Battersea MP

Libel Law Reform

2010-03-10T08:00:00Z

Martin Linton has signed EDM423. Motion reads: "That this House notes that human rights activists, scientists, writers and journalists are prevented from publishing, and the public prevented from reading, matters of strong public interest due to the chilling effect of English libel law; further notes that libel actions in England and Wales cost 100 times more than the European average; further notes that the costs of defending a libel case are usually prohibitive and that even successful defendants do not recover their full costs; and further notes the report of the United Nations Committee on Human Rights which criticises English libel law for its stifling of free expression globally due to libel tourism whereby foreign complainants bring cases against foreign writers for alleged libel in overseas publications; believes that public interest is endangered by powerful vested interests and corporations being able to intimidate writers into not publishing; recognises the recent report by Index on Censorship and English PEN, Free speech is not for sale andfurther notes the campaign for scientific freedom by Sense About Science; welcomes the formation of the Libel Reform Coalition to campaign for law reform; and calls for a re-casting of the libel laws such that, while individual reputation is protected against malicious or reckless smears, lawful free expression is not chilled and there is a fully effective public interest defence for both scholarship and responsible journalism."

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2010-03-04T23:00:00Z

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Communications Allowance - [Frank Cook in the Chair] | Westminster Hall debates

2010-03-03T15:37:00Z

It is important to distinguish two issues in the debate. The first is the tsunami of party propaganda that has flooded through people's letterboxes. That is relevant because it is the...

Communications Allowance - [Frank Cook in the Chair] | Westminster Hall debates

2010-03-03T15:26:00Z

Will my hon. Friend give way?

Communications Allowance - [Frank Cook in the Chair] | Westminster Hall debates

2010-03-03T15:14:00Z

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Public Procurement Of Non-Cage Eggs

2010-02-24T08:00:00Z

Martin Linton has signed EDM140. Motion reads: "That this House welcomes the decision by many supermarkets, local authorities and manufacturers not to sell or use eggs from caged hens; notes with concern that the criteria for the pilot stage of the Government's Healthier Food Mark does not exclude the use of conventional battery eggs; further notes that the production of conventional battery eggs is banned in the EU from 1 January 2012 and that the public sector continues to purchase eggs from production systems with low standards of animal welfare; and calls on the Government to prohibit the public procurement of eggs from caged hens and to buy instead eggs that meet higher animal welfare standards, including barn, free range and organic eggs."

Topical Questions | Oral Answers to Questions - Health | Commons debates

2010-02-23T14:30:00Z

Given the success of the Government's breast cancer screening programme in reducing mortality in London by some 30 per cent. in the past 10 years, and given that breast cancer remains the UK's...

Deforestation, Climate Change And Livestock

2010-02-23T08:00:00Z

Martin Linton has signed EDM194. Motion reads: "That this House notes that global livestock and animal feed production contributes 18 per cent. of global greenhouse gas emissions and is currently the most significant driver of biodiversity loss worldwide; further notes that the large-scale conversion of forests and other valuable habitats into croplands for the production of animal feeds such as soy for intensive livestock farming is a cause of particular concern; recognises the associated impacts on small farmers and communities in developing countries who are often forced off their land; urges the Government to undertake an assessment of the scale and impact of this trend and the UK's role in it, and to gauge whether the UK's livestock industry has become overly dependent on soy-based animal feed which has such an unwelcome and unsustainable impact upon the environment; and calls on the Government to bring forward the measures necessary to reduce the UK's impact on global greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss from the livestock sector whilst avoiding the export of these impacts overseas and supporting a viable, sustainable and thriving UK farming industry."

People With A Learning Disability And Voting

2010-02-23T08:00:00Z

Martin Linton has signed EDM383. Motion reads: "That this House is concerned that less than 20 per cent. of those eligible to vote with a learning disability voted in the last General Election; believes that in order to encourage more effective engagement of people with a learning disability in the democratic process, local authorities, political parties and central government should produce accessible material in relation to electoral matters; notes the work of Mencap's Get My Vote campaign to encourage political parties to produce easy to read manifestos and United Response's Every Vote Counts campaign to ensure that people with a learning disability are engaged in the democratic process; and calls on all prospective parliamentary candidates to make their election material easily accessible for people with a learning disability."

Front Page Campaign

2010-02-23T08:00:00Z

Martin Linton has signed EDM412. Motion reads: "That this House believes that politicians, retailers, publishers and distributors have a collective responsibility to protect children and young people from displays of sexually graphic material that they are not emotionally equipped to deal with; calls for an urgent review of existing guidelines drawn up between the Home Office and the National Federation of Retail Newsagents; further believes that such a review must consider the availability of sexually graphic publications to children and young people, the positioning of these publications on the shelves of retailers, the potential for concealing these publications in bags and consider the question of age-rating such publications; and further believes that failure to follow the revised guidelines could lead to calls for legislation covering all aspects of the availability and display of sexually graphic material to children and young people throughout the retail and publishing industries."

Somebody Else's Child Campaign On Private Fostering And Safeguarding Of Children

2010-02-23T08:00:00Z

Martin Linton has signed EDM916. Motion reads: "That this House congratulates the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) on its excellent campaign Somebody Else's Child, running from 22 February 2010, to draw attention to private fostering, where a child who is under 16 (or under 18 if with a disability) lives with someone who is not a close relative (i.e. not a step-parent or grandparent, aunt, uncle, older brother or sister) for more than 28 days; notes the legal requirement for private fostering arrangements to be notified to the local authority where a child is living; commends the efforts by national and local government and the BAAF to increase understanding and awareness of private fostering and the importance of notification; recognises that children living in private fostering have a broad range of individual circumstances, from parents working away, parents suffering ill-health or young people who have had arguments at home or other family difficulties, and that these circumstances also include some children trafficked into the UK or within the UK for the purposes of domestic slavery or prostitution; and calls on local safeguarding children boards to continue to highlight private fostering as an important safeguarding issue."

Breast Cancer Research | Health | Written Answers

2010-02-23T00:00:00Z

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future funding of breast cancer research; and if he will make a statement.

Breast Cancer Research | Health | Written Answers

2010-02-23T00:00:00Z

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future funding of breast cancer research; and if he will make a statement.

Review Of Student Visas

2010-02-22T08:00:00Z

Martin Linton has signed EDM647. Motion reads: "That this House welcomes the Prime Minister's assurance in his speech on Education as a global growth industry on 14 January 2010 that all students who came to the UK legitimately would be made welcome, because the Government was not prepared to put legitimate colleges out of business or set back efforts to expand educational trade; and calls on the Secretaries of State for the Home Department and for Business, Innovation and Skills to ensure that any recommendations for change to the student visa system made following the review which began in November 2009 support rather than damage existing legitimate courses and the properly accredited and registered schools and colleges offering them."

I'm Backing The Pub Campaign

2010-02-22T08:00:00Z

Martin Linton has signed EDM687. Motion reads: "That this House welcomes the I'm backing the pub campaign by the British Beer and Pub Association, Society of Independent Brewers and supported by CAMRA, CBI, Visit Britain, British Hospitality Association, Local Government Association, Central Council of Physical Recreation and UK Music to promote British pubs and British beer; believes that pubs lie at the social heart of communities across the country, employ more than half a million people across the UK, and provides an important contribution to national income; recognises the social benefits of the responsible enjoyment of lower-strength drinks like beer; and notes that with more than 50 pubs closing every week it is vital that the Government, industry, local authorities and others work together to support a quintessentially British institution and Britain's national drink as part of efforts to enhance community life and promote economic recovery."