[{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"44092","proposer":"10162","edm":"2984","session":"2010-12","title":"Freedom Of Speech For  Hon. Members","text":"That this House, noting the deeply disturbing use of the ancient offence of `scandalising a judge', considered obsolete since the end of the nineteenth century, by the Northern Ireland Attorney General against the former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland the right hon. Member for Neath and Biteback Publishing, over a passage in his memoir describing an episode in 2005-06 leading up to the historic 2007 political settlement, calls on the Northern Ireland Attorney General to end this serious attack on free speech by withdrawing the proceedings for contempt; further asserts the fundamental right of hon. Members to express their views responsibly without fear of judicial censorship; and invites Mr Speaker to consider what action the House might take to defend its rights against such attacks.","date":"2012-04-19","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"44006","proposer":"10203","edm":"2901","session":"2010-12","title":"Parliamentary Answer Of The Parliamentary Under-Secretary Of State For Justice","text":"That this House believes that the answer given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice, the hon. Member for Reigate, to the hon. Member for Newport West of 14 March 2012, Official Report, columns 295-7W, on drugs: illegal, sets a new low standard in evasiveness and vacuity; and calls on the Minister to alter his usual conduct and read hon. Members' questions before attempting to answer them.","date":"2012-03-20","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"43991","proposer":"11174","edm":"2886","session":"2010-12","title":"Regional Pay For Hon. Members","text":"That this House, while recognising that some regions of high unemployment are overly dependent on the public sector, struggles to understand how paying public servants less in those regions will fuel demand in those regions, help to attract the best talent to public service in those areas or reward fairly comparable effort; but believes that those hon. Members persuaded of the dubious theory that public sector remuneration crowds out private investment should draw the logical conclusion and lobby forthwith for lower pay for those representing constituencies in such regions.","date":"2012-03-19","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"43973","proposer":"11672","edm":"2869","session":"2010-12","title":"50th Anniversary Of The 1962 Orpington By-Election","text":"That this House commemorates the 50th anniversary of the historic 1962 Orpington by-election; celebrates the victory of Eric Lubbock, now Lord Avebury; notes and celebrates the significant increases in vote shares of the Liberal Party in another five parliamentary by-elections, Middlesbrough East, Blackpool North, Stockton-on-Tees, South Dorset and Chippenham, in the same year; further notes that the sensational victory in Orpington and the other good results were part of and key to the revival of the Liberal Party and liberal politics in the UK; and praises the hard work of all the Liberal candidates, agents, helpers and supporters in all the parliamentary by-elections that took place between March and November 1962 that helped revive the Liberal Party and changed British political history.","date":"2012-03-14","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"43605","proposer":"24966","edm":"2510","session":"2010-12","title":"Proposed Commons Twitter Hashtag","text":"That this House notes that it is important to keep up with modern communication techniques; further notes that hon. Members are now allowed to tweet from the Chamber; believes that it would help the public engage with politicians if all such tweets were drawn together with a hashtag; further believes that it is vital to come up with a common hashtag that all hon. Members use; and calls on all hon. Members to start putting #commons into their tweets.","date":"2011-12-05","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"43555","proposer":"11093","edm":"2463","session":"2010-12","title":"Ministerial Responsibilities","text":"That this House believes Ministers who cannot control their Departments should not run Government Departments; further believes that Ministers have ultimate responsibility for their Departments and should not seek scapegoats from the Civil Service; notes that there is a long tradition of Ministers who fail doing the honourable thing and stepping down; and calls on all the Ministers who fail in this Government to be honourable and step down.","date":"2011-11-22","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"43521","proposer":"10288","edm":"2430","session":"2010-12","title":"Actions Of Basildon Council In Respect Of Richard Howitt Mep","text":"That this House notes with concern the forcible removal of East of England MEP, Richard Howitt, from the official media area of Dale Farm by officials of Basildon Council during the eviction of Travellers; further notes that this followed Mr Howitt commenting critically on some of the actions of Basildon Council; believes this was an attempt to prevent Mr Howitt from making public comments on Basildon Council's actions and thus constraining his freedom of speech; calls on Basildon Council to apologise formally to Mr Howitt for acting in this way and apparently seeking to prevent free speech by an elected representative; and further calls on Basildon Council to ensure that elected representatives are not in future prevented from expressing to the news media legitimately-held opinions on local, national and international affairs in areas for which they are responsible.","date":"2011-11-14","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"43444","proposer":"10780","edm":"2356","session":"2010-12","title":"Contact Between Hon. Members And Their Constituents","text":"That this House recognises the importance of events such as Parliament Week; acknowledges movesamong some hon. Members to engage which members of the public via social networking sites; and accepts that face-to-face contact with constituents all the time, not just at election time, is one of the best ways to keep in touch with the issue that voters are affected by, and that this constant contact does much to combat the perception of a Westminster bubble which many people believe epitomises the detached nature of politics and politicians in the UK in the 21st century.","date":"2011-11-01","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"43381","proposer":"10143","edm":"2293","session":"2010-12","title":"Financial Interests Of Hon. Members","text":"That this House notes that on 2 May1695 the House of Commons resolved that `the Offer of any Money, or other Advantage, to any Member of Parliament, for the promoting of any Matter whatsoever, depending, or to be transacted, in Parliament, is a high Crime and Misdemeanour and tends to the Subversion of the English Constitution'; further notes that this motion was perhaps the most decisive ruling ever made by the House of Commons on the financial interests of its Members; and believes the principles set out in this motion should be followed as part of forthcoming action on registering interests in order to restore faith in the democratic process.","date":"2011-10-20","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"43382","proposer":"11093","edm":"2294","session":"2010-12","title":"Parliamentary Questions","text":"That this House notes the Procedure Committee's recommendations to limit hon. Membersto e-table only five written Parliamentary Questions a day; and believes that this is an affront to democracy that will limit scrutiny of the executive by Parliament.","date":"2011-10-20","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"43141","proposer":"10327","edm":"2070","session":"2010-12","title":"The Prime Minister And Letters From Hon. And Right Hon. Members","text":"That this House notes that previous Prime Ministers, including Edward Heath, Margaret Thatcher and John Major, were meticulous in replying personally to letters from hon. and right hon. Members; and further notes the present Prime Minister does not.","date":"2011-07-12","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"42857","proposer":"10327","edm":"1795","session":"2010-12","title":"Letters From 10 Downing Street","text":"That this House notes that letters from hon. Members to the Prime Minister are replied to on 10 Downing Street headed paper over the name and purported handwritten signature of Mrs E Adams; further notes that it has been stated by the head of the 10 Downing Street Direct Communications Unit to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton that the name Mrs E Adams is computer-generated and that no such person exists and that the signature is therefore bogus; wonders whether the Prime Minister is aware of this practice and has sanctioned it; and, if he is not and has not, calls on him to put a stop to it forthwith.","date":"2011-05-11","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"42859","proposer":"10388","edm":"1797","session":"2010-12","title":"Radar's Mp Disability Dialogue Campaign","text":"That this House recognises the importance of engaging with disabled people and increasing diversity in political life; notes that in 2010 a poll showed 88 per cent. of disabled people felt that their voices were not heard by elected representatives; further notes that only 32 per cent. of people with learning disabilities voted; regrets that this House has so few hon. Members with a declared disability; welcomes Radar's MP Disability Dialogue which aims to encourage disabled people and local disability organisations to engage in the democratic process and feel more confident about meeting their MPs and to give hon. Members of all parties increased confidence to communicate with and represent their disabled constituents effectively; and therefore calls on all hon. Members to participate in the Dialogue which starts on 12 May 2011 and runs until the end of June 2011.","date":"2011-05-11","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"42828","proposer":"11971","edm":"1768","session":"2010-12","title":"Report Of The Speaker's Conference","text":"That this House notes paragraphs 287 and 288 of the report of the Speaker's Conference on Parliamentary Representation about the challenges faced by hon. members who are parents of young babies; agrees with recommendation 55 that the House service should review the circumstances in which a child under the age of one may accompany his or her hon. Member parent within restricted areas of the House of Commons; expresses concern that the combination of House sitting hours and the usual hours of childcare provision means babies have been left in whips' offices during late night votes; recognises that allowing children under the age of one to accompany their hon. Member parent into the voting lobby would solve a genuine problem; and invites the Speaker to issue guidelines to that effect.","date":"2011-04-28","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"42801","proposer":"10645","edm":"1745","session":"2010-12","title":"Members Of Parliament, 1979-2010","text":"That this House congratulates the Library on the publication, Members of Parliament, 1979-2010; considers that the biographic details are not only of considerable interest currently, but will be an important source of information for those studying Parliament in the future; and recognises the immense amount of work involved in compiling this record of all those who have served in the House over thirty-one years.","date":"2011-04-26","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"42651","proposer":"24848","edm":"1603","session":"2010-12","title":"Dr Ashok Kumar","text":"That this House remembers with great respect the memory of the late Dr Ashok Kumar, formerly the Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland; notes that 15 March 2011 was the first anniversary of his untimely passing; recalls his unflinching devotion to his constituents and the North East Region as a whole; remembers him as a man motivated by a strong sense of duty and public service, who continues to be missed in Parliament and throughout Teesside; fondly remembers the warmth he radiated to those he met; notes his achievements in breaking down barriers and prejudices in being the first Asian man to be elected in a predominantly white constituency; recognises his great academic and vocational achievements in science and engineering; further recognises his commitment to fighting to secure a future for steelmaking on Teesside; further notes with sadness that he did not live to see the recent announcement that Teesside Cast Products has been saved; and wishes his family and those who knew him wellbest wishes.","date":"2011-03-15","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"42659","proposer":"11420","edm":"1564A1","session":"2010-12","title":"Private Members' Bills","text":"leave out `Government' and insert `Procedure Committee'.","date":"2011-03-15","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"42610","proposer":"11672","edm":"1564","session":"2010-12","title":"Private Members' Bills","text":"That this House expresses concern that Private Members' Bills are presented to the House on Fridays; notes that Friday is the day commonly used by hon. Members to visit their constituencies; notes the importance for hon. Members to have a day in their constituency to hold surgeries and attend local events; is concerned that Private Members' Bills have often been unable to reach Committee Stage because less than 100 hon. Members were in attendance; notes that this was the case for the Sustainable Livestock Bill on 12 November 2010, where only 62 hon. Members were able to attend, despite 176 having stated their support for the Bill; and calls upon the Government to examine the protocols for the Second Reading of Private Members' Bills, which unfairly discriminate againsthon. Memberswho are active in their constituencies and thus hinder the passage of Private Members' Bills.","date":"2011-03-09","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"42459","proposer":"11420","edm":"1430","session":"2010-12","title":"Nusrat And Maserat Parveen","text":"That the matter of Nusrat and Maserat Parveen be referred to the Committee on Standards and Privileges.","date":"2011-02-09","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"42460","proposer":"11420","edm":"1431","session":"2010-12","title":"Andrew France (No. 2)","text":"Thatthe matter of Andrew France be referred to the Committee on Standards and Privileges.","date":"2011-02-09","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"42358","proposer":"24966","edm":"1339","session":"2010-12","title":"Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority Phone Line","text":"That this House notes that the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) is charged with paying and monitoring hon. Members' expenses; further notes that recent Freedom of Information requests show that hon. Members