Published: Friday 17 May 2024

New EDMs

764The Venerable Tricia Hillas

Tabled: 16/05/24 Signatories: 1

Sir Peter Bottomley

That this House congratulates the Venerable Tricia Hillas who has been nominated to serve as the next Bishop of Sodor and Man; and thanks her for being Canon Steward and Archdeacon of Westminster since 2021 and for serving as Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons since 2020 and as a member of the Archbishops' Racial Justice Commission.

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765Lauren Price, World Champion title

Tabled: 16/05/24 Signatories: 1

Liz Saville Roberts

That this House commends Lauren Price for becoming Wales’ first female World Champion boxer and 14th world title holder; notes that she now holds the World Boxing Association, International Boxing Organization and Ring Magazine welterteight world titles after her victory over Jessica McCaskill in Cardiff on Saturday 11 May; further notes that Lauren was competing in only her seventh professional fight, after previously winning gold in the women's middleweight final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics; highlights that she is already a world champion in kickboxing, has won 52 caps for the Welsh National Football Team, and has previously competed in taekwondo; and wishes Lauren the very best with her career going forwards.

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76630th anniversary of the Maritime Volunteer Service

Tabled: 16/05/24 Signatories: 1

Kelly Tolhurst

That this House notes the 30th anniversary of the Maritime Volunteer Service (MVS); commends the important national role that the charity plays in ensuring that all aspect of maritime skills remain available to future generations and highlights the importance of the MVS in supporting community resilience; expresses gratitude for the tireless service of MVS volunteers, who give up their time and knowledge to serve local communities across the UK, especially in times of need or emergency; acknowledges the fundamental role that the MVS fulfils in maintaining the proud maritime traditions of the UK and calls on the Government to continue its long-standing recognition of the Maritime Volunteer Service.

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.

725Government surveillance of bank accounts

Tabled: 7/05/24 Signatories: 37

Richard Burgon

Bell Ribeiro-Addy

John McDonnell

Nadia Whittome

Margaret Greenwood

Apsana Begum

Kate HollernHannah BardellBeth WinterKenny MacAskill

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.

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738Public ownership of water

Tabled: 8/05/24 Signatories: 36

Caroline Lucas

Apsana Begum

Clive Lewis

Mohammad Yasin

Rachael Maskell

Jonathan Edwards

Beth Winter

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.

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74419th Joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day ceremony

Tabled: 13/05/24 Signatories: 11

Wera Hobhouse

Jonathan Edwards

Christine Jardine

Nadia Whittome

Sir Peter Bottomley

Stephen Farry

Mrs Sharon HodgsonJohn McDonnellCrispin BluntAlan BrownCaroline Lucas

That this House joins in commemorating the 19th annual Joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day ceremony, held on Yom HaZikaron—Memorial Day—in Israel, beginning on the evening of 12 May 2024; pays tribute to all Israelis and Palestinians who grieve together and stand united in their demand for an end to bloodshed between both peoples; recognises that the lives of everyone connected to Israel and Palestine will never be the same as a result of the devastating events of 7 October 2023 in Israel and what has followed afterwards in Gaza; supports the work of Combatants for Peace and the Parents Circle-Families Forum in bringing Israelis and Palestinians together; believes that their mission of transforming despair into hope and building compassion around ideals of shared humanity, justice and equality provides a pathway to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; further supports all grassroots efforts to build a shared future and a political solution that brings freedom, justice and safety for all; agrees that occupation, oppression, and conflict are not inevitable; and calls on the Government to fully support, through all relevant financial and political means, all such joint Israeli-Palestinian initiatives that promote peace, justice and a shared future for Israelis and Palestinians.

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745World Inflammatory Bowel Disease Day 2024

Tabled: 13/05/24 Signatories: 6

Sarah Green [R]

Jonathan Edwards

Jim Shannon

Christine Jardine

Wendy Chamberlain

Marion Fellows

That this House notes that Crohn's and colitis are serious chronic diseases where your immune system affects the gut, affecting over 500,000 people in the UK; recognises that stigma, myths, and misunderstandings means thousands of people with these conditions are suffering in silence; acknowledges that World Inflammatory Bowel Disease Day on 19 May is an opportunity to raise awareness of these conditions; commends the work of Crohn’s & Colitis UK in supporting people living with IBD; and encourages hon. Members to support them in raising awareness of Crohn's and Colitis amongst the public and healthcare professionals.

