Daniel Zeichner (Cambridge) (Lab)
I rise to present this petition on the Government’s sale of arms to Saudi Arabia on behalf of my constituents in Cambridge. It was set up by OxCam, the University of Cambridge’s—[Interruption.]
Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Rosie Winterton)
Order. Will hon. Members leaving do so quietly? We want to hear the petition from Daniel Zeichner.
Daniel Zeichner
The petition was set up by OxCam, the University of Cambridge’s Oxfam group. I was approached by Thea Augustidis, the OxCam campaigns officers, who asked me to present this petition to Parliament, bringing this important issue to the attention of MPs across the House.
The petition states:
The petition of residents of the United Kingdom,
Declares that the government’s sale of arms to Saudi Arabia is unacceptable, as there is substantial evidence that these arms are being used to kill innocent civilians in Yemen. This is in direct breach of the UK arms export policy, which states that the licenses cannot be granted if there is a “clear risk” the arms might be used in a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
The petitioners therefore request the House of Commons to urge the Government to: suspend all arms transfers to members of the Saudi coalition carrying out attacks in Yemen, including weapons, arms, munition and ammunition, parts and components and other equipment that pose a substantial risk that they could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law in this conflict.
And the petitioners remain, etc.
[P002305]
Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)
I seek to present a petition signed by 2,500 of my constituents that condemns the fact that only 75p per child is spent in Cumbria each year on preventive mental health care.
The petitioners therefore
request that the House of Commons urges the Government to end the 75p per head allocation and give Cumbria the money it needs to keep our young people mentally healthy and support those who are in the early stages of experiencing mental health problems
specifically by funding a mental health worker for every school and college in Cumbria.
Following is the full text of the petition:
[The petition of Residents of the United Kingdom,
Declares that huge Government cuts to the public health budget have left Cumbria being able to spending £75,000 on Tier 1 preventative health measures for young people which works out at just 75p per head; further that back in 2015, the coalition Government made a spending promise of £25m per year for Cumbria’s public health budget, but the Conservative Government broke this promise and now allocates £7m less than originally promised for the county.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to end the 75p per head allocation and give Cumbria the money it needs to keep our young people mentally healthy and support those who are in the early stages of experiencing mental health problems.
And the petitioners remain, etc.]
[P002300]
Ged Killen (Rutherglen and Hamilton West) (Lab/Co-op)
I rise to present a petition on behalf of my constituents who have been affected by Green Deal mis-selling. This was a Government-backed scheme that my constituents believed they could trust. However, many of them were conned by unscrupulous installers and rogue salespeople, including HELMS—Home Energy and Lifestyle Management Ltd—based in my constituency, which was approved under the scheme. This was through no fault of my constituents and the Government must act to resolve this injustice. The petitioners therefore urge the House of Commons to ensure that the Government will compensate and protect people who have found themselves suffering a detriment because of this Government-backed scheme, and take steps to ensure that this cannot happen in the future.
The petition states:
The petition of residents of Rutherglen and Hamilton West,
Declares that the Government-backed Green Deal Scheme has adversely affected residents of Rutherglen and Hamilton West both financially and psychologically; further that many residents have, in good faith, invested their life saving or accrued several thousands of pounds of debt to pay for work that was carried out by companies approved by the Green Deal Scheme; further that in some cases the work including the installation of insulation and of solar panels, was incomplete; further that some were sub-standard and in many cases residents were given incorrect information which led them to believe that they would save or make money when in fact they have simply lost money; and further that in other cases the installer did not apply for building warrants and as a result they are unable to sell their properties, or have the peace of mind that their homes are safe to live in, or that the insurance policies residents continue to pay are valid without a building warrant.
The petitions therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to compensate financially and protect people who have found themselves suffering in this way after signing up to this Government-backed scheme using Government-approved installers.
And the petitioners remain, etc.
[P002306]
Dr Philippa Whitford (Central Ayrshire) (SNP)
Up to 169 households in my constituency of Central Ayrshire may be affected by this mis-selling scandal of Home Energy Lifestyle Management Ltd. Many elderly people were led to believe they were receiving insulation and solar panels free, provided by the Government, under the Green Deal scheme, only to find they were tied into long-term financing. In some cases they were even tricked into signing away their electricity feed-in tariff, meaning they have received no benefit, only debt. In addition, some installations were faulty, causing roof damage. The failure to secure building warrants means they cannot even sell their homes. The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to financially compensate and protect people who have found themselves suffering in this way after signing up to this Government-backed scheme using Government-approved installers.
The petition states:
The petition of residents of Central Ayrshire,
Declares that the Government-backed Green Deal Scheme has adversely affected residents of Central Ayrshire both financially and psychologically; further that many residents have, in good faith, invested their life saving or accrued several thousands of pounds of debt to pay for work that was carried out by companies approved by the Green Deal Scheme; further that in some cases the work including the installation of insulation and of solar panels, was incomplete; further that some were sub-standard and in many cases residents were given incorrect information which led them to believe that they would save or make money when in fact they have simply lost money; and further that in other cases the installer did not apply for building warrants and as a result they are unable to sell their properties, or have the peace of mind that their homes are safe to live in, or that the insurance policies residents continue to pay are valid without a building warrant.
The petitions therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to compensate financially and protect people who have found themselves suffering in this way after signing up to this Government-backed scheme using Government-approved installers.
And the petitioners remain, etc.
[P002307]