argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Levelling Up Across the UK — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Foreign Trade
Simon Richard Clarke (Conservative, Centre-right): I agree that a flourishing export sector is vital. That is, of course, why we are so pleased to be delivering innovative policies in the north-east such as a freeport on Teesside, which is a great example of how we will bolster the export strengths that exist for our current and future employers. We clearly want to work closely with all partners, including the chambers of commerce, who do an excellent job, but it is absolutely not just about measures in grants to any individual institution. Our ambition is to create a high-growth, high-wage economy, and exports sit at the centre of that. Our actions speak loudly about our total commitment to that.
Levelling Up Across the UK — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Macroeconomics
Simon Richard Clarke (Conservative, Centre-right): I know and obviously share the hon. Lady’s passion for the north-east. The enormous success of our plan for jobs is something that we ought to be celebrating today. We have had the fantastic news that unemployment is at its lowest level since 1975, which is an enormous achievement and one that we should all be collectively delighted by. We face global inflationary pressures, which are a serious challenge not just for this country but the eurozone, America and, indeed, the entire developed world as we both recover from covid and handle the consequences of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, and we are absolutely focused on rectifying that through a concerted programme of action. Obviously, we have put together a £22 billion package of support for households, and we will take future steps as the situation warrants.
Levelling Up Across the UK — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Macroeconomics
Simon Richard Clarke (Conservative, Centre-right): The whole point is that that is precisely what we are not doing. We have created a West Midlands mayoralty which is channelling huge amounts of public money into supporting—[Interruption.] Sorry, the West Yorkshire mayoralty. The point stands. We have created a West Yorkshire mayoralty which is designed to drive forward growth and opportunity in that region. We have a whole programme of action, from the levelling-up fund and our wider commitments around jobs and growth, which the hon. Gentleman knows, as well as I do, will make a massive difference to the future of Bradford and the rest of West Yorkshire in the years ahead.
Levelling Up Across the UK — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Macroeconomics
Simon Richard Clarke (Conservative, Centre-right): Levelling up is a social and moral mission. I believe very strongly that it is vital that we close the gap between the more successful parts of the UK and the rest. I represent a constituency that sits at the heart of that process. On the hon. Gentleman’s point on the cost of living, we have put together a £22 billion package of support, including a £9 billion commitment specifically on energy bills, but we are absolutely clear that we do not solve an inflationary crisis by throwing money at the problem, as that could worsen the issue we are seeking to address. The Chancellor will keep all these issues under close review. [Interruption.] I can assure the hon. Gentleman that he most certainly does. We will bring forward a programme of measures at such time that they will make the right difference in a targeted way, which, as I say, does not make worse the very problem that we all need to solve.
Levelling Up Across the UK — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Social Welfare
Simon Richard Clarke (Conservative, Centre-right): The right hon. Gentleman raises the Bloomberg report. We have to recognise, when we look at this issue, that levelling up is a decades-long project for reversing things that are institutionally extremely challenging in terms of the striking geographical inequalities that have arisen under successive Governments and which this Government are determined to address. The levelling-up White Paper, published this spring, puts in place a framework for the Government to work directly with people and places to help address those disparities. We will be held to account with an annual report to monitor our progress. What I would say is that the people of the west midlands made their views very clear last year when they re-elected Andy Street as their Mayor, just as they made their views very clear on Teesside when they re-elected Ben Houchen. They can see progress. They are realistic—none of this is easy and none of this is going to be an instant turnaround—but they are clear that we have a plan to deliver it and they are behind that.
Levelling Up Across the UK — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Social Welfare
Simon Richard Clarke (Conservative, Centre-right): The levelling-up White Paper is a comprehensive package of measures designed to ensure we can deliver on our ambitious aims in this place. The Queen’s Speech, which we are debating this week, further demonstrates our commitment to making that a reality, including, notably, through the establishment in law of the UK infrastructure bank. It is clearly the case, as I say, that none of these problems are simple to address. We have to be honest on both sides of the House that both Labour and Conservative-led Governments have failed to narrow those disparities. We have a plan which I am confident will deliver meaningful change in short order and over the medium to long term make a transformative difference to communities.
Cryptocurrency Companies in the UK — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Technology
John Philip Glen (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, absolutely, and my officials are meeting the Cryptoasset Business Council later this week. We want to take a dynamic approach to industry engagement. Lots of similar organisations have spawned over the last few months, and I and my officials will work very closely with them as we lead this global leadership aspiration.
