argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Higher Education (England) Regulations — House of Commons, 2017-09-13
Topic: Mixed Topics
Justine Greening (Conservative, Centre-right): Of course my hon. Friend is absolutely right. The last Labour Government left youth unemployment 30% to 50% higher than when they came in. The ultimate opportunity destroyer in our country is a Labour Government running our economy I shall add a further reason why disadvantaged young people would lose out under Labour’s policy: who would pay for those people who did get to university to go to university? It would be some of those disadvantaged young people who had missed out, it would be their families, it would be pensioners—we would all be paying for the cohort of young people most likely to become higher-rate taxpayers to get a degree.
Higher Education (England) Regulations — House of Commons, 2017-09-13
Topic: Other
Justine Greening (Conservative, Centre-right): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I did not see the gesticulating, but am pleased that you are on top of keeping the House in order What we are having here now is a real debate, because I am prepared to take interventions from Labour Members and to engage in a debate. The hon. Member for Ashton-under-Lyne (Angela Rayner) took just one, or perhaps two, interventions from Conservative Members.
Higher Education (England) Regulations — House of Commons, 2017-09-13
Topic: Other
Justine Greening (Conservative, Centre-right): The Labour party is increasing them. It is doing the very thing that Labour Members are expressing faux anger at in the Chamber today. I will come on to that in a second, because I have not quite finished—
Higher Education (England) Regulations — House of Commons, 2017-09-13
Topic: Mixed Topics
Robert Henry Halfon (Conservative, Centre-right): I have heard that argument, but the wealthier students are the most likely to be able to pay off the current interest rate. A member of my office staff, who is not paid huge amounts of money and whom I would love to pay more, has £60,000 to pay. I just find that unacceptable—
Higher Education (England) Regulations — House of Commons, 2017-09-13
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): Order. The erudition of the right hon. Gentleman’s speech is matched only by his readiness to engage with colleagues and take interventions. That is a hallmark of his service in the House and it is very much appreciated. However, may I just advise the House and him that there is a large number of would-be contributors and there will have to be a tight time limit? Therefore, I feel cautiously optimistic that he is approaching his peroration.
Higher Education (England) Regulations — House of Commons, 2017-09-13
Topic: Mixed Topics
Jo Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): The Leader of the Opposition asks about drop-out rates, so he will be interested to know that across all categories—young, mature, disadvantaged, and black and minority ethnic—those are lower now than they were in 2009 and 2010. He should look at the statistics before he challenges the Government’s record on widening the participation and attainment of people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Labour’s proposal to remove fees—
Higher Education (England) Regulations — House of Commons, 2017-09-13
Topic: Other
Peter William Bone (Conservative, Centre-right): Further to that point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Unless I was totally mistaken, we just had a vote. I heard the vote and you decided it on acclamation. The hon. Member for Ashton-under-Lyne (Angela Rayner) is wrong to say that there has not been a vote.
Development In Kings Langley — House of Commons, 2017-09-13
Topic: Mixed Topics
Michael Penning (Conservative, Centre-right): I wish to present a petition that was put together by the community in Kings Langley in my constituency. Even though we have had to slightly amend the wording for parliamentary rules, 1,200-plus of my constituents signed the petition against the inappropriate development proposed in Kings Langley The petition states: The Petition of residents of the UK, Declares that the proposal to cram 40 retirement homes on the edge of a conservation area on a site between the lower common and Hempstead Road, where currently there are four houses, would lead to over-development, threaten wildlife, damage the character of the conservation area, exacerbate parking problems, place a burden on local services and accelerate Kings Langley's drift towards becoming a built up, urban area. The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Kings Langley's Parish Council and Dacorum Borough Council to reject the proposal to cram 40 retirement homes on the edge of a conservation area on a site between the lower common and Hempstead Road And the petitioners remain, etc [P002057]
The Redwell fields, Wellingborough — House of Commons, 2017-09-13
Topic: Public Lands
Peter William Bone (Conservative, Centre-right): I rise to present a petition on behalf of the Save our Park campaign. It has more than 800 signatures. My role in this is to present the petition on behalf of my constituents to get their voice heard. The body deciding the issue is the borough council of Wellingborough and I would not want to express my own personal opinion on the issue. The petition is presented by Anne Coles, Suzanne Saunders and Jeremy Gold The petition states: The Petition of residents of Wellingborough, Declares that the petitioners strongly object to the building of a 3G sports pitch on Redwell Field open 8am until 10pm weekdays and 8am until 8pm weekends; further that the location is wrong; further that our field is for recreation, dog walking, wildlife, free football and cricket, running and other sports; further that it is a place where families relax in a quiet pleasant residential area; further that the planned 3G sports pitch will mean that the petitioners’ children have nowhere to play; further that the residents will suffer noise, traffic, light pollution and other inconvenience; further that the pitch will spoil the character of the area; and further that the park should not be spoiled. The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to urge Wellingborough Council to reject the planning application of a 3G sports pitch on Redwell Field And the petitioners remain, etc [P002058]
Employment Tribunals — House of Commons, 2017-09-13
Topic: Civil Rights
Maria Frances Lewis Miller (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is making a compelling case for his constituent about the importance of access to justice. However, the case he makes about the time limit on accessing justice involves other groups of people as well, and particularly women who may be subject to discrimination at work and who may need to seek redress through a tribunal, but who have only three months to do that, when they may well be pregnant or have very small children. Does he agree that reviewing the three-month period could be an important thing for the Government to do?