and their staff spent 70 working days on the telephone to IPSA's Helpline,calling from the Parliamentary Estate, in only the first six months of this Parliament; deplores that this telephone line is now open only four hours a day; and demands that IPSA reopens this telephone line so that those suffering problems are able to resolve them.","date":"2011-01-25","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"42268","proposer":"24911","edm":"1253","session":"2010-12","title":"Recall Of Elected Representatives","text":"That this House welcomes the Coalition Agreement commitment to introduce a power of recall for constituents to recall their hon.Members; expresses its disappointment that a recall vote will only happen if the Committee on Standards and Privileges deems an hon. Member guilty of serious wrongdoing; further expresses its disappointment that the Government has no plans to introduce a power for electors to recall members of the London Assembly, local councillors or Members of the European Parliament; further welcomes instead the provisions of the Recall of Elected Representatives Bill that would permit voters to recall their elected representatives if a majority has lost confidence in them, for whatever reason, and if enough voters sign a petition to trigger a recall vote; and urges the Government to incorporate these provisions as part of its legislative programme to put power in the hands of communities and individuals.","date":"2011-01-11","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"42152","proposer":"10009","edm":"1144","session":"2010-12","title":"Rt Hon. Ann Widdecombe And Anton Du Beke (Strictly Come Dancing)","text":"That this House salutes Ann Widdecombe and Anton Du Beke on their achievement in putting a smile on the nation's faces with their performances on Strictly Come Dancing; thanks Ann Widdecombe for representing hon. Members past and present who find dancing a challenge; and congratulates Anton Du Beke on his brilliant choreography.","date":"2010-12-06","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"42118","proposer":"11199","edm":"1081A1","session":"2010-12","title":"Representation Of Women In Political Life","text":"after `House', insert `, one of whom was Margaret Thatcher, the country's first woman Prime Minister and longest serving of the twentieth century.'.","date":"2010-11-30","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"42071","proposer":"11971","edm":"1081","session":"2010-12","title":"Representation Of Women In Political Life","text":"That this House notes that 25 November 2010 is the 30th anniversary of the first public meeting of the 300 Group, which campaigned for more women hon. Members; recalls that at that time there were only 19 female hon. Members in this House; further notes that 30 years later still only one in five hon. Members are women; recognises the importance of equal representation; and urges hon. Members, political parties, the Government and the media to promote and encourage more women to enter political life.","date":"2010-11-23","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"42013","proposer":"24784","edm":"1024","session":"2010-12","title":"Voter Recall And The Removal Of Hon. Members","text":"That this House believes that the provisions of the Representation ofthe People Act 1983 relating to the removal of democratically-elected Members of Parliament should be repealed;considers that there should instead be a system of voter recall which would ensure that if an hon. Member were judged to have committedwrongdoing, their constituents should be able to petition to force a by-election, with a minimum threshold of 10 per cent. of the electorate and that voter recall would only occur if an hon. Member had committed an offence, rather than because of policy differences; congratulates the new Government on its promise of early legislation to create voter recall; and urges it to present a draft Bill to the House.","date":"2010-11-17","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"41824","proposer":"24910","edm":"845","session":"2010-12","title":"Nursery On The Parliamentary Estate","text":"That this House welcomes the provision of an on-site nursery on the Parliamentary Estate but regrets the regressive decision of IPSA to remove the salary supplement for new hon. Members' staff of 8 per day towards the cost of childcare for each child under school age; further notes that the removal of this subsidy for new hon. Members' staff puts the cost of the new nursery beyond the reach of most hon. Members' staff; believes that the cost of a salary supplement scheme should come from a central budget rather than the staffing budget to avoid making it more expensive for hon. Members to employ someone with children; and urges IPSA to reinstate the childcare salary supplement for all hon. Members' staff.","date":"2010-10-18","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"41723","proposer":"11420","edm":"763","session":"2010-12","title":"Andrew France","text":"That this House notes that Andrew France, a constituent in Birmingham, Yardley, was told that Birmingham City Council would take action against him unless he agreed to stop talking about his case to his hon. Member; believes that the actions of the authorities in threatening action against a constituent for talking to his hon. Memberwere wrong; and calls on them to apologise.","date":"2010-09-16","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"41704","proposer":"11374","edm":"744","session":"2010-12","title":"Parliamentary Oath And Expenses","text":"That this House opposes any changes to theParliamentary Oaths Act 1866; is disappointed that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has invited Sinn Fein to make its own suggestion for an oath; believes that it is wrong for the Government to attempt to change the oath that hon. and right hon. Members make in order to appease those who refuse to take up their seats; further believes that the previous Government was wrong to allow expenses to be claimed by those who do not take up their seats; and calls on the Prime Minister to follow through on his pledge to re-examine the rules which allow payments to be made to abstentionists.","date":"2010-09-15","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"41595","proposer":"11199","edm":"638","session":"2010-12","title":"Twentieth Anniversary Of The Murder Of Ian Gow Mp","text":"That this House recalls with deep sorrow, this week 20 years ago, the cowardly murder of Ian Gow, the then hon. Member for Eastbourne, a former Minister of The Crown and Parliamentary Private Secretary to the then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, when, in the early hours of 30 July 1990, a device planted by the Provisional IRA exploded beneath his car at the family home in Hankham, East Sussex, cruelly depriving the House of Commons of a man of integrity and one of its most principled, caring and generous parliamentarians, and the United Kingdom of a genuinely courageous politician, who was fearless in his defence of the nation; and resolves this day, to honour the memory of Ian Gow and to strive to uphold the love of country that this truly honourable Member dedicated his life to serving.","date":"2010-07-26","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"41526","proposer":"24825","edm":"569","session":"2010-12","title":"Employment Terms For Hon. Members' Staff Under The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority","text":"That this House notes with grave concern the reduced employment terms and conditions for staff of hon. Members under the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) expenses scheme; recognises the real terms reduction in hon. Members' staffing budgets and urges IPSA to raise the staffing limit for hon. Membersin the forthcoming review; further notes that redundancy rights have been reduced to a statutory basis, removing discretion to reward loyalty; further notes that hon. Members are also prevented from rewarding good performance through bonus payments to staff; urges IPSA to work towards the creation of a human resources department; further urges IPSA to reconsider the decision no longer to deduct trade union subscriptions at payroll; calls on IPSA to amend the expenses scheme so that payments related to maternity leave and cover can be made from a separate budget and not treated as contingencies; further recognises that in practice many Parliamentary internships qualify for the national minimum wage and further urges IPSA to create an interns fund to pay them fairly; further recognises that public anger at the previous expenses scheme was not due to staff costs and therefore opposes any arbitrary publication of staff salary details; and further urges IPSA to work alongside the Unite Parliamentary Staff Branch and other staff associations to resolve these issues.","date":"2010-07-20","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"41345","proposer":"11420","edm":"404","session":"2010-12","title":"Mr Andrew France","text":"That this House notes that the court order of 31 March 2010 acts to prevent Mr Andrew France from communicating with his Member of Parliament.","date":"2010-07-06","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"41182","proposer":"24910","edm":"259","session":"2010-12","title":"Back Bench Business On Wednesdays","text":"That this House welcomes the recommendation of the House of Commons Reform Committee chaired by the former hon. Member for Cannock Chase in its First Report of 2008-09 Rebuilding the House, HC 1117 that `we would like backbench business to be scheduled on Wednesdays'; notes the words of the former Prime Minister on 26 May 2009 in his Fixing Broken Politics speech that `it's time to strengthen Parliament' and of the Deputy Prime Minister in his New Politics speech on 19 May 2010 that `Parliament's power will also be strengthened as we bring forward the proposals of the Wright Committee'; and calls on the Government to bring forward proposals to change the Standing Orders of the House in order to implement the recommendation immediately.","date":"2010-06-16","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"41153","proposer":"11892","edm":"229","session":"2010-12","title":"Hon. Members Who Do Not Take Their Seats","text":"That this House believes that hon. Members who refuse to take their seats fail to give proper representation to their constituents in that they deliberately absent themselves from debates on the Budget, on the Queen's Speech, on benefits, on foreign policy, on immigration, on the economy, on levels of taxation, on defence and on any decision to take the United Kingdom to war; and in consequence further believes that no parliamentary allowances should be paid to them.","date":"2010-06-15","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"41064","proposer":"10534","edm":"145","session":"2010-12","title":"Ipsa Policy On Hon. Members With Families","text":"That this House deplores the manner in which the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority appears to be targeting hon. Members with family responsibilities; and is further concerned that without consultation it has introduced changes in travel and accommodation arrangements that penalise hon. Members and their families.","date":"2010-06-03","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"41054","proposer":"10534","edm":"138","session":"2010-12","title":"Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority","text":"That this House is most concerned that the cumulative effects of some of the recommendations of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority will lead to a narrowing of the recruitment base from which hon. Members are drawn; furthermore has anxieties that these proposals will deter excellent candidates from less affluent backgrounds, as well as female candidates and those from constituencies at a considerable distance from London; and calls on the Authority to reconsider proposals that could lead to Parliament becoming once again a metropolitan, rich persons' club which excludes men and women from a diverse range of backgrounds.","date":"2010-06-02","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40907","proposer":"10534","edm":"1245","session":"2009-10","title":"Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority","text":"That this House is most concerned that the cumulative effects of some of the recommendations of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority will lead to a narrowing of the recruitment base from which hon. Members are drawn; furthermore has anxieties that these proposals will deter excellent candidates from less affluent backgrounds, as well as female candidates and those from constituencies at a considerable distance from London; and calls on the Authority to reconsider proposals that could lead to Parliament becoming once again a metropolitan, rich persons' club which excludes men and women from a diverse range of backgrounds.","date":"2010-04-07","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40832","proposer":"10295","edm":"1186","session":"2009-10","title":"Dr Ashok Kumar Mp","text":"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 both in his beloved constituency and in both Houses of Parliament and across political divides; recognises the warmth he radiated to all he met; remembers the modesty he exhibited despite his formidable and highly impressive scientific record in both industry and academia; holds in awe his unsurpassed credentials in local campaigning; and notes that hon. Members and constituents will remember Ashok as a man of honour and integrity, and as someone motivated solely by a strong sense of duty and public service, who will be missed on the Commons benches but never forgotten.","date":"2010-03-24","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40777","proposer":"10436","edm":"1135","session":"2009-10","title":"Confidence In Parliament And Parliamentarians","text":"That this House, recognising the vital importance of hon. Members in protecting and supporting constituents, defending and advancing constituencies, serving their parties and controlling the executive and considering that the great majority of hon. Members work hard and face considerable strain for pay lower than most comparable occupations, and further seeing that the standing of Parliament and its members has been deeply damaged by the clamorous campaign whipped up by sections of the media who want to arrogate to themselves Parliament's job of controlling the executive, leading the political debate and articulating the grievances of the people and further recognising that this campaign has been facilitated by the failures of the Fees Office, the ineptness of the Kelly and Legg reviews and the failure of party leaders to defend and sustain their rank and file members, urges hon. Members, as this Parliament draws to a close, not to be cast down by the populist clamour and the lack of respect that this maelstrom of misunderstanding which this has led to, but urges them to bear the slings and arrows of outrageous politics with