Early Day Motions

ALISON LAPPER MBE STATUE IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE

That this House congratulates the sculptor Marc Quinn and Shoreham-by-Sea artist Alison Lapper MBE, the subject of his sculpture which has been chosen to occupy the vacant plinth in Trafalgar Square; praises the judges for making this bold move which will do much to help the cause of equal treatment

BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION

That this House congratulates Brighton and Hove Albion FC on its success since returning to Brighton in 1999; further congratulates the club for its hard work in partnership with the local authority and elected representatives to develop a community stadium at Falmer; believes that the only suitable

RECOGNITION OF OVER 70 YEARS IN LOCAL JOURNALISM

That this House recognises the contribution made to their local communities by regional newpapers across the UK; acknowledges the longevity of a local journalist in Northern Ireland by the name of W. 'Speedy' Moore who has contributed a column in his local weekly newspaper for over 70 years; believe

FURTHER REFORM OF THE SECOND CHAMBER (No. 2)

That this House believes that the withdrawal of proposals to reform the hereditary peerage gives Parliament the opportunity to legislate more comprehensively on Second Chamber reform; believes that the House of Lords should be further reformed so that it becomes more democratic and representative, a

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FOOD SUPPLEMENTS DIRECTIVE

That this House notes with great concern the Government's failure to take a proactive role in negotiations over the implementation of the Food Supplements Directive; expresses its grave disquiet that many vitamins and minerals in common use are set to become illegal even though the authorities have

COBALT UNIT APPEAL FUND

That this House celebrates 40 years of the Cheltenham-based Cobalt Unit Appeal Fund; notes that over the years the appeal has pioneered equipment and services to support and complement those provided by local health trusts for the detection of prostate, breast and other forms of cancer; welcomes the

CRUELTY OF WHALING

That this House expresses its dismay at the cruelty involved with whale hunting; notes that the most common form of killing method involves a harpoon with explosive grenades which explode after the harpoon has penetrated the whale skin and kills the animal with shock waves; recognises that this prac

BUSHMEAT AND SIMIAN FOAMING VIRUS

That this House notes with concern the growing demand for illegal bushmeat and the discovery of simian foaming virus (SFV) in humans who have fed on infected ape flesh; recognises that SFV was originally detected in monkeys and the transfer to humans makes bushmeat extremely dangerous; further notes

TASMANIAN DEFORESTATION

That this House deplores the current large-scale deforestation of native forest in the Australian state of Tasmania; notes that rare and ancient trees up to several hundred years old are being destroyed, mostly being turned into woodchips to make paper and tissue, and that recognised endangered spec

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

That this House congratulates Rishon, a group of volunteers formed 30 years ago, on their support for families of people with multiple sclerosis.

PENSIONS BILL EARLY RETIREMENT EXEMPTION

That this House notes that the Pensions Bill in its current draft will have a disproportionate effect on footballers and dancers; notes that the Bill will remove the current early retirement exemption that allows them to draw their pension benefits from age 35; recognises the physical nature of thei

PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION

That this House believes that consumers have a right to expect full and impartial information about the potential risks and side effects of prescription medication; further believes that this requires a robust regulatory framework to ensure that information is not only publicly available but also ac

TELEVISION LICENSING AUTHORITY

That this House notes that one out of every fifty United Kingdom households chooses not to own a television set; further notes that TV licensing officers may only enter a person's home with their consent or under a warrant issued by a justice of the peace or a sheriff in Scotland and that such a war

RELEASE OF 1911 CENSUS

That this House notes that the average closure period for pre-1911 UK decennial population Census records is 80 years and that informants were not guaranteed that the 1911 Census records would be closed for 100 years and that the release of the 1911 Census Online for England and Wales in 2004-05 wou

LIVE EXPORT OF HORSES AND PONIES

That this House notes the suffering and misery caused by the export of live animals to Europe for slaughter over which the UK Parliament now has no jurisdiction; is appalled by the proposed new EU regulation, due to be considered by the Council of Agricultural Ministers on 26th April, which would re

CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS COMMEMORATION DAY

That this House notes that throughout history conscientious objectors to violence and war have come forward, often courageously, to offer an alternative to conflict; and calls upon the Government to recognise formally 15th May as the day upon which the role of conscientious objectors is to be commem

GAS PRICE INCREASES IN NORTHERN IRELAND

That this House notes the outrageous 20 per cent. increase for domestic and small business gas users in Northern Ireland, which follows a 11 per cent. increase in gas prices last October; understands that Phoenix Gas is facing a 50 per cent. increase in cost for wholesale gas from British Gas Tradin

MEGAN MCCREERY AND THE ROYAL NAVY

That this House deplores the decision by the Defence Vetting Agency, as reported by The Guardian on 15th March, to refuse security clearance to Megan McCreery so that she can fulfil her life ambition and join the Royal Navy, like many of her relatives before her; notes that her father is serving a p

ACCESS TO TRAINS

That this House commends the disability charity, Leonard Cheshire, for the success of its All Aboard campaign; notes the strength of feelings amongst the disability movement in support of an early end date for inaccessible trains and widespread opposition to an end date of 2035; and therefore urges

SEASIDE AMUSEMENTS AND THE GAMBLING BILL

That this House notes the concerns of seaside amusement businesses at the proposed Gambling Bill which, according to the Henley Centre's research commissioned by the British Amusement Catering Trade Association, could lead to thousands of family-owned businesses closing, as they will not be able to

FOOD LABELLING FOR SUGAR

That this House welcomes the recent call by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for Government and industry to tackle obesity; notes that a high level of sugar consumption is a major contributing factor to the rise of obesity; requests that the Government works to increase public awareness of the import

WOMEN OF ESSEX AND THE PEOPLE NEWSPAPER

That this House condemns The People newspaper for publishing derogatory remarks about women from the County of Essex in its issue of 21st March; notes that had the offensive comments been directed at people because of their colour or religion it would have caused outrage amongst all decent thinking

SEAFARERS' JOBS AND THE TONNAGE TAX

That this House is deeply concerned that the total number of UK seafaring ratings has declined from 30,000 ratings in 1980 to less than 10,000 in 2003; regrets that the decline has continued since the introduction of the Government's tonnage tax regime; notes that the proportion of British officers

NETWORK RAIL MAINTENANCE AND THE LONDON UNDERGROUND

That this House welcomes the decision of Network Rail to bring all maintenance back in-house on the national network; notes that Network Rail has stated that the decision will bring the benefits of a single integrated rail maintenance operation and management structure, which will improve track safe

CITES AND THE IVORY TRADE

That this House believes in the crucial importance of conserving the elephant population for future generations; fully supports the efforts of the Council for the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) signatory countries to eradicate elephant poaching; endorses the agreements made by CIT