argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Gender Recognition Act Consultation — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Civil Rights
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): I am very interested in what the hon. Lady has said, because my understanding is that the Scottish Government’s draft Bill to reform the GRA has been paused. I would be very happy to take this up with her at a later opportunity. In terms of human rights law, of course we are committed to that and we continue to lead the world in LGBT rights and human rights. We will shortly be hosting an international LGBT conference.
Gender Recognition Act Consultation — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Civil Rights
Sara Alice Britcliffe (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is important to reflect on the need to treat members of the trans community with kindness and respect and to find a way to make the path to self-determination not only cheaper but easier?
Gender Recognition Act Consultation — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Civil Rights
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend, and it is important that we address the issues that transgender people have had with the process—namely, the cost and the bureaucracy. We do not want finance to be a barrier to people to be able to go through the gender recognition certificate process.
Gender Recognition Act Consultation — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Civil Rights
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): As I made clear earlier, the Government do not believe in moving towards a model of self-ID. This is a serious process that has taken time for us to consider, but our view is that we need to maintain proper checks and balances in the system. We have addressed the issues that transgender people highlighted as important to them around healthcare, bureaucracy and the costs of the process, making the process kinder and more straightforward.
Gender Recognition Act Consultation — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Civil Rights
Elliot Colburn (Conservative, Centre-right): I am proud to be the first openly LGBT person to represent Carshalton and Wallington in this House, and I stand by the trans community in saying that their rights are human rights. The reforms are a welcome first step, particularly in relation to health, but they need to go further. What assurances can my right hon. Friend give that this is indeed the first step and is not the end of what we are going to do for trans people in this country, that we will bring the UK into line with countries such as Argentina and Ireland, and that we will make those changes that cost so little but mean so much to trans people?
Gender Recognition Act Consultation — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Civil Rights
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): I point out to my hon. Friend that on this issue we are in line with the vast majority of major European countries, and we are working, through our international LGBT conference, to improve the rights of LGBT people across the world. I am very proud of the leadership that we as a country have shown in areas such as equal marriage and other issues of LGBT rights. It is important to note, though, that while we do want to improve healthcare services—and I am committed to working with the Department of Health and Social Care on that—we do not believe in moving to a model of self-ID. We believe that the system needs proper checks and balances.
Gender Recognition Act Consultation — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Other
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): I do not appreciate the hon. Gentleman’s tone. I am being genuine and honest, and I am seeking to make this process kinder and more straightforward. I do not think that levelling such accusations at me is helpful.
Gender Recognition Act Consultation — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Civil Rights
David Gordon Mundell (Conservative, Centre-right): Thank you for granting this urgent question, Mr Speaker; it is very important that this Parliament demonstrates that it represents everybody in the United Kingdom, and I reiterate my solidarity with the trans community. Will my right hon. Friend clarify again the situation in relation to the three new clinics, as was implied by her statement on Tuesday? Are they new clinics in addition to the pilot projects previously announced? On their work, will she take on board the points raised by my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich East (Nicola Richards), in terms of a number of 1,600 against the ever-growing waiting list?
Gender Recognition Act Consultation — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Civil Rights
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): I can assure the hon. Lady that I and the GEO have met with a wide variety of organisations. We have met 140 representative organisations, including LGBT and women’s organisations. I have also met a number of parliamentary colleagues to discuss this issue.
Gender Recognition Act Consultation — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Civil Rights
Peter Alexander Gibson (Conservative, Centre-right): There is a strong trans community in Darlington who are valued and appreciated by their employers. Over 200 company leaders have written to the Prime Minister in respect of trans rights. What assessment has my right hon. Friend made of the compatibility of the Government’s position on trans rights with that of corporate Britain?
Gender Recognition Act Consultation — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Civil Rights
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): I have set out the Government’s position on transgender rights, in terms of making sure that we protect those rights and making the process kinder and more straightforward in improving transgender healthcare services. As for what corporates’ views are, that is a matter for them rather than the Government.
Gender Recognition Act Consultation — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Civil Rights
Felicity Christiana Buchan (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the very measured and conciliatory tone that the Minister has taken today. I welcome the improvements to transgender health services and the protection of vulnerable women, in terms of the retention of single-sex spaces in places such as domestic abuse shelters. Will my right hon. Friend outline the Government’s approach to women’s prisons?
