argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-04-28
Topic: Government Operations
Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Thank you, Mr Speaker, and of course it is the Prime Minister’s behaviour which is not in order. This is a Prime Minister who is up to his neck in a swamp of Tory sleaze. We have seen contracts for cronies, texts for tax breaks and cash for curtains. The Prime Minister has dodged these questions all week, and he has dodged them again today, but these questions simply are not going to go away. When exactly was money funnelled through Tory HQ into his personal bank account, when did he pay back this money, was it an interest-free loan, and who are the donor or donors who originally funded it? Is the Prime Minister aware that if he continues to fail to answer these questions, the Electoral Commission has the powers to prosecute him? Will the Prime Minister publish these details today, or is he going to wait until the police come knocking at his door?
Government Support for India — House of Commons, 2021-04-28
Topic: International Affairs
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs if he will make a statement on the support the Government are providing to the Indian Government.
Christopher Murray Alexander Law (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The scenes we have all seen emerging from India are truly tragic and our hearts go out to all those who are suffering. There is nothing more tragic than seeing people dying on pavements outside already overstretched and under-resourced hospitals that are full of covid patients, and dead loved ones being lined up for cremation. Sadly, we must recognise that the scenes in India will not be the last of the devastation of covid that we see, and the UK must step up its efforts, not just in India, but across the world It is welcome that the UK has been able to offer some support to India, but what assistance is being provided on vaccines to prevent further covid waves across the country? Furthermore, will the UK Government support a waiver to overcome intellectual property barriers, so that developing countries have much-needed access to vaccines and we do not see what is happening in India replicated elsewhere? Finally, given the need for a fully resourced global vaccine roll-out, will the Government finally listen to the experts and retreat from the proposed cut to the UK’s life-saving aid at this critical time?
Government Support for India — House of Commons, 2021-04-28
Topic: International Affairs
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs if he will make a statement on the support the Government are providing to the Indian Government.
Steven Bonnar (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Only last week I stood here and questioned this Tory Government’s obscene betrayal of those in need by cutting the foreign aid budget. This week we have perhaps seen the direct consequences of such decisions. I am sure that, along with every Member, they agree with me that the scenes from India are nothing short of devastating and we cannot stand idly by while oxygen becomes a premium and not an easily obtainable necessity. Given the severity of the situation, will the Minister now go on record to say that the UK Government will undertake any and every possible measure of support for India and her people, including the potential distribution of vaccines when we are in a position to do so?
Trade: UK and EU — House of Commons, 2021-02-11
Topic: Foreign Trade
Stewart Hosie (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The House of Commons Library described the EU trade and co-operation agreement by saying, as the Minister has: "There will be no tariffs or quotas…provided rules of origin are met." However, it went on to say: "There are increased non-tariff barriers, but measures on customs and trade facilitation to ease these." Given that 60% of companies have had difficulties importing from or exporting to the EU, and that 30% or more of companies have had their supply chain impacted in both directions, when will the measures to ease the problems at the borders begin to work?
Trade: UK and EU — House of Commons, 2021-02-11
Topic: Foreign Trade
Stewart Hosie (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I am struggling to see the advantages and new opportunities. A firm in my constituency, Wilde Mode Ltd, imports, among other things, rolls of printed fabric from Poland. Before Brexit, the cost of delivery was less than €40, but because courier and other companies are no longer shipping to the UK the owners of that company are now being quoted €2,000 for the same delivery. As the Minister will know, that is completely unsustainable. So I ask again: when will the measures to ease these problems be put in place fully and actually start to work?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-02-11
Topic: Agriculture
Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Since December, Argyll and Bute’s shellfish exporters have been, in their words, haemorrhaging money. Last week, one small company even paid €1,400 to taxi prawns from Boulogne to Brittany to prevent losing a high-value customer permanently. This cannot be dismissed as teething problems—the industry is being destroyed. When will we see a long-term plan to help all seafood exporters withstand the impossible trading conditions they find themselves in?
