argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Local Authority Funding — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on trends in the level of funding for local authorities since 2010.; What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on trends in the level of funding for local authorities since 2010.; My county council of Derbyshire has seen its Government funding cut by over £200 million, and two thirds of its spending goes on adult social care. Does the Minister think that a postcode lottery of which counties can afford the most council tax should determine whether their elderly get looked after decently?
Philip Thomas Hollobone (Conservative, Centre-right): This week, having faced the same central Government cuts as everyone else, Conservative-controlled Kettering Borough Council, of which I am a member, can be expected to freeze its council tax for the eighth year in a row. Does it therefore appear that some councils are better at managing their affairs than others?
Local Authority Funding — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on trends in the level of funding for local authorities since 2010.; What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on trends in the level of funding for local authorities since 2010.; My county council of Derbyshire has seen its Government funding cut by over £200 million, and two thirds of its spending goes on adult social care. Does the Minister think that a postcode lottery of which counties can afford the most council tax should determine whether their elderly get looked after decently?
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): We put an extra £2 billion of spending power into the hands of the Scottish Government at the last Budget, and we have also said that we want to be flexible over public sector pay to make sure we are retaining and recruiting the best possible staff.
Local Authority Funding — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on trends in the level of funding for local authorities since 2010.; What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on trends in the level of funding for local authorities since 2010.; My county council of Derbyshire has seen its Government funding cut by over £200 million, and two thirds of its spending goes on adult social care. Does the Minister think that a postcode lottery of which counties can afford the most council tax should determine whether their elderly get looked after decently?
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): First, the spring statement is not a fiscal event, and it is vital that we maintain the discipline that we have achieved over the past eight years and keep control of public spending, because that is what has led to the strong economy we are now seeing, with record levels of employment and an increasing number of new businesses starting up. The reality is that if Labour were to get into power, that legacy would be squandered Local government will see a 2.1% increase in cash terms between 2015 and 2019, and, as I have pointed out, they have also seen an increase in local council reserves of £8 billion—money available to spend on, and invest in, local services.
Local Authority Funding — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on trends in the level of funding for local authorities since 2010.; What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on trends in the level of funding for local authorities since 2010.; My county council of Derbyshire has seen its Government funding cut by over £200 million, and two thirds of its spending goes on adult social care. Does the Minister think that a postcode lottery of which counties can afford the most council tax should determine whether their elderly get looked after decently?
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): It is a bit rich of the right hon. Gentleman to suggest that we should not bring politics into this when that is precisely what he is doing. We are making sure that local councils have the flexibility to raise council tax to fund these vital public services. Labour has to acknowledge that this is not just about the money we spend but the way we spend it. The reality is that if the entire focus is on the level of spending rather than what we are doing, we end up with the situation that occurred in 2010—vast increases in spending and services actually getting worse.
PFI Contracts and Carillion — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Government Operations
Philip Hammond (Conservative, Centre-right): We absolutely value transparency in the public-private partnerships that are delivered. They are an important part of the overall infrastructure. As I just explained to the House, there are currently no PF2 projects in procurement. That indicates that we have set the bar for value for money in public-private partnerships very high, and we will continue to do so.
Road and Rail Investment — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What recent assessment the Government have made of the effect of the national productivity investment fund on road and rail infrastructure in the north-west.
Robert Edward Jenrick (Conservative, Centre-right): This Government have put raising our national productivity at the heart of our mission. From the national productivity investment fund, we have already announced over £50 million of investment in road and rail in the north-west, and this is in addition to the transforming cities allocations to Manchester of £243 million and to Liverpool of £135 million.
Road and Rail Investment — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What recent assessment the Government have made of the effect of the national productivity investment fund on road and rail infrastructure in the north-west.
Robert Edward Jenrick (Conservative, Centre-right): The latest statistics show that we have had the best run of productivity growth since before the financial crisis, but we are certainly not complacent. The national productivity investment fund is improving passenger journeys, our roads and our broadband connections and delivering more homes, all of which are key to raising the wages and living standards of people in Southport and across the country.