magnanimity in order to maintain confidence in their work and value, and to go forth with confidence wherever their destiny now calls them whether to a happy retirement, a new and less stressful job, or to renew their bonds with their constituents in the coming election, congratulates them all on the sterling but insufficiently appreciated good service they have performed in this Parliament, and wishes them hail and farewell.","date":"2010-03-18","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40731","proposer":"10177","edm":"1096","session":"2009-10","title":"Conduct Of The Hon. Member For Christchurch","text":"That this House regrets the actions taken by the hon. Member for Christchurch in objecting to further proceedings on the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 (Amendment) Bill; notes that a majority of hon. Members, the Government, the Official Opposition and the Liberal Democrats have declared support for the Bill; and calls on the hon. Member to withdraw his opposition to the Bill.","date":"2010-03-16","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40686","proposer":"10193","edm":"1054","session":"2009-10","title":"Correction By The Right Hon Member For Normanton","text":"That this House notes that following remarks made by the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, the right hon. Member for Normanton in Oral Questions in the House on 8 March 2010, Official Report, column 6, where he contested figures provided by the hon. Member for Surrey Heath, concerning the number of students entitled to free school meals being admitted to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, the right hon. Member in a letter dated 9 March 2010 to the hon. Member now says that `following our exchange in the House yesterday I have had an opportunity to look in detail at the figures you quoted and I can confirm that they are, on this occasion, correct'.","date":"2010-03-10","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40671","proposer":"10057","edm":"1043","session":"2009-10","title":"Hon. Members' Pay (No. 2)","text":"That this House believes the pay for hon. Members should be set to change only after a general election.","date":"2010-03-09","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40682","proposer":"11420","edm":"874A1","session":"2009-10","title":"Ugandan Mp David Bahati And Homosexuality","text":"leave out from `individual;' to `and further calls' in line 7, and insert `supports the actions of the leadership of the UK Scout Association in raising concerns about Mr Bahati's conduct through the World Organisation of the Scout Movement; believes that Mr Bahati's conduct is discriminatory, incompatible with and contrary to the values and belief in the sanctity of life held by the Scouting Movement worldwide;'.","date":"2010-03-09","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40655","proposer":"10367","edm":"1029","session":"2009-10","title":"Michael Foot (No. 2)","text":"That this House notes with sadness the passing of Michael Foot, the former hon. Member for Plymouth, Devonport and right hon. Member for Ebbw Vale and Blaenau Gwent; regards him as one of the outstanding parliamentarians of his era; and calls on the House authorities to find a way to recognise the enormous contribution of this extraordinary parliamentarian.","date":"2010-03-08","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40665","proposer":"11275","edm":"1039","session":"2009-10","title":"Members' Pay","text":"That this House believes now is the wrong time for hon. Members to accept any pay increase and that future decisions about the level of hon. Members' pay should await resolution of the expenses crisis.","date":"2010-03-08","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40622","proposer":"13735","edm":"1000","session":"2009-10","title":"Michael Foot's Political Leadership","text":"That this House remembers with fondness and admiration the life, political leadership, authorship, trades unionism, journalism and unrivalled oratory of Michael Foot as one of the world's greatest socialists; fully supports his lifelong backing of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the necessity of a world without nuclear weapons; recalls that Michael Foot was proud to call himself an inveterate peacemonger; further recalls the sense set out in the Labour Party Manifesto for the 1983 General Election that was prescient and before its time in calling for the nationalisation of the banks; believes, had this sensible strategy by the then hon. Member for Ebbw Vale been supported, then the current economic crisis, arising from reckless and selfish behaviour of senior bankers, could have been avoided; further believes Michael Foot was a great internationalist and fighter for justice for the poor and dispossessed; and further believes that this nation would have been much better served if Michael Foot had led this country from 1983.","date":"2010-03-03","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40627","proposer":"13735","edm":"1005","session":"2009-10","title":"Non-Domiciled Taxpayers And Parliament","text":"That this House believes that citizens who choose to have non-domiciled status, and thus avoid paying tax on income earned outside the United Kingdom, should be debarred from being a Member of either House of Parliament.","date":"2010-03-03","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40592","proposer":"11915","edm":"972","session":"2009-10","title":"Conduct Of The Right Hon. Member For Exeter","text":"That this House notes the response of the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the right hon. Member for Exeter, to the hon. Member for Wellingborough at oral questions on 1 March 2010, Official Report, column 651; considers the imputation on the hon. Member's character and motives to be wholly unwarranted; and calls on the right hon. Member to substantiate his remarks or to withdraw them and apologise forthwith.","date":"2010-03-02","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40603","proposer":"11719","edm":"983","session":"2009-10","title":"Use Of Public Transport By Public Servants","text":"That this House notes with interest the comments made by Sir Trevor Phillips in The Sunday Times on 28 February 2010 regarding first class rail travel by hon. Members; suggests that Sir Trevor leads by example by dispensing with the services of his publicly-funded chauffeur-driven car, and ending his use of taxis to navigate London; and looks forward to being able to greet Sir Trevor on buses and underground trains which are widely used by members of the public and hon. Members who do not occupy senior roles in Government quangos.","date":"2010-03-02","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40606","proposer":"10487","edm":"986","session":"2009-10","title":"Declaration Of Domicile Of Choice","text":"That this House believes that all non-domiciled Members of either House should declare in the registers of Members' interests and Lords' interests their domicile of choice.","date":"2010-03-02","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40584","proposer":"10203","edm":"964","session":"2009-10","title":"Mail On Sunday Apology","text":"That this House welcomes the apology of the Editor of the Mail on Sunday Review for printing on 21 February 2010 a gratuitous insult to hon. Members which falsely purported to be the view of the hon. Member for Newport West in the book, The Unusual Suspect; and regrets his refusal to publish the entirely truthful praise contained in the same book of the integrity and hard work of many hon. Members.","date":"2010-03-01","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40432","proposer":"10383","edm":"832","session":"2009-10","title":"Albert Edward Booth","text":"That this House mourns the passing of Albert Edward Booth, former Labour Member of Parliament for Barrow-in-Furness and Secretary of State for Employment from 1976 to 1979; pays tribute to his outstanding lifetime contribution to the British labour and trades union movement, as a principled and hardworking socialist; and sends messages of solidarity and condolences to his friends and family at this difficult time.","date":"2010-02-09","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40439","proposer":"11245","edm":"839","session":"2009-10","title":"Value For Money And The Sunday Telegraph","text":"That this House welcomes the Sunday Telegraph's initiative of publishing a listing of hon. Members' value for taxpayers' money; believes that it is just as important for the public to know what work hon. and right hon. Members are doing as it is for them to know what they are paid and what expenses they claim; and therefore calls on the Sunday Telegraph, in the interest of democracy and informing the public, to publish an updated value for money listing for all hon. Members prior to the election.","date":"2010-02-09","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40378","proposer":"11199","edm":"328A2","session":"2009-10","title":"90th Anniversary Of First Woman Hon. Member","text":"leave out from `Commons;' and insert, `further celebrates the 50th anniversary of the election on 8 October 1959 of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first woman Prime Minister of the United Kingdom;'.","date":"2010-02-02","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40379","proposer":"11199","edm":"328A3","session":"2009-10","title":"90th Anniversary Of First Woman Hon. Member","text":"leave out from `succeeded her as' and insert, `followed their example in becoming'.","date":"2010-02-02","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40320","proposer":"10528","edm":"729","session":"2009-10","title":"Redundancy Pay For Staff Of Hon. Members","text":"That this House is concerned by the understandable anxiety caused to staff of hon. Members by recommendation 19 of the report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life on parliamentary allowances and expenses; notes that the redundancy arrangements available to staff of hon. Members are a fraction of those available to staff employed directly by the House; and calls on the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority to meet regularly with the Unite Parliamentary Staff Branch to ensure that any implementation of the recommendation results in improved redundancy arrangements for staff of hon. Members.","date":"2010-01-27","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40246","proposer":"10198","edm":"657","session":"2009-10","title":"Rebuilding The House And Reform Of The House Of Commons","text":"That this House welcomes the report of the House of Commons Reform Committee Rebuilding the House; notes that the Committee proposed that the House should have an opportunity to debate and vote on the resolution contained in the report within two months of its publication; further notes that this period has now elapsed; and calls on the Government to provide the House with an early opportunity to take forward the recommendations of this report.","date":"2010-01-20","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40187","proposer":"10323","edm":"608","session":"2009-10","title":"Disqualification Of Hon. Members Under Section 141 Of The Mental Health Act","text":"That this House notes that, under Section 141 of the Mental Health Act 1983, an hon. Member is automatically disqualified from office if detained under the Act for six months regardless of the prospects of recovery, but that there are no similar provisions for physical illnesses, however debilitating; further notes the evidence in the July 2008 Report of the All-Party Group on Mental Health and Mental Health in Parliament, showing the impact of the stigma associated with mental illness on the willingness of hon. Members to disclose any experience of mental ill-health; believes Parliament should take a lead in combatting such stigma and that it is time to abolish the discriminatory message at the heart of British democracy, as recommended by the Speaker's Conference on Parliamentary Representations; and calls on the Government to bring forward an amendment to the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill to repeal Section 141.","date":"2010-01-13","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"40038","proposer":"10487","edm":"466","session":"2009-10","title":"Taxation Status Of Hon. Members","text":"That this House believes that Members of both Houses of Parliament should be domiciled and ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom; notes that the Government is to bring forward a draft House of Lords Bill which will include provisions to exclude peers who are non-domiciled from sitting in that Chamber; nevertheless believes that this timetable is too leisurely; notes that it deals only with the House of Lords; takes the view that the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill which has already had its second reading in the House of Commons provides a better vehicle for making an early change to the law in this respect; and calls on the Government to table its own amendments which would prevent non-domiciled persons from serving in Parliament and require existing Members of both Houses to certify that they have been resident in the UK for tax purposes in each year since 2000.","date":"2009-12-15","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39929","proposer":"10133","edm":"328A1","session":"2009-10","title":"90th Anniversary Of First Woman Hon. Member","text":"at end, add `; and also recalls that Connie Markiewicz was the first woman elected for Sinn Fein in 1918, representing Dublin Central, but that as an Irish Republican and prisoner did not take her seat.'","date":"2009-12-03","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39888","proposer":"11971","edm":"328","session":"2009-10","title":"90th Anniversary Of First Woman Hon. Member","text":"That this House celebrates the 90th anniversary on 1 December 2009 of the day that Nancy Astor became the first woman to take her seat in the House of Commons; notes that just 291 women have succeeded her as hon. Members in the House and that currently only one in five hon. Members are women; and calls on all political parties to redouble their efforts to improve the representation of women to make gender balance in Parliament a reality.","date":"2009-12-02","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39845","proposer":"10487","edm":"285","session":"2009-10","title":"Tax Status Of Hon. Members","text":"That this House believes it to be wholly inappropriate for hon. Members to have non-domiciled tax status; and calls on the Government to bring forward amendments to the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill to make non-domiciled persons ineligible for membership of the House.","date":"2009-11-30","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39735","proposer":"11621","edm":"195","session":"2009-10","title":"Parliamentary Elections (Recall And Primaries) Bill","text":"That this House is deeply concerned about the lack of public engagement in political and democratic affairs and the cynicism and distrust of the political system felt by many voters; notes that the recent Power Inquiry found that this is all too often borne out of a sense of disempowerment; believes that new measures are required to enable voters to participate more fully in the political system; welcomes the provisions of the Parliamentary Elections (Recall and Primaries) Bill proposed in the last session by a cross-party group of hon. Members that would permit voters to recall their hon. Member in certain specified circumstances and also require a returning officer to hold primary elections if requested to do so by any local political party with the support of at least 1,000 voters; further notes that the leaders of the three largest political parties have expressed support for the need for new initiatives to engage the public; and hopes that this Bill will become law expeditiously, believing that it will help restore faith in the political process.","date":"2009-11-24","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39747","proposer":"11324","edm":"207","session":"2009-10","title":"Sir Christopher Kelly's Report (No. 2)","text":"That this House calls for the implementation of all of Sir Christopher Kelly's recommendations at the earliest possible opportunity, without amendment.","date":"2009-11-24","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39766","proposer":"10780","edm":"155A1","session":"2009-10","title":"Sir Christopher Kelly's Report","text":"leave out after `to' to end and add `liaise with all political parties in Northern Ireland to establish the extent of support which exists for Democratic Unionist Party proposals to reduce the cost of ending dual mandates rather than increasing it.'