argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: Education
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): British aid allowed 10 million more children to get access to a decent education over that last 20 years. Four out of 10 of them were young girls, who would have never seen a school otherwise. I think that is absolutely one of the crucial social gains that we need to try to consolidate and avoid being rolled back. Whenever I have spoken to any of my G7 partners, or partners in the region, there has been clarity that we need to work together to exercise the maximum moderating influence that we possibly can to make sure that those gains are not lost.
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: International Affairs
John Michael Howell (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend might like to note that the Council of Europe will be debating Afghanistan in a matter of weeks. I wonder whether he has seen the pictures that appeared today of musical instruments that have been smashed by the Taliban, who have banned western music. I encourage him to take a special interest in girls and women, particularly those of the Afghan women’s orchestra, who are threatened by the Taliban at the moment.
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: Education
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for highlighting such cases and pay tribute to his work on the Council of Europe. We are clearly going to face challenging times and need to adjust our thinking to the new reality, but of course we will do everything we can to protect and preserve the gains in relation to girls’ education as well as wider social activity, including music.
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: International Affairs
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): I share the hon. Gentleman’s concern, which is probably the single biggest concern of hon. Members across the House. In the last analysis, we reserve the right to exercise the right of self-defence, as we always do. It is not quite right to say that we trust the Taliban or that we can trust the Taliban. We need to be willing to engage and set some early tests—of which this is one—and then monitor them carefully and judge them by what they do, not just what they say.
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: International Affairs
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): That is one of the reasons why I went to Islamabad, where I talked to the high commission team dealing with and supporting those applications and cases. We are trying to work through them as assiduously as we can. If the hon. Lady has examples of cases that she feels have not been handled properly, she should send them to me and I or Lord Ahmad will be happy to sit down with her.
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: International Affairs
Holly Mumby-Croft (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend for the work that he is doing and that his team are continuing to do. I appreciate that it is incredibly difficult, but can he give any further detail on his assessment of the timeframe to help those British nationals still stuck in Kabul?
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: International Affairs
Simon James Jupp (Conservative, Centre-right): Does the Foreign Secretary agree with me that it is strange to hear the Labour party criticise the Government for unnecessary withdrawal from Afghanistan when the shadow Foreign Secretary said that the mission had "outlived its usefulness" only in July?
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: International Affairs
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): I have spoken to my counterpart, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and I will speak to him again in the near future. There is a lot of talk about how China wants to rush in and fill the vacuum in Afghanistan, but I have to say that I am not entirely convinced that it does want to bear the entirety of the burden, whether it is the security and the terrorist burden or the financial burden of a country in such a precarious, fragile position. While we have many areas that are challenging with China, actually this is something where there are some commonalities of views and interests. I think in a situation such as this, whether it is China or other countries in the region, we need to try to work together, because we are much more likely, if we do so, to exercise maximum moderating influence on the Taliban, and that is what will yield results.
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: International Affairs
Michael Jon Wood (Conservative, Centre-right): While the Taliban’s PR skills seem to have improved over the past 20 years, it is not yet clear that the new regime is any less evil or oppressive. Does the Foreign Secretary agree that there should not be any question of either Britain or our international partners recognising the Taliban Government until we can be sure they will meet their commitments on human rights, terrorism and humanitarian access?
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: International Affairs
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend nails it: we do not intend to recognise the Taliban. The UK Government do not as a matter of practice recognise Governments, and the reason why is that that allows us to engage, and measure and calibrate our level of engagement, based on what the authorities do, not just what they say. The issues and tests that he identifies are the right ones, and we will be watching very carefully what the Taliban do in the weeks and months ahead. I would just say that while my scepticism runs quite deep, there was some evidence in the engagement we had on the ground in relation to the airport that it is possible to have a rational and constructive engagement and be able to test whether they will keep their word. That was an early test; the ones that my hon. Friend described will be the next ones we have to face.
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: International Affairs
Mark Julian Francis Pawsey (Conservative, Centre-right): Will the Foreign Secretary say a little more about his assessment of the characteristics of the Taliban, and does he agree that one feature they have demonstrated is extraordinary patience over 20 years, so that if, as some had called for, the occupation by allied forces had remained for longer the Taliban would simply have waited that extra time before making their move for power?
