argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Domestic Abuse Bill — House of Commons, 2019-10-02
Topic: Mixed Topics
Matthew Raymond Western (Labour, Centre-left): My hon. Friend is making some extremely important points. Does she agree that there are two issues here? The first is about access to accommodation, particularly for women who have been in refuges. There is a lack of capacity in council house provision, so authorities are struggling to place women out of refuges and those women are then spending considerably longer than expected in refuges. The second issue is the lack of provision within local police forces of specialist officers who can deal with victims of domestic abuse.
Welsh Language — House of Commons, 2019-10-02
Topic: Civil Rights
Ruth Lorraine Jones (Labour, Centre-left): I thank the hon. Gentleman for securing the debate. I know that he has indicated his intention to stand down at the next general election, so although he and I do not always agree on a lot of policy areas, there are some areas in which we stand united—our love for Wales, for example—and I thank him for his service to date I am a Welsh learner, but my husband is a Welsh speaker naturally, so I know how important our national language is and how much we all still welcome the Welsh Language Act 1993 and its amendment, the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011. Will the hon. Gentleman join me in highlighting the immense pride many Welsh speakers feel, and the need to maintain its parity and equality with English and to encourage as many people as possible in Newport West, Montgomeryshire and the whole of Wales, as well as the rest of the United Kingdom, to think about learning Welsh?
Legal Advice: Prorogation — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Nicklaus Thomas-Symonds (Labour, Centre-left): I congratulate the hon. and learned Member for Edinburgh South West (Joanna Cherry) for securing the urgent question and for her work on this matter. Yesterday’s decision of the Supreme Court—I give credit to all those who brought the cases—was the most damning judicial indictment of a Government in modern times: that the decision to advise Her Majesty the Queen to prorogue Parliament was unlawful This Government stand in shame, tendering illegal advice to our monarch and not even able to uphold that most basic and important of principles: abiding by the rule of law. What we know from yesterday’s leaked document is that the Attorney General said that his advice on the question of the law was that this was "lawful and within the constitution", and that any accusations of unlawfulness were "motivated by political considerations". If that is in any way accurate as to his full advice, he was wrong on both counts. His "close interest" simply was not enough I will ask the Attorney General a number of questions. Can he confirm why the Government gave no witness statement to the Court? Indeed, the Court was left in a position where it said: "No justification for taking action with such an extreme effect has been put before the court" Why not? The Attorney General talks about respecting the decision of the judges, but the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster was on the radio this morning saying that he disagrees with the decision. He should tell us which parts of the judgment the Government disagree with. May I give the Attorney General a simple piece of advice for his considerations about the publication of this advice over the next few days—a simple suggestion? Just publish it and make it open to Parliament and the public On this Attorney General’s watch, the Government have been found in contempt of Parliament. Now they have been found in contempt of the law. Does he not accept that he does not have a shred of credibility left?
Legal Advice: Prorogation — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Angela Eagle (Labour, Centre-left): The right hon. and learned Gentleman has made it quite clear that the Supreme Court judges had every right to come to the decision they came to, and in fact they came to it unanimously, in an excoriating judgment which should put the Government’s Front Bench to shame. What is his view, therefore, of a Leader of the House who persists in believing, and makes it known that he feels, that the Supreme Court has instituted a constitutional coup? Surely he cannot remain in his post if he has that view.
Legal Advice: Prorogation — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Margaret Olivia Hillier (Labour, Centre-left): The Attorney General has said that he is going to review whether advice should be published, but in answer to the former Attorney General, the right hon. and learned Member for Kenilworth and Southam (Jeremy Wright), he upheld and defended the privacy of that legal advice. Can he tell the House the scope of the review he is undertaking? Is it just related to the Government’s defeat in the Supreme Court or will it be drawn more widely?
Legal Advice: Prorogation — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Barry John Sheerman (Labour, Centre-left): I came into the Chamber today thinking I felt sorry for the Attorney General—I did!—but every word he has uttered today shows no shame, no shame at all. The fact is that this Government cynically manipulated the Prorogation to shut down this House, so that it could not work as a democratic assembly. He knows that that is the truth, and to come here with his barrister’s bluster to obfuscate the truth, and for a man like him, a party like his, and a leader like this Prime Minister to talk about morals and morality is a disgrace.