.","date":"2009-11-24","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39687","proposer":"10096","edm":"148","session":"2009-10","title":"Citizens' Convention (Accountability And Ethics) Bill","text":"That this House is concerned at the current crisis of confidence regarding the political system; maintains that electors and not just politicians should be involved in initiating change; supports the provisions of the Citizens' Convention (Accountability and Ethics) Bill introduced in the last Session; believes that these provisions should be enacted expeditiously; and calls on the Government to provide sufficient additional time for any such Bill introduced in the present Session to be enacted.","date":"2009-11-23","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39694","proposer":"10785","edm":"155","session":"2009-10","title":"Sir Christopher Kelly's Report","text":"That this House welcomes the report from Sir Christopher Kelly looking into hon. Members' expenses entitled Supporting Parliament, Safeguarding the Taxpayer; recognises the wide cross-party support for Sir Christopher's recommendations; notes and agrees with recommendation 40 in the Kelly Report which states that `the practice of permitting a Westminster MP simultaneously to sit in a devolved legislature should be brought to an end'; further notes with disappointment that no mention of the report and recommendations was made in the recent Queen's Speech; and calls on the Government to bring forward primary legislation where needed and implement the Kelly Report as soon as possible.","date":"2009-11-23","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39708","proposer":"11473","edm":"172","session":"2009-10","title":"Recall Of Hon. Members Of The House Of Commons","text":"That this House believes that where an hon. Member has been duly determined seriously to have broken the rules of the House, with the result that the hon. Member has been suspended from the service of the House for a period greater than one week, or where an hon. Member has been convicted of a criminal offence that relates to his or her service in the House, the electors of the hon. Member's constituency should have the right to petition that the seat be vacated and a by-election called.","date":"2009-11-23","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39652","proposer":"13735","edm":"115","session":"2009-10","title":"Expenses And Allowances For Hon. Members","text":"That this House, while taking into account the recommendations of the report of the Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life on parliamentary allowances and expenses, believes hon. Members should be encouraged to sign over current mortgages for their second home to the parliamentary authorities on behalf of the taxpayer; further believes that new rental agreements for second homes should be arranged and managed centrally, and that rent should be paid directly to the landlord by the parliamentary authorities; further believes that all hon. Members' staff contracts should be managed centrally, but that hon. Members should be responsible for the recommendation of any staff bonuses within agreed pay bands, when exceptional work is delivered; further believes that travelcards should be available for hon. Members alone, excluding family members, and should be used only between the hon. Member's constituency and Parliament, excepting circumstances of very large constituencies, or constituencies remote from London; further believes the case has now been made that no other expenses should be paid to hon. Members, and that this would result in no necessity for claim forms, as all legitimate expenditure would thus be controlled from a central authority; considers that henceforth hon. Members' pay rises should be linked to the lowest pay rise awarded in the Civil Service; and further believes that if such new arrangements were to be in place, then it would remove the necessity for any Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority or Speaker's Committee, thus saving more taxpayers' money by not having to pay wages or fees to finance another non-departmental or parliamentary body.","date":"2009-11-19","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39608","proposer":"11221","edm":"71","session":"2009-10","title":"Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority Recognition Of Unite Parliamentary Staff Branch","text":"That this House calls on the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority to recognise the Unite Parliamentary Staff Branch for all consultation it conducts with regard to the implementation of the recommendations in the report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life on parliamentary allowances and expenses that relate to the staff of hon. Members.","date":"2009-11-18","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39512","proposer":"10008","edm":"2250","session":"2008-09","title":"Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority And Hon. Members' Pay","text":"That this House notes the appointment of Sir Ian Kennedy as Chair of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) and hopes he carries out his duties in line with natural justice, including adherence to the concepts of reasonableness and proportionality, and without retrospectivity; and further hopes that the IPSA tackles the heart of recent problems by ensuring that pay rates for hon. Members are set independently and beyond the interference of Government or Parliament.","date":"2009-11-09","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39517","proposer":"11473","edm":"2255","session":"2008-09","title":"Recall Of Hon. Members Of The House Of Commons","text":"That this House believes that where an hon. Member has been duly determined seriously to have broken the rules of the House, with the result that the hon. Member has been suspended from the service of the House for a period greater than one week, or where an hon. Member has been convicted of a criminal offence that relates to his or her service in the House, the electors of the hon. Member's constituency should have the right to petition that the seat be vacated and a by-election called.","date":"2009-11-09","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39472","proposer":"13735","edm":"2212","session":"2008-09","title":"Expenses And Allowances For Hon. Members","text":"That this House, while taking into account the recommendations of the report of the Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life on parliamentary allowances and expenses, believes hon. Members should be encouraged to sign over current mortgages for their second home to the parliamentary authorities on behalf of the taxpayer; further believes that new rental agreements for second homes should be arranged and managed centrally, and that rent should be paid directly to the landlord by the parliamentary authorities; further believes that all hon. Members' staff contracts should be managed centrally, but that hon. Members should be responsible for the recommendation of any staff bonuses within agreed pay bands, when exceptional work is delivered; further believes that travelcards should be available for hon. Members alone, excluding family members, and should be used only between the hon. Member's constituency and Parliament, excepting circumstances of very large constituencies, or constituencies remote from London; further believes the case has now been made that no other expenses should be paid to hon. Members, and that this would result in no necessity for claim forms, as all legitimate expenditure would thus be controlled from a central authority; considers that henceforth hon. Members' pay rises should be linked to the lowest pay rise awarded in the Civil Service; and further believes that if such new arrangements were to be in place, then it would remove the necessity for any Independent Parliamentary Standards Agency or Speaker's Committee, thus saving more taxpayers' money by not having to pay wages or fees to finance another non-departmental or parliamentary body.","date":"2009-11-03","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39476","proposer":"11324","edm":"2216","session":"2008-09","title":"Sir Christopher Kelly's Report","text":"That this House calls for the implementation of all of Sir Christopher Kelly's recommendations at the earliest possible opportunity, without amendment.","date":"2009-11-03","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39484","proposer":"10057","edm":"2224","session":"2008-09","title":"Public Service Pensions","text":"That this House believes it is acceptable for the review bodies for the pay, allowances and expenses of hon. Members to be chaired by retired public servants whose pensions exceed the pay of hon. Members.","date":"2009-11-03","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39485","proposer":"10057","edm":"2216A1","session":"2008-09","title":"Sir Christopher Kelly's Report","text":"leave out from `calls' to end and insert `on hon. Members to welcome and consider the report by Sir Christopher Kelly; but notes that it cannot decide in advance on the implementation, without amendment, of recommendations which literally are not decisions.'.","date":"2009-11-03","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39440","proposer":"11672","edm":"2185","session":"2008-09","title":"Misuse Of Allowances By Hon. Members (No. 2)","text":"That this House calls for any hon. Member who is either convicted of a criminal offence in respect to their expense claims or found by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to have claimed expenses fraudulently or to have purposely misrepresented information to personally benefit from expenses to be forced to step down from their position with immediate effect triggering a by-election; believes that this is the only way to demonstrate to the public in a way that will command confidence that abuse of hon. Members' allowances will be properly punished; further believes that in any other job, people would be dismissed for such actions; further believes that hon. Members who are shown to have abused the allowances system have lost the confidence of people in their constituency who then in effect are not represented; and further believes that any hon. Members standing down under these circumstances should not be entitled to the severance payments which are designed to benefit them personally and are payable to hon. Members who stand down in other circumstances.","date":"2009-10-28","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39448","proposer":"10203","edm":"2113A1","session":"2008-09","title":"Smartphones And House Of Commons Etiquette","text":"leave out `while recognising' and insert `recognises'.","date":"2009-10-28","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39449","proposer":"10203","edm":"2113A2","session":"2008-09","title":"Smartphones And House Of Commons Etiquette","text":"leave out from `generates' to end and insert `congratulates hon. Members for productively multi-tasking during committee meetings.'","date":"2009-10-28","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39345","proposer":"11174","edm":"2113","session":"2008-09","title":"Smartphones And House Of Commons Etiquette","text":"That this House while recognising the enormous benefits of the modern smartphone and the interest it generates, regrets the growing tendency of hon. Members to interact with these devices during select committee meetings and short debates when active engagement with the topic under consideration might be assumed, and the seeming, if at times quite understandable, greater interest shown in e-mails and messages than in the contribution of parliamentary colleagues; and encourages all hon. Members to limit their use of smartphones during proceedings of the House as part of the evolving courtesies and traditions of the House, helping to keep the proceedings of the House as genuinely interactive as the devices themselves.","date":"2009-10-20","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39195","proposer":"11189","edm":"1968","session":"2008-09","title":"Winnie Ewing","text":"That this House congratulates Winnie Ewing on her 80th birthday; notes Dr Ewing's remarkable contribution to public life as one of the most influential Scotswomen of her generation, serving in the House of Commons, the European Parliament and the Scottish Parliament; believes that her determination, ambition, and her dedication to Scotland is inspirational to all who believe that the world can be improved through politics; and further notes that her nickname, Madame Ecosse, testifies to the affection and respect in which she is and will continue to be held.","date":"2009-07-21","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"39115","proposer":"10129","edm":"1893","session":"2008-09","title":"Rules On Claims For Mortgage Interest And Rentals By Hon. Members","text":"That this House recalls the Speaker's Statement on Allowances delivered to the House on 19 May 2009 which stipulated that mortgage interest claims will be capped at \u00c2\u00a31,250 per month and the same cap will apply to rent and hotel accommodation; notes that minutes of the meeting of the Members Estimate Committee (MEC) held in the Speaker's House at 3.30 pm the following day confirm the imposition of the cap of \u00c2\u00a31,250 per month on claims for mortgage interest and hotel