Early Day Motions

ST GEORGE'S DAY

That this House looks forward to celebrating St George's Day on 23 April 2010; believes that the day of England's patron saint is an opportunity for all the people of England to celebrate their country's heritage and traditions; calls on the Government to mark the occasion by ensuring that the Cross

THAMESLINK PROGRAMME

That this House notes the importance of the Thameslink Programme to the improvement of passenger rail services crossing London from towns and cities north and south of the capital; congratulates the Government on its decision to fund this scheme following long delays caused in part by the privatisat

FORCED MARRIAGES

That this House acknowledges the excellent work done by the Forced Marriage Unit, the police and local authorities across the country to combat forced marriage and to protect victims of honour-based violence; recognises and welcomes the legal precedent set by Article 12 of the European Convention on

FORTHCOMING ELECTION IN ETHIOPIA

That this House notes with concern the new restrictions placed on media coverage of the forthcoming general election in Ethiopia; further notes with great sadness the violent aftermath of the 2005 election; expresses its anxiety over the findings of the European Parliament's election monitoring team

LONDON'S PART-TIME STUDENTS

That this House welcomes the impact that accessible and flexible part-time higher education makes to the lives of many people in the UK; praises the particular role that Birkbeck College (University of London) plays in London and welcomes its new collaborations in the east London Borough of Newham;

PUBLICATION OF JOHN CLARE'S POETRY

That this House recognises that this year marks the 190th anniversary of the publication of John Clare's first volume of poems; notes that the dispute over the copyright issues relating to John Clare's published and unpublished work still restricts access to the full extent of Clare's genius; and ca

BETTING SHOPS IN DEPRIVED INNER-CITY LONDON BOROUGHS

That this House condemns the proliferation of betting shops in inner city London boroughs; notes that deprived boroughs such as Hackney, Islington, Haringey and Tottenham have disproportionately high numbers of such establishments; further notes that the gambling industry is targeting these deprived

BANK HOLIDAYS AND ST GEORGE'S DAY

at end add `and further supports a bank holiday in Wessex on 26 October, or the nearest Friday to that date, being the anniversary of the death of King Alfred.'.

ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT ON AIR QUALITY

That this House congratulates the Environmental Audit Committee on its report making clear the deadly and costly effect of air pollution; notes its headline point that more could be done to prevent the deaths of up to 50,000 people each year and that in pollution hotspots vulnerable residents such a

CASK ALE WEEK 2010

That this House welcomes the second annual National Cask Ale Week, 29 March to 5 April 2010; also welcomes the opportunity for brewers and pubs alike to remind the British public why cask ale is the UK's national drink; congratulates the success that the cask ale industry has enjoyed in the last 12

PEDALS AND BEER PUMPS TOUR

That this House is alarmed at the rate of pub closures around the country; applauds the former Beautiful South and Housemartins front man Paul Heaton in his efforts to highlight the plight of British pubs and to promote cycling; and wishes him luck on his Pedals and Beer Pumps tour which will see hi

COMMERCIAL WHALING BAN

That this House deplores the prospect of the international moratorium on commercial whaling being nullified by so-called compromise proposals being drafted for the International Whaling Commission (IWC) Conference in Agadir, Morocco in June 2010; notes with alarm that under the guise of reductions i

CHAIR OF PALAEOGRAPHY AT KING'S COLLEGE LONDON

That this House notes the proposal by the Executive of Kings College London as part of its budget review process to abolish the Chair of Palaeography, the only one of its kind in the United Kingdom; further notes the fundamental importance of palaeography to a broad and interdisciplinary scholarly c

USE OF LOCAL POLICE TO REPLACE STRIKING PUBLIC AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES UNION SECURITY STAFF

That this House deplores the decision of the House authorities to draft in regular police to replace striking Public and Commercial Services Union security officers on 8,9 and 24 March 2010; notes that the police presence was far higher than on other days; regrets that hon. Members were not consulte

EXTENSION OF THE TENANCY DEPOSIT SCHEME CAMPAIGN

That this House welcomes the Government's announcement recommending that the threshold for the Tenancy Deposit Scheme be raised from the £25,000 to £100,000 which will ensure that many more people, including thousands of students, will be protected from rogue landlords wrongly withholding deposits;

BIRMINGHAM AND THE UK'S CAPITAL OF CULTURE

That this House notes that Birmingham - city of Tolkien and Sir Simon Rattle, the Birmingham Royal Ballet and UB40 - is and always has been a great city of culture; and believes that it should be recognised as such when the UK's first official City of Culture is announced later this year.

BUSINESS RATE WRITE-OFFS AND NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME COUNCIL

That this House is dismayed at the conduct of the Conservative-led cabinet of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council in again writing-off, behind closed doors, business rates owed by companies connected to former Councillor Peter Whieldon; believes it has again failed to show leadership by not making

ELECTRONIC IDENTIFICATION OF SHEEP AND GOATS

That this House welcomes the call made by the European Parliament's Agricultural Committee for an amnesty of three years on cross-compliance penalties relating to electronic identification of sheep and goats; notes that the committee made this call because this is a new and complex technology which

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT AND THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL

That this House notes the forthcoming meeting of the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in May 2010 in Kampala to reach an international agreement on the definition of the crime of aggression and the jurisdiction of the ICC over this crime; further notes the divisio

DR ASHOK KUMAR MP

That this House mourns with great sadness the untimely passing of Dr Ashok Kumar, Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, and formerly Langbaurgh; acknowledges the immensely high regard in which he was held in his beloved constituency and in both Houses of Parliament, across

FIRST EU-MOROCCO SUMMIT 7 MARCH 2010

at end add `but believes that before any progress is made the occupation of the Western Sahara should end, the Saharwi people should be allowed to determine their own future, and Morocco and the EU should cease exploiting Western Saharan fish and minerals.'.

BAN ON SMOKING IN PUBLIC PLACES

That this House notes that the legislation prohibiting smoking in public places has now been in operation for over two-and-a-half years; and calls on the Government to review this legislation, both in terms of its effect on health improvement and its economic impact on public houses and working men'

WHALING

That this House notes that the whaling moratorium was introduced in 1986 in order to combat the fact that many populations of the great whales had been drastically reduced by over-hunting, and that whaling itself, based on the firing of explosive harpoons into large and intelligent animals, was crue

PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION COUNT IN HARROGATE AND KNARESBOROUGH

That this House supports the principle that the counting of votes following the 2010 general election should take place immediately after the close of polls, recognising that in some remote areas the commencement of the count may be delayed for several hours; is disappointed that in Harrogate and Kn

DEPOSITING OF PAPERS WITH THE EUROPEAN SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

That this House is concerned at the delay by the Government in depositing relevant papers with the European Scrutiny Committee; believes that following the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, the role of this House in national democracy and scrutiny is paramount; and calls on the next Government