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: International Affairs
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): It is difficult to assess and judge that with any precision, but one thing is clear: the Taliban have proved a very effective military force. The question is whether they can turn that into not just governing Afghanistan in a way that is more inclusive and moderate but demonstrate the technical skills and capacity to, for instance, set a budget or get the airport up and running. These bread and butter issues away from the polemics of whether the Taliban have had a wholesale Damascene conversion will be among the most important tests in the weeks ahead. The Taliban at a political level are currently engaged in the process of forming a Government, and we will be looking very carefully at the character and composition of what is announced in due course.
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: International Affairs
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend makes an excellent point. We are going to have to test this; this is one of the early tests. The evidence from the period of the evacuation suggests, given the numbers we referred to—over 17,000 people, with a huge number of Afghan nationals, and the 500 cases of particularly vulnerable Afghans such as journalists, judges, Chevening scholars and women’s rights activists—that the Taliban are able to give an assurance and then keep to it. The question is whether we can build that into a steadier understanding to deal with the outstanding cases.
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: International Affairs
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): In terms of the eligibility of dependants, the Taliban have not gone into that level of granular detail, but if there is a clear case of a British national and immediate dependants we would expect to be able to include them, and so far through the evacuation that has been the case. The hon. Lady asked a series of other questions which are perfectly legitimate. We will have to see whether the Taliban are willing to allow safe passage. At present the challenge is that most third countries have locked their borders, so that challenge is coming externally, but for understandable reasons we are working and willing to engage not just with the Taliban but with all the countries in the region so that any of our cases that get to the border can be processed.
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: International Affairs
Atta-Ur-Rehman Chishti (Conservative, Centre-right): First, may I thank the Foreign Secretary for all he has done and for today’s statement? I have a specific question. The Prime Minister has said that we are looking to set up a contact group or broader coalition. What is the timeline for setting up this contact group and what will be the specific criteria for membership—counter-terrorism, humanitarian, nation building? Also, will the format be based on P5 plus region and plus other countries from the middle east to get the money?
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: International Affairs
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): The truth is that all the points my hon. Friend made are relevant considerations. Ideally, we would want the UN to co-ordinate as that would give it independence and objectivity. All the groups he described would need to be considered. Of course they do not all get on with each other, so this is also about the art of the possible, but I am following through on that this week. We are trying to establish a core of a P5 consensus although that is not entirely straightforward, and then we will want to consider all the different regional partners, which do not all have perfect relationships with each other. This is partly about the factors my hon. Friend described but it is also about the art of the possible. It is clear, however, that we need a much broader group to be more effective in exercising a moderating influence on the Taliban.
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: International Affairs
Siobhan Kathleen Baillie (Conservative, Centre-right): People in Stroud were really distressed to see the footage of a baby being handed over to an American soldier at Kabul airport. We know that there are thousands of orphans stranded in Afghanistan, and they are at risk of radicalisation and abuse. Will my right hon. Friend confirm that children and orphans are a focus of UK support and say a little more about how we are achieving that?
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: International Affairs
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady is absolutely right. Of course, if there is a stock of cases that are good to go because those checks have already been done, we want to make sure that we are ready for the first flights out of Kabul, or indeed the first access that we can get via a third country, so that is very much on my mind and the Home Secretary’s.
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: International Affairs
Robert Butler (Conservative, Centre-right): Over the past 20 years, and especially in the most recent weeks, we have been able to see and hear so much about what is going on in Afghanistan thanks to the bravery of many local journalists—especially women, who of course were not allowed even to work under the previous Taliban regime. Will my right hon. Friend join me in praising them for their courageous work, and can he confirm that those who now feel at risk and need to leave the country are included in the category of special cases?
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: International Affairs
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Not only are they included, but among the broadly 500 special cases that have been evacuated out of Afghanistan, there have been a significant number of journalists. Of course, we will continue to process those kinds of cases.
Afghanistan: FCDO Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: International Affairs
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman referred to the risk report that the management board received in July. That is a standard monthly report that goes to senior officials. It did not contain any novel or new intelligence assessment. What the July document made clear was that our central planning assumption at the time was that the peace process in Afghanistan would probably run for a further six months. We followed all that advice while at the same time preparing our contingency plans for the evacuation.