Legal Advice: Prorogation — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Martin David Whitfield (Labour, Centre-left): It is often said that a lawyer who acts for himself has a fool for a client. It is also worrying if the lawyer is not aware of the costs of continuing with the advice. When the Attorney General makes a statement about the costs to the taxpayer, could he include the costs to the House authorities of having to reconvene on 24 hours’ notice and the inconvenience to staff?
Legal Advice: Prorogation — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Wayne David (Labour, Centre-left): I presume that following yesterday’s Supreme Court judgment the Prime Minister got in touch with Buckingham Palace and offered his apology to Her Majesty the Queen for giving unlawful advice. Did the Attorney General speak to the Prime Minister before that conversation took place?
Legal Advice: Prorogation — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Civil Rights
Geraint Richard Davies (Labour, Centre-left): The Attorney General has accepted the Supreme Court’s judgment that the Government acted illegally in closing down democracy. Does he accept that his fundamental duty is to uphold the rule of law and democracy, not to fan the flames of hatred, pitting the people against the courts and democracy on the road to fascism, as he appears to be doing today by making fun of the Supreme Court and saying that the justices are making things up as they go along? We make the law, they interpret the law, and he and all of us should obey the law.
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Lilian Rachel Greenwood (Labour, Centre-left): I begin by welcoming the tremendous efforts of the Civil Aviation Authority, staff across Government and others to repatriate and support the many thousands of stranded holiday- makers, but I ask the Secretary of State to provide clarity on two points in relation to his previous answers. Can he confirm that all Thomas Cook staff will be helped to return home? He referred to some of them, which I do not understand. Why not all of them In the four and a half months since the airline insolvency review reported, what action have the Government taken to implement its recommendations?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Clive James Charles Betts (Labour, Centre-left): The Secretary of State says we need to legislate to reform the travel industry, and we need a new Session of Parliament to do that. Will he guarantee the presence of a Bill to that effect in the Queen’s Speech?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Lisa Eva Nandy (Labour, Centre-left): Thousands of people in Greater Manchester, including many in Wigan, have lost their jobs, but the Scandinavian and German subsidiaries of Thomas Cook are still flying. The Government have failed not just to provide the financial assistance that would have been necessary to keep those companies going, but to bring forward legislation that would enable those airlines in the UK to continue flying in protective administration. It did not have to be like this. This Government have barely brought anything to this House in recent months. They do not need a Queen’s Speech to do that; they should do it right now.
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Susan Elan Jones (Labour, Centre-left): My constituents and many, many other constituents across the country have been affected by this awful situation. What I do not understand is the fact that this Government and the Opposition, and pretty much everyone, have recognised that we need new legislation. Why the heck do we have to wait for a new Queen’s Speech? Why can we not have emergency legislation next week?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Katherine Anne Green (Labour, Centre-left): What discussions are the Government having with the commercial lending sector, both in relation to the very substantial debt that will be the legacy of this debacle, and to the personal debt of employees? Some of my constituents are extremely concerned about the attitude of their creditors to their mortgages and other loans.
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Stephen John Doughty (Labour, Centre-left): I have many constituents who are pilots. Two holiday reps who have been affected by this crisis have contacted me. Is the Secretary of State aware that some former and current employees until very recently of Thomas Cook are affected themselves, because employee holiday benefits do not appear to be covered by ATOL? I know of one constituent whose relative is now currently stuck in Turkey. They used employee holiday benefits and are not covered by ATOL. Will he look urgently at that matter, because it is a double whammy for the employees of Thomas Cook?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Elizabeth Anne McInnes (Labour, Centre-left): The Secretary of State talks about throwing good money after bad, but surely it would have been better for British business if Thomas Cook had been bailed out, rather than spending millions of pounds on repatriating holidaymakers.