Road and Rail Investment — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Transportation
Questions: What recent assessment the Government have made of the effect of the national productivity investment fund on road and rail infrastructure in the north-west.
Robert Edward Jenrick (Conservative, Centre-right): I am afraid that I do not agree with the hon. Gentleman’s analysis. The Government have put a record amount of investment into our roads and rail. As the Chancellor announced in the autumn, there is further money for transport projects in the north. There is £13 billion in total to improve transport across the north of England.
Road and Rail Investment — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Transportation
Questions: What recent assessment the Government have made of the effect of the national productivity investment fund on road and rail infrastructure in the north-west.
Robert Edward Jenrick (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government have been investing more in railways across the country than any Government since Victorian times, including in the north of England. Across the country, the Government have invested £0.25 trillion in infrastructure projects since 2010, 4,500 of which have already been completed.
Major Infrastructure Investment — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Macroeconomics
Philip Hammond (Conservative, Centre-right): As my hon. Friend the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury has just told the House, there has been more than £0.25 trillion of public and private investment in infrastructure since 2010. We continued to invest in infrastructure in the autumn Budget 2017 by expanding the national productivity investment fund, so that it will now provide £31 billion of additional investment, including more than doubling the housing infrastructure fund to £5 billion. The Institute for Fiscal Studies said after the Budget that our plans will see public investment increase to levels not sustained in 40 years.
Major Infrastructure Investment — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Transportation
Julian Charles Sturdy (Conservative, Centre-right): Through the major road network, vehicle excise duty will be made available for investment in strategic roads outside the remit of Highways England. I understand that economic growth must be a priority, but how much will the pressure of future housing developments be considered in any of these future schemes? My constituency in York, for example, is surrounded by the northern ring road and we have a lot of housing coming forward.
Major Infrastructure Investment — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Transportation
Priti Sushil Patel (Conservative, Centre-right): The Chancellor will know of the great eastern main line taskforce, which has made the economic and business case for rail infrastructure directly to the Treasury. He will also know that Greater Anglia commuters are forking out £3.7 billion to the Treasury under the current rail franchise. Will he ensure that we can get some of that money back out to invest in the much-needed infrastructure improvements for which our commuters are campaigning?
Major Infrastructure Investment — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Transportation
Philip Hammond (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend is a great champion of infrastructure in Essex, and I share her wish to create a more dependable railway with an increased focus on punctuality and reliability, which is why the Government are pursuing the biggest rail investment programme since Victorian times. Under the Greater Anglia franchise, there is a commitment to deliver more services and faster journey times, including two "Norwich in 90" trains each way a day from May 2019. The great eastern main line proposals are currently at an early stage of development, but we will carefully consider the case she has made for the passing loop.
Major Infrastructure Investment — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Energy
Questions: The Chancellor has spoken out in favour of rebalancing the economy via a fairer distribution of transport spending. Will he therefore consider Transport for the North’s strategic transport plan, which calls for a 50% increase in transport spending across the north of England?
Philip Hammond (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government are committed to the northern powerhouse project and recognise that that has to be supported through infrastructure investment. We are looking at northern powerhouse infrastructure investment projects on a case-by-case basis, and we will continue to support the development of the northern powerhouse.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: International Affairs
Melvyn John Stride (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government are undertaking a wide-ranging set of analyses of the impact of our departure from the European Union. This is changing through time as we develop our approach and we move to a bold and comprehensive agreement with our EU partners.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Foreign Trade
Melvyn John Stride (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government have made their position very clear: we are leaving the European Union, and that means we are leaving the customs union and the single market. However, we are determined to negotiate a deal under which our trade with the EU27 is as frictionless as possible and we are able, as a globally facing nation, to secure free trade agreements with other countries around the world.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Foreign Trade
Melvyn John Stride (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend very much indeed for that question. I can of course confirm that we remain entirely committed to the strength of our economy and to supporting businesses up and down the country, not least in our negotiations with the European Union. I have some responsibility for the customs part of the negotiations, and we are committed to making sure that goods and services move as frictionlessly as possible across the boundaries with the EU27 following our departure.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Foreign Trade
Melvyn John Stride (Conservative, Centre-right): The Secretary of State for International Trade is fully committed to the options that we set out in last year’s White Papers on the customs union and on trade. We are taking forward legislation to make sure that our aspirations in that respect for our negotiations with the EU can be landed when the deals are concluded.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Foreign Trade
Martin John Vickers (Conservative, Centre-right): Yesterday, I met a delegation of business representatives from my constituency who are optimistic about our prospects when we leave the single market and customs union. They are examining the concept of a free port for Immingham. Will the Minister agree to meet them when they have further developed their thoughts so that we can try to overcome possible obstacles?