Scottish Fishing Communities: EU Trade — House of Commons, 2021-01-21
Topic: Agriculture
Stuart Campbell McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Scotland’s high-quality seafood producers are warning that they are going out of business. They cannot have their products sitting in lorry parks in Kent waiting for customs clearance. Those products have to reach market fresh. What are the Government doing to change procedures and technology to ensure an entire industry is not destroyed? Will there be ongoing compensation offered to businesses until this is sorted, or was that offer a one-off? If the Minister could offer a slightly fuller response this time, that would be appreciated.
Covid-19: Child Maintenance Service — House of Commons, 2021-01-21
Topic: Social Welfare
Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I thank the Minister, especially for what he said at the end. I do not think any of us, whether or not we have taken part in this debate, does not believe that children are what matter in all of this. I can assure him that my office has already emailed Baroness Stedman-Scott, and we hope to continue a dialogue to improve the service in relation to those parents who do not keep up their obligations and those who refuse to take on board that when they have a child, that child is their responsibility—in my view, almost for life I thank all Members who have taken part in this debate for the wide range of topics that they brought to bear in the Chamber today. It is important for me and for everyone else that this debate continues to the betterment of children and their resident parents—to make their lives better, whether we are in a pandemic or not Question put and agreed to. Resolved, That this House has considered the operation of the Child Maintenance Service during the covid-19 outbreak.
Virtual Participation in COP26 — House of Commons, 2021-04-14
Topic: Environment
Martyn Day (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I am grateful for that answer. Many respondents to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee’s survey of expert views, both academics and former COP attendees, highlighted the value of remote participation for otherwise excluded groups, and for reducing the conference’s carbon footprint. Will the COP26 President explore the possibilities of wider virtual participation at COP, in addition to physical attendance at the conference?
Green Investment and Public Transport — House of Commons, 2021-04-14
Topic: Environment
Deidre Leanne Brock (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): There is no joined-up thinking on any issue with this Government, but we would all have hoped for some cross-Department thinking on this issue at least. We are, as usual, disappointed, with even the green homes grant gone after just a few months—so much for building back better There is increasing concern voiced internationally, too, about the UK Government’s lack of progress domestically on environmental commitments. Will the right hon. Gentleman show some real leadership and commit today to start seriously lobbying his Government colleagues to join up the dots and start delivering, so that we can look forward to environmentally sound investment, renewed support for a comprehensive charging framework for electric vehicles, real investment in hydrogen technology and marine energy, support for housing improvements and so on? Will he do that, or is he happy to leave us all embarrassed to be hosting COP26 while the UK seems to be striding off in the opposite direction?
Lobbying of Government Committee — House of Commons, 2021-04-14
Topic: Government Operations
Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): What I would love to happen is for the Committee, when it meets, to examine that in detail to find out exactly whether it is true. What is inescapable is that a company is 10 times more likely to receive a Government contract through a political contact. That deserves careful scrutiny and has to be smoked out to the nth degree.
Lobbying of Government Committee — House of Commons, 2021-04-14
Topic: Government Operations
Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The short answer is yes, and that is something that I will come on to in a moment. That is why this is so important It is not just Members of this House who are questioning the corrosive culture of cronyism at the heart of this Government; it has been attracting some fairly high-profile international attention too. At the end of last year, The New York Times decided to investigate how the UK Government managed what it described as the greatest spending spree in the post-war era. It concluded that of the 1,200 central Government contracts worth nearly $22 billion, "$11 billion went to companies either run by friends and associates of politicians in the Conservative Party, or with no prior experience or a history of controversy." That is an incredible amount of money, and any hint that it has been spent at the behest of someone with close ties to Downing Street or for the benefit of companies that have political allies in Government is deeply worrying. It has to be examined—and examined fully, robustly and independently While people might understand and accept that things had to happen quickly in the circumstances, and perhaps that normal procurement rules were not sufficiently speedy, they will not accept that a Government have any right to rip up every rule, every standard, every safeguard and to start throwing about public money like a scramble at a wedding, particularly when it is their mates who are there waiting to pick it up.
