argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Flood Plans (Gloucestershire) — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Public Lands
Richard Michael John Ogilvie Graham (Conservative, Centre-right): The Minister will know how vulnerable Gloucester is to flooding. I am delighted to assume from his answer that the Environment Agency will have plenty of funds with which to establish a robust flood protection scheme, but does he see a role for other partners, such as Severn Trent Water? If so, will he tell us how that might work?
Flood Plans (Gloucestershire) — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Public Lands
Roderick James Nugent Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): There are three elements in my hon. Friend’s question. First, I entirely agree that Gloucester is particularly vulnerable, because of its combination of fluvial and tidal flooding. Secondly, there is money in place for Gloucester: £5 million, with a six-year guarantee from the Treasury. Thirdly, I met the chief executive of Severn Trent two days ago. We are always interested in the role that other partners can play in ensuring that we have effective flood protection at a reasonable cost.
Food Waste — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Michael Louis David Fabricant (Conservative, Centre-right): Does the Minister agree with me that consumers have a role to play, too? What is wrong with an over-bent banana? What is wrong with a particularly twisted turnip? They can still taste just as good. We have got to educate the consumer. What will the Minister do about doing just that?
Tree Planting — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): We are committed to plant 11 million trees this Parliament. That is in addition to the 11 million we planted in the last Parliament, which is contributing to the highest woodland cover in Britain since 14th century.
Tree Planting — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Public Lands
Andrew James Bridgen (Conservative, Centre-right): The new national forest that covers much of my constituency has seen 8.5 million trees planted in the last 25 years, with another 126,000 planned for next year alone. Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is not all about quantity—quality is also important and these woodlands need managing so that the trees thrive for future generations?
Tree Planting — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Public Lands
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): I completely agree with my hon. Friend. The national forest has been a fantastic achievement. We are celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. It was put in place by the John Major Government in 1995. It is an incredible boost to tourism, but I completely agree that we need to see a mixed variety of woodland being planted, including many of our important native trees such as the oak, the ash and the beech. We also need to make sure those woodlands are managed, and thanks to the Grown in Britain campaign we are seeing more of our woodland under management.
Tree Planting — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Public Lands
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): I completely agree with my hon. Friend. Ancient woodland is of huge historical value to our country. It also provides very important soil that we will never get back if we lose it, as well as a huge variety of trees, and we are committed to protecting it in the planning system.
Tree Planting — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Public Lands
Robert John Blackman (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend for her answers thus far. The importance of a well-maintained, well-managed woodland capability is clearly dependent on demand for timber. What role is there for Grown in Britain to manage that demand, and what extra role can it fulfil in future?
Tree Planting — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): Grown in Britain is a fantastic campaign that is bringing together people from right across the timber supply chain to ensure that more of our buildings use British wood, perhaps by adjusting building standards, and that more of the furniture that we buy uses British woods such as oak and beech. Thanks to the Grown in Britain project, we have seen an 8% increase in domestic timber production between 2010 and 2014, and more of our woodland is now under management.
Tree Planting — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Public Lands
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. We are taking positive steps. We want to put our woodland in trust for the nation. I have just announced an extension to the Yorkshire Dales national park and the Lake District national park that will create the largest area of almost continuous national park in our country. We are building up Kew as a fantastic organisation and using our expertise to benefit countries around the world. I am incredibly proud of what we are doing in this area, and I wish that the hon. Gentleman would take more pride in it as well.
Tree Planting — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Public Lands
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady is absolutely right. I have mentioned Wakehurst Place, and I also have a fantastic arboretum in my own constituency, the Lynford arboretum. We are making sure that all the elements of DEFRA work much more closely together so that we can get the data out there to enable people to understand about our natural heritage and so that we can protect that heritage for the future.
Urban and Rural Areas: Inequality — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Housing
Roderick James Nugent Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): We are focusing on rural productivity, and we have 10 main priorities: mobile broadband, transport, communications, investment in education and skills, investment in apprenticeships, houses, affordable childcare, making sure that we have in place everything that we need for businesses, rural enterprise zones and the localism to underpin all of that to deliver rural productivity.
Urban and Rural Areas: Inequality — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Housing
Roderick James Nugent Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): I would be very interested to meet the hon. Gentleman and to hear more about this matter. That does seem an unjust situation. I would be interested to know the identity of the provider and why they are charging in that way. It certainly seems an important issue for rural areas in general, so I would be delighted to meet the hon. Gentleman.
