Early Day Motions

MOHAMMED ASSAF

That this House applauds the success of Mohammed Assaf, a 23 year old singer from Gaza, winner of the Arab Idol television talent contest; notes the joy that his success has brought to the 13,000 refugees that make up Gaza since Israel’s formation in 1948; and commends his celebration of Palestinian

DISAPPEARANCES IN MEXICO (No. 2)

That this House is very concerned about the phenomenon of disappearances and enforced disappearances in Mexico, with figures from the Mexican government reporting more than 26,000 people missing or disappeared between 2006 and 2012, as highlighted in Amnesty International's report in June 2013; comm

ATTACKS ON MEDIA FREEDOMS IN TURKEY

That this House condemns the continuous targeting of journalists and media organisations in Turkey following the recent police raids on the residences of journalists working for the daily newspaper Atilim, Özgür Radio and Etkin News Agency; notes the growing concerns over the increasing state contro

ALI AARRASS

That this House commends the diplomatic mission at the Belgian Embassy in London for receiving on 18 June 2013 the sister of the torture victim and Belgian-Moroccan national Ali Aarrass and a delegation representing concerned British lawyers, human rights activists and academic experts on torture; n

MEANS TESTING OF BENEFITS

That this House notes the recent statements and media coverage regarding the possible means testing of benefits; is concerned that many senior citizens who are not wealthy fear that, whatever initial level of income is regarded as a basement below which means testing is disregarded, that over time m

PILOT BADGER CULL PARLIAMENTARY ASSESSMENT AND VOTE

That this House recognises that there have been concerns about the current pilot badger cull; notes the mixed evidence from similar schemes abroad; further notes that the response from the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to Questions tabled by the hon. Member for St Albans

FLOODS IN UTTARAKHAND, INDIA

That this House expresses deep sympathy and sends its heartfelt condolences to the people of Uttarakhand, India at this sad time after the devastating loss of life and destruction in the region following the terrible floods that have been taking place; commends the brave work of the rescue and emerg

COURT OF PROTECTION AND THE INDEPENDENT'S INVESTIGATION INTO URGENT APPLICATIONS

That this House congratulates The Independent on its exposure of the Government's complacency about the lack of scrutiny on out-of-hours applications to the Court of Protection; believes that as an absolute minimum statistics should be maintained as to the number of out-of-hours applications and the

125th ANNIVERSARY OF THE MATCH WOMEN'S STRIKE

That this House notes the 125th anniversary of the Match Women's Strike in July 2013; further notes the strike involved over 1,400 women who worked at the Bryant and May match factory in Bow, East London; further notes that the Match Women were on strike for three weeks against appalling working con

EXECUTION OF PROFESSOR DEVINDERPAL SINGH BHULLAR

That this House notes with concern the multiple injustices in the case of Professor Devinderpal Singh Bhullar and his subsequent state of mental health; further notes the recognition of these injustices, and the details of the case, by human rights groups including Amnesty International, Reprieve UK

OBESITY AND THE QUALITY AND OUTCOMES FRAMEWORK

That this House notes that obesity and being overweight affects almost two-thirds of the British population; further notes that the World Health Organisation has found that 44 per cent of the diabetes burden, 23 per cent of the ischaemic heart disease burden and 41 per cent of certain cancer burdens

PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS IN SUDAN

That this House recognises the current persecutions of Christians in Sudan; expresses grave concern at the treatment of Christians in that country; and asks the Secretary of State for International Development to apply diplomatic pressure to see a change brought about to the policy of the government

COUNTRY SINGER SLIM WHITMAN

That this House recognises the massive contribution to country music made by Slim Whitman who recorded 65 albums and sold millions of records and was an inspiration to many young singers including Elvis Presley; expresses sympathy at this time to his family; and conveys to them how thankful the musi

BOARDING PRACTICES OF AIRLINES

That this House believes that the refusal by certain airlines to allow passengers to carry on board airport shopping, in addition to a prescribed cabin baggage allowance, departs from the accepted norm, and is both confusing for consumers and anti-competitive, taking away income from airport retaile

GROUP B STREP AWARENESS MONTH

That this House supports Group B Strep Awareness Month in July 2013 and notes that this will raise much needed awareness of an infection that is recognised as the most common cause of serious infection in newborn babies; recognises that group B Streptococcus (GBS) causes septicaemia, pneumonia and m

STATE PENSION AGE INCREASES

That this House deplores the speed at which the increases in the state pension age are being introduced, especially for the group of women born between 6 April 1950 and 5 April 1953; believes that the increase in pension age to 66 should be postponed until 2020; recognises that the increase will cau

LEICESTER BID FOR UK CITY OF CULTURE 2017

That this House welcomes the news that Leicester has been shortlisted to become the UK's City of Culture for 2017; notes that the bid has wide-ranging support from respected figures such as Sir David Attenborough; recognises that the competition has already highlighted the brilliant vibrant culture

ENERGY COMPANY FINES FOR MIS-SELLING

That this House deplores the fact that energy companies are able to pass through to customers' bills the fines which they incur for mis-selling; considers that this is to make the public the victim twice over; and urges the Government to introduce regulations so that any fines incurred for mis-selli

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AWARENESS WEEK 2013

That this House notes the importance of the first ever National Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Week from 24 to 30 June 2013 in raising public awareness of this chronic autoimmune disease; welcomes the publication of a new report by the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) highlighting concer

WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN SAUDI ARABIA

That this House expresses concern at the continuing guardianship policy in Saudi Arabia which prohibits women from travelling, participating in higher education, marrying, conducting official business or undergoing certain medical procedures without permission of a male guardian; believes such a pol

ROYAL NORTHERN SINFONIA AND ANTHONY SARGENT CBE

That this House congratulates the Northern Sinfonia, based at Sage Gateshead, the international home for music and music discovery, for being granted Royal Appointment, the first such title to be awarded in more than 20 years; notes the longevity of the orchestra, which was founded in 1958 by the BB

BACK BRITAIN'S CHARITIES CAMPAIGN

That this House notes the important role that charities play in communities across Britain; acknowledges that many charities work to support some of the most vulnerable people in society; expresses concern at recent research which shows that charitable donations have fallen by 20 per cent over the l

IMPORTANCE OF ARTS AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

leave out from 'future;' to 'arts;' in line 6.

NEW PRODUCT RULES REQUIRED TO LIMIT THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY UNAFFORDABLE PAYDAY LOANS

That this House recognises the 12-week deadline for payday lenders submitting evidence to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) addressing failings outlined in the compliance review of the sector has now passed; is concerned by the OFT’s finding that there is currently widespread irresponsible lending an

JUNK FOOD ADVERTISING TO CHILDREN

That this House is concerned by the recent report, Marketing of food high in fat, salt and sugar to children, published by the World Health Organisation on 18 June 2013, which accuses food companies of seeking to bypass existing rules on the advertising of unhealthy products to children; notes that