Lobbying of Government Committee — House of Commons, 2021-04-14
Topic: Government Operations
Alan Brown (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Does my hon. Friend agree that the Committee should perhaps look at other activities that this Government get up to? There are things such as the Brexit contracts—I recall that they gave a contract to a ferry company that had no ferries—and all the appointments to external bodies and regulators, which are further examples of cronyism. We need to look at this in the bigger mix as well.
Lobbying of Government Committee — House of Commons, 2021-04-14
Topic: Government Operations
Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend, and I am sure that will not have escaped those on the Treasury Bench The Government’s inquiry, led by Nigel Boardman, simply will not work. It cannot be seen to be independent, as we have heard, because of the baggage and the back story that he has. Mr Boardman may have carte blanche to ask whatever questions he likes to whomever he likes, but they will have carte blanche not to answer those questions. If that is the case, what is the point? I have no doubt that this scandal will rumble on, and when it does, we must have a mechanism that is robust enough to see it Back in 2010, in his now risible speech, Mr Cameron said: "We can’t go on like this…it’s time we shone the light…on lobbying in our country and forced our politics to come clean about who is buying power and influence." I wish he had meant it back in 2010. We have to mean it now, and that is why we will be supporting this motion.
Return to work after the pandemic — House of Commons, 2021-04-14
Topic: Labor
David Melvyn Linden (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I recently met Scope, the disability charity, which expressed concerns to me about a number of disabled people being compelled to return to work from furlough. We know, for example, that just 8.5% of people in the clinically extremely vulnerable category have received both doses of the vaccine, and the Government’s own figures show that 14% of disabled workers are employed in the wholesale and retail trade The petition has been presented to me, and it asks that the Government amend the coronavirus job retention scheme so that any disabled worker who is concerned about returning to work during the pandemic has the right to be put on furlough if they cannot work from home. The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to consider ensuring that people with disabilities can make the decision on whether to return to work or remain on furlough. The onus should be on employees to decide, not the employer The petition states: The petition of residents of the constituency of Glasgow East, Declares that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused huge changes to the working patterns of many people across the UK, with the furlough scheme helping to support many businesses; further that restrictions across the UK are beginning to ease, with more businesses opening their doors, meaning that many people are returning to work; further that, despite the necessary safety precautions, some people with disabilities do not feel comfortable returning to work as of yet, and would rather wait until infection rates and COVID-19 cases have fallen further; further that the UK Government should ensure that nobody, particularly a person with a disability or health concern, is forced to return to work; further that the Government should commit to ensuring that the onus is on the employee to make the decision over their return to work, not the employer; further that if an employee wishes to stay on the furlough scheme they should be able to make this decision without repercussion and fear of losing their employment The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to consider ensuring that people with disabilities are able to make the decision on whether to return to work or whether to remain on furlough and that this should be the employee’s decision, not the employer’s And the petitioners remain, etc [P002657]
Poverty-focused Aid — House of Commons, 2021-01-19
Topic: International Affairs
Christopher Murray Alexander Law (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Global poverty has risen for the first time in more than 20 years, and by the end of this year, it is estimated that there will be more than 150 million people in extreme poverty. Against that backdrop, the UK Government recklessly abolished the Department for International Development, they are reneging on their 0.7% of GNI commitment, and they do not even mention eradicating poverty in the seven global challenges that UK aid is to be focused on. Can the Minister explicitly commit to eradicating poverty within the new official development assistance framework, rather than pursuing inhumane and devastating cuts as part of the Prime Minister’s little Britain vanity project?
Events at US Capitol — House of Commons, 2021-01-19
Topic: International Affairs
David Melvyn Linden (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): In the wake of what happened on Capitol hill, politicians around the world looked on in condemnation at the incendiary language of Mr Trump—without regretting how close a relationship they had formed with the President. Sadly, though, the same cannot be said for political figures in this Government. So I must ask the Foreign Secretary whether he and his party regret cosying up to Trump, kowtowing to him and legitimising him and his racist, climate change-denying rhetoric, or will they remain eclipsed by any populist leader who comes along?
