Early Day Motions

SECURITY IN AFGHANISTAN

That this House believes that security is a prerequisite for the reconstruction of Afghanistan; notes the recent comments of the UN Secretary General that 'the most serious challenge facing Afghanistan and the Afghans today remains the lack of security'; supports the view of the Afghan Transitional

MALAYSIA

That this House registers its dismay that Her Majesty's Government is working closely with the Malaysian authorities on counter-terrorism capacity building, despite Malaysia's use of the 1960 Internal Security Act (ISA) to detain without charge or trial human rights activists and campaigners for dem

BASC/ACPO AIRGUN SAFETY CAMPAIGN

That this House applauds the recent initiative by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation in commencing a project to provide safe conditions for the training of young people using air guns; champions the Airgun Code of Practice that has recently been implemented with the aid of the Ass

BIOMASS (No.2)

That this House recognises that energy from Biomass offers the world many benefits, such as hugely reducing greenhouse gas emissions; notes the significant environmental and economic benefits of using farm waste, such as poultry litter and slurry to produce energy; and acknowledges that on a broader

VILLAGE HALLS

That this House calls upon the Government to assist England's rural communities threatened by the prospect of derelict village halls, as a consequence of reduced funding by the national Lottery's Community Fund and other organisations; recognises that compliance with the Disability Discrimination Ac

ARMY DEATHS

That this House expresses its sadness that more than 1,748 members of Her Majesty's armed forces have lost their lives through non-natural causes since 1990 and sends condolences to all their families; notes that almost 200 deaths have been caused by discharge of firearms and further that some 200 a

THE COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE 'LIBERTY AND LIVELIHOOD MARCH' AND THE BRITISH NATIONAL PARTY

That this House welcomes the commitment in the Queen's Speech to allow Parliament to reach a conclusion on the question of a Bill to ban hunting with dogs, but notes that at the recent Liberty and Livelihood march in London the British National Party were allowed to attend and to distribute 46,000 c

ENERGYWATCH'S STOP NOW CAMPAIGN

That this House condemns energy companies that transfer consumers against their will or without their knowledge; recognises the distress and financial detriment this can cause to consumers; applauds Energywatch's Stop Now! Campaign to restore consumer confidence and order to the energy transfer and

IMPACT OF REGULATIONS ON VILLAGE HALLS AND COMMUNITY CENTRES

That this House calls on the Government to recognise that many village and community halls are facing closure as a result of the increasing pressure being placed on employees and volunteers to implement health and safety regulations; requests that the effect of such regulations on village and commun

UN RESOLUTION 1441

That this House welcomes the unanimous decision taken by the UN Security Council and applauds its determination to deal with Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction; expresses the hope that the regime in Baghdad will not obstruct the UN weapons inspectors in any form; notes that Resolution 1441

RIGHTS OF WORKERS AT THE BELFAST IFI/RICHARDSONS PLANT

That this House expresses grave concern at the manner of the announcement of the liquidation of the IFI/Richardson Belfast plant; calls for the local workforce to be granted their full rights to redundancy and other entitlements; demands that workers receive all of their pension entitlements; and ur

AMBER ALERT SCHEME TO COUNTER CHILD ABDUCTIONS

That this House notes with great sadness recent violent deaths of children and expresses its deep concern at the continued threat faced by our children at the hands of evil abductors; further notes that in the United States, the America's Missing Broadcast Emergency Response (Amber Alert) scheme sta

REORGANISATION OF PLYMOUTH UNIVERSITY

That this House is concerned at the proposal by the University of Plymouth to relocate the courses at its outlying colleges to the main campus; believes that these proposals will undermine the link between the University and the local community, will lead to redundancies and will, in particular, aff

NORTHERN IRELAND FISHING INDUSTRY

That this House notes the despair with which recent plans to close cod fishing grounds used by Northern Ireland fishermen have been received, where the whole industry is now at risk; calls on the Government to make clear how it intends to respond to the Commission's proposals; and believes that this

UNIVERSITY MERGERS AND STAFF IN THE HIGHER AND FURTHER EDUCATION SECTOR

That this House notes the recent announcement by Imperial College London and University College London that they are considering merging, one of several possible mergers of institutions in the further and higher education sector; welcomes the Government's review of the funding of the higher educatio

HISTORIC COUNTIES OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

That this House recognises that the historic counties of the United Kingdom are an important part of the history, geography and cultural life of the nation, that the United Kingdom requires a fixed popular geographical framework, that is divorced from the ever changing local government boundaries, i

ROYAL HOSPITAL HASLAR

That this House congratulates all staff at the Royal Hospital Haslar for their achievement in winning the accolade as the cleanest hospital in the United Kingdom.

NATIONAL M.E. CENTRE

That this House expresses concern that even after the Chief Medical Officer's report in January, no resources have been allocated for research and treatment of ME, an illness that seriously affects the lives of more than one million sufferers, including children and adults with responsibilities for

SHIP SAFETY DESIGN AND FREAK WAVES

That this House views with concern the regular loss of between 100 and 200 ships together with 700 seafarers at sea each year; regrets that there is no adequate system for determining the causes of the loss of ships at sea; notes however that an estimated 40 per cent. of bulk carrier losses are caus

POSTPONEMENT OF CRIMINAL RECORD BUREAU CHECKS

That this House agrees with the Home Secretary that the function of the Criminal Records Bureau is to reduce the risk of abuse by ensuring that those who are unsuitable are not able to work with children and vulnerable adults; deeply regrets the decision of the Home Office and Department of Health t

REDUCTION OF VAT ON ENERGY SAVING MATERIALS

That this House notes that the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group has said that current programmes to deal with fuel poverty need to be increased by at least 50 per cent. if Government objectives are to be met; notes also that emissions of carbon dioxide have increased; believes that to reduce CO2 emission

ANIMAL WELFARE IN TRANSPORT

That this House notes the widespread concern about the long-distance transportation of animals in cramped conditions; recognises the commitment of British farmers to animal welfare; notes that this important welfare issue cannot be tackled without international agreement; and calls upon the Governme

THE EU AND ANIMAL WELFARE

That this House calls on the European Commission to work for the improvement of animal welfare throughout the community; and to this end, calls on the Commission to ensure that animal welfare standards across the continent are raised to meet the very high standards which pertain in the UK, thus allo

DIVERSIFICATION IN THE DAIRY INDUSTRY

That this House notes the continuing uneconomic farmgate price of milk; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to support diversification in the dairy industry by supporting dairy farmers who individually or collectively opt to add value through developing processing capacity.

OVERHEADS AND RED TAPE IN UK FARMING

That this House notes the disparity in input costs between British farmers and their European competitors and is concerned that overheads are rising in the UK, yet falling across Europe; and therefore calls upon Her Majesty's Government to cut the red tape and regulatory burdens faced by British far