That this House notes with sadness the passing of the great Fergie MacDonald, the legendary Scottish Ceilidh King and bandleader, who died aged 86 on 23 April 2024; pays tribute to his life and the joy and delight he brought to so many throughout the Highlands, Scotland, the pan-Celtic nations and through many other parts of the world; further notes that he lived a full Highland life as a stalker, gamekeeper, maybe even poacher, and most famously as a musician with the button box accordion, previous to that he was a physiotherapist to Partick Thistle FC in Glasgow and a trainer for the Fort William Shinty Club; also notes his successful music career spanning over 60 years with 23 released albums and many more original musical compositions, including topping the Scottish singles charts in 1966 with Loch Maree Islands; recognises his induction into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame; recalls his fantastic biography Fergie: Memoirs of a Musical Legend with Allan Henderson; remembers fondly his sense of fun, character, wit, humour and good nature which is why his passing is noted especially by so many Highland communities who valued and loved Fergie being Fergie with his trademark red socks on some small village hall stage entertaining the local community or a variety of weddings, with dances, tunes and entertaining chitchat in between which brought him affection and fans from near and far; and joins with his family and friends in mourning the passing of a Highland legend.

That this House notes with sadness the passing of the great Fergie MacDonald, the legendary Scottish Ceilidh King and bandleader, who died aged 86 on 23 April 2024; pays tribute to his life and the joy and delight he brought to so many throughout the Highlands, Scotland, the pan-Celtic nations...

That this House notes with concern the rise of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries used to power e-bikes and e-scooters, which have quadrupled since 2020, resulting in 13 deaths, 200 serious injuries requiring hospital treatment and have resulted in homelessness and staggering financial loses; commends the important work of the charity Electrical Safety First, the London Fire Brigade and campaigner Alda Simoes in raising awareness of this issue; highlights that two coroners recently called for the law regarding the safety of these products to be tightened and therefore agrees with the support given to the Safety of Electric Powered Micromobility Vehicles and Lithium-ion Batteries Bill, drafted by the charity Electrical Safety First and experts from key sectors; further notes that this Bill has already gained the support of 44 national organisations including the London Fire Brigade and the National Fire Chiefs Council; and therefore calls on the Government to prioritise the time to implement the Bill's measures in order to ensure safer access to and use for sustainable transportation.

That this House notes with concern the rise of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries used to power e-bikes and e-scooters, which have quadrupled since 2020, resulting in 13 deaths, 200 serious injuries requiring hospital treatment and have resulted in homelessness and staggering financial loses; commends the important work of the...

That this House recognises the importance of maintaining bank branch services; regrets the latest closures announced by the Natwest banking group, which operates Royal Bank of Scotland, and the decision to close 18 of its 86 RBS branches across Scotland, with three branches in Edinburgh set to close including Leith, disadvantaging small businesses and customers in one of the most densely populated parts of the city; further recognises the importance of maintaining counter services to a significant proportion of the community who do not use digital banking; and calls on the Government to take much greater action to protect access to cash and face to face banking services across the UK high streets.

That this House recognises the importance of maintaining bank branch services; regrets the latest closures announced by the Natwest banking group, which operates Royal Bank of Scotland, and the decision to close 18 of its 86 RBS branches across Scotland, with three branches in Edinburgh set to close including Leith,...

That this House notes the Speaker’s decision on selection and calling of amendments on 21 February 2024 was not in accordance with the established precedent for Opposition days; and accordingly considers that, notwithstanding the Resolution of this House of 6 February 1978, the matter of whether undue pressure was placed on Mr Speaker in relation to the decision on selection and calling of amendments on 21 February, should be referred to the Committee of Privileges.

That this House notes the Speaker’s decision on selection and calling of amendments on 21 February 2024 was not in accordance with the established precedent for Opposition days; and accordingly considers that, notwithstanding the Resolution of this House of 6 February 1978, the matter of whether undue pressure was placed...

That this House notes that people with terminal illnesses cannot currently access their State Pension until their retirement age; recognises that this is the case even for individuals who have made full National Insurance contributions; acknowledges that poverty rates are disproportionately high amongst the terminally ill; commends research by Loughborough University showing that granting State Pensions to this group would almost halve the rate of poverty within this cohort while costing only £144 million per year, just 0.1% of the annual State Pension bill; and calls on the Government to allow early access to State Pensions for people diagnosed with a terminal illness.

That this House notes that people with terminal illnesses cannot currently access their State Pension until their retirement age; recognises that this is the case even for individuals who have made full National Insurance contributions; acknowledges that poverty rates are disproportionately high amongst the terminally ill; commends research by Loughborough...

That this House congratulates the thousands of schools, households, community groups and businesses that came together to mark the Big Plastic Count between 11 and 17 March; acknowledges that this annual citizen science investigation provides a unique snapshot of the scale of the UK’s plastic crisis; notes that the study by Greenpeace UK and Everyday Plastic provides valuable data about our plastic footprint; highlights that almost a quarter of a million people took part in the Big Plastic Count in 2022, which revealed that a quarter of a million participants threw away 6.4 million pieces of packaging waste in one week, yet only 12% was likely recycled; and calls on the UK Government to ban plastic waste exports, set a moratorium on new incinerators, and implement a Deposit Return Scheme for plastic bottles.

That this House congratulates the thousands of schools, households, community groups and businesses that came together to mark the Big Plastic Count between 11 and 17 March; acknowledges that this annual citizen science investigation provides a unique snapshot of the scale of the UK’s plastic crisis; notes that the study...

That this House welcomes the findings of the UK Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) which vindicates women born in the 1950s who were severely impacted when their state pension age was raised with little or no notice; notes that the Ombudsman's conclusions that the Government needs to act swiftly to ensure a compensation scheme is established to remedy the failings by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP); further notes with concern that the Ombudsman’s report highlights that the DWP has clearly indicated that it will refuse to comply; believes that this is completely unacceptable and agrees that DWP must do the right thing and be held accountable for its failure to do so; is mindful of the suffering of the woman affected by the changes to their state pension age, with retirement plans thrown into chaos, leaving many in dire financial straits, exacerbated during a cost of living crisis; appreciates that the generation of women affected have already been victims of pay discrimination; commends the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaigners who have conducted their campaign for pension justice with dignity despite provocation in the form of dismissal and intransigence from the Government over many years; urges the Government to accept the fact that the women affected need and deserve compensation which recognises their financial loss and distress; and rejects any attempts to erect barriers which will prevent prompt access to compensation so that all WASPI women can finally enjoy the retirement they have earned.

That this House welcomes the findings of the UK Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) which vindicates women born in the 1950s who were severely impacted when their state pension age was raised with little or no notice; notes that the Ombudsman's conclusions that the Government needs to act swiftly...