A message from Chris Kelly, Member of Parliament for Dudley South:

"I do not sign Early Day Motions (EDMs) as a matter of principle because they cost £1 million per year, or about £400 each*. In my view they are not an effective way of having an issue debated in the House of Commons as few, if any, EDMs ever get debated.

* These figures are based on a written answer from 26th July 2010 which stated:

In the past financial year, a total of 2,531 EDMs were tabled and 120,158 names added. The cost of publishing EDMs, including printing, staff time and technical support was around £1 million in the last financial year (2009-2010). Printing alone costs £776,000.

Note that there is some possibility that the printing cost will be significantly reduced.

Upon my election to Parliament I asked the House of Commons Information Office when an EDM was last debated. It was unable to give a definitive answer, thus reinforcing my view that they are not an effective way of having an issue debated in the House.

Furthermore EDMs, which are often used by political lobbyists to justify fees to their clients, have no legislative effect.

The Government has established a new e-petitions system whereby the most popular petitions are granted a Parliamentary debate – see epetitions.direct.gov.uk"