing laws; and calls on the Government to remove these powers from the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill.

72620th anniversary of the Trinjan group

Tabled: 7/05/24 Signatories: 3

Seema Malhotra

Jim Shannon

Ruth Cadbury

That this House extends its congratulations to the Trinjan group and its committee as it celebrates its 20th anniversary; notes that it was founded on 27 April 27 2004 by Mohinder Dosanjh with Mindu Bains, Harbans Dosanjh, Usha Kiran Trikala, Tara Walia, Amarjit Sidhu, Jatinder Wadhva, Ranju Parshotam and Inderjit Takhar; congratulates and thanks its honorary volunteers who are vital for all its work; further notes that it has been steadfast in its mission to empower women and foster their engagement within local communities; acknowledges Trinjan's invaluable platform, providing women with opportunities for socialisation, networking, and sharing experiences; commends its fundraising efforts, including raising over £50,000 for the Mulberry Centre cancer patient support charity at West Middlesex University Hospital; notes that during lockdown it raised money for charities linked with the NHS, PSP and Encephalitis; recognises the impact of Trinjan as a lifeline for women facing loneliness and isolation particularly after bereavement or illness and its commitment to promoting women's health, fitness, and overall wellbeing; and applauds Trinjan's efforts in building alliances that promote community cohesion and charitable endeavours.

727No confidence in His Majesty's Government

Tabled: 7/05/24 Signatories: 7

Ed Davey

Daisy Cooper

Wendy Chamberlain

Sarah Dyke

Helen Morgan

Jonathan Edwards

That this House has no confidence in His Majesty's Government.

728Water sports and pollution

Tabled: 7/05/24 Signatories: 5

Jamie Stone

Jim Shannon

Christine Jardine

Sarah Dyke

Wendy Chamberlain

That this House notes the danger posed by water pollution and sewage spills to water sports athletes and participants; recognises that these sports, including angling, rowing, swimming, surfing and others are some the most popular participation sports in the UK; expresses its concern that the viability of certain sports may be threatened by water pollution; welcomes the campaign of the Clean Water Sports Alliance; urges the Government to support sports clubs affected by sewage dumping; and calls on the Government to take further and faster action on pollution by ending sewage dumping, banning water executives from paying themselves bonuses until sewage dumping stops, transforming England’s water companies into public benefit companies, replacing Ofwat with a new regulator with proper teeth to tackle sewage dumping, and introducing a sewage tax to fund the clean up of the most polluted lakes, rivers and coastlines.

731Dementia Action Week

Tabled: 7/05/24 Signatories: 12

Jim Shannon

Mary Kelly Foy

Christine Jardine

Chris Law

Cat Smith

Patrick Grady

That this House notes Dementia Action Week 2024, taking place from 13 to 19 May 2024; highlights that Dementia Action Week is an awareness raising campaign and each year the Alzheimer's Society works with individuals and organisations across the UK to encourage people to act on Dementia; underlines the support offered to those pre and post diagnosis and furthermore the advice offered to help people cope with memory loss and other immediate symptoms; further notes that there are over 900,000 people living with Dementia in the UK and that this is expected to rise sharply in the coming years; thanks charities like the Alzheimer's Society for all the support they provide in relation to this; and also notes that people collectively can continue to do their bit to educate themselves on how best to assist those with Dementia.

733Declaration to mark the visit of Father Gabriel Romanelli to Scotland

Tabled: 7/05/24 Signatories: 12

Patrick Grady

Mary Kelly Foy

Jim Shannon

Chris Law

David Linden

Carol Monaghan

That this House welcomes the joint declaration by the Archbishop of Glasgow, Most Rev William Nolan, and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, Rt Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, issued on 26th April 2024 to mark the visit to Glasgow of Father Gabriel Romanelli, Parish Priest of the Holy Family Church in Gaza; notes that the declaration expresses solidarity with all the sons and daughters of Abraham, the peoples of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim heritage in the Holy Land, those of other faiths and none across the region, and recognises that millions of innocent people have suffered the consequences of violence and war, families and communities have been devastated, many have lost hope for a peaceful future and that men, women and children have been robbed of their innate human dignity and their right to survive; further notes that in stating enough is enough, the statement expresses hope that all may know deep peace and reconciliation in their lifetimes, supports agencies and individuals who are serving those suffering at their time of greatest need, unites with all people of good will who are campaigning for an end to this violence, resolves to never not lose hope, and prays that the hearts of people in positions of power to end this senseless violence may be turned towards compassion, and that they may have the courage and wisdom to pursue the path of justice and peace for all who call the Holy Land home.

734Andy Street

Tabled: 8/05/24 Signatories: 2

Julian Knight

Jim Shannon

That this House thanks Andy Street CBE for his service to the West Midlands region over the last eight years during his tenure as Mayor; and welcomes the £10 billion of Government investment secured by Mr Street for transport, housing and skills across the region.