Tackling Economic Crime — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Law and Crime
John Philip Glen (Conservative, Centre-right): Money obtained through corruption or criminality is not welcome in the UK. The Government are taking concerted action to combat that threat by investing £400 million over this spending review period, with the kleptocracy cell in the National Crime Agency targeting sanctions evasion and corrupt Russian assets hidden in the UK. The Government have taken far-reaching steps to improve corporate transparency, including through recent and forthcoming primary legislation announced in the Queen’s Speech last week.
Tackling Economic Crime — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Law and Crime
Kevin Paul Hollinrake (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Minister for that answer. NatWest and HSBC have been hit with big fines for facilitating money laundering, and Danske Bank will probably see a fine of £2 billion for £200 billion of money laundering. This is seen not as a deterrent, but as a cost of doing business for these big banks. Does he agree that the only way that we will tackle this is through criminal prosecutions both at a corporate level and of senior managers? Does he support the calls to that effect in the economic crime manifesto by the all-party groups on fair business banking and on anti-corruption and responsible tax, and will he support such measures in the economic crime Bill?
Tackling Economic Crime — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Law and Crime
John Philip Glen (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for his question. I think he is the House’s foremost observer of banks’ behaviour, but he also knows that this is an extremely complex area of law. The Government have asked the Law Commission to undertake an in-depth review of laws around corporate criminal liability for economic crime and to make recommendations. My understanding is that the Law Commission will make an announcement on this subject imminently, and we will look at that very carefully.
Tackling Economic Crime — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Macroeconomics
John Philip Glen (Conservative, Centre-right): I can absolutely reassure the hon. Lady that the Government take the issue very seriously. That is why at previous fiscal events the Chancellor has invested £100 million in a taskforce to deal with it. When we designed a number of the interventions, protecting taxpayers was a real consideration. It is also the case that we needed to act swiftly to assist those businesses and if we had not made some of those interventions at the time, many businesses would have gone under. We continue to engage carefully on the matter.
Effects of High Marginal Deduction Rates — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Social Welfare
Questions: What assessment he has made of the effects of high marginal deduction rates on work incentives for people who are (a) key workers, (b) on below average incomes and (c) on above average incomes.
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government are committed to helping people keep more of what they own and I give credit to my hon. Friend for his work, which was instrumental in our lowering of the universal credit taper rate from 63% to 55%. That is a tax cut for low-paid workers on universal credit. He will know that from July we will raise the national insurance contributions threshold so that the amount that working people will be able to earn tax-free will increase by £2,690, helping to ensure that work pays.
Effects of High Marginal Deduction Rates — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What assessment he has made of the effects of high marginal deduction rates on work incentives for people who are (a) key workers, (b) on below average incomes and (c) on above average incomes.
John David Penrose (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. and learned Friend for her kind comments. The changes that she has just re-announced are extremely welcome. With energy and food prices continuing to spiral, does the Treasury team accept that they will soon have to go even further? Do they agree that compared with increasing benefits, further cuts in these combined tax and benefits withdrawal rates will be a better way to put money in the pockets of many lower-paid families and that in future, the combined rates paid by less well-off families should never be higher than the top rates paid by the rich?
Effects of High Marginal Deduction Rates — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What assessment he has made of the effects of high marginal deduction rates on work incentives for people who are (a) key workers, (b) on below average incomes and (c) on above average incomes.
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Gentleman and am sure that I will soon make a visit to Wakefield. The Government understand the issue with the rise in the cost of living but over this year we have committed £22 billion to support people in their time of need. The people in Wakefield that the hon. Gentleman talks about will also benefit from the cuts we have made to taxes, such as the universal taper rate, a tax cut for 1.2 million people and an extra £1,000 in their pockets. We have increased the threshold to the NICs rate, a £6 billion tax cut for £30 million working people. As I said—[Interruption.]
Energy Bills Support Scheme: Council Tax Rebate — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Energy
Questions: What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the efficiency of local authorities in delivering the £150 council tax rebate under the energy bills support scheme.
Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately (Conservative, Centre-right): High global energy prices have pushed up bills. That is why we are already helping households through the energy bills rebate package, which is worth more than £9 billion in total and £350 to the majority of households. Our British energy security strategy sets out how we will deliver a more secure energy supply that brings down bills in the longer term.