Regional Food and Drink — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): This week, we launched the great British food campaign with some of our most talented food and drink pioneers across the country, including the Welsh Venison Centre in my hon. Friend’s constituency. The year of great British food will be 2016, and it will include trade missions, fantastic events and an incubator space at DEFRA.
Flood Defences — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Public Lands
Roderick James Nugent Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government planned to launch 161 schemes in this financial year, providing extra protection for 70,000 households. As this is the Environment Agency’s flood awareness week, let me take the opportunity to remind everybody living in risk areas for flooding that there is a very important personal responsibility to remain in touch with the Environment Agency, particularly through the winter months.
Flood Defences — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Public Lands
Mark Andrew Menzies (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Minister for the work that the Department is doing with the flood protection schemes in Fairhaven in my constituency. Fylde also suffers from inland flooding, so will the Department consider schemes to alleviate the flooding impacting on high-quality farmland in Fylde?
Flood Defences — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Public Lands
Roderick James Nugent Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): This is a very important point. With the Government spending a record amount of money on flood defence—about £20 million in this case—it is important to have a standard that flood insurance companies recognise so that when we make the investment householders can benefit from it. I am happy to consider the individual case.
Flood Defences — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Public Lands
Questions: 17 . I was pleased to welcome the Government’s investment in repair work for the Barbourne brook culvert in my constituency last year, but investigations have since found significant deterioration in that culvert and there might be a need for some extra support. Will the Minister convene a meeting with the Environment Agency and Worcester City Council to discuss the issue?
Roderick James Nugent Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): Again, I shall be delighted to do so. Worcester is a special case, as it is on the Severn, like Gloucester. Much of the flooding there has affected assets, such as road assets. That culvert is central and I am happy to sit down with my hon. Friend and with the Environment Agency in order to address the challenges of that culvert.
Women Bishops — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: What assessment she has made of the effect of the introduction of the first woman bishop to the Lords Spiritual on the Church of England; and if she will make a statement.
Caroline Alice Spelman (Conservative, Centre-right): I am delighted to be able to share with the House that the first female bishop, the Bishop of Gloucester, was introduced into the House of Lords on 26 October. The Church would like to put on record its thanks to my predecessor and to many hon. Members, including the hon. Lady, who have campaigned long and hard to see this day.
Women Bishops — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: What assessment she has made of the effect of the introduction of the first woman bishop to the Lords Spiritual on the Church of England; and if she will make a statement.
Caroline Alice Spelman (Conservative, Centre-right): There are already seven women bishops. The next Bishop of Newcastle, to be introduced into the Lords on 26 January, will also be a woman. There are currently three vacancies in Oxford, Leicester and Lichfield, all of which are eligible seats in the House of Lords and which may be filled by women. The legislation passed this year enables these vacancies to be filled by female bishops in a quest to get a much better gender balance.
BBC — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: What discussions the commission has had on the potential extension of the scope of the National Audit Office’s auditing of the BBC as part of the BBC charter review.
Edward Julian Egerton Leigh (Conservative, Centre-right): May I say absolutely clearly that the PAC will not get involved in any "vendetta" against the BBC? This is simply about value-for-money inquiries. For instance, the Comptroller and Auditor General, who certainly is completely outside politics, has expressed in public his concerns about the current arrangements. He does not have a statutory right of access to information. His staff are entirely dependent on what information the BBC chooses to give them in answer to their questions. His reports are badged with the BBC logo and they are always prefaced by a preamble prepared by the BBC Trust. The fact is that the BBC is a public body. It must be like other public bodies and held to account for value for money.
BBC — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: What discussions the commission has had on the potential extension of the scope of the National Audit Office’s auditing of the BBC as part of the BBC charter review.
Edward Julian Egerton Leigh (Conservative, Centre-right): It is not for me to question what goes on inside the mind of the BBC. All I can say is that there is general consensus that we must move forward into the modern age and the BBC must be like all other public bodies, and that this Parliament, through our Public Accounts Committee, must have full financial oversight so that we have a well-run organisation that uses public moneys efficiently.
Funeral Charges — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Caroline Alice Spelman (Conservative, Centre-right): The clergy witnesses at first hand the trauma when a family feel unable to give due recognition to a loved one. The Church does all it can to keep funeral costs down. A simple funeral in a Church of England parish church would cost a family between £200 and £300, depending on the style of burial.