accommodation but only stipulate a cap on any new rental agreement made after 19 May 2009 on a new property, thereby exempting from the capping limit all rental agreements extant before that date; further notes that the MEC also stipulated that these provisions should apply to any expenditure incurred after 19 May 2009 and any claims received by the Department of Resources after 1 June 2009; questions on what basis such a distinction should have been established between monthly mortgage interest claims and monthly rental instalments prior to 19 May 2009, and how such a decision can be justified to the House; and calls on the Members Estimate Committee to provide clear and unequivocal explanation to the House at the earliest possible date.","date":"2009-07-15","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38966","proposer":"11245","edm":"1767","session":"2008-09","title":"Legal Sanctions On Hon. Members","text":"That this House notes with concern proposals to remove proposed legal sanctions on hon. Members who wilfully and seriously transgress the rules on expenses claims, registration of interests and paid advocacy; believes that hon. Members should be honest and if they are not, should be subject to the same legal sanctions as the people they are elected to represent; and urges the Conservative Party and all hon. Members to take account of public opinion and support legal sanctions in such cases.","date":"2009-06-29","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38817","proposer":"11245","edm":"1632","session":"2008-09","title":"WHIPS' ADDITIONAL SALARIES","text":"That this House notes the Prime Minister's wish to improve Parliament's value for money and to cut its costs; therefore calls on him to scrap additional Ministerial salaries for whips who are directed to perform largely party rather than parliamentary duties.","date":"2009-06-10","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38751","proposer":"10096","edm":"1573","session":"2008-09","title":"Citizens Convention (Accountability And Ethics) Bill","text":"That this House is concerned at the current crisis of confidence regarding the political system; maintains that electors and not just politicians should be involved in initiating change; therefore supports the Citizens Convention (Accountability and Ethics) Bill; and believes that this measure should become law expeditiously and so calls for sufficient additional time to be made available in the House to achieve that end.","date":"2009-06-02","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38715","proposer":"11245","edm":"1544","session":"2008-09","title":"General Election","text":"That this House welcomes the interim measures taken to reform hon. Members' allowances; and calls on the Government to seek a dissolution of Parliament immediately a new Speaker is in place.","date":"2009-05-20","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38670","proposer":"13735","edm":"1501","session":"2008-09","title":"Use Of Money Repaid By Hon. Members","text":"That this House considers that a windfall fund should be established to receive money repaid by hon. and right hon. Members following excessive expenses and allowance claims in recent years; believes this fund should be used as a matter of urgency to assist the poorest communities in the country and to assist small businesses and voluntary organisations to survive during the extremely difficult economic conditions being faced; and calls on the appropriate authorities to put such assistance into place at the earliest date.","date":"2009-05-15","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38572","proposer":"11345","edm":"1411","session":"2008-09","title":"HON. MEMBERS' PAY AND ALLOWANCES (No. 2)","text":"That this House notes the continued widespread public distrust of allowances paid to hon. Members and welcomes the independent review being undertaken by the Committee on Standards in Public Life of the allowances, but believes that to fully restore public faith in Parliament the Committee should review both hon. Members' pay as well as allowances; and further believes that such a review must have no predetermined rates or starting points but should seek to set out a fair system that rewards hon. Members and their staff for their work, is open and transparent, and will restore confidence in parliamentary pay and allowances, whilst maintaining support for hon. Members' work in the House, as well as communicating with and helping constituents, with the outcome of such a report to be then binding on the House.","date":"2009-04-30","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38550","proposer":"10626","edm":"1389","session":"2008-09","title":"Exchequer Contribution To The Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund","text":"That this House welcomes the fundamental review of the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund (PCPF) being undertaken by the Senior Salaries Review Board; but believes that until that review is complete the Exchequer contribution to the PCPF should not be increased beyond its 2008-09 level.","date":"2009-04-29","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38522","proposer":"10645","edm":"1363","session":"2008-09","title":"Members Since 1979","text":"That this House warmly welcomes the publication by the Library of its Research Paper, Members since 1979; and congratulates those responsible for providing such detailed biographical information which will be of assistance both to hon. Members and all those involved in the study of politics and Parliament now and in the future.","date":"2009-04-28","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38531","proposer":"10057","edm":"1372","session":"2008-09","title":"HON. MEMBERS' ALLOWANCES (No. 2)","text":"That this House instructs the Prime Minister and the Leader of the House to consult hon. Members before making unilateral declarations, and to make announcements about the House in the House; and recognises that a full day of debate would enable them to take account of what their colleagues have to say.","date":"2009-04-28","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38504","proposer":"10548","edm":"1349","session":"2008-09","title":"HON. MEMBERS' EXPENSES (No. 2)","text":"That this House proposes that any recommendations on hon. Members' expenses produced by Sir Christopher Kelly are imposed without debate or a vote by hon. Members.","date":"2009-04-27","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38486","proposer":"10269","edm":"1335","session":"2008-09","title":"PRIME MINISTER'S PROPOSALS FOR A DAILY ALLOWANCE FOR HON. MEMBERS","text":"That this House believes that the proposal to introduce a daily allowance for hon. Members fails the test of transparency rightly expected by the public; is concerned that a daily allowance will be wide open to abuse by some hon. Members; is further concerned that a daily allowance could penalise those hon. Members representing constituencies at a substantial distance from Westminster or those carrying out essential duties in their constituencies; and therefore believes that the proposal will fail to re-establish public confidence in the probity and transparency of the political system.","date":"2009-04-23","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38494","proposer":"10100","edm":"1316A1","session":"2008-09","title":"HON. MEMBERS' ALLOWANCES","text":"at end add `and which is means tested on the basis of household income.'.","date":"2009-04-23","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38467","proposer":"10323","edm":"1316","session":"2008-09","title":"HON. MEMBERS' ALLOWANCES","text":"That this House proposes, in response to the Prime Minister's invitation to put forward alternative proposals for financing hon. Members' additional housing costs, a system that is based on verified and necessary actual expenditure that is set at a higher maximum rate for new hon. Members for their first term of office but for all other hon. Members is reduced in real terms pro rata to their length of office.","date":"2009-04-22","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38454","proposer":"10088","edm":"1307","session":"2008-09","title":"Hon. Member For Ashford","text":"That this House notes the statement of the Director of Public Prosecutions on 16 April 2009 announcing his decision that no charges would be brought against the hon. Member for Ashford in relation to the documents leaked and stating that, `Mr Green's purpose in using the documents was apparently to hold the Government to account'; and calls for the House to be given the opportunity to debate a motion to refer the matter to the Committee on Standards and Privileges.","date":"2009-04-21","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38457","proposer":"11420","edm":"1310","session":"2008-09","title":"Communication With Hon. Members","text":"That this House notes that Article 13 of the Bill of Rights defines one function of Parliament as being `for redress of all grievances'; recognises that the people of the United Kingdom have a right to communicate with hon. Members about grievances; regrets the attempts by at least one local authority and judge recently to prevent a father from talking to hon. Members about his case; and believes that actions to prevent the citizens of the United Kingdom from reporting their grievances to hon. Members undermine parliamentary democracy.","date":"2009-04-21","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38363","proposer":"11345","edm":"1241","session":"2008-09","title":"HON. MEMBERS' PAY AND ALLOWANCES","text":"That this House notes that there is widespread public distrust of allowances paid to hon. Members which is undermining public faith in Parliament itself; believes that such is this distrust that only a full independent review of hon. Members' pay and allowances can start to restore faith in Parliament and that such a review must have no predetermined rates or starting points but should seek to set out a fair system that rewards hon. Members and their staff for their work, is open and transparent, and will restore confidence in parliamentary pay and allowances, whilst maintaining support for hon. Members' work in the House, as well as communicating with and helping constituents, with the outcome of such a report to be then binding on the House.","date":"2009-03-31","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38336","proposer":"11672","edm":"1215","session":"2008-09","title":"Additional Costs Allowance And Second Homes (No. 2)","text":"That this House believes that the way a number of hon. and right hon. Members have used the additional costs allowance or second home allowance has brought the House of Commons into disrepute; believes that this allowance should only be used for the necessary and legitimate costs of living in two locations to be able to do the job of Member of Parliament and that this should only apply to those hon. Members whose seats are outside London; believes that House of Commons rules should be changed as quickly as possible so that the allowance can only be used for this and not for personal financial gain by wrongly declaring main and second residences; believes that this should be monitored by an independent body and not by hon. Members themselves; and further believes that any Minister who is found to have wrongly declared their main and second residences for personal gain should immediately resign and if they refuse to do so should be sacked.","date":"2009-03-30","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38340","proposer":"11093","edm":"1220","session":"2008-09","title":"HON. MEMBERS' ADDITIONAL COSTS ALLOWANCE","text":"That this House believes that the loss of public confidence in hon. Members is being continuously eroded by allegations over the use of the second home allowance by hon. Members of all parties and that the parliamentary rules are themselves a significant factor in this regardless of whether or not they are ever being broken; and calls for immediate action to resolve this long-standing problem.","date":"2009-03-30","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38264","proposer":"11350","edm":"1146","session":"2008-09","title":"Second Home Allowance For London Constituencies","text":"That this House believes that second home allowances for hon. Members representing London constituencies should be abolished.","date":"2009-03-23","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38268","proposer":"13735","edm":"1150","session":"2008-09","title":"PUBLIC OWNERSHIP OF HON. MEMBERS' ACCOMMODATION","text":"That this House believes the debate in the House on 3 July 2008 on the Members Estimate Committee report on pay, expenses and accommodation of hon. Members did not arrive at a solution that will gain public support for the way in which the Additional Costs Allowance is to be allocated in the future; notes that 415 hon. Members have an existing mortgage, the interest on which is paid by the Department of Resources and therefore from the public purse; and further believes the wholesale ownership of these properties is preferable but if this cannot be achieved then hon. Members should be allowed voluntarily to sign over their mortgages to the ownership of this House, and that an allocation officer should then be appointed to ensure that these nationally-owned properties are allocated on the basis of need.","date":"2009-03-23","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38270","proposer":"11032","edm":"1152","session":"2008-09","title":"HON. MEMBERS' EXPENSES","text":"That this House believes that the constant flow of allegations relating to the conduct of hon. Members in respect of the use of allowances has a very damaging effect on the reputation of Parliament and on levels of trust in all hon. Members; recognises that democracy is damaged when trust is diminished; welcomes the decision of the Committee on Standards in Public Life to look at the system of allowances; and further recognises the need for a complete overhaul of the rules to ensure that public confidence is restored as quickly as possible.","date":"2009-03-23","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38280","proposer":"11245","edm":"1145A1","session":"2008-09","title":"Recording Of Abstentions In Votes In The House","text":"leave out from `therefore' to end and add `further notes that hon. Members can register abstention by voting in both Lobbies, thereby indicating attendance at the debate.'