Energy Bills Support Scheme: Council Tax Rebate — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the efficiency of local authorities in delivering the £150 council tax rebate under the energy bills support scheme.
Philip Thomas Hollobone (Conservative, Centre-right): North Northamptonshire Council last week started paying the £150 rebate to residents who pay by direct debit, and rebates will follow for those who do not pay by direct debit. Will the Minister ensure that the Government disseminate best practice to local authorities regarding how to pay the rebates quickly, because getting this money into people’s pockets fast is key to helping residents to deal with the global cost of living squeeze?
Tax System: Fairness — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Macroeconomics
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government are committed to ensuring a tax system that is fair and simple. I will give three examples: first, we have equalised the national insurance and income tax starting thresholds; secondly, our work towards OECD pillars 1 and 2 will help to ensure that multinational businesses pay their fair share; and thirdly, we are tackling avoidance and evasion to ensure that everyone pays the right amount of tax at the right time.
Investment in UK Infrastructure — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Macroeconomics
Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government are committed to investing in infrastructure to boost economic growth across the country, and I was delighted to see this at first hand when visiting my hon. Friend’s constituency of Southend West last week, where the local authority has secured £19.9 million from the levelling up fund.
Investment in UK Infrastructure — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Transportation
Anna Firth (Conservative, Centre-right): It was a real pleasure to welcome the Minister to the new city of Southend last week. Every station on the C2C line in Southend West is access friendly except for Chalkwell station, where there are 30 steep steps to clamber up and down. What further support or funding can the Minister provide to level up that final station and ensure that it is accessible to all?
Investment in UK Infrastructure — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Transportation
Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right to campaign for better access to stations for disabled people. I am pleased to confirm that Chalkwell is included in the Department for Transport’s £350 million Access for All programme, and that construction will begin to install a new footbridge and lift this autumn.
Investment in UK Infrastructure — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Transportation
Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately (Conservative, Centre-right): I simply do not recognise the picture that the hon. Member is painting. This Government are absolutely committed to investing in infrastructure because that is at the heart of our ambitions for economic growth and levelling up across the country, including £96 billion for the integrated infrastructure rail plan for the north of the country.
Investment in UK Infrastructure — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Transportation
Abimbola Afolami (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the Government’s increased investment in infrastructure, but as the Minister knows, for the investment to be most useful we need to improve the deliverability of that infrastructure practically on the ground. Could she set out further what the Government are doing to improve the efficacy of all of that money going into infrastructure so that it actually gets delivered?
Investment in UK Infrastructure — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Energy
Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately (Conservative, Centre-right): That is an excellent question from my hon. Friend. We are not only investing in infrastructure but making sure that taxpayers’ money gets put to good use. One way we are doing that is by working with the Infrastructure and Products Authority and with Project SPEED, which specifically scrutinises the most important infrastructure projects in this country to ensure that we are doing a better job of making taxpayers’ money go further and doing it cleaner and greener as we go.
Investment in UK Infrastructure — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Transportation
Martin John Vickers (Conservative, Centre-right): The designation of Immingham and Grimsby as part of the Humber ports freeport project highlights the need for increased infrastructure on the road network leading to those ports. Will the Minister agree to meet me and neighbouring MPs to discuss this, and particularly an upgrade for the A180?
Investment in UK Infrastructure — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Transportation
Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately (Conservative, Centre-right): I would be delighted to meet my hon. Friend to discuss the upgrade to that road. As I have said, we know that infrastructure is really important in supporting economic growth and levelling up all around the UK.
Reducing Economic Inequality — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Social Welfare
Rishi Sunak (Conservative, Centre-right): I am very proud of the record of this Government and previous Conservative-led Governments over the past decade of significantly reducing the number of people living in poverty and reducing income inequality. In February we published the levelling up White Paper, which seeks to address the very striking regional disparities our country.
Reducing Economic Inequality — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Macroeconomics
Rishi Sunak (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman is simply wrong. By raising the primary threshold to £12,500, we have ensured that the first £12,500 that anyone earns is completely free of national insurance and income tax. The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies has called it "the best way to help low and middle earners through the tax system" That is what this Government are about.
