argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Santander Bath Road branch — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Seema Malhotra-Saluja (Labour, Centre-left): I rise to present a petition on behalf of residents of Feltham and Heston to call on Santander to stop the closure of the bank branch on Bath Road in Hounslow West The petitioners declare that it is crucial to save this vital, valued branch, which has two cashpoints, helps to boost our local economy and provides vital banking services for thousands of local residents, many of whom are older people without access to online banking. Residents use the branch frequently and have valued the service from Santander for many years This petition, along with the corresponding online petition, has collected more than 400 signatures and been supported by local councillors, particularly Councillor Bandna Chopra, Councillor Jagdish Sharma and Councillor Sumra, and colleagues and residents from across Hounslow West, Heston and Cranford The petition states: The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to ask that Santander does not close the Bath Road branch And the petitioners remain, etc Following is the full text of the petition: [The petition of residents of Feltham and Heston, Declares that the Santander branch on Hounslow Bath Road should not be closed; further that access to in-person banking services is crucial to many residents in the local area; and further that residents feel that they will not have access to a comparable banking service over the phone or online and will struggle financially as a result. The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to ask that Santander does not close the Bath Road branch. And the petitioners remain, etc.] [P002675]
Voter ID Requirements: Turnout and Enfranchisement — House of Commons, 2021-09-23
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential effect of proposed voter ID requirements on voter turnout in general elections.
Catherine Jane Smith (Labour, Centre-left): European countries that do require voter ID often have national ID cards, and if that is the Government’s intention, they should be a little more straightforward about it My question to the Minister is specifically about the human rights aspects of this. The Elections Public Bill Committee has been warned that this policy may be in breach of human rights. It quizzed Gavin Millar QC, who said that there will "inevitably be challenges to this as incompatible with the European convention on human rights".––[Official Report, Elections Public Bill Committee, 16 September 2021; c. 109, Q165.] I draw the Minister’s attention to article 1, protocol 1. What legal advice have the Government had that makes them so sure that this policy is not in contravention of our human rights laws?
Voter ID Requirements: Turnout and Enfranchisement — House of Commons, 2021-09-23
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential effect of proposed voter ID requirements on voter turnout in general elections.
Catherine Jane Smith (Labour, Centre-left): My question was specifically about how this legislation is compatible with human rights laws, so may I invite the Minister to publish the legal advice his Government will have received in the Library of the House of Commons, so that all Members, especially those on the Bill Committee, which is currently sitting, can be confident that this legislation is not in breach of human rights law?
Levelling-up Agenda — House of Commons, 2021-09-23
Topic: Housing
Rachael Helen Maskell (Labour, Centre-left): I am sure that the Minister will share my concern about the York Central site. We have a great opportunity to level up York and see it as an economic and jobs gateway for the north, but instead, with the development of so many luxury homes, there is a risk of it sucking down into becoming a commuter belt for London. Will he ensure that public land is used for public good and that there is greater investment in jobs in York Central?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-09-23
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: I was very pleased to hear the comments from the Minister earlier on small businesses securing Government contracts. I have been contacted by a number of businesses in Warrington—specifically, one that installs street charging for electric vehicles and another that supplies CO2 monitors to schools. Both are trying to secure business from Government, but they have had no response from the procurement teams. Can he advise businesses in Warrington and across the country on how best to approach Government?
Fleur Anderson (Labour, Centre-left): I thank the Minister for that, and I will be following it up with him The latest allegations about the Home Secretary’s secret meeting with British Airways, a billionaire Tory donor and the then Business Secretary, but with no official present, should concern us all. She is a serial offender for breaking the ministerial code previously. Will the new Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster hold an investigation into these allegations and actually start enforcing the code, or is it just there for show?
Gas Prices and Energy Suppliers — House of Commons, 2021-09-23
Topic: Mixed Topics
Fleur Anderson (Labour, Centre-left): Better insulation of homes is essential for cutting rising fuel bills and emissions. Does the Secretary of State agree that it was a mistake to cut the green homes grant earlier this year, and will he commit to reforming it and bringing it back?
Human Rights: Kashmir — House of Commons, 2021-09-23
Topic: Civil Rights
Stella Judith Creasy (Labour, Centre-left): Does my hon. Friend agree that the reports of crackdowns on freedoms of expression in Kashmir should concern us all across the House? One thing that would help to bring light, not heat, to these debates is making sure that everybody can be heard freely, especially those on the ground, and that Kashmiris can speak their mind about what is happening, because we know that at the moment that is not happening.
