Early Day Motions

GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS

That this House congratulates the Government on commissioning the largest ecological study of its kind, in the form of the farm scale evaluations of GM crops and the publication of the results; further congratulates the Government on the GM Nation Public Debate run by an independent steering board;

WINTER FUEL PAYMENT FOR SEVERELY DISABLED PEOPLE

That this House notes with concern that, while pensioners over the age of 60 years can claim a winter fuel payment of ú200 a year, there are 1.27 million severely disabled adults and children under 60 who are not eligible for the payment, many of whom feel the cold intensely and cannot afford to hea

INTERNATIONAL ARMS TRADE TREATY

That this House notes that the uncontrolled proliferation and misuse of arms is a global problem with local consequences; recognises that without tough international arms controls unregulated arms transfers will continue to fuel conflict, poverty and human rights violations around the world; further

HORNCHURCH FOOTBALL CLUB

That this House warmly congratulates Hornchurch FC on getting into the second round of the FA Cup; and wishes the team every success in the second round tie against Tranmere Rovers on 6th December.

SAMAR ALAMI AND JAWAD BOTMEH

That this House notes that Samar Alami and Jawad Botmeh have always protested their innocence and that their 1996 conviction in relation to the 1994 bombings of the Israeli Embassy and Balfour House has been widely questioned; further notes that there are unanswered questions about the bombings, inc

OSTEOPOROSIS ACTION

That this House is concerned that one in three women and one in 12 men over the age of 50 years are affected by the painful and disabling fragile bone disease, osteoporosis; is alarmed to learn that the cost of repairing the UK's 310,000 osteoporotic fractures each year is more than ú1.7 billion whi

VISA FEES FOR OVERSEAS STUDENTS

That this House notes that fees of ú155 and ú250 for certain categories of visa were introduced, without prior consultation, earlier this year; notes with great concern the impact of such fees on the economic and cultural contribution of overseas students to the United Kingdom; is further concerned

CABINET OFFICE GUIDANCE AND CONSULTATION ON ASYLUM REFORM PROPOSALS

That this House notes that the three week consultation period for the Home Office consultation, New Legislative Proposals on Asylum Reform is in breach of Criterion 5 of the Cabinet Office guidelines on written consultations, which states that a minimum of 12 weeks should be allowed, except in cases

ASYLUM SEEKERS AND THEIR CHILDREN

That this House notes with concern the significant rise in the number of asylum seekers in Britain in the last six years; condemns the Government's policy of taking the children of asylum seekers into care to persuade them to return home; believes this policy to be inhumane and degrading; and urges

CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS

That this House respects the fact that people in society choose to live their lives in many different ways; welcomes moves to end discrimination against same-sex couples; recognises that the Civil Partnerships Bill intends to address such discrimination; and calls on the Government to continue to re

RISING CRIME

That this House notes with concern the serious increase in crime and fear of crime in Britain in the last five years; notes in particular the fact that violent crime has risen by two-thirds and that gun crime has doubled; recognises that detection rates for crime have fallen to less than one in four

CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE

That this House condemns the Government for seeking to abolish the positions of Lord Chancellor and Law Lords; points out that it has failed to make a cogent case for either action; warns against emasculating the Other Place as a check on an already powerful Government; welcomes the fact that the ju

WELFARE OF ANIMALS

That this House believes that all animals should be treated as sentient beings and is concerned that unacceptable practices where animals are treated as objects still continue; further believes that all animals, at whatever stage of evolution, deserve protection and recognition; welcomes New Zealand

VAT ON COMMEMORATIVE HEADSTONES

That this House condemns the Government's decision not to exempt commemorative headstones for graves from VAT, in contrast to all other services provided by an undertaker in connection with a burial or cremation; believes this to be a decision which takes advantage of people at their lowest time; an

STANDING AREAS AT FOOTBALL GROUNDS

That this House urges the Government to re-examine the case for introducing small, limited sections of safe standing areas at football grounds; further urges the Government to recognise that there is widespread support for such areas, and that improvements in stadium design and technology mean that,

FAIRTRADE AT UK UNIVERSITIES

That this House welcomes the ongoing campaigns of student organisations led by People & Planet groups across the UK to get fair-trade accreditation for their university from the Fairtrade Foundation; urges universities and students' associations to respond positively to these campaigns by meeting th

COMBATTING ANTI-SEMITISM

That this House condemns the terrorist, anti-Semitic attacks on the two Istanbul synagogues 'Oasis of Peace' and 'Beth Israel' killing 25 people and injuring over 300; also condemns the arson attack which destroyed a Jewish school near Paris on the same morning; notes that these attacks were precede

UNIVERSITY TUITION FEES

That this House expresses its profound concern about the Government's plan to introduce top-up fees for university students; notes that recent Government research shows that poorer students are worst-affected by student debt; further notes that the Government's proposals would mean students incurrin

ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION

That this House believes that access to higher education should be based on merit; notes with concern that many able pupils with excellent examination results are being denied access to university places for social rather than academic reasons; and calls on the Government to ensure that efforts to i

PRISONERS ON REMAND

That this House notes that more than 50,000 people, innocent until proven guilty, are imprisoned each year awaiting trial; notes that half of prisoners on remand do not subsequently receive a custodial sentence; further notes that one in five people remanded in custody are eventually acquitted or ha

70TH ANNIVERSARY OF SOVIET INDUCED FAMINE AND GENOCIDE IN UKRAINE

That this House calls upon Her Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to mark the 70th anniversary of the Soviet-induced famine and genocide in Ukraine; urges it to recognise officially that in 1932-33 the Soviet regime under Stalin employed genocide to dest

VISA CHARGES FOR STUDENTS

That this House notes with concern the new charges of up to ú250 which were introduced by the Home Office on 1st August to process applications to extend permission to stay in the United Kingdom; further notes that all non-European Union international students will be subject to this charge each tim

HOUSING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

That this House welcomes the YMCA's There's No Place Like Home campaign; recognises that 25 per cent. of rough sleepers are aged 18 to 25, that two-thirds of young homeless people left school with no qualifications and that at any one time 240,000 young people are homeless in the United Kingdom; rec

PENSION CREDIT AND CARE HOME RESIDENTS

That this House deplores the fact that people in care homes, unlike in any other setting, are not able to see the full value of their pension credit because the charging regulations only permit them to keep a maximum of ú4.50 per week; and calls on the Government to ensure that those in care homes s

CHILD POVERTY

That this House abhors the fact that 3.8 million children still live in poverty in this country despite positive initiatives like Sure Start and working families tax credits; supports Barnardo's campaign to end child poverty; and calls on the Government to publish a co-ordinated strategy to fulfil i