argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): The great advantages of the devolution deals that we are striking, including with Greater Manchester—[Interruption.] The hon. Lady raises her eyes, but the elected leaders of Greater Manchester have proposed a means of taking on the 100% retention of business rates and making sure that they can manage the ups and downs of that across the years. This is a proposal that they have made, so that, in attracting more businesses to Greater Manchester, the whole of that great city will benefit.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Other
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): May I suggest to the hon. Gentleman that he goes next door and has a cup of tea with the leader of Trafford council, which runs its services extremely efficiently? I dare say that it would be sensible of Tameside to take up any advice that the council leader is able to give.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Housing
Laurence Anthony Robertson (Conservative, Centre-right): May I thank the Minister for revisiting this issue? Does he accept that what all Members who represent rural areas want to see is fairness in the funding system? Although Gloucestershire may seem to be a leafy, wealthy county, there are areas of deprivation. We have flooding problems and a higher percentage of older people who, regardless of where they live, still need social care. May I ask him to ensure that the final settlement reflects the problems in rural areas as well as in other areas?
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): I completely agree with my hon. Friend. I was grateful to my colleagues from Gloucestershire for the representations that they made. He will be pleased to hear that the pressure on them will ease for the first two years—it will be to the tune of about £2.5 million next year—which, knowing the pressures on the council for exactly the reasons that he said, will be welcomed locally.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Housing
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): The figures that I have published today include an extra £800,000 from the new homes bonus for Birmingham that was not included in the provisional settlement. I should have thought that that was a cause of some pleasure in Birmingham, rather than the opposite.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Housing
Rishi Sunak (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend for meeting colleagues and me, and for listening to rural communities. I warmly welcome the statement. An ageing population is a key driver of cost, so will my right hon. Friend ensure that future funding formulae, instead of using out-of-date figures, will keep up with the changing demographics in areas such as North Yorkshire?
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): May I add my welcome to the new Serjeant at Arms Given what my hon. Friend the Member for North Dorset (Simon Hoare) said, I am grateful that he is sitting far away from the Dispatch Box. I am grateful, however, for his good wishes. Dorset is a well-run county council, and it has important costs as a result of being a beautiful rural county. The extra funding that it will receive from April this year will be £4.10 million which I know, having spoken to the leader of the council, will make a big difference in managing the transition that was a great concern for the authority.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): It sounds as though the right hon. Lady wants to participate in the review of needs and of the cost of delivering those needs, so I am surprised that she has not welcomed the announcement that I have just made.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Housing
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): The benefit for Northumberland is twofold. First, there is additional funding from the rural services delivery grant and the transitional grant that I mentioned, both of which are important and will be welcomed by people in Northumberland. Secondly, the review of the cost of delivering services in rural areas and the increased demands there is something for which my hon. Friend’s constituents and councillors called, so it is right that we should get on with that straightaway.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Richard Benyon (Conservative, Centre-right): The well-run West Berkshire Council faces a cut in the RSG of 44%, so I am grateful that my right hon. Friend and his ministerial team have listened to the many entreaties from my right hon. Friend the Member for Wokingham (John Redwood) and me Will the Secretary of State do two things? First, will he say whether it is possible to envisage a speeding-up of work on the retention of business rates, because that would resolve many problems for local authorities such as West Berkshire? Secondly, would he have a word with his colleagues in the Department of Health and tell them to pull their finger out, as they have agreed a deal to return funding under the Care Act 2014? They promised to do that, and it would make a massive difference to settling this year’s budget.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is right: he has a well-run council, and representations from him, our colleague and the council led me to make the changes that I have made. On the early retention of business rates, I am glad that he has given me the opportunity to say to all Members that, through the devolution deals, we are keen to get on with the devolution of business rates. I encourage all areas to introduce proposals on that. The Chancellor has made a commitment that that should be in place by 2019-20, but that is "by" rather than "in", and I should have thought that West Berkshire and its neighbours were well placed to put together a good case for that.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Housing
Heather Kay Wheeler (Conservative, Centre-right): I congratulate my right hon. Friend on listening, with all his Ministers, to the pleas from Derbyshire and South Derbyshire in particular. We are very grateful for the amelioration of the arrangements, but will my right hon. Friend go a little further and think about the changes to the new homes bonus and to business rates, so that although fast-growing districts will get more money in the future, they are not penalised in the short term ?