National Insurance Contributions Bill — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: Environment
Kevin Paul Hollinrake (Conservative, Centre-right): I understand the purpose behind the new clause, but new clause 1 refers to "green manufacturing companies", whereas new clause 2 talks about manufacturing products that "include" wind turbines and electric vehicles. So could those companies not undertake all kinds of very polluting activities within their business but still qualify for the exemption for all their employees if they make some wind turbines and electric vehicles? That is how this seems to be drafted.
National Insurance Contributions Bill — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: Energy
Kevin Paul Hollinrake (Conservative, Centre-right): They say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. The intention may be something different, but the way the new clauses are drafted and the fact that new clause 2 says "include" means that so long as a company does some of those things, it could burn coal to produce electricity and still qualify under the new clause. That is the position as far as I can ascertain, but the hon. Gentleman may be able to explain the difference.
National Insurance Contributions Bill — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: Macroeconomics
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): I think the hon. Gentleman knows that the £500 payment has been offered across devolved Administrations. It is important that he has made that point, and I recognise it, but that does not really affect the point at issue in relation to the new clause, which is about the £500 payments that the Scottish Government are making to health and social care workers, which they are using to function as a top-up to wages. We therefore consider that these payments are taxable as earnings under the normal rules.
National Insurance Contributions Bill — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: Social Welfare
Nigel Martin Evans (Conservative, Centre-right): It is good to get the voting back to normal, isn’t it? [Hon. Members: "Hear, hear."] We have missed it. Clause 6 Zero-rate contributions for armed forces veterans Amendment made: 3, page 4, line 25, leave out "the 1992 Act" and insert "whichever of the 1992 Acts would otherwise apply".—(Jesse Norman.) This amendment corrects an error by replacing a reference to the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 with a reference to that Act and the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992. Third Reading
Medicinal Cannabis — House of Commons, 2021-09-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Michael Penning (Conservative, Centre-right): While we are name-checking colleagues, we should mention one chap who is not here because he has left the House, and that is Frank Field. My hon. Friend referred to Frank—[Interruption.] Oh, he is in the other House now, is he? Lucky fella! Frank and I were absolutely adamant that the following day, we were going to go to Holland and come back, and that unless a change to the legislation had been indicated the following day, we would be arrested. But what a great reason to be arrested, trying to save someone’s life! It was Frank’s idea, and I jumped on with him—we should also acknowledge other people including Billy Caldwell’s family and Alfie’s family; I completely agree with that—but without Frank jumping in as well, we would really have struggled.
Losing Loved Ones Overseas: Support — House of Commons, 2021-10-26
Topic: International Affairs
Amanda Anne Milling (Conservative, Centre-right): Losing a loved one is always extremely difficult, particularly if it happens overseas. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office supports about 4,000 families affected by death abroad annually. Consular staff work tirelessly to provide information on local laws and systems, and offer tailored support to British people and their families in order to make arrangements.
Losing Loved Ones Overseas: Support — House of Commons, 2021-10-26
Topic: International Affairs
Antony Higginbotham (Conservative, Centre-right): In my constituency, we have sadly had two recent and high-profile cases of families losing a loved one abroad, including Susan and John Cooper in Egypt, and more recently Kelsey Devlin in Pakistan. Will my right hon. Friend look into those two cases to see whether there is anything further that the Foreign Office can do in order that the families can finally get the answers they need so that they can grieve?
Losing Loved Ones Overseas: Support — House of Commons, 2021-10-26
Topic: International Affairs
Amanda Anne Milling (Conservative, Centre-right): May I first offer my deepest sympathies to my hon. Friend’s constituents following the deaths of their loved ones? Officials continue to support Mr and Mrs Cooper’s family and are working with Her Majesty’s Coroner and Egyptian authorities to enable the inquest to take place as soon as possible. My officials are also supporting Ms Devlin’s family, and will assist them in reporting their concerns surrounding this tragic case to the police in Pakistan. I would also like to offer to meet my hon. Friend to discuss these two cases.
Palestinian Authority: ODA — House of Commons, 2021-10-26
Topic: International Affairs
James Spencer Cleverly (Conservative, Centre-right): Development programmes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories work to preserve the prospect of a negotiated two-state solution and simultaneously to improve the lives of Palestinians, in line with the UK’s long-standing approach to the middle east peace process. Although the UK will no longer provide direct funding to the Palestinian Authority, we understand the importance of capacity building of Palestinian institutions.