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Foreign Trade
Melvyn John Stride (Conservative, Centre-right): I—or, indeed, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury—would of course be happy to meet my hon. Friend and the business colleagues from his constituency. We are potentially interested in free ports and will keep the idea under review.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Foreign Trade
Melvyn John Stride (Conservative, Centre-right): I am here to speak about Government policy, as you have quite rightly indicated, Mr Speaker. However, if I may say so, Opposition Members’ zig-zagging in respect of their position on the customs union has been quite extraordinary. If I understand what is being suggested, it seems to me, at a first take, that the idea that we can be in the customs union yet go out and have a high level of control over deals and free trade arrangements with other countries just does not hang together.
The Welsh Economy — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Macroeconomics
Melvyn John Stride (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend will know that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor announced an additional £1.2 billion for Wales in the Budget. We maintain our position of ensuring that Welsh Government funding per head is some 15% or more above the rate in England. As a consequence of those and other measures, Wales is now one of the fastest growing of the nations and regions of the United Kingdom.
The Welsh Economy — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Foreign Trade
Melvyn John Stride (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is entirely right. It is a simple fact that some 80% of Welsh exports go to the other nations of the United Kingdom, compared with just 12% going into the European Union. Those figures speak for themselves.
The Welsh Economy — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Macroeconomics
Melvyn John Stride (Conservative, Centre-right): As the House will know, we are doing a great deal for productivity throughout the country. We have agreed two city deals in Wales, with £500 million for Cardiff and £115.6 million for Swansea. Since 2010, employment in Wales is up by 7.3% and unemployment is down by 39%.
The Welsh Economy — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Macroeconomics
Melvyn John Stride (Conservative, Centre-right): I am surprised to hear the hon. Gentleman level those accusations against the Government because, as I have explained, we set aside an additional £1.2 billion for Wales in the recent Budget. I have referred to the two city deals, and we are also backing the south Wales metro, as he will know. We are committed to agreeing further growth deals with north and south Wales.
EU Exit Analysis — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Foreign Trade
Questions: What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union on the Government’s preliminary EU exit analysis; and if he will make a statement.
Philip Hammond (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government intend to maintain the greatest possible access for British businesses to European Union markets. The hon. Lady is right that we should approach this on the basis of evidence. We should look for evidence of the value of our trade flows with Europe and what jobs they generate in the UK, and we should look objectively at the opportunities that arise with third-country trade deals and with the likely profile of the new jobs, trade and opportunities that can be created, and then weigh those carefully.
EU Exit Analysis — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Foreign Trade
Questions: What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union on the Government’s preliminary EU exit analysis; and if he will make a statement.
Philip Hammond (Conservative, Centre-right): As the hon. Lady knows, the analysis to which she refers is based on standardised, off-the-shelf trade models. The Government are seeking a bespoke deal with the European Union to deliver a deep economic partnership, which would have a completely different set of outcomes. That remains our objective.
Public Sector Pay and Equality — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Macroeconomics
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): We have announced new policies on reporting the private sector pay gap. The pay gap has come down under this Government and we are now seeing a record number of women in work, and the reason is that we have taken the difficult economic decision to close the deficit and ensured that we have allowed the private sector to flourish.