Employment Tribunals — House of Commons, 2017-09-13
Topic: Civil Rights
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning) on securing today’s important debate, and I extend my heartfelt condolences to Mrs Hardie for the loss of her husband I am aware of the Law Society Gazette article on my hon. Friend’s constituency case relating to unfair dismissal and how the judge treated the matter of discretion. Although I cannot comment on the detail, I am very sympathetic to the position in which Mrs Hardie finds herself, and, of course, I am very happy to meet her with my hon. Friend I can confirm that the "just and equitable" test is wider than the "reasonably practicable" test. A tribunal can extend time for bringing a discrimination claim forward where it considers it just and equitable to do so. For unfair dismissal cases, the claimant must demonstrate that it was not reasonably practicable to bring the claim within three months for the tribunals to extend the time and to allow the claim to proceed. Case law has established that demonstrating that it was not reasonably practicable is a more demanding test than establishing that it is just and equitable for the claim to proceed. This is what Parliament has set out in legislation. The time limit in both cases is stipulated in the relevant Act. I am grateful to my hon. Friend for bringing this issue to my attention, because I was not aware of the impact that the difference in wording can have in cases such as that of his constituent.
Employment Tribunals — House of Commons, 2017-09-13
Topic: Mixed Topics
Michael Penning (Conservative, Centre-right): One of things that was so distressing to Anna was that she was cross-examined about whether she had had conversations with her husband and asked where was the proof. There is no proof that I proposed to my wife. It was a very personal thing between me and her—there is no written evidence about the proposal. To say in a cross-examination that she had no proof that her husband wanted to do this, even though Anna had clearly discussed it with him, is abhorrent. She was cross-examined at a time that was enormously distressing for her.
Employment Tribunals — House of Commons, 2017-09-13
Topic: Other
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, I would be delighted. I wanted to refer to the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Mrs Miller), but before I do so I will give way to my hon. Friend.
Employment Tribunals — House of Commons, 2017-09-13
Topic: Other
Michael Penning (Conservative, Centre-right): Can I just say that I have had the honour of kissing the Queen, so I am a right hon. Member? That might give the Minister a bit of time to find the right page. It is sometimes hard to do that; it has happened to me on more than one occasion. It was a great pleasure to have kissed the Queen’s hand.
Employment Tribunals — House of Commons, 2017-09-13
Topic: Other
Maria Frances Lewis Miller (Conservative, Centre-right): I warmly welcome my hon. Friend’s announcement, which will draw very positive comments from well beyond these walls. Could that review perhaps be extended to cover the points raised by my right hon. Friend the Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning), who has made a most compelling case for people who are in the particular circumstances that his constituent found herself?
Neighbourhood Policing — House of Commons, 2017-10-16
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): I understand that the right hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead is to become a knight of the realm. I had not been aware of that important fact, but I am now, and I warmly congratulate the right hon. Gentleman, who is evidently absolutely delighted with the status to be conferred upon him On the matter of knights, I call Sir Edward Davey.
Residency Rights (EU Nationals) — House of Commons, 2017-10-16
Topic: Immigration
Questions: What her policy is on the residency rights of EU nationals (a) during any transitional phase and (b) after the UK leaves the EU.