735Maasai evictions in Tanzania

Tabled: 8/05/24 Signatories: 2

Bell Ribeiro-Addy

Jim Shannon

That this House stands in solidarity with the Maasai people of Tanzania who are being forcibly evicted by their Government on the false pretext that they are damaging the eco systems through population growth; notes that some 150,000 Maasai people live in the Ngorongoro and Loliondo Conservation; further notes that the United Nations Special Rapporteurs have already called on the Tanzanian Government to immediately halt plans for the relocation of indigenous people; also notes that on 5 February 2024 the Secretary General of the UN made a detailed report of violent evictions to the 55th Session of the Human Rights Council, from the Society for Threatened Peoples; notes that Tanzania persists in violating international law by depriving Maasai in the greater Serengeti Ecosystem of their access to grazing land and forcing relocation; further notes the removal of funding by the World Bank for the REGROW project; expresses alarm that the Tanzanian security forces are using unlawful force to remove local indigenous communities without consultation or lawful reason to do so; calls on the Tanzanian Government to cease such action forthwith, to permit visits by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, to repatriate those removed to date, and to compensate those injured in the process; further calls on British tourists to boycott areas where forcible evictions are taking place; and also calls on the United Arab Emirates to refuse to participate in any displacement of indigenous people, and to cease to engage in trophy hunting in Tanzania.

736McClure solicitors

Tabled: 8/05/24 Signatories: 2

Kate Osborne

Dr Philippa Whitford

That this House notes with concern the impact from the collapse of W.W & J McClure Solicitors Law Firm in 2021; understands that the firm had around 100,000 clients across Britain, many of whom held wills or family trusts managed by the law firm; further notes with concern that many former clients have encountered difficulties in dealing with their property and investments within their Trusts; is alarmed by reports that families have been unable to sell properties as former solicitors of McClure were placed on the deeds of their properties; also notes reports that people suffering from bereavement are finding unknown names on deeds and trusts when dealing with their estate; notes that people are incurring new legal costs to remove these names; further notes that thousands of McClures clients are still unaware the firm went bust; and urges the Government to do all they can to identify and assist those former clients who have been impacted by this scandal.

73715th anniversary of the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War and support for the Tamil community

Tabled: 8/05/24 Signatories: 3

George Galloway

Jonathan Edwards

Jim Shannon

That this House acknowledges the 15th anniversary of the Sri Lankan Civil War's conclusion on 18 May 2009, marking the end of a conflict that caused significant casualties and displacement, particularly affecting the Tamil community; remembers all lives lost, emphasising the civilian casualties and the enduring suffering and impact on the Tamil survivors and their descendants; urges the Sri Lankan Government to comply with international legal norms in investigating allegations of war crimes and human rights abuses, advocating for international oversight to ensure impartial justice and reconciliation; encourages continued international support for human rights monitoring and reconciliation efforts in Sri Lanka, highlighting the UK's role in promoting sustainable peace and respect for all ethnic groups; recognises the contributions of the Tamil diaspora in the UK, who have been pivotal in fostering awareness and dialogue about the human rights challenges facing Tamils in Sri Lanka; recommends that the UK Government enhance its support for human rights and humanitarian initiatives in Sri Lanka, leading international reconstruction and reconciliation endeavours; proposes a debate in this House to assess the current status of Sri Lanka's Tamil community and evaluate the UK's involvement in supporting global human rights and peace-building initiatives; and reaffirms this House's dedication to fostering global peace, justice, and human rights, underscoring the importance of international solidarity against historical injustices.

738Public ownership of water

Tabled: 8/05/24 Signatories: 10

Caroline Lucas

Clive Lewis

Rachael Maskell

Mohammad Yasin

George Galloway

Jonathan Edwards

That this House condemns the mismanagement and underinvestment which led to untreated sewage being discharged into English waterways for more than 3.6 million hours in 2023; notes that water companies in England have incurred debts of more than £64 billion and paid out £78 billion in dividends since they were privatised debt-free in 1989; further notes that water companies paid out £1.4 billion in dividends in 2022, even as 11 of them were fined in the same year for missing performance targets; recognises that climate change is making flooding and droughts more frequent and more severe, necessitating changes to the way we manage our water system in order to build resilience; believes that a Government bailout of Thames Water would send a dangerous signal to other utility companies that reckless decisions carry no private risk; urges Ofwat to reject Thames Water’s request to be allowed to increase bills and limit fines to protect its finances, which would reward mismanagement at the expense of customers and the public; further believes that private for-profit ownership is not an appropriate model for water, as an essential utility where no meaningful competition is possible; calls on the Government to put Thames Water into special administration and to transfer its assets and functions to a publicly-owned company; and further calls for all the English water companies to be brought into public ownership so that our water network can be managed for the benefit of all citizens.