Palestinian Authority: ODA — House of Commons, 2021-10-26
Topic: International Affairs
James Spencer Cleverly (Conservative, Centre-right): I assure my hon. Friend that the UK Government take a zero-tolerance approach to anti- semitism, wherever it is. The reduction in funding to the Palestinian Authority was in direct response to the official development assistance prioritisation review, which was itself in response to the economic constraints driven by covid. We do, however, continue to support the Palestinians through the UNRWA. We will ensure that, as we have done, we continue to press for that education curriculum to be devoid of any examples of antisemitism.
Palestinian Authority: ODA — House of Commons, 2021-10-26
Topic: International Affairs
James Spencer Cleverly (Conservative, Centre-right): As I said, the UK continues to support UNRWA, which does fantastic work in both the west bank and Gaza. On my recent trip to Egypt, I spoke with Egyptian officials about the work that they had done to help to support Gaza after the conflict. The best thing that we can all do for the people of Gaza, the OPTs and the wider region is to push for a sustainable, peaceful two-state solution. That will remain the foundation stone of the UK’s policy in the region.
Palestinian Authority: ODA — House of Commons, 2021-10-26
Topic: International Affairs
James Spencer Cleverly (Conservative, Centre-right): I remind the House that because of covid this country experienced the worst economic contraction in three centuries, and it was absolutely right that we responded to that. We remain, in both absolute and percentage terms, one of the most generous aid donors in the world. We are proud of that record, as I and my right hon. Friends in Government have said. We aim to return to 0.7% as soon as the fiscal situation allows.
Economic and Security Ties with Allies — House of Commons, 2021-10-26
Topic: International Affairs
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): We are deepening our economic and security ties with allies, including the United States, members of the comprehensive and progressive agreement for trans-Pacific partnership, and India. We need to win the battle for economic influence through free enterprise and economies based on democracy.
Economic and Security Ties with Allies — House of Commons, 2021-10-26
Topic: Foreign Trade
James Nelson Grundy (Conservative, Centre-right): Boosting our economic ties with India could provide opportunities for businesses in my constituency of Leigh and across the UK. Can my right hon. Friend assure the House that she will do everything she can to turbo-charge that relationship?
Economic and Security Ties with Allies — House of Commons, 2021-10-26
Topic: Foreign Trade
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): I completely agree with my hon. Friend. I was in New Delhi and Mumbai last week doing just that. India is a key strategic partner for the United Kingdom. It is the world’s largest democracy. There are huge opportunities. We are shortly about to launch trade talks with India and we are working to increase two-way investment flows.
Economic and Security Ties with Allies — House of Commons, 2021-10-26
Topic: International Affairs
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Lady for her warm welcome to the Dispatch Box. I look forward to working with her over the coming years—many, many years. I do not think the Chancellor would be very happy if I announced the spending review today—and I am not sure you, Mr Speaker, would be very happy either. However, I assure her that we are absolutely prioritising our humanitarian aid budget. We are prioritising women and girls as part of our development budget, and we are prioritising investing in honest, reliable infrastructure in developing countries, particularly clean, green infrastructure.
Economic and Security Ties with Allies — House of Commons, 2021-10-26
Topic: International Affairs
Thomas Georg John Tugendhat (Conservative, Centre-right): I very much welcome my right hon. Friend to her place at the Dispatch Box. Given her past experience and her former jobs, can she tell us how she will build on the economic power of the United Kingdom to develop our strategic influence around the world? This country grew rich not on the force of arms, but on the force of law and the different ways in which we have traded and travelled around the world. It would be fantastic to hear from her how she will use the office she now holds to defend the place of law both at home and abroad and to shape our alliances to promote our interests.
Economic and Security Ties with Allies — House of Commons, 2021-10-26
Topic: Foreign Trade
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right to say that developing our economic ties with like-minded allies is vital to developing our influence in the world and also the influence of free enterprise, freedom and democracy. That is why we are pursuing trade deals with the likes of the CPTPP, India and the United States, which are all democratic and free enterprise-based. We now have a unique opportunity, as post-Brexit Britain, with all the tools at our disposal—development, trade, diplomacy and security—to build those links that I describe as a network of liberty across the world.