Human Rights: Kashmir — House of Commons, 2021-09-23
Topic: Mixed Topics
Lilian Rachel Greenwood (Labour, Centre-left): I thank my hon. Friend and many colleagues for so clearly setting out the case. Does she share the frustration and, frankly, the anger of my constituents that not only has this issue remained unresolved for so long, but it seems to be deteriorating? Justice and peace seem further away than ever, and Government action seems so limited and slow.
Horse Racing — House of Commons, 2021-09-23
Topic: Domestic Commerce
John Francis Spellar (Labour, Centre-left): I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I congratulate the right hon. Gentleman on securing this important debate for his constituency. Is it not the case that much of the prize money comes from the betting industry, and that that is an important part of the ecosystem? Although we may need to deal with problem gambling, we should recognise that for many gambling is an innocent source of pleasure. He also mentioned the effect of the lockdown. Would it not be much better for the industry to have vaccine passes rather than another lockdown, which would be disastrous?
Horse Racing — House of Commons, 2021-09-23
Topic: Domestic Commerce
John Francis Spellar (Labour, Centre-left): I congratulate the Minister on his appointment. He referred to the outdated view that the interests of bookmakers on the high street, regulated and onshore, were somehow in conflict with those of the racecourses. Should we not, as the right hon. Member for West Suffolk indicated, actually see them in a symbiotic relationship, as part of the same ecosystem, supporting each other?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-06-23
Topic: Immigration
Janet Jessica Daby (Labour, Centre-left): Yesterday was Windrush Day, the 73rd anniversary of the arrival of Caribbean people from Commonwealth countries in 1948, yet this year it is a reminder of the appalling failure of the Government’s Windrush compensation scheme, which has been so disturbingly slow and extensively bureaucratic that at least 21 people have died while waiting for justice and only 687 people have received any payment at all. Given the repeated delays and the failure of the Home Office to provide justice for the Windrush generation, does the Prime Minister now accept that the scheme must be handed over to an independent body to prevent prolonged suffering?
Social Care Reform — House of Commons, 2021-06-23
Topic: Mixed Topics
Victoria Jane Foxcroft (Labour, Centre-left): The 2018 Equality and Human Rights Commission report, "Housing and disabled people: Britain’s hidden crisis", found that disabled people in the UK were not getting the support they needed to live independently. Three years on, we still have not seen any sign of the national strategy for disabled people which was promised this spring. Does the Minister agree that that is long overdue, and can she tell the House what her Government are currently doing to support people to go into independent living?
Armed Forces Bill — House of Commons, 2021-06-23
Topic: Other
Stephen James Morgan (Labour, Centre-left): I thank my right hon. Friend for that point. He was a tireless advocate for the points that he raised in the Bill Committee and I know that we will continue to work together to make sure that the Government listen to our demands.
Armed Forces Bill — House of Commons, 2021-06-23
Topic: Other
Kevan David Jones (Labour, Centre-left): It was remiss of me in my contribution not to thank the hon. Member for chairing the Select Committee. He got thrown in at the deep end at the last minute, but I think all members of the Select Committee thought he did an excellent job and ensured that everyone had their say. May I put on record my thanks, and I am sure that of other Members, to him for the way in which he chaired the Select Committee?
Armed Forces Bill — House of Commons, 2021-06-23
Topic: Other
Rosalie Winterton (Labour, Centre-left): Order. I have now to announce the result of today’s deferred Division. On the motion on the conference, November and Christmas Adjournments, the Ayes were 567 and the Noes were three, so the Ayes have it [The Division list is published at the end of today’s debates.]
Armed Forces Bill — House of Commons, 2021-06-23
Topic: Immigration
Navendu Prabhat Mishra (Labour, Centre-left): I fully share my right hon. Friend’s views. These people could be invaluable in our society, contributing to all sections of the community, and the Government should urgently resolve this matter. Many of these people are exempt from immigration controls during service, but that is removed immediately on discharge. That is no way to thank them after years of loyal service for our country. We should be rewarding them rather than penalising them.
Net Zero Emissions by 2050 — House of Commons, 2021-09-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
John Eugene Joseph Dromey (Labour, Centre-left): If the closure of the GKN plant in Erdington goes ahead, it will be a blow to the automotive industry’s transition to an electric future and a betrayal of the British national interest, with 519 workers sacked in an area of high deprivation and with production exported to Poland and France. I welcome the statement made by Ministers as early as April 2021 on their preparedness to contemplate investment in both skills and plant as part of keeping the factory open. As talks reach a critical stage, will the Minister confirm that the Government stand ready to continue to play an active role in seeking a resolution?
