Early Day Motions

CAMPAIGN TO SAVE THE GREAT BRITISH PUB

That this House is alarmed that five public houses are closing down every day, with beer sales in pubs at their lowest level for nearly 40 years; is deeply concerned as to the future of 7,500 public houses and more than 40,000 jobs; supports the launch of a campaign to mobilise public and political

SOLICITORS AND THE FAMILY DIVISION PROCEDURES

That this House notes the comments of a senior social worker that meetings have been held during which solicitors acting for parents have discussed how to undermine the cases of their clients; further notes that there are many odd cases in which solicitors fail to oppose care proceedings or accept t

PROTECTION OF BINGO CLUBS

That this House notes with concern that 61 bingo clubs have closed since the beginning of 2007 and that many more are under threat across the UK; recognises the distress and harm caused to communities and players, especially those living alone and the elderly, by the loss of this important local soc

GRAFFITI AND TAGGING

That this House notes the problems caused by graffiti and tagging; believes that this is a good example of a crime that warrants a community punishment; further believes that an appropriate community punishment would be to clear up the mess created; and calls for those who create the mess of tagging

HOSPITAL-ACQUIRED INFECTION

That this House recognises the trauma caused to patients and families by hospital-acquired infections such as MRSA and clostridium difficile; believes that there are examples the United Kingdom can learn from in other countries such as the Netherlands; recognises that this involves having sufficient

HM REVENUE AND CUSTOMS AND TAX CREDIT REPAYMENTS

That this House is concerned to note that recipients of tax credits whose annual return gets lost in the post are required to repay their tax credits otherwise properly paid; and calls on the Government to review the implementation of these procedures.

GRANDPARENTS' RIGHTS

That this House believes that a child's right to family life requires greater legislative protection; further believes that there should be an expectation that ancestors and close biological relatives become parties to Family Court cases on request; further believes there should be financial support

BARNETT FORMULA

That this House calls for a review of the Barnett Formula.

BRITISH HOME CHILDREN IN CANADA

That this House notes that many Canadian citizens are descendants of British Home Children who were sent to Canada from the early 1870s to the late 1940s; further notes that these descendants are wondering about their origins but have some difficulties in obtaining information at a reasonable cost;

INDUSTRY TASKFORCE ON PEAK OIL AND ENERGY SECURITY

That this House welcomes the report from leading British companies, including Virgin, Stagecoach, Scottish and Southern Energy and Solarcentury, which are part of the Industry Taskforce on Peak Oil and Energy Security, highlighting concerns that cheap sources of easy to obtain fossil fuels are movin

PARKING OUTSIDE RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY

That this House notes that there are considerable disputes about parking in areas of high housing density; and calls upon the Government to review what statutory procedures should exist to facilitate the resolution of these disputes and the ability of people to park close to their property.

EXCESSIVE SPEED WARNINGS BEFORE SPEED CAMERAS

That this House notes that speeding is a strict liability offence where intention to speed does not have to be proven; believes that it would be fairer to warn speeding drivers that their speed is excessive before they pass a speed camera; and calls for the Government to review using such warning te

EXCESSIVE INTEREST RATES FOR PERSONAL LOANS

That this House deplores the unscrupulous money lending of firms such as Provident Personal Credit, Mobile Money Ltd and Shopacheck Financial Services who charge 365.1 per cent., 378.3 per cent. and 440.3 per cent. APR respectively on relatively small personal loans; is deeply concerned that these c

EQUITABLE LIFE PENSIONERS AND POLICY HOLDERS

That this House congratulates the Parliamentary Ombudsman on her report on Equitable Life and on her decision that Equitable Life policyholders should be compensated; further notes that many pensioners are passing away without seeing justice done; and calls on the Treasury to honour the Parliamentar

IMMIGRATION POLICY

That this House believes that, whilst visitors should be welcomed to our shores, immigration is a valid area of public policy and should be addressed calmly and honestly; notes that immigrants are generally decent and hard working people, but further believes that failure to openly address this issu

COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE ON AID EFFECTIVENESS

That this House congratulates the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK branch on its timely and constructive International Parliamentary Conference held on 17 to 21 November 2008 at the Palace of Westminster for 92 colleagues from across the Commonwealth and beyond on the scrutiny of the effect

DARTFORD CROSSING TOLL INCREASE

That this House is concerned that the Government failed to keep the promise that the Dartford Crossing tolls would end when the crossing costs were met in full, which happened in 2003, and that continued failure to meet promises brings political parties into disrepute; notes the public outcry at the

SAFETY OF MINORITY COMMUNITIES IN IRAQ

That this House is concerned that the failure to honour promises made after the First World War to the Assyrians and Kurdish minority communities on autonomy, the creation of a centralised Iraq in 1932 without provision for the security of minorities, the recent war of 2003 which led to the rise of

EU WORKING TIME DIRECTIVE

That this House is concerned that the European Parliament vote on 17 December on amendments to the EU's Working Time Directive could spell the end of the UK's opt-out from EU rules on maximum hours of work; believes that this is particularly concerning at this time of economic crisis and that such m

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS TREATMENT

That this House congratulates the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society on its caring activities; notes the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Final Appraisal Document; is aware of the pain, and the medical and social problems, faced by people suffering from rheumatoid arth

TACKLING MALARIA

That this House notes that malaria still afflicts 40 per cent. of the world's population; calls on governments of malaria-endemic countries and international public and private organisations to work together to fight malaria worldwide and to raise awareness of malaria; further notes that, although p

NEW TREATMENT FOR PROSTATE CANCER

That this House welcomes reports of the success of early trials of Abiraterone in treating an aggressive and often fatal form of prostate cancer; notes that eight out of 10 patients who have advanced prostate cancer may see their tumours shrink and be relieved of pain simply by taking a daily pill;

SUPPORT FOR POST OFFICES

That this House understands and values the special position that post offices hold in society; and calls on the Government to reverse its policy of removing public business from post offices and to increase financial support for post offices as a matter of urgency.

USE OF GAMMA-BUTYROLACTONE

That this House is concerned about the increasing use of gamma-butyrolactone, GBL, as a date-rape drug; notes that the drug increases libido, euphoria, passivity and amnesia and renders the victim susceptible to non-consensual sexual activity, mugging and rape; further notes that this drug is suppli

REDUCING NUMBERS OF HOME REPOSSESSIONS

That this House notes the Council of Mortgage Lenders' estimate that the repossession of homes will rise considerably this year; further notes that lenders are becoming more aggressive in reducing the debt they were more than happy to take on a few months ago; understands the misery caused to famili