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Housing
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): Indeed. The consultation on the new homes bonus is open until March and it is important that my hon. Friend and her councillors contribute to that. That will be the opportunity to consider those views. As I have made clear today, the important step of 100% business rate retention by local government needs to be accompanied by a fundamental look at the methodology, and I hope my hon. Friend will bring her considerable expertise to bear on this matter.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. I pay tribute to him for conducting a well-reasoned and forensic argument that has been persuasive, and I am grateful for the manner in which he has done that. He is right. It is a false assumption that because an area is rural, it is wealthy and prosperous. Some of the most challenging circumstances are in the most rural areas. That is why, after more than a decade, it is long overdue that we should look at the costs of delivering services in rural areas. We should look at the pressures that they face and set the retention of business rates accordingly, so that they can be recognised in a way that they have not been over recent years.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Housing
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who was of considerable assistance to me when we consulted on the national planning policy framework, and we were able to make sensible responses to that consultation too. I am keen to get the review under way as soon as possible so that it can inform not only business rates retention but other decisions the Government have to take from time to time about rural areas and the different needs of different areas. The sooner it is done, the better, and I will set out in the coming weeks the process involved, so that colleagues across the House can contribute.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (Conservative, Centre-right): May I thank my right hon. Friend for the courteous way in which he has dealt with me and Dorset colleagues—it really has been exemplary—and for the £4 million or more for Dorset County Council? Will he confirm—I did not quite hear this, and local leaders are watching the debate—whether the tariff adjustment will stay or go? In 2019-20, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, for example, will end up paying the Government £500,000 but taking only £123,000 in council tax. I do not think that is fair, and I very much hope that the review will take such things into account.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): Indeed. I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his kind words. Not only Dorset County Council but the districts he represents will find the transitional relief and the rural grant important. I have said that we will remove what has been called the negative grant entirely for 2017, 2018 and 2019. By the time we get to the end year of the settlement, 100% business rate retention will come in anyway, so the figures will be influenced by that. My hon. Friend can therefore look forward with confidence to the review, to which his council and, I dare say, he himself will want to contribute.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Andrew James Bridgen (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Secretary of State for his earlier answers to my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Harborough (Sir Edward Garnier) and my hon. Friend the Member for Bosworth (David Tredinnick), and indeed for accommodating a meeting with all the Leicestershire and Rutland MPs, at which we had a very frank exchange of views about local funding. Will he go a little further and explain what opportunities exist for North West Leicestershire and Leicestershire under the increases to the rural services delivery grant?
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Housing
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): As I said earlier, we have listened carefully. The leaders of my hon. Friend’s authorities have made representations, which we have listened to very seriously. I think they will be pleased with the response we have made through the settlement.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. Attracting businesses to locate in an area is a sure-fire way of making sure that the resources available to councils continue to grow. I am grateful to him for his question, and I can confirm that Nottinghamshire will receive transitional grant funding of around £2 million next year, which I think will be welcomed across the county.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Housing
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): It is always a pleasure to come to Bromley, and I hope I will be able to do so again with my hon. Friend in the future. We will make sure that Bromley benefits from around £2 million in transitional grants for each of the next two years. I know from looking at the representations that have been made by London boroughs that that will be a big help in helping them to manage the more difficult first two years of the settlement.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Housing
Matthew Robert Warman (Conservative, Centre-right): May I thank the Secretary of State for listening to the vocal representations from across Lincolnshire, including from my neighbour, my hon. Friend the Member for Louth and Horncastle (Victoria Atkins)? At those meetings, he heard that it is not just rurality but sparsity of population that is important. Will he confirm that the new, revised settlement takes those conditions into account and tell us what it means for Lincolnshire?