Climate Change Committee: 2021 Annual Progress Report — House of Commons, 2021-09-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alan Patrick Vincent Whitehead (Labour, Centre-left): I too welcome the Minister to his new post, my opposite number in the Department, and hope that he will last a little longer in the post than his immediate predecessor The Climate Change Committee’s report to Parliament highlights how little progress has been made with the upgrading of insulation in buildings and points out that "insulation rates remain well below the delivery achieved in 2012 before key policies were scrapped." Does the Minister accept that, had those insulation policies been pursued, energy customers would have been in a much better position to cope with the energy prices rises and the cost of living crisis that we have currently. Does the Minister now take responsibility for the abject failure of the Government’s home insulation policies, and, most importantly, what will he now do about it?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-09-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: I recently held an event for leading Worcestershire businesses on the journey to COP26 and net zero, and was impressed with their plans for investment. Will the Secretary of State reassure the House that now that one in six cars purchased in this country are electric, the grid will be strengthened in rural areas to ensure the widespread adoption of this new technology?
Edward Samuel Miliband (Labour, Centre-left): Families looking at soaring gas prices will be deeply worried about how they will pay their bills. One of the reasons UK households are particularly vulnerable is the Government’s failure on home insulation. Emissions from buildings are in fact higher today than in 2015. I am afraid to say that the Secretary of State’s record is abysmal, with the fiasco of the green homes grant, cuts to spending, a heat and buildings strategy originally promised for spring 2020 which is still not published, and no proper plan for retrofit. Will he admit that families this winter will be paying the price of the Government’s failure on home insulation?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-09-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: I recently held an event for leading Worcestershire businesses on the journey to COP26 and net zero, and was impressed with their plans for investment. Will the Secretary of State reassure the House that now that one in six cars purchased in this country are electric, the grid will be strengthened in rural areas to ensure the widespread adoption of this new technology?
Edward Samuel Miliband (Labour, Centre-left): It is a complete fiasco. The Secretary of State actually cut the money that was supposed to be allocated to homeowners At least half a million families are going to be thrown into fuel poverty by the rise in energy prices. On top of that, along with national insurance rises, millions of families are facing a £1,000 a year cut in universal credit in just 10 days’ time. It is a Tory triple whammy made in Downing Street. Will the Secretary of State stand up for the millions of people who are deeply worried about their bills and tell the Prime Minister that he should cancel the universal credit cut?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-09-21
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Questions: I recently held an event for leading Worcestershire businesses on the journey to COP26 and net zero, and was impressed with their plans for investment. Will the Secretary of State reassure the House that now that one in six cars purchased in this country are electric, the grid will be strengthened in rural areas to ensure the widespread adoption of this new technology?; The space sector presents us with huge opportunities for the future prosperity of this country. What plans is my right hon. Friend developing with regard to the implementation, ownership, governance and funding of key elements of the national space strategy?; I was privileged to meet the international legend Doddie Weir before leading a debate on the petition he created on motor neurone disease in support of the targeted £50 million expenditure. I have certainly been convinced by his arguments, and we have heard cross-party support here today. Will the Secretary of State now commit to support this spending review bid?; Cornish Lithium, alongside Geothermal Engineering Ltd, will play a vital role in levelling up across Cornwall with the economic and job opportunities that they can provide. Will the Secretary of State, or a Minister, commit to visiting Cornish Lithium and GEL with me in the near future so that we can show him why their project very much deserves to have continued support from Government?
Navendu Prabhat Mishra (Labour, Centre-left): Stockport has a vibrant high street with excellent retailers and independent businesses, but in recent years, and particularly since the pandemic, many have had to shut up shop and, like lots of other high streets, we have lost beloved names such as BHS and Debenhams after they went into administration and moved online. What steps is the Minister therefore taking to ensure that large online retailers do not undercut our high street stores?
Data Breach: ARAP Applicants in Afghanistan — House of Commons, 2021-09-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Kevan David Jones (Labour, Centre-left): First, we had secret documents on Afghanistan left at a bus stop in Kent. Now, we have this latest breach of security. I say to the Secretary of State that it has become a little habit forming in his Department to have information leaks. Can I ask him directly: does he have confidence in his Department’s ability to handle sensitive and secret information? He says he has instigated a review. How can he ensure the lessons learned go all the way through the chain of command so it does not happen again?
Data Breach: ARAP Applicants in Afghanistan — House of Commons, 2021-09-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Andrew Francis Slaughter (Labour, Centre-left): An Afghan family I saw at my surgery yesterday told me that a relative working with coalition forces had been literally blown to bits by the Taliban in a targeted assassination two days before they took Kabul. Other relatives are similarly at risk, but the response that I have had from the MOD says that they are not eligible for ARAP. We are assembling more evidence in that case, but as I have had only four replies to more than 100 live cases, I am not hopeful. Even if they are accepted on the scheme, what do I tell them to do next?