Jeremy Pemberton — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Civil Rights
Caroline Alice Spelman (Conservative, Centre-right): I come back to my point that the litigation is still in progress, and at the moment there is therefore no definitive sum that I can make transparent in the House. This is an ongoing matter. The Church Commissioners do not seek to incur legal bills, but the action was initiated by the litigant in this case. It is important to say that there will be a variety of views in the Church of England on the doctrine of marriage, and the Church has encouraged a conversation within the Church about that.
Jeremy Pemberton — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Civil Rights
Caroline Alice Spelman (Conservative, Centre-right): In respect to the specific case referred to in the question, the employment tribunal’s findings are known: it did not find in favour of Canon Pemberton. As I mentioned earlier, the important point is that the bishops themselves have initiated a two-year process of conversations about the Church’s approach to human sexuality. That process is underway, and it is for all of us to be involved with it.
Memorial Service: Civilians Killed in World War 2 — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Caroline Alice Spelman (Conservative, Centre-right): As we approach Remembrance Sunday, this is an excellent time to remind hon. Members that during the remembrance service on Sunday, which we will no doubt all attend, there is a prayer that specifically relates to the suffering of civilians in the war. Coventry Cathedral is a national entity for recognising the suffering and loss of civilians, and other churches around the land recognise the loss particularly of civilians during the second world war.
Memorial Service: Civilians Killed in World War 2 — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Public Lands
Robert James MacGillivray Neill (Conservative, Centre-right): My constituent George Taylor, who attends the Church of the Annunciation in Chislehurst, lost his mother and his young brother among 160 people killed when a V2 bomb fell on a shop in south-east London. It is perfectly right that we remember civilians on Remembrance Day, but equally, we want a special day to remember our armed forces and their dedication in all wars. Could we consider putting the work being done in individual churches and with the prayer on a more systematic basis, and could we also consider some further physical memorial in which the Church might play a part?
Memorial Service: Civilians Killed in World War 2 — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Public Lands
Caroline Alice Spelman (Conservative, Centre-right): I invite my hon. Friend to look at the example of a church in Kennington Park, Lambeth, which unveiled a memorial in 2006 to those who had died in the blitz. In a single bomb attack, 100 people died. Perhaps his constituent and the churches in New Cross could look at whether they can achieve something similar in memoriam.
Burma — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
James Philip Duddridge (Conservative, Centre-right): I very much support the hon. Lady’s comments about encouraging greater progressive electoral reform. It would be anathema to us in this House to think that 25% of the seats in this Chamber might be filled by military generals. This is not something recognised as part of a modern democracy. While we have issues with our media in the UK, it would be fair to say that Burma needs to do a lot more in that regard On the structure of the elections and the election commission, again more work could be done on future elections, but the EU did deploy an extensive election observer mission—more than 100 people went there, some on a short-term basis and some, crucially, on a long-term basis, to witness the preparations and understand exactly what was happening in the run-up to the elections. The deputy chief observer is a British national, which is something we should be proud of.
Burma — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Other
James Philip Duddridge (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for welcoming me back to the House; I do not think I had the courtesy to welcome him to the Commons, but it is a pleasure to do so now. After hearing about his social media experience in relation to Burma, when I leave the Chamber I am immediately going to tweet a copy of my speech. It is clear that social media are picked up differently: people are not poring over their copy of Hansard, which might have been sent to them several days later, as some hon. Members might recall from their youth; social media allow people to access information speedily. I look forward to my hon. Friend re-tweeting me.
Burma — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Minister for his response to the questions—and, indeed, for his initial statement—and I join colleagues in warmly welcoming him back to the House. I also thank all colleagues for taking part in that series of exchanges
Human Rights (Egypt) — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the Foreign Secretary to make a statement on the visit of President el-Sisi of Egypt and the human rights record of his Government, and, in particular, their use of the death penalty.
Stephen Anthony McPartland (Conservative, Centre-right): Stevenage is home to the Coptic cathedral in England, and I am very concerned about the plight of Coptic Christians in Egypt. In the frank exchange of views that the Minister referred to earlier, will he ensure that religious freedoms and the plight of those Coptic Christians being kidnapped and murdered is raised with the President?