Public Sector Pay and Equality — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Labor
Questions: With inflation at 3% and Government cuts to council tax and police budgets forcing up precepts, why should low-paid workers, who are predominantly women, have an increase of only 1% next year, after four years of 1% already?
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): First, I point out that those on the lowest pay have seen their real wages rise by 7% since 2015, which is the highest level for some time. Also, it is women who are more likely to be in work, with record levels of employment. We have also given additional flexibility to public services to ensure that they can recruit and retain.
Household Debt — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Social Welfare
John Philip Glen (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government recognise that it is very important that we focus on the poorest people in our society. That is why we have increased the national living wage by 4.7%, which will mean a pay rise of £600 for those working full time. We have also increased the personal allowance, frozen fuel duty and increased childcare support to attend to the concerns that the hon. Gentleman has raised.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: International Affairs
Questions: What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits for the economy of the UK adopting an EEA Norway-style arrangement after the UK leaves the EU.
Antoinette Geraldine Sherratt (Sandbach) (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government’s own forecast suggests that a no-deal Brexit will cut GDP growth by 12% in the north-west of England. What steps is the Chancellor taking to minimise the impact of a no-deal, WTO-terms Brexit on my constituents in Eddisbury?
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Foreign Trade
Questions: What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits for the economy of the UK adopting an EEA Norway-style arrangement after the UK leaves the EU.
Philip Hammond (Conservative, Centre-right): As I said in answer to a previous question, the figures to which my hon. Friend refers are based on standardised trade models, not the bespoke deal that we are seeking to achieve. She asks what steps I am taking to protect her constituents’ interests. I am supporting my colleagues in seeking to negotiate an ambitious economic partnership with the EU that delivers the maximum possible benefits for both the EU and the UK.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Foreign Trade
Questions: What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits for the economy of the UK adopting an EEA Norway-style arrangement after the UK leaves the EU.
Philip Hammond (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady is absolutely right that the creative industries are one of Britain’s great success stories. More broadly, our services sector is our strategic strength in many respects. As we negotiate our future relationship with the European Union, we have to ensure that we protect not only the market in goods, but the market in services, where Britain has such significant comparative advantage.
Technological Progress — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Technology
John Philip Glen (Conservative, Centre-right): By helping all places to access the benefits of technological progress and reach their full potential, we can drive growth at national level. Since autumn 2016, the Government have announced an additional £7 billion for science and innovation—an increase of about 20% to total Government R&D spending by 2021.
Technological Progress — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Technology
John Philip Glen (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government are expanding Tech City’s reach across the UK, creating Tech Nation by investing £21 million over four years to help people grow digital businesses. That includes a large-scale CityVerve smart city demonstrator in Manchester, which demonstrates how the internet of things, technologies and services can improve local services in transport, energy, health and culture.
Regional Infrastructure Development — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Transportation
Robert Edward Jenrick (Conservative, Centre-right): As the Institute for Fiscal Studies has confirmed, under our plan, public investment will reach levels not sustained since the late 1970s by the end of this Parliament. We want to see that investment across the United Kingdom. We are delivering £13 billion of transport investment in the north and have launched a £1.7 billion transport fund to transform our great cities.
The Scottish Economy — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Macroeconomics
Melvyn John Stride (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government are committed to driving up investment in Scotland; my right hon. Friend the Chancellor announced an additional £2 billion at the last Budget. We have already boosted city deals by £1 billion and have committed further to looking at city deals in Stirling, Tay Cities and the borderlands.
The Scottish Economy — House of Commons, 2018-02-27
Topic: Macroeconomics
Andrew Campbell Bowie (Conservative, Centre-right): I am sure that my right hon. Friend will share my concern, and that of my constituents, at recent statistics showing that trend-based productivity in Scotland had declined by 3.2% in the year end to September 2017—well below the levels of the UK and its lowest level in eight years. Does he agree that instead of making Scotland the highest-tax part of the UK and increasing the tax burden on businesses, the Scottish Government should be encouraged to follow this Government’s lead—encouraging enterprise, boosting economic development and growing UK productivity to its highest levels in 10 years?