Parliamentary interventions in October and November
November 30, 2009
The report of parliamentary interventions for October and November includes details of EDM on the Whittington Hospital, written parliamentary questions (WPQs) and interventions in the debates on Nuclear Non Proliferation, Arms Export Control and Sri Lanka. The WPQs are on Iraqi asylum seekers, Ehud Barak’s visit to the UK, the Freedom Pass, the Channel project and the Prevent agenda, aid to Syria, Sri Lankan Tamils, tenants’ rights, housing in Islington, the Office of the Public Guardian, rail transport, postal workers and Iran’s Nuclear Programme.
EDM 2256: Trade union rights in Saudi Arabia
November 9, 2009
That this House believes it a fundamental human right to be able to form independent trade unions; is concerned that Yahya Al Faifi was an active trade unionist in Saudi Arabia and due to threats made against him left and came to the United Kingdom; and calls on the UK to express its concerns at human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia and not to allow any deportations to take place of those who have been active as trade unionists and thus face persecution.
EDM 1764: Democracy in Honduras
July 31, 2009
That this House deplores the military action that has been taken in Honduras to remove the democratically-elected government; believes that only the Honduran people have the right to determine their government through a democratic process and that this action against democracy should be condemned throughout the world; and therefore calls for the immediate reinstatement of the democratically-elected government in Honduras.
EDM 1970: Sanctions against Sri Lanka
July 21, 2009
That this House welcomes the work of Act Now and the British Tamil Forces in hosting a meeting in the House of Commons on 21 July 2009; notes the continual suffering of the Tamil people in camps and reports of depopulation of the east of the country; further welcomes the proposals of the meeting calling for the suspension of Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth in view of the human rights violations; calls on the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to refuse development aid and loans; further calls on British-based and owned banks not to engage in activity with the government of Sri Lanka; and further calls upon the Government to take all possible diplomatic action to isolate the government of Sri Lanka in view of its abuse of human rights.
EDM 1949: Chagos Islands
July 20, 2009
That this House notes that the Government has requested a further postponement in responding to the European Court of Human Rights’ request for its views on the Government’s position concerning a friendly settlement on the return of the Chagos Islanders to their homeland; further notes that it is essential that the Government upholds the highest standard of human rights; and accordingly asks the Government to consult with relevant parliamentarians before submitting its response.
EDM 1774A1: UK European Commissioner
July 8, 2009
EDM 2305: Manual Scavengers Movement
June 8, 2009
That this House notes with immense concern that some 1.3 million Dalits, formerly called untouchables, in India, mostly women, are still employed as manual scavengers, a job which consists of removing human excrement from dry toilets and sewers using basic tools such as flimsy thin boards, not even shovels, and baskets, despite this inhumane practice being abolished by law in 1993; welcomes the initiative of Safai Karmachari Andolan, the Manual Scavengers Movement, and the Dalit Solidarity Network (UK) to work together to try to eradicate manual scavenging in the whole of India by the start of the Delhi Commonwealth Games in October 2010; and calls on the Department for International Development to assist the Indian government to implement its own legislation and re-training programmes and to end, once and for all, the inhumane and dangerous practice of manual scavenging.
EDM 1598: United States Nuclear Non-Proliferation Policy and the United Kingdom
June 4, 2009
That this House warmly welcomes the statement on 5 May 2009 on behalf of the US administration by Rose Gottemoeller, Assistant Secretary at the US State Department’s Bureau of Verification, Compliance, and Implementation and Head of the US Delegation to the Preparatory Committee of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference held at the UN Headquarters in May 2009; additionally welcomes President Obama’s personal statement in support of progressive non-proliferation measures conveyed to the Preparatory Committee, particularly his statement that `we must define ourselves not by our differences, but by our readiness to pursue dialogue and hard work to ensure the NPT continues to make an enduring contribution to international peace and security’; notes that President Obama has stressed that the US prioritises the agreement on a new treaty that verifiably ends production of fissile materials intended for use in nuclear weapons, called a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty; believes that existing so-called civil stockpiles of plutonium, including the 108,000 kilogrammes at Sellafield, must be covered by such a treaty; further welcomes the US administration’s call that nuclear weapons states outside the NPT be brought inside the Treaty with, in Ms Gottemoeller’s words, “universal adherence to the NPT itself - including by India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea - a fundamental objective of the United States”; and calls on the Government to work in partnership with the US administration to achieve a secure world without nuclear weapons.
EDM 446: Barking to Gospel Oak electrification
January 14, 2009
That this House recognises that the Barking to Gospel Oak line is a very valuable part of the rail network; notes that it is the only section of the North London line without electrification; believes that to become an even more effective part of the passenger and freight network it should be electrified; and calls upon the Secretary of State to support this development and to open negotiations with Network Rail and Transport for London to achieve it.
EDM 393: Al Jazeera
January 12, 2009