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Paula Michelle Sherriff (Labour, Centre-left): I have been contacted by a constituent—and I am aware of a small number of others—who has been contacted by a person purporting to be responsible for delivering refunds on behalf of Thomas Cook Group, asking for their credit card details. These people are adamant that they have not booked flights or holidays, and that they do not have any outstanding financial arrangements with the Thomas Cook Group. Is the Secretary of State aware of what appears to be a scam? If so, what is he doing about it?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Julie Elizabeth Cooper (Labour, Centre-left): I have constituents who are due to travel on their holidays in October—holidays provided by a third party, booked using Thomas Cook travel agency services—but who have found out this week that the final moneys have not been paid to the holiday provider and that there is going to be no holiday for them. Can the Secretary of State tell me what support will be available to people in that position?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Joanne Marie Platt (Labour, Centre-left): May I thank the Greater Manchester Mayor and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority for their work over the past few days, helping to signpost customers and staff stuck overseas? Like my colleagues, over the weekend I have been contacted by several Thomas Cook employees who are understandably distressed. Thomas Cook executives have taken home £20 million in bonuses over the last five years. Does the Secretary of State agree that this shows just how broken our system is?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
James McMahon (Labour, Centre-left): Three thousand people in Greater Manchester—the loyal workforce of Thomas Cook—are affected by this situation, and we are disgusted by the greediness of the directors and management of the company. The Secretary of State mentioned that the Turkish Government did not make an approach, and that the Spanish Government did but were too late. Why were the UK Government not proactive? Why did they not pick up the phone and make the call to those Governments?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Luke Pollard (Labour, Centre-left): I used to work for Thomas Cook and ABTA doing holiday protection, so I know that the ATOL scheme covers repatriation and also refunds. The Secretary of State has set out the repatriation costs. Will he set out how much the refunds cost is, because I understand that it is nearly £1 billion? Is that a figure he recognises?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Christian John Patrick Matheson (Labour, Centre-left): Over the weekend I was contacted by numerous constituents, most of whom work out of Manchester airport. The message that they were giving me was that trading could have continued, if not a bail-out but a £200 million line of credit guaranteed by the Government had been extended. Is that correct, and if so, why was it not extended?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Immigration
Michael Lee Amesbury (Labour, Centre-left): Penny Jepson has lost her job after working for Thomas Cook for 16 years—one of 9,000 people. She is concerned about the inept response from the Government. It is costing an absolute fortune to repatriate people. Why not simply invest in this company via a bridging loan?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Immigration
Ruth Stephanie Nicole George (Labour, Centre-left): There are many young, vulnerable travel reps stuck abroad. The Secretary of State’s statement that he is talking to the CAA about their position does not offer them much reassurance when they will have no right to continue working in the EU after 31 October. What will he do to make sure that he can give them the assurances they need that their costs of coming home will be paid?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Ian Murray (Labour, Centre-left): What discussions has the Secretary of State had with the travel insurance sector to ensure that individual claims can be put in easily and no obstacles will be put in the way of settling those claims?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Yvette Cooper (Labour, Centre-left): The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has just claimed that Border Force will have new powers to carry out checks and that that will make us safer, but can he confirm that under no deal it will no longer have most of the information that it needs to carry out those checks, because it will lose access to the SIS II database, which contains more than 70 million pieces of criminal information, whereas the replacement Interpol database has only several hundred thousand The Home Office has also told the Select Committee that the border crossing arrangements will remain unchanged in the event of no deal. Given that the Cabinet Secretary, the National Security Adviser, top police officers and counter-terror chiefs have all said that in the event of no deal we will be less safe, can the right hon. Gentleman tell us which of those individuals have now told us we will be safer, and if not, will he withdraw that claim to the House?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Owen Smith (Labour, Centre-left): In the Minister’s statement, he rightly praised the work of the PSNI in Northern Ireland. He will know that the new Chief Constable of Northern Ireland warned just a week ago that any deployment by the PSNI to monitor checkpoints or cameras at or near the border would risk his officers being killed by dissident republicans. Can the Minister offer a guarantee to the people of Northern Ireland that that will never happen, that those officers will not be asked to patrol a hard border and that he will not be putting their lives at risk?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Immigration
Katherine Anne Green (Labour, Centre-left): May I return to the concerns about lack of access to the Schengen information system and the 70 million pieces of data it contains, compared with other databases that contain very much less data? Will the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster guarantee that no vulnerable person, in particular no vulnerable child who may be missing, abducted or at risk of criminal exploitation, will be put in any danger by the loss of access to that system?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Civil Rights