Salisbury Incident 2018: Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-21
Topic: Other
Lindsay Harvey Hoyle (Labour, Centre-left): I should tell the House that I have reached a special agreement with the Home Secretary to extend the length of the statement, because I was given advance notice. I believe that the Opposition have been informed of this.
Salisbury Incident 2018: Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-21
Topic: Other
Lindsay Harvey Hoyle (Labour, Centre-left): The sub judice resolution means that, other than when legislating, the House does not discuss issues that are active in the UK courts. However, where in the Chair’s opinion cases concern issues of national importance, reference to them may be made. I am prepared to allow such references during the course of this statement.
Salisbury Incident 2018: Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Yvette Cooper (Labour, Centre-left): I thank the Home Secretary for this statement, and for the work of the police and of the intelligence and security agencies to have brought us to this point. The Salisbury attack was a truly appalling attack on UK soil, with charges now laid against the agents of a foreign state. It should be unthinkable that this could happen and for it to come at the same time as the ECHR confirmation that Russia was behind the murder of Alexander Litvinenko is further disturbing evidence of Russia’s willingness to use dangerous weapons in other countries. I support the work the Government have been doing on this, but may I ask her specifically about the review launched three years ago into the so-called "golden visas", the tier 1 visas, to look at oligarchs with close links to the Russian state who might be using criminal money and others? We have not heard any update on that review, so will she update the House now on what work is being done?
Salisbury Incident 2018: Update — House of Commons, 2021-09-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Kevan David Jones (Labour, Centre-left): I thank the Home Secretary for her statement, and join her in thanking the security services and all those involved. The judgment sends a clear message that even though these individuals are outside our jurisdiction, we are not going to give up pursuing them. Will she share the intelligence behind the latest developments with the Intelligence and Security Committee? I welcome her commitment to implement the recommendations from the Russia report, particularly in respect of the registration of foreign individuals pursuing other states’ interests. Those recommendations are important, but there are existing weapons in her armoury that need to be used, including against the facilitators of these acts—the estate agents, lawyers, accountants in London. If she grasps that, and her new Security Minister grasps it, she could make some great progress and hurt the Russians very hard.
Working People’s Finances: Government Policy — House of Commons, 2021-09-21
Topic: Other
Rosalie Winterton (Labour, Centre-left): I advise the House that Mr Speaker has selected the amendment in the name of the Prime Minister Before we start the debate, let me tell Members that if they wish to participate in the debate, it is essential that they are here at the beginning. If they are not, they will not be called. It is also essential that hon. and right hon. Members stay to the end of the debate to hear the wind-ups. If there are those who have not put into speak but wish to do so, please can they bob so that they catch my eye?
Working People’s Finances: Government Policy — House of Commons, 2021-09-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Bridget Maeve Phillipson (Labour, Centre-left): I will make a little more progress but will happily take another intervention in due course. Having gone from no interventions to a flurry of them, I should probably press on The scar of poverty is not just about not having material goods, a roof, warm clothes and warm food. It is about a lack of freedom, having nothing to spend on yourself, having choice exercised for you—either by others or by necessity—and finding your voice and your own choice squeezed out. That is what the Government’s changes do, but it does not need to be like that Labour has a clear plan for how we would secure a better future for our country and steer a path for our economy in the months ahead. We would not be pretending that a national insurance rise without a plan is the way to fix the NHS, we would not be cutting universal credit in just a few weeks’ time, hitting working families hard, and we would not have spent 18 long months handing out huge amounts of taxpayers’ money through outsourcing and crony contracts while hitting working people for tax again and again. We would not be telling hauliers that they were crying wolf. We would be taking action day and night with employers and trade unions to fix the supply chain disruption that is leading to higher prices and fewer goods. We would not have sat back for the last decade as rent, childcare and rail fares soared.
Working People’s Finances: Government Policy — House of Commons, 2021-09-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Catherine Elizabeth West (Labour, Centre-left): The Chief Secretary begins his speech by talking about growth, which everyone in the Chamber would like to see, but what impact is there on struggling businesses from the clobbering increase in national insurance? That will have an impact on not just individuals but employers and the workplace.
Working People’s Finances: Government Policy — House of Commons, 2021-09-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Margaret Eve Hodge (Labour, Centre-left): I congratulate the right hon. Gentleman on his appointment. The point is not whether extra money needs to be raised to fund the NHS or indeed social care; the point is how it is to be raised. National insurance and council tax are regressive, not progressive, taxes, but there are alternatives such as reform of national insurance, looking at assets as well as income, or looking at regional differences. There is a whole raft of options that the Minister and the Government could have considered; why did they not do so? Why have they chosen a regressive system for raising additional money?