Parliamentary motions are effective in raising awareness of particular issues amongst both the public and politicians. Missing People has seen a number of Motions tabled in connection to its work over the years in the UK Parliament, Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly. Those below are from the current Parliamentary session:

EDM 1158: Missing People’s Missing Rights campaign
That this House welcomes the Missing People's Missing Rights Campaign, which seeks to improve the support available for families of missing people; regrets that 330,000 missing person reports were made across the UK last year with over 20,000 disappearances estimated to have lasted longer than one week; is concerned that if a person's house is burgled they are automatically entitled to a range of resources, information and assistance, whereas if a person's child goes missing they may get nothing; and calls on the Government to ensure that families of missing people have access to specialist support that can address the unique legal, financial and emotional challenges a family will face when a loved one disappears and to review the need for legislative change to better protect those affected.

Date: December 2010

Signatories: 60

EDM 762: Missing People
That this House regrets that there is no right to support for families of people who have gone missing; notes that many families face years of anguish and suffering as well as practical, financial and legal challenges; is therefore disappointed that all financial support from Government departments for the charity Missing People is being withdrawn from April 2011; further notes the invaluable support the charity provides to families of missing people, which complements the work of police forces across the UK and Missing Persons' Bureau; and, in view of the lack of local alternatives, calls on Government departments to reconsider decisions to withdraw funding from Missing People, which last year took more than 114,000 calls for help.

Date: September 2010

Signatories: 43