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Housing
Peter Heaton-Jones (Conservative, Centre-right): As it apparently falls to me to do the finale, I say well done and thank you to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. I and many colleagues from across the south-west and from rural constituencies lobbied pretty hard, and we thank him very much for listening. We await the final figures. He might well be able to provide the figure for North Devon shortly—if I speak slowly enough. [Interruption.] Marvellous. However, does he agree that it is important that we never again find ourselves in a position where rural areas face discrepancies and unfairness compared with urban areas?
Social Security — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Other
Shailesh Lakhman Vara (Conservative, Centre-right): The order and regulations before us have been laid previously in the House. It is my understanding that there is general agreement on both sides of the House on their contents. I do not, therefore, propose to detain the House any longer than is necessary.
Great Western Railway Routes — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Other
Eleanor Fulton Laing (Conservative, Centre-right): Order. Before I call the next speaker, may I say that there is something strange going on this evening? Each of the previous three people who have spoken in this Chamber has used the word "you" in reference to other people. It is not just one person—everyone is doing it. I have been reluctant to intervene and I try to not to, but after three times I must point out to the Chamber that when the word "you" is used, it means the Chair. If you are asking the Minister to do something, you ask "the Minister". I call Oliver Colvile.
Great Western Railway Routes — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Other
Eleanor Fulton Laing (Conservative, Centre-right): Order. There is no need for a time limit in this debate as we have plenty of time, but when we have plenty of time, speeches and interventions tend to expand, so it would be helpful now if Members would take around 12 or 13 minutes, which is a long, long time.
Great Western Railway Routes — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
John Luther Mercer (Conservative, Centre-right): I am very much enjoying my hon. Friend’s stories of rocking the sleeper to sleep, or whatever it is. Does he agree that in order to upskill our part of the world and change the character of the south-west economy, it is fundamental that we attract bigger manufacturing companies to give our young people the skilled opportunities and skilled manufacturing jobs that will keep them in the south-west?
Flood Insurance for Businesses — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Public Lands
Craig Whittaker (Conservative, Centre-right): The floods that hit the north of England over the Christmas period brought untold misery and suffering to a record number of people. In the Calder Valley, 2,700 homes and 1,635 businesses were flooded. In addition, four schools were affected, two of which are likely to remain closed for the foreseeable future, several bridges were destroyed and the total repair bill for damaged infrastructure currently stands at £32 million The Government’s response so far has been most welcome. A £12 million package for households and businesses was made available within days of the flooding to help with the initial incidental costs. Since then, we have seen £5.5 million for the rebuilding of Elland bridge and, most recently, funding to repair and improve flood defences in the village of Mytholmroyd, which was particularly badly affected As welcome as the Government response has been to date, there is still far more to do. The communities in my constituency will need a great deal of support over the coming months and years as they get back on their feet The Environment Agency is due to complete the long-awaited flood prevention modelling work for the length of the Calder Valley in October. Although improved flood defences and upland management schemes cannot guarantee full protection in the future, there is an urgent need to move ahead with such projects. In addition to flood prevention work and the cost of repairing the damaged infrastructure, there is also the need to work with businesses to ensure that they are able to recover. An essential part of that is ensuring that small businesses are able to access flood insurance In response to a recent written question on this issue, the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the hon. Member for Penrith and The Border (Rory Stewart) said: "While we recognise the difficult challenges that some small businesses could face in accessing commercial flood insurance in areas of high flood risk, we are not currently aware of evidence that there is a systemic problem. Therefore, we have committed to work with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and other interested parties to monitor the insurance market for small businesses. We are keen to work across government, and with a range of business interests, to better understand the nature and extent of any problem that might exist".