Brandon Kenneth Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): The Prime Minister was clear in her Florence speech in September that people will continue to be able to come to, and live and work in, the UK. There will be a registration system—an essential preparation for the new immigration system required to retake control of our borders—and we will be setting out initial proposals for the implementation period in due course, and for our new immigration system later in the year.
Residency Rights (EU Nationals) — House of Commons, 2017-10-16
Topic: Immigration
Questions: What her policy is on the residency rights of EU nationals (a) during any transitional phase and (b) after the UK leaves the EU.
Brandon Kenneth Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): We are clear that we want to work with our partners in Europe to have a smooth and good system for EU citizens here to go through as they gain settled status as part of the fair and very serious proposal we made, and I am confident that we will be able to deliver that in a simple and clean system for them. Obviously, if the hon. Lady has particular cases that she feels we need to look at, I encourage her to write to me and I will happily look at them.
Residency Rights (EU Nationals) — House of Commons, 2017-10-16
Topic: Immigration
Questions: What her policy is on the residency rights of EU nationals (a) during any transitional phase and (b) after the UK leaves the EU.
Edward Julian Egerton Leigh (Conservative, Centre-right): There has been a lot of reportage and worry in this country about the number of EU nationals coming here perfectly legally. I am much more worried about what the Home Affairs Committee was told last week by David Wood, former head of immigration: there are 1 million illegals here, which the Home Office knows nothing about. Will the Minister’s Department focus on fast-tracking our friends and relations who are here legally from the EU so it can concentrate on the illegals?
Residency Rights (EU Nationals) — House of Commons, 2017-10-16
Topic: Immigration
Questions: What her policy is on the residency rights of EU nationals (a) during any transitional phase and (b) after the UK leaves the EU.
Brandon Kenneth Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): We are very much focused on dealing with people who are here illegally; that is what the compliant environment work is all about. Obviously our friends and partners and citizens from the EU are, under free movement, here entirely legally. I encourage them to remain, as we value what they do for our society and economy, and we will remain focused on dealing with the illegal immigrants, who should be in their home countries.
Residency Rights (EU Nationals) — House of Commons, 2017-10-16
Topic: Immigration
Questions: What her policy is on the residency rights of EU nationals (a) during any transitional phase and (b) after the UK leaves the EU.
Brandon Kenneth Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): We have commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee, who are going to be looking at the impact of European workers on our economies. We are clear that we value their input both in society to our communities and to our economy. We want EU citizens to stay and will be encouraging them to do so, as the Prime Minister and Home Secretary have done on numerous occasions.
Refugee Family Reunions — House of Commons, 2017-10-16
Topic: Immigration
Brandon Kenneth Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): The family reunion policy allows immediate family members of those granted protection in the UK to reunite with them here. In addition, the family provisions in the immigration rules also provide for relatives with protection in the UK to sponsor children when there are serious and compelling circumstances. Our policy is clear: where an application fails under the rules, we consider whether there are exceptional reasons to grant leave outside the rules.
Refugee Family Reunions — House of Commons, 2017-10-16
Topic: Immigration
Brandon Kenneth Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): We are working with the UNHCR and with UNICEF on this issue, and we want to ensure that the application of these rules and this policy works in practice. I ask the hon. Lady to look again at the rules that I have outlined, because we can consider whether there are exceptional reasons to grant leave outside the rules.
Refugee Family Reunions — House of Commons, 2017-10-16
Topic: Immigration
Brandon Kenneth Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): We are working with other countries, which have their own national sovereignty. I was in Italy and Greece over the summer to talk about these programmes, and we are working with the Greek and French authorities to ensure that more children can come over and that we fulfil our duty. Let us bear in mind that when we get to the 480, the United Kingdom will have done more than other European countries, and we should be proud of that.
Refugee Family Reunions — House of Commons, 2017-10-16
Topic: Immigration
Brandon Kenneth Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): I am aware of that case and saw the hon. Gentleman’s social media output over the weekend, so I will write to him with some details. When we issue passports, we have to ensure that we go through all the proper checks to make sure that we are doing things correctly. I make no excuses for that—it is obviously a matter of national security. However, I am looking into the case and will get back to him in the next couple of days.
Motorcycle and Moped-enabled Crime — House of Commons, 2017-10-16
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): Order. I wanted to respond favourably partly for the benefit of the Home Secretary and her illustrious office and partly because the temptation to hear the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) is overwhelming.
