Early Day Motions

ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY BICENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

That this House congratulates the Royal Horticultural Society as it celebrates its bicentenary on 7th March; notes that since its inception in 1804, the Royal Horticultural Society has grown to become the world's leading gardening charity, now supported by nearly 340,000 members; further notes that

EPILEPSY TREATMENTS

That this House welcomes the recent national initiatives relating to the treatment of epilepsy; calls on the Government to recognise the need for additional epilepsy-specific measures to enable local implementation of those initiatives; believes that without such measures people with epilepsy will r

FIRST LABOUR GOVERNMENT

That this House celebrates the centenary of the world's first ever national Labour government, formed on 23rd April 1904 in Melbourne, Australia, which gave hope to Labour parties across the globe to seek power on behalf of working people, and also began a century of Labour advancing social justice

REVIEW OF SELECT COMMITTEES

That this House expresses its concern that select committees are not able to obtain from the Government the documents and witnesses necessary in order to fulfil their role of scrutinizing the Executive; notes the comments of the honourable Member for Thurrock in the debate on the Hutton Report when

WANDSWORTH COUNCIL'S COUNCIL TAX

That this House notes that the London Borough of Wandsworth has very substantial reserve funds and is proposing cuts totalling half a million pounds in its funding to long-established local organisations within the Borough of Wandsworth that provide day-to-day support to many residents living within

ASSISTANT CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF

That this House notes with great satisfaction the appointment of the new Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Reserves and Cadets); congratulates the Duke of Westminster; and acknowledges that the appointment is more than deserved.

NATIONAL CARE HOMES ASSOCIATION LOBBY OF PARLIAMENT

That this House congratulates the National Care Homes Association for organising, on behalf of the long-term care sector, the lobby of Parliament on Wednesday 10th March, which seeks to bring to the attention of honourable Members, the Government and the public the continued crisis in long-term care

CYCLE HELMETS

That this House notes the substantial disparity between claims made for the efficacy of pedal cycle helmets and their measured effect in real populations; notes that the Transport Research Laboratory has reported the promotion of pedal cycle helmets may lead to increased injury rates; notes that cyc

GOVERNMENT TARGETS FOR WATER AND SANITATION

That this House welcomes the Government's commitment to the Millennium Development Goals for tackling world poverty; recognises that progress on these goals will be critically dependent on access to safe water and adequate sanitation; notes that the Camdessus Report on Water Financing called for the

FUTURE FUNDING FOR MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAMS IN ENGLAND AND WALES

That this House recognises the incalculable work that the 60-plus locally-based mountain and cave-rescue teams in England and Wales perform, in providing a free 999 service, along with their support to the police and other agencies; and further recognises these teams' abilities to give support at ti

PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION INVESTIGATION

That this House welcomes the first ever investigation into pregnancy discrimination which has been launched by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC); notes with concern that the EOC helpline receives more calls from women facing problems at work because of pregnancy than on any other subject; fur

CYPRUS AND MALTA'S MEMBERSHIP OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Line 7, at end add ', especially in drawing upon their democratic traditions to help overcome the EU's democratic deficit.'

LEARNING DISABLILTY TASK FORCE

Line 5, after 'this' to insert 'by adapting the format used by People First in pioneering a version of the hon Member for North East Derbyshire's 1995 Civil Rights (Disabled Persons) Bill in a form accessible to people with learning disabilities.'

SITUATION IN ZIMBABWE

That this House expresses its deep concern at the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe; further notes with concern that the policy of quiet diplomacy has failed and that human rights abuses now abound in that country; regrets that there has been no recent debate about the situation in Zimbabwe in the

MR IVAN NOBLE

That this House notes that the BBC News Online reporter Mr Ivan Noble has published on the BBC News website a sensitive and compelling diary of the diagnosis and treatment of a malignant brain tumour; commends him for his courage in sharing with the wider public his harrowing but inspiring personal

ANIMAL TESTING FOR HOUSEHOLD CLEANING PRODUCTS

That this House believes that, in the light of the UK Government's decision in 1998 to no longer license animal tests for cosmetic and toiletry products and ingredients on the basis that the trivial end product could not justify the animal suffering caused, the same lack of justification exists for

TELEVISION COVERAGE OF HORSE RACING

That this House is concerned about the possible ending of the present contract between Attheraces and racecourses and the impact that this could have on television coverage of racing, prestigious meetings such as the Grand National and the Scottish Grand National; hopes for an early result of negoti

ARBROATH SMOKIE

That this House welcomes the granting of protected geographic indication status to the Arbroath smokie; notes that this is the first fish-based Scottish product protected under the scheme, and welcomes the boost this will give both to the Scottish fishing industry and smokie producers in Arbroath; a

PUBLICATION OF THE PENROSE REPORT

That this House notes with concern the long delay in publishing the Penrose Report into Equitable Life and the consequent postponement of an oral statement or a debate on this important matter, which affects the life savings of hundreds of thousands of policy-holders and annuitants; and calls on the

GOVERNMENT POLICY ANNOUNCEMENTS

That this House notes with regret that the Government chose to save up many policy announcements, such as the reform of the examination system, substantial changes to the Civil Service and drug testing for school students, so that they could be made outside Parliament during the half-term recess; ex

CLAIMS OF ILLEGAL SPYING BY THE UK GOVERNMENT ON THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

That this House notes the remarks by the Right honourable Member for Birmingham, Ladywood on the BBC Today programme that the UK Government engaged in spying and telephone tapping of the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan; further notes that this is illegal under Article II, Section 3, of t

RECOGNITION FOR MARY SEACOLE

That this House recognises the results of the recent 100 Great Black Britons poll organised through the Every Generation website; notes that the poll plays a vital role in celebrating the United Kingdom's black culture and heritage; further notes that the campaign is an excellent medium through whic

DEATH OF THE MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT

That this House is greatly saddened by the death of the Macedonian President, Boris Trajkovski, and the eight other individuals in an air crash on 26th February; recognises that Mr Trajkovski was a remarkable man who worked tirelessly for Macedonia and for reconciliation in that country; and sends i

BICENTENARY OF BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY

That this House recognises and applauds the valuable contribution of the British and Foreign Bible Society to the political, social and cultural fabric of this nation over the last 200 years, particularly the translation, publication and distribution of the Holy Scriptures, both in the UK and across

THRESHOLDS IN REFERENDUMS

That this House notes that referendums are proposed in October to establish regional assemblies in the North West, the North East and Yorkshire and Humberside and that the Government's decision to press ahead in these regions of England was informed by a soundings exercise designed to gauge enthusia