Jo has signed the following Early Day Motions:


EDM 1994: NATIONAL AUTISTIC SOCIETY'S GREAT EXPECTATIONS CAMPAIGN

That this House has great expectations for the education of children with autism; notes that according to new research from the National Autistic Society (NAS), 48 per cent. of parents said they waited over a year to get the right support for their child; acknowledges the devastating impact that a lack of appropriate support has on children with autism and their families; recognises that the Government's proposed special educational needs reforms will shape the future of a generation of children with autism; welcomes the NAS's Great Expectations report, which reflects the views of thousands of children with autism and their parents in the context of these reforms; agrees that these children should expect an education that sets them up for life and that their parents should expect a system that works with, not against, them; urges the Government to listen to their views as set out in the Great Expectations report; and calls on the Government to take decisive action to improve the support available for this group through their reforms.


EDM 1630: AWARENESS OF LYMPHATIC CANCER

That this House notes that lymphoma is now the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK with over 12,500 new cases a year and over 75,000 people living with the disease; commends the work of the Lymphoma Association as a charity specialising in providing information and support to those affected by lymphatic cancer; congratulates the Association on its 25th anniversary; and urges the Department of Health to pursue all possible avenues to raise awareness of the disease among both GPs and the public.


EDM 1518: DEATH OF SHAHBAZ BHATTI

That this House condemns the assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti, the Pakistani Minister for Minorities, who was the only Christian in the cabinet; notes that this comes only days after the government of Pakistan's retention of a minorities representative in the new cabinet and the Ministry for Minorities Affairs as an independent ministry; recognises the significant advances made in the interests of minority rights and interfaith dialogue by the Federal Minister Shahbaz Bhatti through this ministry; expresses concern at the ongoing misuse of the provisions of section 295 of the Pakistan Penal Code, known as the blasphemy laws, and the threats posed to all who challenge this legislation; and urges the government of Pakistan to reconsider reviewing the blasphemy laws as a matter of urgency.


EDM 1296: REDUCING AVOIDABLE SIGHT LOSS

That this House notes with concern that over two million people in the UK are at risk of needlessly losing their sight through treatable eye conditions; further notes that 100 people every day start to lose their sight, half of which could have been prevented through regular sight tests and early treatment; further notes that this important public health message must be taken seriously by national and local government, commissioners, health and social care professionals and the public; and urges the Government to ensure that reducing avoidable sight loss is an indicator in the public health outcome framework.


EDM 1143: HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN CAMP ASHRAF

That this House expresses concern at the oppression of 3,400 members of the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI) including 1,000 women residing in Camp Ashraf in Iraq as protected persons under the 4th Geneva Convention; notes the inhumane siege of Ashraf residents, in particular serious medical restrictions and their psychological torture with 140 loudspeakers; further notes that this oppression takes place partly using the excuse that the PMOI's name is included on the US terrorist list; further notes that the UK Court of Appeal, after reviewing the closed material, ruled that the PMOI was not involved in terrorism leading to the group's de-proscription in the UK unanimously by both Houses of Parliament in 2008 and in the EU in 2009, and that in July 2010 the US Court of Appeals in Washington ruled in favour of the PMOI and urged the US Secretary of State to re-evaluate the decision to maintain the PMOI on the list; further notes that on 25 November 2010 the European Parliament adopted a declaration calling for protection of Ashraf and the PMOI's de-proscription in the US; urges the USadministration to follow the UK in de-listing the PMOI and provide the necessary protection for the residents of Camp Ashraf; calls on the UN to station a monitoring team at Ashraf; and further calls on the UK Government to take necessary measures to convince the UN and US to adopt these measures.


EDM 927:  FIRE BRIGADES UNION INDUSTRIAL ACTION

That this House expresses admiration for the courage and bravery of firefighters across the country who place their lives at risk to safeguard people and buildings, but expresses disappointment and concern that the London region Fire Brigades Union has announced the intention to carry out a 47 hour strike starting at 10 am on 5 November 2010; regrets that, when Londoners are trying to enjoy celebrations of both Guy Fawkes Night and Diwali, the Fire Brigades Union will be working actively to maximise the risk to them; and urges the Fire Brigades Union to take part in the negotiations on 5 November 2010through the recognised national negotiating body, offered by the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority management side, instead of striking.


EDM 838: SOUTHEASTERN TRAIN FARES

That this House notes that Southeastern Trains enjoys a monopoly over rail travel into London from the suburbs of South East London and and the commuter towns of Kent; further notes that under the previous Government, Southeastern's franchise agreement with the Department of Transport has allowed increases on regulated fares of RPI + three per cent. as opposed to RPI + one per cent. for other rail franchises which has resulted in a recently proposed fare rise of seven per cent. from January 2011; understands that franchise agreements with train operating companies are to be considered as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review; and calls on the Government to apply a cap on fare rises for Southeastern that is henceforth no greater than for other franchises, to ensure that the financial burden no longer falls disproportionatly on the 400,000 passengers who rely on Southeastern to travel to work.


EDM 529: CREDIT REGULATION AND CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

That this House calls upon the Government to bring forward legislative proposals to impose penalties upon credit card and debit card providers for the facilitation of the downloading of child pornography from the internet.


EDM 274: ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF RAIL TRANSPORT

That this House recognises that Britain relies on rail transport; notes that every year 1.3 billion passenger journeys are made by rail and that rail freight carries 100 million tonnes of goods; further recognises that at peak times the busiest parts of the rail network are full, trains are overcrowded and that passenger and freight demand continue to grow; notes that the annual cost of road congestion to the economy is already estimated to be £7-8 billion; believes that investment in infrastructure is necessary to stimulate business investment in Britain's towns and cities and boost economic recovery; further recognises that current major rail capacity enhancement projects bring economic benefits to Britain; and calls on the Government to consider the economic benefits of rail schemes when determining value for money projects in the Comprehensive Spending Review.


EDM 263: FRONT PAGE CAMPAIGN

That this House welcomes and supports the Front Page Campaign; notes that recommended codes of practice by the National Federation of Retail Newsagents and the Periodical Publishers Association are widely ignored by newsagents and petrol stations; is concerned that this often means that sexually explicit material is displayed within easy reach of children; is further concerned by the practice of publishers paying for so-called best seller spots involving the display of sexually explicit material near check-outs; further notes that seeing such material can cause children confusion and distress and give them a false view of adult relationships; calls on the Government to introduce and enforce measures to ensure that such material is not displayed at or below children's eye-level, near children's publications or without opaque sleeving; further calls for an independent UK regulator to replace out-of-date and ineffective legislation; and also calls for magazines to be assigned age ratings such as are assigned to cinema films and DVDs.
 

EDM 167: GREEN BELT LAND AND UNAUTHORISED TRAVELLER DEVELOPMENT  08.06.2010

That this House notes with concern that unauthorised development can currently be undertaken by travellers who exploit delays in the planning enforcement system; believes that this problem can be tackled if the concept of retrospective planning permission is limited and councils are given stronger powers to deal with unauthorised development; and calls on the Government to ensure that all settled and traveller communities are treated equally and even-handedly in the planning process.