Human Rights (Egypt) — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the Foreign Secretary to make a statement on the visit of President el-Sisi of Egypt and the human rights record of his Government, and, in particular, their use of the death penalty.
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): I do not agree with the hon. Lady. President Sisi was elected and has had a referendum as well. The first round of parliamentary elections took place in October and the second round will take place on 23 November. That will provide additional scrutiny of what the Executive are doing. We take every opportunity to raise the issue of the mass arrests, as I said in my opening remarks; perhaps the hon. Lady did not hear that, but I am happy to send her a copy. In December 2013, 20 al-Jazeera journalists were arrested and we took every opportunity to make it clear that we had concerns about the manner of the arrests, not least because two Britons were involved. They were convicted in absentia and we are encouraging a full pardon to ensure that their names are cleared.
Human Rights (Egypt) — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Immigration
Questions: To ask the Foreign Secretary to make a statement on the visit of President el-Sisi of Egypt and the human rights record of his Government, and, in particular, their use of the death penalty.
Jeremy John Elton Lefroy (Conservative, Centre-right): I commend my hon. Friend for all the work he is doing in this area, and I particularly encourage him to raise the question of human rights on every possible occasion. Will he also thank the Egyptian people, through their Government, for the hospitality they are giving to so many thousands of refugees from Syria? Egypt is not often mentioned in that context, but it is doing vital work in that respect.
Aviation Security — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Patrick McLoughlin (Conservative, Centre-right): I completely agree with my right hon. Friend: in an ideal world, that would be essential. We are of course reviewing security, as far as our security inspectors are concerned, at a number of locations. We will continue to do that, as we have done in the past. That is an important part of our job. I also think it is for other countries to understand that it is in everybody’s interests that we have as much security as is necessary at all the airports around the world.
Aviation Security — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Crispin Jeremy Rupert Blunt (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the candour and transparency in the statement, so far as the Secretary of State has been able to give it, as well as the actions taken. As my hon. Friend the Member for Aldershot (Sir Gerald Howarth) pointed out, this has very serious implications for the Egyptian tourism industry, and plainly some of the Egyptian sensitivity relates to the significant potential damage to its interests. Will my right hon. Friend impress on his Egyptian opposite numbers that providing the same candour and transparency in this investigation, rather than dissembling and cover-up, will probably be the quickest way to restore confidence in travelling to Sharm el-Sheikh?
Aviation Security — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Matthew James Offord (Conservative, Centre-right): I echo the comments made by my hon. Friends the Members for Reigate (Crispin Blunt) and for Aldershot (Sir Gerald Howarth). Travel and tourism provide 8% of Egypt’s GDP. About 900,000 UK tourists, particularly scuba divers, contribute to that figure, and there are many British companies whose diving businesses are sustained during our winter months by running guided overseas tours around the Red sea. What advice can the Secretary of State give to those companies on alternative routes that they could fly to reach that same destination?
Aviation Security — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Patrick McLoughlin (Conservative, Centre-right): Of course we take any threats very seriously indeed, but one of the reasons that we have such high levels of security at British airports is that we know from experience that people have tried to smuggle bombs on to planes.
Aviation Security — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Cheryl Elise Kendall Gillan (Conservative, Centre-right): I commend the Government for taking this very difficult decision, which has ensured that no British citizen is knowingly placed in danger. I know of many people who have holidays booked in Sharm el-Sheikh and who fully intend to travel there once the flights resume. Will the Secretary of State tell me what the position will be regarding their travel insurance? Will recent events invalidate or alter it in any way?
Aviation Security — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Patrick McLoughlin (Conservative, Centre-right): I would advise those people to talk to their travel agent or tour operator in the first instance. The advice that we have set down is quite clear: we do not believe that any flights from the United Kingdom should go to Sharm el-Sheikh at this stage. That will obviously have implications in regard to certain insurance claims. We are reviewing the advice regularly.
Aviation Security — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Immigration
Patrick McLoughlin (Conservative, Centre-right): We are trying to help them, and there are helplines available, including through the tour operators, but our first action must be to help those people who are actually stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh and to get them home. Communications are not down.
Aviation Security — House of Commons, 2015-11-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Patrick McLoughlin (Conservative, Centre-right): It is a matter of paramount importance for any Government to be able to get information that protects and ensures the safety of British citizens, and that is something that all members of this Government, from the Prime Minister down, take very seriously indeed.