Mary Helen Creagh (Labour, Centre-left): The Government are spending £100 million on the Get Ready for Brexit campaign—the largest ad campaign for 70 years, which is clearly intended to provide a party political, partisan drumbeat to the general election that the Prime Minister has twice tried and twice failed to get through this House. An article on Buzzfeed reveals that the data collected through the Get Ready for Brexit campaign is being centrally collected, and I have been inundated by communications from concerned civil servants who are worried about what this Government are asking them to do. When was it decided to collect that data, by whom, and with what purposes? What security is the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster providing to the 15 million citizens who use the gov.uk each week? What help has he given the Information Commissioner, who at my request is now investigating?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Ruth Lorraine Jones (Labour, Centre-left): Regarding the preparations for Brexit, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster told "The Andrew Marr Show" on 1 September that there "will be no shortages of fresh food". He was absolute and resolute. However, the Yellowhammer documents, which we have now seen, reveal that no deal will "reduce availability and choice" of fresh products. My question is, who should the public believe—the Minister or his Department?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Richard Haines Burden (Labour, Centre-left): The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster may recall that the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, representing the UK auto industry, described the prospect of a no-deal Brexit as an "existential threat" to their sector. Nobody could complain that they have not made preparations for a no-deal Brexit—they have spent millions of pounds in so doing—but I have not heard them say anything that indicates that they have changed their mind about the severity of the threat they face in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Has he?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Clive James Charles Betts (Labour, Centre-left): A few weeks ago, I went with a parliamentary delegation to visit the port of Rotterdam. That port is trying to recruit more than 100 vets to do checks on animals, food and other related products. We were also shown where they are going to build major lorry parks to deal with the knock-on effects of those checks, and they confirmed that that will result in delays in fresh products getting across to the United Kingdom. If there will be delays in fresh products leaving the port of Rotterdam, how can the Minister say that that will not result in a shortage of those fresh products in UK shops?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Lisa Eva Nandy (Labour, Centre-left): The Minister said that there would be specific measures put in place at many of the ports. The Yellowhammer report said that there would be limited disruption at ports outside Dover and Calais. In today’s Financial Times a report from the Department for Transport reveals why: the Government believe that two thirds of vehicles will not be compliant with the new checks. The right hon. Gentleman has already acknowledged that Portsmouth, in particular, is critical to the import of medicines from across the EU. Can he tell us why he believes that medical supplies and medicines will not be disrupted in the event of a no-deal Brexit? Will he publish those assumptions in full so that I can look my constituents in the eye and tell them that in just a few weeks’ time they will still have access to life-saving medicines?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Martin David Whitfield (Labour, Centre-left): I rise again to mention heat-treated pallets. Twenty-two days ago I asked a question on those, and the right hon. Gentleman confirmed that "we have been working with the industry in order to ensure that we can mitigate the consequences of that."—[Official Report, 3 September 2019; Vol. 664, c. 61.] Since nothing can be exported from the United Kingdom into the EU if it is not on a heat-treated pallet, can he give me one example of the mitigation he has discussed in the last 22 days?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Clive Stanley Efford (Labour, Centre-left): Mark Sedwill, the National Security Adviser and Cabinet Secretary, said in a letter in April regarding no deal: "'Our national security would be disrupted. The UK would forfeit access to criminal justice levers. None of our mitigation measures would give the UK the same security capabilities as our current ones." Can the Minister say what mitigation measures are now in place, or he is aware of, that did not exist when Mark Sedwill wrote that letter? Would Mark Sedwill write this letter again today?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Other
Martin David Whitfield (Labour, Centre-left): On a point of order, Mr Speaker. My point also relates to the specific answer to the question I raised. I asked for an example of the mitigation and received the answer, "Yes I can." Are we going to end up in the duplicitous situation where we phrase questions to have closed answers from Ministers, or is this supposed to be the opportunity for the Government to explain their position?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Ian Murray (Labour, Centre-left): On a point of order, Mr Speaker. During the earlier exchanges, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said on a number of occasions that the retail sector was "ready for Brexit"—I think those were the three words he used. The British Retail Consortium has subsequently said that that is not the case and is incorrect. How can we get the record corrected?
Iran — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Paul John Sweeney (Labour, Centre-left): Although I welcome the Government’s commitment to the International Maritime Security Construct, the British capacity to contribute to it has been impaired by the Government cutting the Royal Navy surface fleet by a third. What are the Government going to do to enhance British capacity to contribute to the protection of freedom of navigation in the Persian gulf, including British merchant shipping?
Prime Minister's Update — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Other
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): Thank you, Mr Speaker Quite simply, for the good of this country, the Prime Minister should go. He says he wants a general election. I want a general election. It is very simple: if he wants an election, get an extension and let us have an election.