Gender Recognition Act Consultation — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Civil Rights
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is right that under the Equality Act 2010, service providers can restrict entry on the basis of biological sex. Of course, there are cases, such as women’s refuges and prisons, where that is an important issue.
Gender Recognition Act Consultation — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Civil Rights
Jacqueline Doyle-Price (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend’s statement will make it easier for people to be who they want to be, while maintaining the integrity of the Equality Act. Many women have felt anxious during this process, so will she reconfirm her support for single-sex spaces where reasonable?
Gender Recognition Act Consultation — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Civil Rights
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is right that we are striking a balance between the rights of transgender people and the rights of women. The position is clear in the Equality Act that service providers can restrict the use of spaces on the basis of biological sex, and it is important that women’s spaces, which have been hard fought for over generations, are protected.
The Economy — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Mixed Topics
Rishi Sunak (Conservative, Centre-right): Our response will continue to evolve as the circumstances demand. With respect to aviation, I have every sympathy for companies and employees in that sector; obviously, they have been very hard hit. The measures that we have put in place have made a significant difference to businesses in that sector. Indeed, I think that one of the ones the hon. Lady mentioned is among the many that have accessed some of our much larger loan schemes to provide vital liquidity at a very difficult time, and I know that many businesses in the aerospace supply chain will particularly welcome the part-time working job support scheme we have announced today, as it will be particularly well suited to their manufacturing businesses.
The Economy — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Housing
Peter James Guy Aldous (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the Chancellor’s statement. His stamp duty holiday, which is due to expire on 31 March, has been extremely successful in stimulating an important part of the UK economy. What plans does he have for further housing initiatives, which will not only generate business activity but, if properly focused, also alleviate poverty and promote social mobility?
The Economy — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Housing
Rishi Sunak (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right to say that the stamp duty cut is driving activity in the housing market, which is helping to protect jobs in that sector. I would point him to our green homes grant, which the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is going to roll out shortly and which will provide households with a grant of up to £5,000 to subsidise initiatives to improve the insulation and energy efficiency of their homes. There will be larger grants available for those households most in need, as determined by their local authorities, helping them not only to save on carbon emissions but to save up to £300 a year on their energy bills.
The Economy — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Mixed Topics
Joy Inboden Morrissey (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend for listening to Members’ concerns about small businesses and the self-employed and for taking the time to engage with us and hear our concerns. In Beaconsfield, we have 4,000 people who have already benefited from the Government’s self-employed income support scheme, protecting their livelihoods. I therefore welcome today’s announcement that we will continue the support for the self-employed, through a further extension in the grant, and continue our unprecedented support for both the employed and self-employed. May I invite him to Marlow to see all the good work that he has done through his schemes?
The Economy — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Mixed Topics
Nicola Jane Aiken (Conservative, Centre-right): I warmly welcome the Chancellor’s statement, particularly the extension of the 5% VAT rate to next March. I know that many of the hospitality businesses in my constituency will welcome that as they grapple with the loss of tourists and office workers. Many are reporting that trading is at 20% of normal levels. Will he agree to meet me and representatives of theatres and the hospitality and retail sectors to discuss what further measures we can take to support the west end’s recovery?
The Economy — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Rishi Sunak (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is right. I know that she has spent a lot of time focused on this issue, and businesses in her constituency are facing an especially hard time. I would be delighted to meet her and them to see what more we can do to support them.
The Economy — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Mixed Topics
Lucy Allan (Conservative, Centre-right): The Chancellor has shown himself to be nimble and agile throughout this crisis. I congratulate him on his statement and his recognition that we must adapt and evolve and can no longer put our lives on hold. I particularly welcome the measures to support hospitality and the 5% VAT rate extension. The fantastic Telford International Centre for businesses and conferences brings in 300,000 people every year, but its turnover is now zero. Will he continue to do all he can to support the events industry, which is so important to my town?
