Early Day Motions

ACTIVITIES OF BANKS

That this House welcomes the actions of those banks which have already announced measures to help both small businesses and homeowners through the economic downturn; in particular welcomes pledges not to initiate repossession proceedings for a full six months after a customer first falls into mortga

FORD'S SOUTHAMPTON PLANT

That this House notes with concern the proposed downsizing of the Ford Motor Company's Southampton plant when a new model is introduced to replace the existing Transit; urges Ford to reconsider this decision in the light of the impact that this would have upon jobs in the home of the Transit, more w

BANK LENDING TO SMALL BUSINESSES

That this House shares the grave concerns of the Federation of Small Businesses that 60 small businesses are closing down each day, that 31 per cent. of small businesses have seen the cost of their existing finance increase, that 54 per cent. of small businesses have not seen an increase in the avai

SUSTAINABLE FARMING

That this House calls on the Government to adopt policies on the procurement and purchasing of food supplied by farmers to the supermarkets and shops in their local area; recognises the quality of locally-grown and reared produce; further calls for efforts to ensure less environmental damage by redu

NHS CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING PROGRAMME

That this House believes that the NHS Cervical Cancer Screening Programme, which aims to reduce the number of women who develop invasive cervical cancer and the number of women who die from it, should review its current policy of only screening women over the age of 25 years old; and considers that

FUNDING OF SINN FEIN

That this House calls for a review of current funding arrangements under which Sinn Fein can use parliamentary funds calculated on the same terms as Short money for expenditure on press, publicity and other representative functions including constituency party promotion which is in fact party consti

CHRISTMAS RECESS

That this House expresses embarrassment and concern about the extraordinary length of the Christmas recess and, while accepting that hon. Members do much constituency and preparatory parliamentary work during recesses, understands the public anger at what is an insensitively and inappropriately long

PUBLIC PROCUREMENT OF FOOD

That this House believes that food procurement practices by public bodies have the potential to make a significant contribution to reducing food miles, boosting the rural economy and improving nutritional standards; notes that not a single rasher of bacon fed to the UK's armed forces is from British

ELECTORAL FRAUD

That this House notes the improved security of ballots in Northern Ireland following implementation of the Electoral Fraud (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 which has also resulted in increased levels of voter registration; further notes the successful prosecutions for electoral fraud in Slough, Peterboro

HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

That this House marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; highlights Article 22 - the right to social security; further highlights Article 25 - the right to a standard of living adequate for health and well-being; further highlights Article 26 - the universal right to

400th ANNIVERSARY OF PRINCE HENRY'S GRAMMAR SCHOOL

That this House congratulates Prince Henry's Grammar School on its 400th anniversary; commends the school for achieving such an impressive milestone and for its continuing success as a superb local institution with an excellent reputation for academic achievement and sporting prowess; recognises the

CLOSURE OF LEEDS TETLEY'S BREWERY

That this House is dismayed by the announcement by Carlsberg Tetley that it intends to close the Leeds Tetley's Brewery with 170 staff facing an uncertain future; notes that Tetley's ales have been brewed in Leeds for 186 years and that Tetley is an iconic Leeds brand; believes that if Tetley's is n

LLIW 2 SWANSEA LEARNING PARTNERSHIP

That this House congratulates all the partners in the Lliw 2 Learning Project supported by the European Social Fund that began in 2004 and will close at the end of 2008; notes that Gorseinon College, Swansea University, the City and County of Swansea, Swansea Women's Centre, Swansea Council for Volu

MOBILITY COMPONENT OF DISABILITY LIVING ALLOWANCE

That this House is concerned that current rules deny disabled children under three years of age the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), meaning that their families get no help with mobility costs, no access to the specialised vehicle fund and no exemption from vehicle excise dut

BLOOD TRANSFUSION FOR MEMBERS OF HM ARMED FORCES

That this House believes, in accordance with the Military Covenant, that HM Armed Forces deserve the best available healthcare at all times; notes that in January 2008, 18 injured UK soldiers were given US blood that had not been properly screened during life-saving transfusions; further notes that

SALTIRE SOCIETY SCOTTISH LITERARY AWARDS

That this House welcomes the Saltire Society's Scottish Literary Awards for the contribution they make to encouraging new writers; congratulates Andrew Nicoll on his success in winning the Saltire Society/Royal Mail Scottish First Book of the Year for his debut novel, The Good Mayor; notes that The

DEMOCRACY IN UGANDA

That this House notes that the Ugandan main opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye returned from exile in South Africa three years ago on 26 October 2005, and was immediately arrested and charged with rape, terrorism and treason; recalls that he won an impressive 37 per cent. of vote share although he w

EAST COAST MAIN LINE RAIL SERVICES

That this House notes the pending decision of the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) on the planned expansion of rail services on the East Coast Main Line between London, the East Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber, the North East of England and Scotland; recognises that there are competing application

MINISTRY OF FOOD MANIFESTO

That this House is concerned that nearly 40 per cent. of adults and 30 per cent. of children are obese or overweight and that obesity costs the NHS £4.2 billion a year, even more than costs due to smoking; is alarmed that the National Obesity Forum is predicting that in 10 years' time, 75 per cent.

WESTERN MORNING NEWS THINK LOCAL CAMPAIGN

That this House notes the pressure that the present economic downturn is putting on small businesses in Cornwall and Devon; believes that local businesses rely on residents to think local and buy local; welcomes measures to delay small businesses' tax payments to HM Revenue and Customs; calls on the

ENERGY REGULATION

That this House is disappointed that the Government has not introduced a Winter Warming Bill; notes that the six largest energy companies have made billions of pounds of profit from energy price rises in recent years and are currently charging domestic customers up to twice as much as the current pr

LEGISLATION ON LENDING

That this House regrets that the Government has chosen not to introduce a Responsible Lending Bill that would assist people across the UK by putting a stop to exploitative lending practices by loan-sharks who lend at extortionate rates of interest, making extortionate lending a criminal offence, put

HORSE RACING AND THE BBC

That this House regrets the proposals being discussed by the BBC to reduce the number of days of British horse racing it intends to cover from the present level of 27 days per year to just 13 days by 2010; notes that 10 years ago the BBC covered 79 days of horse racing each year; regrets that the ne

SHOOTING OF ALEXANDROS GRIGOROPOULOS

That this House is saddened and concerned by the fatal shooting of the innocent 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos in Athens on 6 December; regrets the violence that has followed the shooting; and hopes that the situation will soon be stabilised.

EQUITABLE LIFE

That this House notes the findings by the Parliamentary Ombudsman of 10 counts of maladministration by Government Departments in relation to Equitable Life; expresses concern at the Government's failure to respond to the Ombudsman's report within its own specified timescale; notes with concern that