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749Scrutiny of the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and arms exports to Israel

Tabled: 13/05/24 Signatories: 24

Mick Whitley

George Galloway

Jonathan Edwards

Claudia Webbe

Jeremy Corbyn

Grahame Morris

Caroline Lucas

That this House expresses its deep concerns regarding the Israeli offensive on Rafah, which it believes will seriously worsen what is already one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises; reiterates its calls for an immediate and lasting ceasefire; further expresses its frustration at the Government’s continued refusal to suspend arms exports to Israel; echoes the warnings issued by Lady Hale and over six hundred distinguished members of the legal profession in their correspondence to the Prime Minister of 3 April 2024 that the provision of military assistance and material to Israel may render the UK complicit in genocide as well as in serious breaches of International Humanitarian Law; notes that, as a result of his not having a seat in the House of Commons, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs has been unable to participate in departmental questions in the House and that Members have been restricted in their ability to scrutinise his work and that of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, particularly in relation to arms licences to Israel; believes that the moral imperative of ending arms exports to Israel is now so great as to warrant the House taking exceptional measures; and therefore calls on the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs to work with the Speaker to make necessary preparations for the Secretary of State to answer questions on this and other matters from hon. Members from the Bar of the House of Commons as soon as possible.

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751Diagnosing Coeliac disease

Tabled: 13/05/24 Signatories: 18

Mrs Sharon Hodgson

Mr Kevan Jones

Ben Lake

John McDonnell

Daisy Cooper

George Galloway

Caroline Lucas

That this House recognises that coeliac disease is a serious autoimmune disease affecting 1 in 100 people; expresses concern that almost two-thirds of people with the condition, equating to almost half a million people in the UK remain undiagnosed, running the risk of long term complications; notes that the average time from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis of 13 years is unacceptable and highlights that it is essential that efforts are made to improve awareness of the condition amongst healthcare professionals and the public to recognise the symptoms of the disease and ensure faster diagnosis; notes that there is no national leadership and accountability for coeliac disease within NHS England and calls on the Government to take steps towards reducing the time to diagnosis by installing national accountability and leadership within NHS England for coeliac disease.

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756Youth mobility visas

Tabled: 14/05/24 Signatories: 4

Tim Farron

Jonathan Edwards

Wendy Chamberlain

Sarah Dyke

That this House acknowledges the European Commission’s proposal on youth mobility visas; notes the benefits that youth mobility visas would provide for UK industries who need to supplement their local workforce; recognises that the hospitality and tourism sectors in rural and coastal areas like the Lake District, West Country, and the Scottish Highlands are especially struggling to recruit the staff they need; and urges the Government to take this opportunity to negotiate a deal which also gives British young people the opportunity of living and working abroad.

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759The Kew Gardener

Tabled: 14/05/24 Signatories: 3

Sarah Olney

Chris Stephens

Sarah Dyke

That this House recognises the Kew Gardener’s vital role in Kew’s local economy; thanks its owner for his years of service to the community; expresses great concern at the 62.5% increase in the rent charged on the property; notes that dramatic increases in rent have been a contributing factor behind the closure of thousands of businesses across the UK; urges the owners of the property, who claim to pride themselves on being responsible investors, to reconsider their decision to close the premises; and asks that they work constructively with the Kew Gardener to ensure it’s doors can remain open.

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762Imperial War Museums and union derecognition

Tabled: 15/05/24 Signatories: 18

Chris Stephens

John McDonnell

Grahame Morris

Ian Lavery

Richard Burgon

Ian Byrne

Jonathan EdwardsMick WhitleyMartin Docherty-HughesCaroline Lucas

That this House is alarmed by reports that Imperial War Museums plans to derecognise the Public and Commercial Services union and the First Division Association for the purposes of collective representation and bargaining; is concerned that derecognising these trade unions would undermine the collective bargaining power of staff, leaving them vulnerable to arbitrary decisions by management, with limited recourse for addressing grievances or negotiating fair terms of employment; warns that derecognising any union undermines the principles of democracy and representation in the workplace, and could have significant negative effects on equality by exacerbating wage disparities, reducing job security and access to benefits, worsening working conditions, diminishing workers’ voice and representation, limiting training and advancement opportunities, and weakening legal protections for workers; and calls on the Government to intervene to help resolve this dispute by ensuring that these unions remain recognised by Imperial War Museums.

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763Support for Bristow staff

Tabled: 15/05/24 Signatories: 4

Angus Brendan MacNeil

Chris Stephens

Jonathan Edwards

Mr Alistair Carmichael

That this House commends the work of Bristow staff who operate helicopters for search and rescue services in the Outer Hebrides across Scotland and the UK and who also operate offshore oil and gas flights; supports the 360 staff including pilots, co-pilots, winchmen operators and winchmen paramedics in their decision to vote to strike due to the derisory pay offer and the attack on their terms and conditions; condemns the pay offer by Bristow which in real terms means those brave individuals who take people on emergency medical evacuations or go out to ships in storms, as well as providing transport for workers on North Sea Oil rigs have seen a 25% decrease in their pay; thanks BALPA the union for supporting staff through this challenging time; and further thanks the courageous and highly motivated staff for the work they do in the Outer Hebrides and elsewhere in these islands.