Early Day Motions

ENGLISH AS THE BUSINESS LANGUAGE OF EUROPE

That this House welcomes the statement of Ernest-Antoine Seilliere at the Spring European Council that English is now the accepted language of business in Europe; notes that 70 per cent. of 18 to 24 year olds in Europe speak English; further notes that 83 per cent. of high school students in the Eur

COUNCIL TAX ASSISTANCE FOR PENSIONERS

leave out `£100' and insert `£200'.

ST GEORGE'S DAY

That this House believes that St. George's Day, 23rd April, should henceforth each year be a bank holiday in England.

Mr ABDUL RAHMAN

That this House expresses its profound concern that Mr Abdul Rahman is facing the death penalty in Afghanistan after being charged with converting from Islam to Christianity; calls on the Afghan government to respect both its own constitution which guarantees its citizens' rights to choose their own

DEATH OF MARGARET EWING, MSP

That this House celebrates the lifetime achievements of Margaret Ewing, MSP for Moray and former Parliamentary Leader of the Scottish National Party; recognises her substantial contribution to parliamentary and public life; and expresses heartfelt condolences to her family and many friends.

CARE OF OLDER PEOPLE

That this House welcomes the Channel 4 documentary series The Trouble with Old People, to be screened in the week of 27th March 2006, which tackles the issue of care for older people; is deeply concerned about the lack of community-based support to enable older people to stay at home; notes that two

WORLD STOP TUBERCULOSIS DAY AND TUBERCULOSIS ALERT CAMPAIGN

That this House welcomes World Stop TB Day on 24th March 2006; congratulates TB Alert, on its campaigns to raise awareness of TB; further congratulates all other groups working to tackle this serious disease; notes that TB leads to 1.75 million deaths worldwide every year from a curable disease; wel

SCOTLAND'S AIRPORTS

That this House recognises the efforts being made to increase the number of international visitors to Scotland and acknowledges the importance of Scottish business in an increasingly global and competitive market; believes a key factor in achieving these aims is the provision of direct international

WORLD TB DAY AND THE GLOBAL PLAN TO STOP TB CAMPAIGN

That this House acknowledges in the run up to World TB day that each year nearly two million people die and nine million become sick with TB despite the disease being both preventable and curable; recognises that TB is a global pandemic and an emergency in Africa and Eastern Europe; further notes th

FAIRTRADE CAMPAIGN IN UNIVERSITIES

That this House congratulates the National Union of Students Services Limited (NUSSL), the buying consortium for NUS affiliated students' unions, on its decision to become 100 per cent. Fairtrade for hot beverages subject to approval at the forthcoming NUSSL Annual General Meeting; supports moves by

PARLIAMENTARY OMBUDSMAN'S REPORT ON OCCUPATIONAL PENSIONS

That this House notes the Parliamentary Ombudsman's recent report on occupational pensions; further notes the Ombudsman's conclusion that Government information on occupational pensions was `inaccurate, incomplete, unclear and inconsistent'; expresses its concern for all those who have lost their ha

UNIVERSITY PARTICIPATION

That this House applauds the success of the university sector; recognises the vital contribution universities make to economic, cultural and intellectual well-being; believes that the expansion of higher education has been generally a good thing for individuals and for society; supports the principl

TESTING THE NATION'S HEARTS CAMPAIGN

That this House is concerned that cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the main cause of death in the UK, killing more people than cancer and accounting for four out of 10 of all deaths; notes that raised cholesterol can increase the risk of heart disease and that raised blood pressure is a major ri

COMMUNITY HOSPITALS ACTING NATIONALLY TOGETHER PARLIAMENTARY RALLY

That this House notes with concern that many community hospitals remain under threat of imminent closure; supports Community Hospitals Acting Nationally Together's (CHANT) ongoing work in raising awareness of and campaigning against these closures; further and specifically supports the CHANT rally o

DOUBLE SUMMER TIME

That this House supports moving clocks forward an additional one hour in England and Wales to create a system of summer time/double summer time which could lead to a reduction in deaths and serious injuries of some 2,500 per annum, would create an extra hour's afternoon light every day for sports an

MICHAEL GAULT AND UK SHOOTING SUCCESS AT THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES

That this House congratulates home nation medal winners in the shooting events at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne; further congratulates Michael Gault on winning his 14th Commonwealth Games medal and becoming the UK's most decorated Commonwealth Games athlete; further congratulates all members o

MEDALS FOR SCOTTISH ATHLETES IN THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES

That this House congratulates Scotland swimmers David Carry, Gregor Tait, Caitlin McLatchey, Euan Dale, Kirsty Balfour, Craig Houston, Todd Cooper, Robbie Renwick and Kris Gilchrist on their achievements in the swimming events, Chris Hoy, Ross Edgar, Craig Maclean, James McCallum and Kate Cullen on

CHRIS BAILLIE'S MEDAL FOR SCOTLAND IN THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES

That this House congratulates Chris Baillie on winning the silver medal in the 110 metre hurdles at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, noting in particular his achievement in the heats of breaking the Scottish national record in the event, previously held by his late brother, Ross; and looks forward

PROTOCOL 5 OF THE CONVENTION ON CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS

That this House recognises the serious post-conflict humanitarian problems caused by explosive remnants of war (ERW) and is conscious of the need to minimise the risks and effects of ERW; notes the significant contribution made by the UK to date in post-conflict clearance of ERW but is deeply concer

TEST MATCH VICTORY

That this House congratulates the England cricket team on its superb performance in the Third Test Match against India, achieving its first victory in the country since 1984-85; recognises that this result ensures that England remains second in the International Cricket Council Test rankings, which

ENERGY PRICES

That this House notes that all major domestic energy suppliers have implemented significant consumer price increases in response to rising wholesale gas costs; further notes the recent European Commission report which found that anti-competitive practices by continental energy companies are keeping

SEVERN TIDAL BARRAGE

That this House notes that the problem of global warming is the greatest environmental threat the world has ever seen; further notes that the long proposed Severn Tidal Barrage would generate an estimated six per cent. of the UK's current energy needs, leaving the UK less dependent on nuclear power,

UK SWIMMERS AT THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES

That this House congratulates the swimming teams from the countries of the United Kingdom on their brilliant success, medal winning performances and personal best times at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia; and acknowledges the progress being made by swimmers, their clubs and coaches, a

PENSIONER TRAVEL

That this House notes with concern the inability of the 12 district authorities in Lancashire to reach an agreement so that pensioners can travel free on buses during off peak hours throughout Lancashire following the Government's scheme for free off peak bus travel within borough boundaries due to

COUNCIL TAX ASSISTANCE FOR PENSIONERS

That this House warmly welcomes the Chancellor's Budget, which includes an extra £585 million for schools, free national bus travel for pensioners and increases in Child Tax Credit; calls on the Chancellor to look again at his decision not to provide assistance to pensioners to pay council tax bills