.","date":"2009-03-23","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38260","proposer":"10383","edm":"1145","session":"2008-09","title":"Recording Of Abstentions In Votes In The House","text":"That this House notes press reports that the right hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend is planning to bring forward rules for Labour hon. Members on how many times they must vote in a Parliamentary Session; and therefore urges that in future procedures are put in place to ensure that abstentions are able to be recorded in any vote in the House.","date":"2009-03-20","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"38058","proposer":"10172","edm":"974","session":"2008-09","title":"Rights Of Hon. Members Of Parliament And Devolved Legislatures","text":"That this House recognises the need for elected representatives to be able to protect the confidentiality of information brought to them by constituents and other sources; acknowledges the importance of being able to pass on to the appropriate authority information in the public interest without breaching that confidentiality; believes that any erosion of these rights would seriously weaken the ability of public representatives to perform their duty and is an attack on constitutional liberties established over many years and, if unchecked, will undermine the standing of Members of Parliament and members of the devolved legislatures, thus diminishing the trust the public have in their elected representatives to protect the public interest and represent them without fear of interference.","date":"2009-03-04","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"37939","proposer":"10312","edm":"862","session":"2008-09","title":"Johnston Inquiry Report","text":"That this House notes that the report of the inquiry conducted by Chief Constable Ian Johnston of the British Transport Police, and which was commissioned by the Metropolitan Police in December to review the arrest and investigation of the hon. Member for Ashford, has been withheld from public scrutiny and from Parliament despite the fact that parts of the report were released by the Metropolitan Police on 16 December 2008 and used in comments by Assistant Police Commissioner Bob Quick; and therefore calls on the Home Secretary to take appropriate measures to ensure that a copy of the report be placed in the Library without further delay.","date":"2009-02-24","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"37894","proposer":"11245","edm":"819","session":"2008-09","title":"HON. MEMBERS' OFFICE AND PAY ARRANGEMENTS","text":"That this House notes that public trust in political parties and in Parliament remains at an historically low level notwithstanding recent changes to make hon. Member's expenses more transparent; believes these changes fall short of the root and branch modernisation of the way hon. Members are remunerated, organise staff and pay for their essential work and offices; further believes that hon. Members should get no expenses at all, excepting essential job travel at cost; further believes that hon. Members are paid to do a full-time job and should not have substantial additional paid employment, but should be paid an appropriate salary to fund their essential work as a Member of Parliament, including keeping accommodation in London where necessary; further believes that hon. Members should not decide or vote on their own terms and conditions of employment; further notes that it is inappropriate for hon. Members to maintain 646 separate small businesses in the House; further believes that staff, communications and office costs should be met directly by the Department of Resources, which should be the formal employer of all hon. Members' staff, and that, in consultation with each hon. Member, the Department of Resources must engage only a person who is qualified for the job; and further believes that this over-arching modernisation should be implemented as soon as possible so the House can get on with its job of holding the Executive to account, defending the country and democracy, and assisting people who need help.","date":"2009-02-23","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"37867","proposer":"11672","edm":"805","session":"2008-09","title":"Additional Costs Allowance And Second Homes","text":"That this House notes that the additional costs allowance (ACA) is designed to fund the necessary costs of a second home or equivalent hotel costs; further notes that there have been too many incidences of hon. Members and right hon. Members using it for purposes that, whilst not being against the rules, would not meet this definition, and that this is damaging to the reputation of the House; calls for the rules to be tightened to ensure that ACA is only used for necessary and justifiable costs associated with a necessary second home or equivalent hotel costs and for rules regarding which residence hon. Members designate as their main residence to be clarified, so that hon. Members receive allowances based upon what is genuinely their second home, rather than any financial advantage; believes that those hon. Members who are given a residence as a result of the office they hold should not be given an additional costs allowance designed to cover the costs of a second home; and further calls for the ring-fencing of the bulk of the additional costs allowance designed to fund a second home, so that it can only be spent on rent, mortgage payments or hotel costs and not other purposes, so that hon. Members who do not have to pay rent or mortgage on a second home, or hotel costs, are not entitled to the same allowances as other hon. Members who do.","date":"2009-02-12","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"37637","proposer":"10528","edm":"599","session":"2008-09","title":"REDUNDANCY ARRANGEMENTS FOR HON. MEMBERS' STAFF","text":"That this House notes the derisory redundancy arrangements available to staff of hon. Members as compared to other staff on the parliamentary estate; calls on the House authorities to review the arrangements before the next general election; and urges all hon. Members to support the UNITE Parliamentary Staff Branch campaign to improve staff contracts above the statutory minimum redundancy payment.","date":"2009-01-27","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"37602","proposer":"10189","edm":"568","session":"2008-09","title":"NEW STANDARD CONTRACT FOR HON. MEMBERS' STAFF","text":"That this House notes with concern the new standard contract for hon. Members' staff which extends the minimum hours of work from 37.5 to 42 hours and does not allow hon. Members to negotiate contractual hours outside these boundaries; is concerned that this will cause tension where new employees have longer contractual hours than existing staff; further notes that the contract was agreed by the Advisory Panel on Members' Allowances and introduced by the Department of Resources without formal consultation with staff union representatives; and urges all hon. Members to support recognition of the UNITE Parliamentary staff branch by the House authorities to ensure that they have a formal voice in future changes to the contract.","date":"2009-01-26","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"37566","proposer":"11093","edm":"539","session":"2008-09","title":"PRESIDENT OBAMA, OPENNESS IN POLITICS AND HON. MEMBERS' EXPENSES","text":"That this House welcomes President Obama's inaugural speech statement that those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government; and endorses this principle in making our democracy open and transparent not least with respect to hon. Members and their expenses.","date":"2009-01-21","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"37516","proposer":"11971","edm":"492","session":"2008-09","title":"Freedom Of Information (Parliament) Order 2009","text":"That this House notes with concern the provisions in the Freedom of Information (Parliament) Order 2009 to remove the expenses of hon. Members and Peers from the scope of the Freedom of Information Act; notes that this Order singles out hon. Members and Peers in a special category as the only public officials who will not have to disclose full details of their expenses; further notes the High Court judgement of 16th May 2008 and subsequent reassurances to hon. Members that expenses would be published in full by autumn 2008; further notes with concern the regressive effect of this Order on parliamentary transparency and the detrimental impact it will have on Parliament in the eyes of the public; and calls on Ministers to block or repeal the Order in the interest of hon. Members' and Peers' accountability to members of the public.","date":"2009-01-19","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"37043","proposer":"11420","edm":"51","session":"2008-09","title":"Arrest Of Hon. Member For Ashford","text":"That this House is saddened by the arrest of the hon. Member for Ashford for doing his job; believes that the 1688 Bill of Rights interpreted in accordance with Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights in the manner defined by the Human Rights Act 1998 indicates that such an arrest is a contravention of parliamentary privilege; and calls upon the House authorities to take the appropriate legal action in the courts in order to have the unlawful action by the police brought to an urgent end.","date":"2008-12-03","status":"o"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"36959","proposer":"10057","edm":"2524A1","session":"2007-08","title":"Conduct Of Hon. Members For Tatton And Stratford-Upon-avon","text":"leave out from `notes' to end and insert `the sensible advice by the hon. Member for Tatton, supported later by the Prime Minister's talk of deflation; urges the Government not to be afraid of adopting more of the approaches, analyses and proposals of the Conservatives when they believe such action to be in the national interest; and calls on all hon. Members to judge the Government's actions after rather than before the Government announces its proposed actions.'.","date":"2008-11-19","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"36938","proposer":"10329","edm":"2524","session":"2007-08","title":"Conduct Of Hon. Members For Tatton And Stratford-Upon-avon","text":"That this House notes with regret the speculation on sterling by the hon. Member for Tatton in The Times on 15th November 2008; further notes with regret the hon. Member for Stratford-upon-Avon's comment that `the recession has got to take its course' on 17th November 2008; urges all hon. Members not to talk down the British economy, nor to give up on the British people; and calls upon the Leader of the Opposition to support the Government's action to give a boost to the economy to ensure real help in tough times for families and business.","date":"2008-11-18","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"36702","proposer":"11672","edm":"2323","session":"2007-08","title":"Additional Cost Allowances For Married And Co-Habiting Hon. Members","text":"That this House commends the recommendation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards that in future cases the House should `consider abating members' individual additional costs allowances where, for any reason, they share accommodation for which they make claims against that allowance'; believes that hon. Members who are married or live together only require one second home and so should not receive two allowances; believes that allowing such hon. Members to claim two allowances is wrong and open to abuse; and urges that the recommendation made by the Parliamentary Commissioner be adapted into rules and regulations governing the allowances and expenses system for hon. Members as soon as possible.","date":"2008-10-22","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"36479","proposer":"11245","edm":"2130","session":"2007-08","title":"SPEAKER'S CONFERENCE ON THE REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN AND ETHNIC MINORITIES","text":"That this House recognises the desirability of increasing the number of women in Parliament and better matching the make-up of Parliament to the people it represents; and notes the Speaker's Statement of 22nd July but hopes that nothing will be done either to restrict the electorate's choice of their own hon. Member or further to strengthen the power of political parties to control the democratic process through the use of candidate list systems in elections.","date":"2008-07-22","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"36431","proposer":"13735","edm":"2084","session":"2007-08","title":"PUBLIC OWNERSHIP OF HON. MEMBERS' ACCOMMODATION","text":"That this House believes the debate in the House on 3rd July on the Members Estimates Committee report on pay, expenses and accommodation of hon. Members did not arrive at a solution that will gain public support for the way in which the Additional Costs Allowance is to be allocated in the future; notes that 415 hon. Members have an existing mortgage, the interest on which is paid by the Department of Resources and therefore from the public purse; and further believes that wholesale ownership of these properties is preferable but if this cannot be achieved then hon. Members should be allowed voluntarily to sign over their mortgages to the ownership of this House, and that an allocation officer should then be appointed to ensure that these nationally-owned properties are allocated on the basis of need.","date":"2008-07-17","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"36418","proposer":"10323","edm":"2077","session":"2007-08","title":"Mental Health In Parliament","text":"That this House welcomes the Report of the All-Party Group on Mental Health on Mental Health in Parliament; and resolves to do all in its power to implement the Report's recommendations to encourage greater openness amongst parliamentarians about their experiences of mental illness, thus helping to challenge the widespread discrimination suffered by people who have experienced a mental health problem.","date":"2008-07-16","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"36313","proposer":"10393","edm":"1981","session":"2007-08","title":"Hon. Members And Conscience Votes","text":"That this House notes recent calls for the Government to respect the consciences of individual hon. Members and to allow a free vote at Report Stage and Third Reading of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill; considers that these calls are irrelevant, since no Whip, Prime Minister or prelate can tell an hon. Member what to think; considers that an hon. Member's conscience is precisely that, namely the exclusive property of the holder; recognises that ultimately every vote is a free vote; and believes that there are occasions in the life of every hon. Member, including senior Ministers and those wishing to be senior Ministers, when all have to make a choice between making a stand on principle and deciding to buckle or trim.","date":"2008-07-08","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"36217","proposer":"11672","edm":"1896","session":"2007-08","title":"Review Of Allowances -\u0000 Reform Of Additional Cost Allowance","text":"That this House is appalled at the suggestion that hon. Members Additional Cost Allowance might be replaced by a pay rise; believes this would do enormous damage to hon. Members reputation as well as causing outrage at a time when other people are not getting pay rises and hardworking people across the country are being denied pay rises; further believes this would be seen as an attempt for hon. Members to get around the new rules governing public access to allowance claims; believes that it would blur the line between hon. Members pay and