Flood Insurance for Businesses — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Public Lands
Craig Whittaker (Conservative, Centre-right): I will come on to what I want the Government to do a little later, but I will also explain what is currently taking place. The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that the excesses for small and medium-sized businesses are phenomenally unaffordable, as are some of the premiums on offer In addition to the written question that I mentioned earlier, the Prime Minister recently stated that he was looking very carefully at this issue and that, although some small businesses are highlighting concerns, the insurance companies, via the Association of British Insurers, state that they would not turn down any small business for flood insurance.
Flood Insurance for Businesses — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Public Lands
Craig Whittaker (Conservative, Centre-right): I am not sure that that is the sole responsibility of the Government. I think that there needs to be a joint approach between the insurance industry and Government, but, again, I will come on to that during my speech Although the ABI said that it would not turn down any small business for flood insurance, I can tell Members that, having spoken to hundreds of businesses in the Calder Valley over the past few weeks, it has become apparent that many small businesses are experiencing difficulties in accessing flood insurance and that this uncertainty, coupled with the crippling costs that now face some businesses as a consequence of the floods, is jeopardising their future. Although I note the Minister’s response that the Government are not aware of any evidence of a systemic problem, I question the basis on which that conclusion has been reached Last July, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published the report "Affordability and Availability of Flood Insurance: Findings from Research with Businesses". A cursory look at the report might lead one to conclude that there is not a problem after all. The research found that uptake of insurance across businesses is high. The survey showed that the vast majority of small businesses arrange commercial insurance cover for their premises and that there is no significant difference between small businesses that are located in high flood-risk areas and those that are not However, a more detailed consideration of the report, particularly the basis on which the evidence has been collected, provides a different picture. The headline figures from the report come from a secondary source, a small business survey run by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The DEFRA report acknowledges that the BIS survey data contain only small numbers of businesses located in high flood-risk areas. As such, one may legitimately question how valuable such data are when considering the issue of insurance for businesses in high-risk areas. The main focus of the DEFRA report was a series of in-depth interviews with businesses, and it is that component that forms the main evidence base. Only 25 businesses were interviewed, the majority of which were not in high flood-risk areas. The overwhelming majority were very small businesses, employing fewer than 10 people, and only one manufacturing business was included in the sample. My point is that the evidence base of the DEFRA report is not particularly credible and, as a consequence, the report is of limited value. If they are to appreciate the extent of this issue the Government and the Association of British Insurers need to speak to businesses in areas of high risk.
Flood Insurance for Businesses — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Public Lands
Craig Whittaker (Conservative, Centre-right): Of course, we would always welcome the APPG in the Calder Valley. In fact, we welcome anyone who would like to come and have a look. Indeed, if it helps us to make progress in this area and others affected by flooding, the whole group is very welcome, and I will help to arrange for businesses to talk to it too To appreciate the true extent of the problem, the Government and the ABI need to speak to businesses in areas of high risk, including those located in communities that have experienced a high frequency of flooding in recent times such as the Calder Valley. Calderdale Council says that between 40% and 50% of businesses cannot access flood insurance in five of my six communities, while our local insurance broker in the upper Calder Valley tells me that 20% of his clients cannot access flood insurance—ironically, including himself. True to the spirit of people in the Calder Valley, he has a desk and a mobile phone set up in the middle of all the building works in what was his office, working to ensure that his clients are sorted out. After the floods he, along with other brokers from around the UK in high flood-risk areas, were invited to London to highlight cases to the ABI. The journey turned out to be an absolute farce, as the ABI refused to look at those cases, saying that it was not allowed to do so because of data protection. The ABI says that there is no evidence of businesses not being able to access flood insurance, and cites DEFRA’s own report, which I have highlighted, to say that there is no evidence.
Flood Insurance for Businesses — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Craig Whittaker (Conservative, Centre-right): I am not quite sure that that is entirely the Government’s responsibility. The ABI has a huge responsibility for this too. As I shall highlight with the things that have been done in the Calder Valley—doubtless they have been done in York Central too—it is the responsibility of business, but it is also everyone’s responsibility to make sure that we have viable businesses, otherwise we do not have communities going forward.