The Economy — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Mixed Topics
Rishi Sunak (Conservative, Centre-right): The eligibility conditions will remain as they are, with refinements to make sure that businesses are still trading over the winter and to recognise that they have suffered and are suffering an impact on revenues through coronavirus. The reasons for those eligibility criteria are well documented and have been discussed in this House many times, so I will not recap exactly why they are there, but it is worth bearing in mind that the extension of this support means that we have provided more support to 2.5 million self-employed people, which is considerably more than any other country has and for a longer duration.
The Economy — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Andrew Hanson Jones (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the significant and wide-ranging package that my right hon. Friend has introduced, and I want to focus on one element of it, cash flow, which is always a critical issue for businesses. Bounce back loans have been used by over 1 million companies across the UK, including 1,794 in Harrogate and Knaresborough, which have taken out loans worth more than £51 million. I therefore welcome the new pay as you grow scheme, which means that businesses will now enjoy greater flexibility to repay their loans over a longer period. Does my right hon. Friend agree that that will be of great value to businesses and that extending the terms to 10 years will halve the average monthly repayments?
The Economy — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Rishi Sunak (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend knows from his own business career the importance of cash flow, and he is absolutely right. He mentioned the almost 2,000 businesses in his constituency; on average, they probably took a bounce back loan of about £30,000. This extension to 10 years will reduce the average monthly repayment from something over £500 to just around £300, which will provide thousands of pounds of cash-flow relief to his 1,800 businesses, but also to 1 million others around the United Kingdom.
The Economy — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Rishi Sunak (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman mentioned mortgages, and I am sure his constituent, like many others, will have benefited from the mortgage holidays that we put in place, which my hon. Friend the Economic Secretary helped to organise with the banking system. Those provided six months of mortgage holidays for people, and, indeed, one in six mortgages across the UK was able to benefit from that generous scheme.
Belarus: Presidential Elections — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Civil Rights
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): We are shocked, as the hon. Gentleman is, by the severity and brazenness of the violence that has been carried out in front of the media, and the reports that we have seen are as bad as he suggests. Right now, we need a dual effort: we need to reach out and support those who find themselves under attack, particularly the journalists and those in the media who are trying to shine a light on this horrific abuse; and, ultimately, with our European, American, Canadian and other partners, we need to hold to account those who commit these appalling abuses of human rights.
Belarus: Presidential Elections — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Civil Rights
Atta-Ur-Rehman Chishti (Conservative, Centre-right): I very much welcome the Foreign Secretary’s statement. His commitment to human rights is nothing new. When we both came to the House, we sat on the Joint Committee on Human Rights, and I remember him being a champion on these matters across the board My right hon. Friend knows of my interest in religious freedom, on which I have worked with him. Freedom of religion or belief is a basic, fundamental right, and it is crucial for a peaceful, prosperous and virtuous society. It is also a national security imperative. One of my last actions as the Prime Minister’s special envoy for freedom of religion and belief was as a member of the International Religious Freedom Alliance, of which I was honoured to be vice-chair. In that last meeting, the case was raised of Archbishop Kondrusiewicz, who was not being allowed to enter Belarus, his own country. I ask the Foreign Secretary to do everything he can to ensure that individuals such as Archbishop Kondrusiewicz can enter their countries and practise their faith openly and freely. Finally, I personally thank the Foreign Secretary for the support that he gave me in my task when I was the Prime Minister’s special envoy.
Belarus: Presidential Elections — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Civil Rights
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for his stalwart work—from his membership of the Joint Committee on Human Rights to his special envoy role—as a champion for human rights and freedom of religious belief. He will know that I view media freedom, Magnitsky sanctions and freedom of religious belief as inextricably entwined. Of course we will look at the case that he described and make sure that those voices for freedom in Belarus are not snuffed out.
Belarus: Presidential Elections — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Civil Rights
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): As I have set out in my statement, we want to provide support not just for journalists, but for civil society. It is always the journalists who tend to be the first ones that despotic and authoritarian regimes go for, and there is no secret as to why: it is because they are the ones who shine a light on the abuses and give the truth not only to the people, but to the outside world. It is right that we extend the money and support we provide for journalists and for civil society, particularly as Belarus goes through this tumultuous period where freedom, liberty and human rights come under such dire threat.