legitimate allowance budgets; notes that it would effectively establish differing levels of pay for hon. Members, from those not needing to pay for accommodation in London receiving a far higher salary than those who have to stay in London when the House of Commons is sitting; also rejects the idea of a daily allowance that would similarly break the link between justifiable expenditure and allowances, which would give the impression once again of an attempt to get around accountability and would introduce different levels of pay for different hon. Members; and believes the only way to have a fair system and to restore public confidence is to retain, but reform, the Additional Costs Allowance to ensure it is used only for the purposes for which it is intended, is linked to actual expenditure, and with a tightening up of the rules to prevent abuses and ensuring the system, is clear, open and accountable.","date":"2008-06-25","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"36218","proposer":"11672","edm":"1897","session":"2007-08","title":"MEMBERS' ALLOWANCES AND BUDGETS","text":"That this House believes that the term `Members' Allowances', often also referred to as expenses, is not well understood and allows for confusion and misinterpretation; further believes that this misinterpretation can include the belief that all hon. and right hon. Members automatically receive the maximum amount; believes that they should therefore be renamed budgets because this is what they are, amounts up to which a hon. or right hon. Member may claim legitimate specific expenses; further believes that this would improve understanding of the different budgets that hon. and right hon. Members have available for legitimate work-related expenses; and further believes that the three allowances should therefore be re-named the Staff Salary and Costs Budget, the Office and Associated Costs Budget, and the London Living Budget.","date":"2008-06-25","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"36219","proposer":"11672","edm":"1898","session":"2007-08","title":"MEMBERS' ALLOWANCES AND ACCOMMODATION COSTS","text":"That this House notes that the purpose of the Additional Costs Allowance (ACA) is supposed to be to allow hon. Members to cover the costs of living or staying in London, be it in a rented or owned home or in hotels; notes that there is nothing in the current ACA system to ensure that this allowance is used predominantly for accommodation costs, be they rent, mortgage or hotel costs; believes that hon. Members who do not have rent or mortgage payments or hotel costs to meet should not get the same allowance as those who do; proposes therefore ring-fencing the majority of the allowance for accommodation costs only, be they rent, mortgage payments, or hotel costs; further proposes a separate allowance to cover the rest of current ACA spent, but that this would as a result be a much lower sum than the current allowance, effectively splitting the ACA\/Second Home allowance into two smaller budgets; and recommends further that hon. Members who have mortgaged properties would no longer be eligible for the rent\/mortgage allowance once their mortgage has been repaid.","date":"2008-06-25","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"36176","proposer":"10219","edm":"1637A1","session":"2007-08","title":"Transparency In Lobbying","text":"after`lobbyists', insert `and campaign organisations'.","date":"2008-06-23","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"36177","proposer":"10219","edm":"1637A2","session":"2007-08","title":"Transparency In Lobbying","text":"after`lobbyists', insert `and campaign organisations'.","date":"2008-06-23","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"36178","proposer":"10219","edm":"1637A3","session":"2007-08","title":"Transparency In Lobbying","text":"after`lobbyists', insert `and campaign organisations'.","date":"2008-06-23","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"36081","proposer":"10022","edm":"1780","session":"2007-08","title":"Parliamentary Oath","text":"That this House recognises that the principal duty of hon. Members is to represent their constituents in Parliament; also recognises that some hon. Members would prefer to swear an oath of allegiance to their constituents and the nation rather than the Monarch; and therefore calls on the Leader of the House to bring forward legislative proposals to introduce an optional alternative Parliamentary oath allowing hon. Members to swear allegiance to their constituents and the nation and to pledge to uphold the law rather than one pledging personal allegiance to the serving Monarch.","date":"2008-06-12","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35990","proposer":"10022","edm":"1704","session":"2007-08","title":"TOUCAN COMMUNICATIONS AND HON. MEMBERS' CORRESPONDENCE","text":"That this House notes with considerable concern the refusal of Toucan Communications to respond to hon. Members acting on behalf of their constituents, contrary to established practice under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the specific recognition given to the role of hon. Members in this regard; views as unacceptable the fact that Toucan has still refused to respond to the hon. Member for Lewes even after advice had been provided to the company by the Information Commissioner's Office; and suggests that the approach adopted by Toucan in the case of the particular constituent from South Chailey was not motivated by a desire to protect personal information, but rather to prevent disclosure of its failure to provide a proper service and its desire to avoid being held accountable for its unacceptably poor treatment of a constituent.","date":"2008-06-05","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35946","proposer":"10465","edm":"1665","session":"2007-08","title":"Razorlight, The Aviators And Carbon Emissions","text":"That this House applauds the Big Ask concert organised by Friends of the Earth in the Science Museum's Aviation Hall on the evening of 3rd June 2008; welcomes the musical performances of Razorlight, supported by a cross party band of hon. Members, known as the Aviators, to draw attention to the case for including aviation and shipping emissions in emissions calculations; and calls on the Government to include these in Britain's carbon targets at the earliest opportunity.","date":"2008-06-02","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35912","proposer":"10062","edm":"1620A1","session":"2007-08","title":"PUBLICATION OF HON. MEMBERS' HOME ADDRESSES","text":"at end, add `; and that effective arrangements can be put in place to audit hon. Members' expense claims without the publication of private addresses.'.","date":"2008-05-21","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35898","proposer":"10358","edm":"1620","session":"2007-08","title":"PUBLICATION OF HON. MEMBERS' HOME ADDRESSES","text":"That this House believes that the home address of any hon. or Rt. hon. Member should not be published if he or she objects to publication on grounds of privacy or personal security.","date":"2008-05-20","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35826","proposer":"10780","edm":"1554","session":"2007-08","title":"Number Of Written Parliamentary Questions","text":"That this House notes that on occasion a considerable number of written Parliamentary Questions have been tabled on a single day by hon. Members; understands that a balance must be arrived at, given both the cost of responding to Parliamentary Questions and the entirely justifiable and legitimate duty of hon. Members to probe and question the Government of the day; and calls upon the House authorities to review the provisions allowing a large volume of Questions to be tabled on any given day.","date":"2008-05-13","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35812","proposer":"10487","edm":"1542","session":"2007-08","title":"Conduct Of The Right Hon. Member For Kingston Upon Hull East And Others","text":"That this House regrets the actions of the right hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull East and other senior and influential figures within the Labour Government or close to it, now retired from the front line, who have recently published memoirs which will bring them rich rewards in cash and anticipates that others are writing their version of events to put the record straight, as they see it; recalls the evidence of Professor Peter Hennessy who appeared before the Public Administration Select Committee on 17th November 2005 during its inquiry into Political Memoirs who forecast, with great prescience, that the publication of the Alistair Campbell diaries would be the `opening salvo of the most ghastly mobilisation of the most wonderful exchanges of competitive memoiring'; and believes that all profits from such publications should be donated to the Labour Party or to a charity.","date":"2008-05-12","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35727","proposer":"10614","edm":"1462","session":"2007-08","title":"42nd Anniversary Of The Election Of The Hon. Member For Walsall North","text":"That this House congratulates the hon. Member for Walsall North on the 42nd anniversary of his first election to Parliament; notes that he is one of the longest serving hon. Members; commends him on his dedication to his constituents; and further commends his commitment to human rights issues and his successful campaign for compensation for former prisoners of war amongst other worthy causes.","date":"2008-04-30","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35528","proposer":"13712","edm":"1292","session":"2007-08","title":"Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman","text":"That this House recognises the 100th anniversary of the death of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, the former hon. Member for Stirling Burghs, which included Dunfermline, Inverkeithing, Queensferry and Culross, for 40 years, who served as leader of the Liberal party from 1900 to 1908 and Liberal Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1905 to 1908; and notes that Mr Campbell-Bannerman, the only serving Prime Minister to have also been Father of the House, served with distinction in the Cabinet from 1884 until 1900 and that under his leadership Britain saw the introduction of reforms such as sick pay and old age pensions, as well as the achievement of an entente with Russia in 1907.","date":"2008-04-01","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35426","proposer":"11817","edm":"1200","session":"2007-08","title":"Conduct Of Hon. Member For Twickenham And Saudi Arabia","text":"That this House is deeply concerned by the support of the hon. Member for Twickenham for the latest investigation into BAE Systems and Saudi Arabia; believes that such behaviour does not acknowledge the fact that thousands of British jobs depend on the Al-Yamamah contract; further believes that Saudi Arabia is a vital strategic ally of the United Kingdom; and believes that the Liberal Democrats have once again shown their naivety on an issue of fundamental importance to this country.","date":"2008-03-17","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35282","proposer":"10373","edm":"1038A1","session":"2007-08","title":"Media And Politicians","text":"after `robust', insert `and accurate'.","date":"2008-02-28","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35260","proposer":"11672","edm":"1061","session":"2007-08","title":"Additional Costs Allowance","text":"That this House believes that those hon. Members and Ministers who are provided with accommodation at public expense as a consequence of their specific responsibilities should not be entitled to the additional costs allowance provided to meet the costs associated with necessary second homes; further believes that the current review of hon. Members' allowances should include a thorough examination of the purpose and use of the additional costs allowance, including the rules governing payments to cover rents and mortgages; and urges those conducting the review to recommend changes to the rules regarding eligibility for the additional costs allowance accordingly.","date":"2008-02-27","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35236","proposer":"10057","edm":"1038","session":"2007-08","title":"Media And Politicians","text":"That this House recognises that the normal state of affairs is for the media to report on, criticise and comment on politicians; and believes that, although it is fair game and good sport to reverse roles, politicians should usually have the sense, strength and humour to live with robust coverage.","date":"2008-02-26","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35223","proposer":"10780","edm":"1026","session":"2007-08","title":"Conduct Of The Hon. Member For Mid Ulster","text":"That this House notes the Irish radio interview given by the hon. Member for Mid Ulster and Deputy First Minister in the Northern Ireland Assembly when he indicated that after the events in Londonderry on 30th January 1972 he would have killed every British soldier in that city if he could have; utterly repudiates this classic case of revisionism which ignores the fact that many murders were committed by the IRA before that event, including two police officers just days before; and calls upon the hon. Member to reveal in full the nature of his involvement, given he has already declared his position in the IRA at the time, in the organisation that was responsible for much of the terrorism before, during and after 30th January 1972; and believes that if he wishes to talk about his past then he should include an unreserved apology for the violence carried out by the IRA in Northern Ireland since 1969.","date":"2008-02-25","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35180","proposer":"12834","edm":"985","session":"2007-08","title":"Conduct Of The Hon. Member For Banff And Buchan And Kosovo","text":"That this House calls for a formal apology from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan for his ill-informed and outspoken condemnation of NATO action to protect the Kosovan people from Serbian aggression, describing NATO action as unpardonable folly; notes that the SNP were unable to recognise that a dictatorship engaged in ethnic cleansing warranted international action; and further notes that the SNP stood alone in its condemnation of NATO action with all other UK political parties supporting the action.","date":"2008-02-20","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35098","proposer":"10634","edm":"895A2","session":"2007-08","title":"90th Anniversary Of The Representation Of The People Act 1918","text":"leave out from `years' to end and add `believes that these splendid women wanted equal opportunities not special privileges; further believes that they would have thrown themselves under the King's horse to protest against positive discrimination and all-women shortlists; would have chained themselves to railings in protest against A Lists; and calls upon all women of character to repel such patronising interference.","date":"2008-02-07","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35099","proposer":"10646","edm":"895A3","session":"2007-08","title":"90th Anniversary Of The Representation Of The People Act 1918","text":"at end insert `especially the election in 1979 of the first woman Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.'