Police Funding — House of Commons, 2017-10-16
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman has slipped in Question 23, which was not part of the original request. That should not be the normal practice, but on this occasion, notwithstanding a certain amount of twitching by the learned souls who advise me, I am inclined to try to be helpful.
International Students — House of Commons, 2017-10-16
Topic: Immigration
Questions: When international students come to the UK, what fees are they charged, and does the Department make a profit? The charge in a case of indefinite leave to remain is £2,297, but the cost to the Home Office is just £252. What kind of a racket is being run at the Home Office?
Brandon Kenneth Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): I am happy to remind the hon. Gentleman that we set immigration and nationality fees at a level that ensures that the income received contributes towards the resources that are necessary for the wider border, immigration and nationality system, and in line with the charging powers approved by Parliament that are set out in the Immigration Act 2014, which he may have forgotten.
International Students — House of Commons, 2017-10-16
Topic: Immigration
Questions: When international students come to the UK, what fees are they charged, and does the Department make a profit? The charge in a case of indefinite leave to remain is £2,297, but the cost to the Home Office is just £252. What kind of a racket is being run at the Home Office?
Brandon Kenneth Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): I say gently to the right hon. Lady that the definition of net migration, which is decided by the UN, refers to people who have been in the country for 12 months or more, which university students obviously have if they are here for three years and using services here. Ultimately, though, the numbers are decided by the Office for National Statistics, which is an entirely independent organisation, and not by the Government.
Border Facilities — House of Commons, 2017-10-16
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: What contingency (a) funding and (b) planning her Department has for new customs check-points and other border facilities in the event that negotiations with the EU do not result in a deal.
Brandon Kenneth Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): I am optimistic that we will get a good deal both for the UK and for our partners in Europe, so that we can work together as forward-looking partners, but we are also actively monitoring work flows at the border to ensure that we have sufficient resources in place to meet demand. As my colleagues across the Government and in the Cabinet have said, it is absolutely right that we do plan for all eventualities.
Study Visas — House of Commons, 2017-10-16
Topic: Mixed Topics
Brandon Kenneth Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): As I said earlier, there is no limit on the number of students. I am not going to predict the outcome post our negotiations but, as I have said to other colleagues, we are working to get a good deal for the United Kingdom and our partners in Europe.
Study Visas — House of Commons, 2017-10-16
Topic: Immigration
Brandon Kenneth Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): I will do my best to rise to the challenge, Mr Speaker. As I said earlier, the immigration system’s visas and charges are as per the Immigration Act 2014. I would challenge the hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Afzal Khan) a little bit because no one has come to me about mistakes in how we deal with student visas. We are encouraging students from all over the world to come here.
UK Visas and Immigration — House of Commons, 2017-10-16
Topic: Immigration
Brandon Kenneth Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): The Home Office deals with millions of visa, citizenship, passport and immigration status applications each year. In the past year, UKVI has received more than 3.5 million applications, and more than 98.5% of major application routes, including for non-settlement, EU applications and asylum, have all been decided within their service standards. Some 99% of straightforward non-settlement applications were processed within 15 days last year.
UK Visas and Immigration — House of Commons, 2017-10-16
Topic: Immigration
Brandon Kenneth Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): Reviewing identity documents such as passports as part of an application is obviously an important part of maintaining a robust immigration system. Travel documents are retained for the duration of the decision-making process, but if the applicant wishes to travel while the application is being considered, dependent on the route through which they have applied, we will of course return their passport to them. If the applicant needs a passport for ID purposes, we can send certified copies that they are able to use.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2017-10-16
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: We have already heard this afternoon that mopeds are being increasingly used in daring and violent crimes by criminals who know they will not be pursued because police officers face prosecution if an accident occurs. Will the Home Secretary support the Police Federation’s call for a change in the law so that the police are free to chase criminals using mopeds?
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): We must congratulate the people in the fire authorities, who have made sure that the amount of fires has fallen by 50% and the number of deaths from fires has reduced by 20%. They have done incredibly well at, in effect, driving productivity in that way. I will make sure that they are always suitably funded. One of the ways in which they can have more funds is by making efficiencies by merging with police forces. I am delighted that a number of fire authorities are doing exactly that. The proposals are with us at the moment. Fire authorities will be able to make efficiencies and spend more money on the frontline.