Yemen — House of Commons, 2021-01-19
Topic: International Affairs
Alison Emily Thewliss (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Mark Lowcock, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, has clearly stated that the US’s designation of the Houthis as a terrorist group will push Yemen into a famine on a scale not seen for 40 years and that only a reversal of the US decision will fix this, so could I ask the Minister what the UK Government are doing to avert this catastrophe and get the US Administration to change their mind?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-01-19
Topic: International Affairs
Alison Emily Thewliss (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Oxfam has said that the US designation of the Houthis as a terrorist organisation has already meant that banks are refusing to facilitate vital commercial wheat and rice imports to Yemen. What specific conversations have the UK Government had with the banks on that matter?
Reduction in VAT for home energy bills — House of Commons, 2021-01-19
Topic: Energy
David Melvyn Linden (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Earlier this month, Citizens Advice Scotland launched Big Energy Saving Month, which is incredibly important, not least because approximately 25% of Glaswegians live in fuel poverty. Tonight, I present a petition on behalf of my east end constituents calling for a reduction in VAT for home energy bills. The petition states: The petition of residents of the constituency of Glasgow East, Declares that there is widespread public support and acknowledgement of the need for countries across the UK to lockdown to suppress the spread of coronavirus; notes that in doing so many constituents are experiencing greatly increased energy costs as a result of staying at home; and declares that people should not have to bare unfairly the financial burden of complying with stay-at-home guidance in the height of a pandemic and during cold winter weather when energy bills are typically higher The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to bring forward measures to temporarily reduce VAT liability for home energy bills And the petitioners remain, etc [P002644]
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-03-01
Topic: Education
Carol Frances Monaghan (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): According to UCAS data, the number of EU students applying to study in Scotland has fallen by 40% since Brexit, with Department for Education figures predicting a 57% drop in EU student numbers. What steps is the Secretary of State taking to promote our universities and attract more EU students to study in the UK?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-03-01
Topic: Education
Elizabeth Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Students who face additional barriers to learning often receive a bursary to help them overcome those barriers. If they apply for universal credit, the bursary is not counted as income—that is, unless they receive the Scottish Government care experience bursary. Will the Secretary of State speak to his counterparts in the Department for Work and Pensions to right this wrong, which I am sure must be an oversight, so that care experience students are not given support from the Scottish Government only to have it taken away again by the UK Government?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-03-01
Topic: International Affairs
Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): A heartfelt thank you to everyone who wished me well during my recent illness The UK Government’s decision to withdraw from Erasmus+ has far-reaching consequences, including for the third sector. Can the Minister guarantee that under the Government’s new Turing scheme, charity funding will be matched to that of Erasmus?
Covid-19: Ethnic Minority Disparities — House of Commons, 2021-03-01
Topic: Social Welfare
Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The no recourse to public funds policy is locking thousands of people out of vital support and has a disproportionate impact on black and minority ethnic families, evidenced by the fact that 82% of Citizens Advice clients looking for advice about NRPF and non-EU migrant access to benefits were people of colour. Does the Minister intend to urge the UK Government to review their NRPF policy?
Children and Young Persons — House of Commons, 2021-03-01
Topic: Law and Crime
Carol Frances Monaghan (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I am not entirely sure how far we got, so I will start at the point I think I had reached. This SI would mean that any non-UK online service provider operating a service within Scotland would be prosecuted in accordance with the law applicable in Scotland. The result is that prosecution of activities within Scotland will be governed by the Adoption and Children Act 2002, and the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007. This issue involves devolved and reserved matters, We agree with the general policy rationale, so we will not oppose the regulations this evening, but the Scottish Government should have had their consent sought, even if they had indicated that they supported the policy principles and would likely have granted consent Why have the UK Government not requested that consent? In light of the lack of such a request, will the Minister confirm that the effect of the regulations in Scotland will be consigned only to the regulation of non-UK online service providers and activities in Scotland, as relates to the Adoption and Children Act 2002, and the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007?