.","date":"2008-02-07","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35084","proposer":"10133","edm":"895A1","session":"2007-08","title":"90th Anniversary Of The Representation Of The People Act 1918","text":"after `years', insert `and the first woman elected to the House, Constance Markiewicz, who as a Sinn Fein member did not take her seat'.","date":"2008-02-06","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35071","proposer":"10426","edm":"895","session":"2007-08","title":"90th Anniversary Of The Representation Of The People Act 1918","text":"That this House notes that 6th February 2008 is the 90th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act 1918 which granted women the right to vote and be elected to Parliament; recognises what women have achieved in politics since the Act; congratulates all women who have taken their seats as Members of the House of Commons over the past 90 years; but notes that more progress must be made to enhance the role of women in our Parliamentary democracy; and believes that the 90th anniversary of women's suffrage is an opportunity to promote further discussions about how to improve the role of women in politics in the UK and internationally.","date":"2008-02-05","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35032","proposer":"10057","edm":"856","session":"2007-08","title":"Pauline Ashley","text":"That this House notes the achievements of the Parliamentary Disability Group during the past 40 years; thanks Lord Ashley, Jack Ashley when an hon. Member, who worked with others to make possible the things that are right; and in particular praises the dedication, competence and public service of Pauline Ashley who demonstrated that the spouse of a Member of Parliament can make an honourable and important contribution to the work of Parliament.","date":"2008-02-04","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35045","proposer":"10169","edm":"869","session":"2007-08","title":"Conduct Of Hon. Member For Henley","text":"That this House notes that on 30th January, the hon. Member for Henley on a point of order, accused the Prime Minister of inadvertently misleading the House, by claiming that the hon. Member for Henley wanted to cut spending on the police; further notes that on 10th September 2007 at a Conservative Mayoral hustings, the hon. Member for Henley said `we have got to be absolutely clear where the scope for real economies is and the real big ticket for spending is the Metropolitan Police and Transport for London. That's where the real savings, believe me, are to be found'; believes the Prime Minister's answer to the hon. Member for Hendon at Question Time was therefore fully justified and accurate in stating that the choice in London will be between an administration that wants to employ more police and get crime down, under Labour Mayor Ken Livingstone and the hon. Member for Henley who wishes to cut spending on the Metropolitan Police; and therefore calls upon the hon. Member for Henley to apologise to the Prime Minister on the floor of the House for his unwarranted accusations.","date":"2008-02-04","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35006","proposer":"11245","edm":"838","session":"2007-08","title":"HON. MEMBERS' OFFICE AND PAY ARRANGEMENTS","text":"That this House should undertake root and branch modernisation of the way hon. Members organise, staff and pay for their offices and how they are remunerated for carrying out their various duties; believes that hon. Members should get no expenses at all, excepting essential job travel at cost; further believes that hon. Members are paid for a full-time job and should be prevented from having substantial additional employment but should be paid an appropriate salary to fund approved working practices, including keeping accommodation in London where necessary; further believes that hon. Members in the future should have no say whatsoever on the level of their own salaries, that staffing, communications and office costs should be met entirely and directly by the Fees Office which should be the employer of all hon. Members' staff, and that, in consultation with hon. Members, the Fees Office must be allowed to employ the best person for the job, and must only employ people who are appropriately qualified; further believes that it would deliver greater visibility and accessibility for the public, for there to be a single register rather than the separate Parliamentary and Electoral Commission registers; and further believes that this overarching modernisation should be considered as soon as possible, so the House can get on with its job of defending the country and democracy and assisting people who need help.","date":"2008-01-31","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"35013","proposer":"10323","edm":"845","session":"2007-08","title":"Employment Of Staff By Hon. Members","text":"That this House calls for a recruitment code for hon. Members as employers; believes that such a code should rule out patronage and require selection at all stages to be demonstrably fair and objective; notes the common practice in the Civil Service to require those on appointment panels to declare interests, including if a relative or close friend was to be interviewed, and then to step aside; accepts that, as the main employer, an hon. Member cannot step aside in this way and therefore invites the Commissioner for Public Appointments to devise an appropriate system for the appointment of hon. Members' staff, including mandatory independent assessment when a relative or a close friend of an hon. Member applies for a post.","date":"2008-01-31","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"34983","proposer":"11963","edm":"817","session":"2007-08","title":"90th ANNIVERSARY OF WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE","text":"That this House notes that 2008 is the 90th anniversary of women's suffrage achieved in the Representation of the People Act 1918, and the 80th anniversary of women receiving the same voting rights as men; notes that there are currently 128 women hon. Members in the House of Commons; further notes that this is equivalent to only one in five hon. Members; and believes that the 90th anniversary of women's suffrage is an opportunity to promote further discussions about how to increase the number of women being elected to this House and other democratic bodies in the UK.","date":"2008-01-30","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"34844","proposer":"10222","edm":"689","session":"2007-08","title":"HON. MEMBERS' SALARIES","text":"That this House believes that hon. Members should not in future be entitled to vote to determine their salaries and that their remuneration should be set to reflect the pay settlements for rank and file public sector workers.","date":"2008-01-14","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"34720","proposer":"10001","edm":"575","session":"2007-08","title":"Conduct Of The Hon. Member For Henley","text":"That this House condemns the reference by the hon. Member for Henley of black people as `piccaninnies', of Africans as having `water melon smiles' and of African people that `left to their own devices, the natives would rely on nothing but the instant carbohydrate gratification of the plantain'; notes that the leader of the Conservative Party, the rt. hon. Member for Witney, has been asked by leading members of London's black community to disassociate his party from these remarks and has refused to do so stating that the rt. hon. Member's remarks have been `taken out of context and fail to properly represent what he has said in the past'; further notes that the hon. Member has never disputed the fact that he wrote these comments about black and African people; and believes that there is no context in which such remarks could be defensible or justified.","date":"2007-12-13","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"34649","proposer":"10229","edm":"163A1","session":"2007-08","title":"Continuing Priority Access To Facilities","text":"at end add `congratulates the Unite-TGW Parliamentary Staff Branch for their role in the campaign to overturn this rule; and urges the Administration Committee to reconsider the role and instead work with staff representatives to improve access to facilities for all people who work on the Parliamentary Estate.'.","date":"2007-12-06","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"34623","proposer":"10123","edm":"490","session":"2007-08","title":"Voting Record Of The Hon. Member For Bolsover","text":"That this House puts on record that the hon. Member for Bolsover has voted in an estimated 11,000 divisions since June 1970; notes that although other hon. Members have served longer they have been nowhere near as diligent as the hon. Member in voting and that in the past there were fewer votes; therefore considers that the hon. Member for Bolsover deserves acknowledgement in the Guinness Book of Records as the hon. Member to have voted the most in Parliament and almost certainly any Parliament in the world; and warmly congratulates the hon. Member on his democratic achievement.","date":"2007-12-05","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"34593","proposer":"11189","edm":"460","session":"2007-08","title":"Scottish Executive And The Right Hon. Member For Banff And Buchan","text":"That this House notes the recent YouGov Scottish opinion poll which finds that, in terms of whether the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom or First Minister of Scotland is doing a better job, 50 per cent. choose the right hon. Member for Banff and Buchan and only 22 per cent. opt for the right hon. Member for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath; notes that the Scottish First Minister is more popular among Labour voters in Scotland than the Labour Leader in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander MSP, by 34 per cent. to 24 per cent., and more popular among Liberal Democrat voters than the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, Nicol Stephen MSP, by 39 per cent. to 12 per cent.; notes that 54 per cent. of Scots in the same poll believe that the Scottish Government is doing the best job compared to just 11 per cent. who think that the United Kingdom Government is doing a better job; further notes that 63 per cent. of Scots think that the Scottish Government is doing well, with just 26 per cent. disagreeing; and concludes that these excellent figures are evidence of the mood of optimism that has swept Scotland since the election of the SNP administration in May.","date":"2007-12-04","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"34546","proposer":"10487","edm":"424","session":"2007-08","title":"SAJJAD KARIM MEP'S BLOG","text":"That this House records its astonishment that the Conservative MEP, Sajjad Karim, has stated that the blog entries critical of the right hon. Member for Witney and various comments hostile to the Conservatives which appeared over a period of time on Mr Karim's website were a result of a former employee who had acted on his behalf but without his permission; notes that Mr Karim claims that the aide has now been sacked, explaining that, like most politicians, he was reliant on the team around him but he had been let down on this occasion; and urges Mr Karim to name the former aide who betrayed him so injuriously.","date":"2007-11-28","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"34512","proposer":"10487","edm":"391","session":"2007-08","title":"Sajjad Karim Mep And The Right Hon. Member For Witney","text":"That this House notes that the right hon. Member for Witney is delighted to welcome Mr Karim into the Conservative Party believing him to be a hard working MEP who has so much to offer; notes Mr Karim's statement that this was not a `snapshot decision' and that he had been thinking about it for some time; records that in April 2007 Mr Karim said that the Leader of the Opposition was trying to paint a glossy image of a gay-friendly party in the UK while desperately trying to get into bed with Poland's Cosmopolitan Law and Justice Party; in his blog of 9th June 2007 he hoped the British public would `see Chameleon Cameron for who he really is!!'; further notes that on 13th September 2007 he quoted approvingly Liberal Democrat policies to cut carbon emissions noting the `Tories do not have firm plans'; further notes his view of 27th April 2007 that Cameron's Tories were failing to inspire many rural areas let alone urban ones; and suggests the faith placed by the right hon. Member for Witney in Mr Karim may be misplaced.","date":"2007-11-26","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"34364","proposer":"13735","edm":"257","session":"2007-08","title":"Consultancy Contracts And The Conduct Of The Rt Hon Members For Makerfield And Sheffield Central","text":"That this House believes that, while recognising that hon. and rt. hon. Members often have rich experience to offer private sector firms, it is inappropriate for the rt. hon. Member for Makerfield, as a former trade and industry Minister, to accept a paid advisory role with US multinational engineering company Fluor; regards the reported consultancy contract of up to \u00c2\u00a3115,000 a year to advise Fluor, which has considerable interest in securing multi-million pound contracts with the UK nuclear industry as unacceptable; further notes that the rt. hon. Member for Sheffield Central, a former trade minister, has been offered a non-executive directorship worth nearly \u00c2\u00a3100,000 a year with the trilateral partnership of nuclear firms AMEC, AREVA of France and the Washington Group from the US, which are keen to secure multi-million contracts for the clean-up of Sellafield; believes that former ministers should not take on consultancy work so shortly after leaving government office; and calls upon the rt. hon. Members to reconsider their decision to take up these consultancies as additional employment.","date":"2007-11-14","status":"c"},{"topic":"Members of Parliament","id":"34259","proposer":"10465","edm":"163","session":"2007-08","title":"Continuing Priority Access To Facilities","text":"That this House notes with continuing concern the announcement made on 9th October that `Members should have priority access to services throughout the Commons part of the Parliamentary Estate'; further notes that such an approach is expedient in certain areas at certain times, such as during a division, but not everywhere all the time; believes that this announcement persists in creating a rigid two-tier system which is counter to an enlightened image of Parliament; further believes there is merit in a general presumption of equality on the Parliamentary Estate; and urges the Accommodation Committee to reconsider.","date":"2007-11-08","status":"c"}]