Early Day Motions

Bank holiday for the 75th anniversary of VE Day and the Defence Discount Service

That this House calls on the Government to mark the 75th Anniversary of VE Day by making Friday 8 May 2020 an bank holiday and to reinstate the traditional May Day Bank Holiday on Monday 4 May; notes the history of the May Day bank holiday and its links with International Workers' Day; acknowledges

Dame Carol Black's independent review of drugs

That this House acknowledges the importance of Professor Dame Carol Black's informative and insightful Independent Review of Drugs; notes that her research reveals that while the cost to society of illegal drugs is estimated at £20 billion per year, only £600 million is spent on treatment and preven

War widows pensions

That this House honours and recognises the sacrifices that our veterans and their families make; notes the particular sacrifices that the partners of veterans make and the consequences for them of tragically losing a spouse or partner serving in the armed forces; notes the changes announced in 2014

Points based immigration system and the consequences for care

That this House notes the negative effect that the new points-based immigration system will have on?care, particularly considering the 122,000 job vacancies in the social care sector identified by Skills for Care; recognises the invaluable contribution that migrants bring to the UK as carers, and th

Men Matter Scotland

That this House congratulates Men Matter Scotland on the opening of their new hub in Drumchapel; celebrates the hard work and determination of all involved in the organisation which provides a peer-support network for men at risk from suicide, mental health issues and social isolation; acknowledges

Blawarthill Parish Church bronze eco-congregation award

That this House congratulates Blawarthill Parish Church on receiving the Bronze Eco-Congregation Award from Eco-Congregation Scotland for furthering the environmental mission of their church; recognises the commitment of church members who are making the link between environmental issues and the Chr

Parents of premature and sick babies

That this House welcomes the announcement to allow employed parents of premature and sick babies to to claim up to 12 weeks Neonatal Leave and Pay; recognises the positive impact this will have for thousands of families every year; understands that over 100,000 babies are admitted to neonatal care e

Local News Matters campaign

That this House recognises the importance of quality local journalism; commends those who dedicate their working lives to serving the public by reporting important, timely and accurate information that is in the public interest; notes the importance of media reporting and how it helps to maintain lo

Corstorphine Community Centre

That this House is deeply concerned by the lack of progress on rebuilding the Corstorphine Community Centre after a devastating fire in 2013; notes the delay has left many communities groups in Edinburgh without an accessible and adequate venue for activities; recognises the historical importance of

International Bagpipe Day

That this House recognises International Bagpipe Day on March 10, a day initiated by the Bagpipe Society to celebrate the diversity of the world’s bagpiping traditions and promote this historic instrument to new players around the globe; notes that over 130 different kinds of pipes are played worldw

Refugees on the Greek – Turkish border

That this House expresses concern regarding the treatment of refugees in Greece and at that country's border with Turkey, the deterioration of conditions in refugee camps and the escalating violence towards refugees, journalists and aid workers in Greece; is profoundly concerned by the actions of th

Amnesty Brave Awards 2020

That this House congratulates Pinar Aksu on her selection as the Scotland winner of the Amnesty International UK Brave awards in recognition of her work to end immigration detention of children; understands that she has campaigned against detention since she was 15 years old after personal experienc

FemEng Malawi

That this House welcomes the work of FemEng in Malawi, a pioneering student project led by a group of female engineers from the University of Glasgow in collaboration with Malawi University of Science and Technology; understands that this collaborative project works to empower women in engineering a

Standardised assessment in primary schools

That this House acknowledges recent research conducted by YouGov which demonstrates that 62 per cent of parents believe there is too much standardised assessment in primary schools in England; notes that parents consider the happiness of pupils and a well-rounded education to be a better measure of

Conduct of the Competition and Markets Authority

That this House recognises JD Sports Fashion plc (JD Sports) as a leading UK retailer and one of the largest private sector employers in the North West, including 4,000 staff at its Bury headquarters; notes JD Sports merger with Footasylum plc, the Rochdale based retailer, which the Competition and

Automation and the future of work

That this House welcomes the Government’s commitment to level up; notes that a co-ordinated, cross-departmental approach to creating the conditions for good work across the country will be necessary to achieve this goal; recognises research by the Institute for the Future of Work that shows people a

Matchgirls industrial action 1888

That this House commemorates for International Women’s Day the Matchgirls who went on strike in 1888 at the Bryant and May factory in Bow in response to poor working conditions; notes that factory workers were expected to work 14 hour days for poor pay in an unsafe working environment due to the exp

42 year anniversary of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

That this House notes that 8 March 2020 marked 42 years since the first broadcast of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy radio series on BBC Radio 4; further notes that the series by the late Douglas Adams went on to appear in various and contradictory manifestations including novels, video games,

Closure of the Clydesdale Bank in Crieff

That this House notes with concern the decision of the Clydesdale Bank to close the Crieff High Street branch; further notes that Crieff has already lost a number of bank branches in recent years; notes that surrounding towns and villages in rural Perthshire depend upon this branch in Crieff for bus

Commonwealth Day and frozen pensions

That this House celebrates Commonwealth Day and the shared goals and bonds between Commonwealth nations, but regrets that half a million UK pensioners living overseas in so-called frozen countries, of which over 90 per cent are Commonwealth nations, are suffering unfairly because the value of their

Real fur imports

That this House urges the Government to introduce legislation to ban the imports and sales of real fur products; notes that the UK has long banned the main methods of fur so-called production, namely leg-hold trapping and fur factory farming, due to their inherent cruelty; believes that, in view of

Fair tax and employee share ownership

That this House supports employee share ownership and believes that such schemes reward loyalty and hard work by giving employees a real stake in their company with tax breaks; commends the Social Market Foundation's report entitled Strengthening Employee Ownership in the UK; notes that the Roadchef

McManus Galleries and Scotland's Best Visitor Attraction award

That this House congratulates Dundee’s McManus Galleries following their victory in the Scotland’s Best Visitor Attraction category at the 2020 Scottish Thistle Awards; celebrates the more than 150 years that the McManus Galleries have been welcoming people from the local area and beyond through the

Clachan Primary School's 7th Green Flag

That this House acknowledges the remarkable achievement of the staff, pupils and parents of Clachan primary school in being awarded their seventh Green Flag for their commitment to making their school, their village, Argyll and Bute, Scotland and the wider world a cleaner, healthier and safer place

No Smoking Day

That this House notes that Wednesday 11 of March is No Smoking Day 2020 and thanks the British Heart Foundation for continuing to highlight this as a focal point for people to begin their journey to stop smoking; further notes that according to the World Health Organisation, tobacco kills half of it