Early Day Motions

Extended cut-off date for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

That this House expresses concern about the extended cut-off date for employees to receive support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, after the eligibility date was extended from 28 February to 19 March; acknowledges that although this extension will allow more employees to now be furloug

Sky lanterns

That this House is concerned that sky lanterns, also known as Chinese lanterns, continue to pose a serious fire safety hazard due to their uncontrolled and unpredictable flight paths, and are dangerous to livestock, wildlife, crops and the environment; that these hazards are exacerbated in rural are

50th anniversary of the formation of the Ulster Defence Regiment

That this House notes the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR); remembers with gratitude the service of UDR personnel during the worst of the Troubles; recalls with sadness the loss of the life of 190 serving personnel and a further 60 people who were murdered after

Regent Street Methodist 100th anniversary of the Boys Brigade

That this House congratulates Regent Street Methodist’s Boys’ Brigade, the 1st Newtownards Company and part of the Ards Battalion, on reaching their 100th anniversary of the Boys Brigade; thanks all those Boys Brigade officers and helpers past and present for their dedication to teaching, guiding an

Support for small limited companies

That this House commends the Chancellor’s job retention schemes to help the employed and the self-employed during the covid-19 outbreak; in addition acknowledges that thousands of people working in a creative freelance capacity are excluded from those schemes; notes that directors of small limited c

Rate of pay for furloughed workers

That this House recognises that, for those workers covered by the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, it is providing an essential safety net for many workers and their families during this crisis, ensuring businesses can maintain their workforce and enabling them to re-open in the future; notes that

Government support for companies registered in tax havens

This House welcomes the decision by the Danish authorities to exempt companies that are registered in tax havens from Government aid programmes; notes that it is unfair to taxpayers for the UK Government to support companies who have increased their profits by circumventing the domestic tax regime;

Hamed bin Haydara: death sentence

That this House notes the decision of the Appeal Court of Yemen in Sana’a on 22nd March; further notes that court upheld a death sentence against Hamed bin Haydara, a member Yemen’s Baha’i community; and calls on the UK Government to make urgent representations to the Houthi authorities to release M

Creation of a new bank holiday

That this House recognises the contribution, work and sacrifice of all who work in the National Health Service, in other blue light services, key sectors and those selflessly volunteering during the COVID-19 crisis, many of whom are working night and day; and calls on the Government to recognise thi

Childcare fees

That this House expresses concern that parents, including those who have suddenly lost income as a result of coronavirus, are continuing to be charged childcare fees by providers despite coronavirus-related closures; welcomes the significant steps taken so far by Government to support childcare prov

Role of convenience stores during the covid-19 outbreak

That this House recognises the hard work and dedication of convenience store owners and their staff during the covid-19 health crisis; recognises the vital role that those store owners and staff play in their local communities in ensuring the supply of food and essential household items; notes that

Closure of call centre sites during the covid-19 outbreak

That this House notes concerns expressed by call centre staff who are being asked to physically attend work despite the Government's covid-19 advice to stay at home; believes that such demands are in breach of the national covid-19 guidance as much of that work is not essential and all that work can

NICE Guidelines on covid-19

That this House notes that on 23 March 2020 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence introduced new guideline, NG 159; is concerned that the NICE guidelines for covid treatment state that people who need help with personal care will get a rank of 7, and only those in ranks 1 to 5 will r

Protection of UK charities and third sector organisations

That this House has considered the invaluable role that charity and third-sector organisations play in supporting vulnerable people and communities across the UK; recognises the immense strain placed on the sector by restrictions caused by the covid-19 outbreak; urges the Government to consider the

Statutory Sick Pay

That this House notes that the Secretary of State for Health told the BBC Question Time programme that he could not live on Statutory Sick Pay of £94.25 week; believes that no worker should be expected to live on statutory sick pay of that level; and calls upon the Government to increase statutory s

VAT on energy bills

That this House commends the Government’s implementation of a VAT referral for businesses during the covid-19 outbreak; further commends the Government for ensuring that energy suppliers offer funding support for people who are unable to top up their meters, which has helped more than four million p

Repatriation of UK nationals from countries that have closed borders

In Line 2 after 'stranded;' insert 'further notes that UK nationals in Peru and New Zealand have been particularly patient and this House looks forward to their return home;'.

Kurdistan region of Iraq covid-19 response

That this House congratulates the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on its coherent response to the coronavirus crisis which has been compounded by massive falls in oil prices and continuing political crisis in the rest of Iraq; urges the UK Government and others to respond as generously as pos

Covid-19 and support for self-employed people

That this House recognises that there are over 4.9 million self-employed workers in the UK contributing over £275 billion to the UK economy; welcomes the Federation of Small Businesses’ #ThinkSelfEmployed campaign to raise awareness of the current lack of provision for these workers in the Governmen

Support for the self-employed

That this House commends the Government’s measures to support businesses and employees during the covid-19 outbreak; notes however that those measures still leave the country’s 5 million self-employed people with no reliable safety net; further notes that one in four people in South Lakeland is self

Hong Kong and Magnitsky-style sanctions

That this House notes with profound concern the ongoing breaches by China and its controlled regime in Hong Kong of basic principles of human rights and specifically of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong; welcomes the commitment by Her Majesty’s Government to develop a regime for the in

2021 census and a Sikh ethnic tick box

That this House notes the cross-party campaign led by the All Party Parliamentary Group for British Sikhs for a Sikh ethnic tick box to be included in the 2021 England and Wales Census; supports Early Day Motion 309; and calls on the Government to allow a debate on The Census (England and Wales) Ord

National Food Service campaign

That this House notes that there is an urgent need for national action to stave off food insecurity during the covid-19 outbreak; and calls on the Government to take the following steps to deal with food insecurity: to provide immediate support to all voluntary and mutual-aid organisations currently

East Kilbride Rep Theatre Club

That this House congratulates the East Kilbride Rep Theatre Club on reaching its 65th anniversary; commends the theatre club for presenting 450 productions over the years, which have covered a wide variety of different genres; notes that the club has had over 1,000 members and over 1,000 local child

Global Health - marking World TB Day 2020

That this House recognises World TB Day which takes place on 24 March 2020; notes that 10 million people fall ill with TB every year with 4,000 deaths each day; further recognises that the communities most affected by TB, both in the UK and globally, are often the most vulnerable and marginalised; r