Early Day Motions

Safe access zones

That this House celebrates the legislative introduction of Safe Access Zones around abortion clinics and buildings offering abortion services in the Public Order Act 2023; notes that although the Act received Royal Assent on 2 May 2023, provisions within the Act about Safe Access Zones, as outlined

Hearings on the return of African artefacts and ancestral remains

That this House seeks to honour and continue the work of the late Bernie Grant, former Member of Parliament for Tottenham, on the restitution of African artefacts and ancestral remains; notes the recent report by the APPG on Afrikan Reparations entitled, Hearings on the Restitution of Stolen African

Review of the charity lottery annual sales cap

That this House acknowledges the incredible amount of money raised by charity lotteries in the UK, including Scottish-based People’s Postcode Lottery, whose players have raised a phenomenal £1.2 billion for good causes across the country; notes that the demand for funding from charities has greatly

Council budgets and audits

That this House notes with concern the increase in the number of councils struggling to meet the costs of temporary accommodation, Special Educational Needs and Disability services and social care; recognises the importance of local councils’ services in providing essential support for vulnerable in

Documents relating to meetings between the Prime Minister and Rt hon Member for Fareham in October 2022

That there be laid before this House a return of the following documents: (a) the minutes from any meetings between the Prime Minister and the Rt hon Member for Fareham in October 2022 relating to the conditions under which the Rt hon Member for Fareham would take up the office of Home Secretary; a

50th anniversary of Dickens on The Strand Celebration

That this House congratulates the Galveston Historical Foundation in Texas on the 50th anniversary of the annual Dickens on The Strand celebration from 1 to 3 December 2023; welcomes the expected 50,000 visitors to the festival which celebrates the life and work of Charles Dickens who spent many yea

Sewage discharges

That this House expresses its concern at the continuing dumping of sewage into UK waterways; recognises that the practice is dangerous to public health and damaging to the environment; further recognises that the pollution is making it unsafe for people to swim in natural designated bathing sites su

Scottish Gymnastics lifetime achievement award

That this house congratulates Liz Danby on receiving a lifetime achievement award from Scottish Gymnastics for the decades of service she has committed to helping children and young people get involved in gymnastics; notes that she set up a schools gymnastics programme to improve accessibility to th

Litter on motorways

That this House deplores the huge amount of litter on motorways, access road, junctions and verges; notes that there is a crystal clear legal obligation on National Highways to ensure roads are kept clear of litter; and calls on National Highways to act on this obligation, use motorway gantries to p

VAT on audiobooks

That this House recognises that audio books, now popular and widely available across all genres, from business to academic, from historical to self help, are a lifeline for many people with sight loss, visual impairment, dyslexia or other reading disabilities; agrees that audio books offer unique op

Plastics in the world's seas

That this House notes that according to the UN there will be more plastic in the sea than fish by 2050; calls for the Government to publish a strategy for promoting a circular economy in respect of plastics, including setting targets and measures for the elimination and recycling of single-use plast

Ban on the import of foie gras

That this House condemns the production of foie gras by force-feeding ducks and geese which causes severe physical and psychological pain for the animals involved; welcomes the continued ban on production of foie gras in the UK; and calls on the Government to introduce the promised ban on the import

Redundancies at Reach plc and sustainability of the press

That this House is dismayed at the extent of substantial job cuts announced by Reach plc, publisher of titles including The Mirror, Daily Record, Daily Star, Manchester Evening News, Irish Mirror and Liverpool Echo; notes that the company has indicated an estimated 450 posts will be made redundant

Now or Never winner of Restaurant of the Year at the Lancaster Business Awards 2023

That this House congratulates Nichola and Jeff Marshall, directors for Now Or Never restaurant in Lancaster and their whole team after winning Restaurant of the Year at the Lancaster Business Awards; thanks Now or Never for providing a unique, fine dining experience to the city thus boosting the Lan

Food banks

That this House notes with extreme concern the new figures from The Trussell Trust which showed that 1.5 million food parcels were provided to people between April and September 2023 by food banks in the charity’s UK-wide network, which is a 16% increase on the same period in 2022; highlights that 3

Protections for the green belt

That this House expresses its concern about building developments on green belt land; notes that the Secretary-General of the United Nations has said that humanity is becoming a weapon of mass extinction; further notes that the extinction of wildlife species has a knock-on impact on the wider ecosys

Elective care waiting list and insourcing

That this House expresses concern that latest NHS figures show that there are a record 7.75 million people in England waiting for elective care, with more waiting in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; fears that waiting lists have the potential to continue to rise; notes the negative consequences

Secretaries of State and membership of the House of Commons

That this House believes that Secretaries of State should be Members of the House of Commons.

Taxation of savings and inheritance

That this House notes recent reports that in the 2023-24 financial year, tax paid on savings income is due to reach more than £6.5 billion, a rise of approximately 100% since 2022, and the expected take through inheritance tax of approximately £8 billion, which has increased over 30% in the same per

Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, Laudate Deum

That this House welcomes Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, Laudate Deum, which builds on his encyclical letter Laudato Si’, that calls on world leaders to put global common good ahead of self interest; urges international governments to commit to a transition from fossil fuels that is binding and

175th anniversary of Royal Black Preceptory 18

That this House congratulates the Sir Knights of Royal Black Preceptory (RBP) 18 The First Royals of County Down on reaching their 175th Anniversary; recognises the positive role the Institution has played in the local community down through the years; and wishes RBP 18 a very successful and enjoyab

Breast cancer screening and entitlement to paid leave

That this House notes that the UK, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Governments all offer breast cancer screening to women aged 50 to 70 every three years; supports such policies as an important preventative health care strategy; calls for employment law to be amended to remove barriers to and e

Wealth taxation and EU Tax Observatory report on global tax evasion

That this House welcomes the EU Tax Observatory inaugural report on global tax evasion; notes that the report indicates that the richest people in the world are operating on the edge of legality to evade paying tax; expresses concern at the findings of the report that the very richest use shell comp

175th anniversary of Rising Sons of William Loyal Orange Lodge 240

That this House celebrates the 175th anniversary of Rising Sons of William LOL 240; notes that it was first founded in 1848; highlights that LOL 240 prides itself on treasuring history, tradition and a preservation of culture; further notes the high standing of the past and present membership and th

Seasonal Worker visa scheme

That this House notes the recent report by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the Independent which identified issues of racism, wage theft and threats of being sent back home in 19 farm inspection reports produced by the Home Office between 2021 and 2022; recognises that migrant seasonal wo