Reducing Economic Inequality — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Social Welfare
Rishi Sunak (Conservative, Centre-right): Of course we want to be able to support those women, mothers and families who rely on us in these hard times, and that is exactly what this Government are doing. Over the past 10 years, as I said, we have reduced the number of people in poverty. We know that the best way to do that in the long term is to support people into work, which is why I am delighted to see this morning that unemployment is at its lowest level in almost half a century. The single best way to fight poverty is to have a plan for jobs, and our plan is working.
Reducing Economic Inequality — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Macroeconomics
Jacob Young (Conservative, Centre-right): One of the best ways to reduce economic inequality is through our plan for jobs and our freeport programme. To that end, will the Chancellor join me in welcoming the latest investment announced in Teesside’s freeport, a £150 million renewable gas facility for Circular Fuels that will create 200 jobs in construction and further jobs in the supply chain?
Reducing Economic Inequality — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Macroeconomics
Rishi Sunak (Conservative, Centre-right): There is an enormous amount to correct in the hon. Lady’s question. In aggregate, across the economy, savings increased over the past two years by more than £250 billion. Of course, that will not be distributed equally, but there is resilience. Consumer credit, on which those on lower incomes particularly rely, has also fallen by about £30 billion over the past two years. Households approach this period of difficulty in a more resilient shape than at any point in the past decade The comments by the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Redditch (Rachel Maclean), are absolutely right. It is wrong to take them out of context. This party and this Government are proud to be on the side of hard-working people. We want to support them into work, and we want to make sure that work pays. She was absolutely right to say what she said.
Strength of UK Economy — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Macroeconomics
Simon Richard Clarke (Conservative, Centre-right): Last year, the UK was the fastest growing economy in the G7, and unemployment has fallen back to 3.7%, which is well below pre-pandemic levels. Growth in the first quarter here was stronger than that in the United States, Germany and Italy, and it is now 0.7% above pre-pandemic levels. The International Monetary Fund forecasts that the UK will be the second fastest growing economy this year and that by 2025 we will once again outpace the rest of the G7, with the fastest growing economy both that year and in 2026.
Strength of UK Economy — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Macroeconomics
Simon Richard Clarke (Conservative, Centre-right): The UK has bounced back so strongly from the pandemic that we had the fastest growth last year, we have the second fastest growth this year and we are going to be leading the pack once again. So, we will have the second fastest growth in the G7 in 2024, and we will have the fastest growth in 2025 and 2026. We should be proud of that achievement. There is no doubt that, if we come out of a crisis earlier, there will be an element of other economies catching up in the near term, but the IMF is clear that over the course of the immediate outlook we are world leaders.
Plan for Jobs: Effectiveness — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Labor
Simon Richard Clarke (Conservative, Centre-right): The success of our plan for jobs is playing a key role in growing the economy and spreading opportunity across the country. The Government protected 11.7 million jobs in the pandemic through schemes such as furlough, and of course we moved millions of jobseekers into work and supported young people through programmes such as kickstart and our apprenticeships offer.
Plan for Jobs: Effectiveness — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Education
Simon Richard Clarke (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right to say that it is an important message, which this whole House should send out, that apprenticeships really matter, that going to university is not the only way to succeed, and that people can earn and learn at the same time on our great apprenticeship courses. I believe my right hon. Friend the Chancellor visited Caunton Engineering in my hon. Friend’s constituency to promote apprenticeships, and of course I wish his apprenticeships fair every success.
Plan for Jobs: Effectiveness — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Macroeconomics
Simon Richard Clarke (Conservative, Centre-right): We absolutely do accept that, which is why we brought forward a £22 billion package of support this year, with help ranging from reducing the burden of tax to providing support on things such as energy bills. That is absolutely in recognition of a very challenging economic landscape for people to be operating in, owing to the impact of the global pressures we are facing on inflation. We are clear that we have a plan for jobs and a plan for growth, and that we will get through the current crisis and deliver a much better future for the people of this country on the other side of what have been a remarkable couple of years and a very difficult one for the whole developed world.
Support for SMEs — House of Commons, 2022-05-17
Topic: Macroeconomics
Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately (Conservative, Centre-right): Small and medium-sized businesses are at the heart of our economy, creating jobs and prosperity across the UK. Last week, we wrote to more than 2 million businesses setting out our support to them, including a £1,000 cut to employment taxes, extending the annual investment allowance limit, reducing business rates and cutting fuel duty by 5p.