Belarus: Presidential Elections — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Civil Rights
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): I think it is true to say that, particularly in eastern and central Europe—I think in particular of Czechoslovakia, where my father came from—the trade union movement has been closely aligned with the human rights movement and the cause of liberty for many years, including under the Soviet Union. I join her in the spirit of solidarity with unions that are feeling imperilled at this time. We certainly stand with them, as we do with the journalists, for the basic principles of freedom and liberty that unite us all.
Belarus: Presidential Elections — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Civil Rights
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is right, and the first liberty that any despot or dictator goes for is freedom of speech, or freedom of expression, because those are the liberties that guard all the others, and they shine a light on mispractices that take place. We absolutely stand with the people of Belarus for freedom of expression, and against any attacks on journalists, the media, or social media, including the internet.
Yemen — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Mixed Topics
William Nigel Paul Cash (Conservative, Centre-right): On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. This is about the licence by this House to the BBC as to our proceedings, and what I believe to be a failure by the BBC under the House of Commons rules of coverage. It arose in respect of what I believe to be a less than full and accurate account on Radio 4 on Monday and Tuesday of exchanges on the controversial issue of UK breaches of international law, and those exchanges arose from an intervention I made on my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May). The matter relates to the specific question of UK breaches of international law, and I do not believe it was accurately reported. The matter is now with the House authorities and under investigation. I have complained to the BBC, which says it is editing; I disagree. I wish to put this matter on the record as part of my continuing complaint.
Yemen — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Other
Nigel Martin Evans (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank Sir William for his forward notice of his point of order. While it is not a matter for the Chair, he has clearly taken all the right actions and he has put it on the record I intend to suspend the sitting briefly, as I did last Thursday, because a lot of Members want to take part in the next debate. Please would those leaving the Chamber do so in a socially aware way? Once both Dispatch Boxes have been sanitised and as soon as the main players are in place, which most of them are already, we will start again.
Occupied Palestinian Territories — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Other
Eleanor Fulton Laing (Conservative, Centre-right): Order. I will have to reduce the time limit to three minutes. I apologise to the hon. Member for Bassetlaw (Brendan Clarke-Smith), who has had no notice of that fact, but I am sure he will manage very well.
Occupied Palestinian Territories — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Other
Eleanor Fulton Laing (Conservative, Centre-right): I hope that hon. Members will not now intervene unless it is absolutely necessary, especially those who have already spoken. We are not going to be able to get everyone in; we are running out of time. I am trying my best, but if people take long interventions, it is not fair to others.
Occupied Palestinian Territories — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Other
Eleanor Fulton Laing (Conservative, Centre-right): Order. I am afraid that we have run out of time for Back-Bench contributions, but I note that everyone who is present and has not been called in this debate has already spoken this afternoon in the earlier debate, so I hope they will not feel too badly done by.
Business without Debate — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Other
Eleanor Fulton Laing (Conservative, Centre-right): I propose not to formally suspend the House as we come to the Adjournment, but I am pausing to allow people to leave in a quiet and orderly fashion and to allow those who need to be here—ah!—to be here. Mission accomplished.
NHS Hysteroscopy Treatment — House of Commons, 2020-09-24
Topic: Other
Eleanor Fulton Laing (Conservative, Centre-right): I have heard this debate before, and I am very, very glad to hear that progress is being made. Fifteen minutes is the time that the Minister took to speak, not two minutes. [Interruption.] No, I am not criticising the Minister. I am pointing out that being in pain for the whole of the Minister’s speech would not have been amusing.
Affordable Homes to Buy — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Housing
Robert Edward Jenrick (Conservative, Centre-right): This Government are making sure that hard-working families and first-time buyers have affordable, quality homes to call their own. Last month, we confirmed over £12 billion of investment to build more affordable homes—the most significant of its kind in living memory. This includes our new affordable homes programme, which will deliver up to 180,000 homes from next year.
Affordable Homes to Buy — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Housing
Caroline Elizabeth Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Secretary of State for his answer. My constituents are keen to see villages grow gently, sympathetically and with a range of larger and more affordable homes, and I am pleased to hear him focus on quality. How will my right hon. Friend’s planning reforms focus on quality and ensure that no new three-storey, densely packed, large developments of identikit houses are allowed to ruin the edges of small villages?