Early Day Motions

200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF GEORGE WASHINGTON

That this House notes that 14th December is the 200th anniversary of the death of George Washington; recalls the War of Independence with Britain which led to George Washington becoming the first President of the United States; salutes the massive contribution which the United States has made in the

COUNCILLOR CHESTER LONG

That this House notes with sadness the resignation of Councillor Chester Long as Leader of Exeter City council after 16 years in the post and after 32 years' service on the council; acknowledges the enormous contribution he has made to Exeter and wider public life; notes that under his stewardship E

PRESCRIBING MEDICINES TO CHILDREN

That this House welcomes the Sixth Report of the Health Committee, 28th October, Procedures Related to Adverse Clinical Incidents and Outcomes in Medical Care, which recommends that there should be placed on doctors, 'a statutory duty to provide information' to relatives if a patient dies or suffers

FUTURE OF SMALL INDEPENDENT ABATTOIRS

That this House acknowledges the vital role that small independent abattoirs play in supporting local farmers and the rural economy; expresses concern at the high level of charges currently imposed by the Meat Hygiene Service, particularly in relation to veterinary charges; notes that such charges a

ST. JOHN'S WORT AND THE MEDICINES CONTROL AGENCY

That this House notes that St. John's Wort has been safely used as a herbal remedy for many hundreds of years and is increasingly recognised as an effective herbal remedy; further notes that it has, since the passing of the Medicines Act 1968, remained on the market as a safe and popular product reg

KIDDERMINSTER GENERAL HOSPITAL NHS TRUST

That this House congratulates the staff and members of the Kidderminster District General Hospital NHS Trust as being identified by charities and groups representing the interests of the elderly as providing 'genuinely high standard care'; and deplores the Government's decision to downgrade this exc

MANCHESTER UNITED

That this House congratulates Manchester United's manager and staff, players, fans and directors on their team's great success in becoming the first British club to win the old World Club Championship; looks forward to seeing Manchester United representing Europe in the first FIFA World Club Champio

EXPORT CREDIT GUARANTEES ON ARMS EXPORTS

That this House welcomes Her Majesty's Government's current review of the Export Credits Guarantee Department; is pleased that the review will be fundamental and cover issues beyond those strictly financial, especially how the ECGD can help Her Majesty's Government achieve its wider, sustainable dev

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

That this House congratulates Her Majesty's Government on its commitment to publish the draft legislation for ratifying the International Criminal Court Statute; recognises the leading role it took in the drawing up of this treaty; recognises the importance of a permanent international criminal cour

NATIONAL SERVICE FRAMEWORK FOR DISABLEMENT SERVICES

That this House is concerned by the inconsistencies in the provision of equipment to disabled people; notes the positive work done by the disability charity consortium emPOWER in highlighting the importance and needs of users; also notes the Equipped for Equality report which revealed that 76 per ce

CHILDREN'S RIGHTS COMMISSIONER

That this House supports the establishment of a children's rights commissioner for England with linked officers in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; and recognises that the duties and powers of such an officer would be to promote children's rights and interests and ensure that they are taken int

CYCLE FRAME PRODUCTION BY RALEIGH

That this House notes with sadness that 9th December 1999 marked the day on which Raleigh ceased to be a mass producer of cycle frames in Britain; further notes that the high tech, laser and multi-robot equipment going under the auctioneer's hammer the following day had only been installed three yea

FLAT-RATE PRICING FOR THE INTERNET

That this House supports the introduction of flat-rate pricing for access to the Internet; recognises that this offers users a fixed price per month including both the telephone and Internet service provider's costs; and notes that the introduction of flat-rate pricing will increase consumer choice

RUSSIAN ACTION IN CHECHNAYA

That this House condemns the Russian military action in Chechnya and calls for troop withdrawal and a political solution that recognises rights of self-determination; is also concerned that the Russian action is partly motivated by demand for control of oil and gas pipelines running through Chechnya

REMEMBERING THE DISAPPEARED

That this House is hopeful that the current peace deal in Northern Ireland will create the conditions for new and non-sectarian politics which relies entirely on democratic persuasion rather than violence; believes, however, that the pain and bitterness of the victims of the Troubles will be greatly

DEFENCE DIVERSIFICATION AGENCY

That this House welcomes the Government's support for defence diversification; notes the Government's plan to set up a defence diversification agency which would facilitate the conversion of defence technology to civilian purposes; and urges the Government to consider locating this agency within the

REGISTRATION OF SEX OFFENDERS

at end add 'and those people subject to registration solely by virtue of an act that is subsequently decriminalised should no longer be subject to registration requirements from the time of enactment of the new statute.'.

LIMIT ON HOMES DEBT REPAYMENT

That this House agrees with the Citizens' Advice Bureau that debts on homes should have a six year ceiling in common with other debts; regrets the action of Nationwide and other lenders in demanding repayments of 12 year old debts that they had not previously pursued; sympathises with those victims

NORTH WEST WATER NETWORK MAINTENANCE SERVICE

That this House expresses deep concern over the decision taken by North West Water to contract out its network maintenance service from 1st April 2000 as part of a programme to reduce costs by 20 per cent. due to cuts in water bills as required by the Water Regulator; notes the huge profits that Nor

NORTH WEST EUROPEAN RAIL LINK

That this House notes that the North West Region is still not served with direct rail services through the Channel Tunnel into France; believes that a region with a population of nearly seven million and one of the largest economies within the United Kingdom should be served with adequate rail facil

LEVEL OF NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE

That this House notes the success of the national minimum wage in helping lift people out of poverty; further notes under this Government jobs have been created; however notes that the rate of the national minimum wage was set in July 1998; and believes it is now time to substantially raise this rat

QUITLINE

That this House notes that the charity Quitline has recently celebrated the fourth anniversary of the service becoming free to all callers, during which time it has helped 1,620,021 smokers; and congratulates the staff of Quitline on the recent evaluation of the service which demonstrates that Quitl

DEIR YASSIN

That this House remembers the 1948 massacre at the Palestinian village of Deir Yassin; acknowledges the great significance of this tragic event for Palestinians since it marked the beginning of the depopulation of over 400 Arab villages and cities and the expulsion of over 700,000 Palestinians; and

JUSTICE FOR LAND SETTLEMENT TENANTS

That this House notes with dismay the continuing ordeal of former tenants of the Land Settlement Association in relation to claims by the Inland Revenue for tax on compensation received by them as a result of the settlement of their litigation with the Ministry of Agriculture over the gross mismanag

REFERRAL OF PUBLICATION TO THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS

That this House urges the Solicitor General and the Home Secretary to study 'The Best Pub Joke Book Ever' published by Carlton, for possible breaches of anti-discrimination legislation, and to consider referring this tasteless and upsetting book to the Director of Public Prosecutions.