argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Implementation of the 1995 and 2011 Pension Acts — House of Commons, 2016-10-11
Topic: Mixed Topics
Mhairi Black (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I rise to present this petition on behalf of the residents of Paisley and Renfrewshire South in the same terms, and urge the Government to correct this appalling injustice The Petition of residents of Paisley and Renfrewshire South. [P001752]
Implementation of the 1995 and 2011 Pension Acts — House of Commons, 2016-10-11
Topic: Other
Eilidh Whiteford (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I rise to present these stylishly presented petitions on behalf of residents of the Banff and Buchan constituency and the Gordon constituency in the same terms as the hon. Member for Worsley and Eccles South, with 568 and 123 signatories respectively The Petition of residents of Banff and Buchan. [P001759] The Petition of residents of Gordon. [P001758]
Implementation of the 1995 and 2011 Pension Acts — House of Commons, 2016-10-11
Topic: Civil Rights
Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I rise to present this petition on behalf of the residents of Lanark and Hamilton East in the same terms as the hon. Member for Worsley and Eccles South. On behalf of the thousands of WASPI women, and in the spirit of true equality, I call on the Government to hear their voices and take action now The Petition of residents of Lanark and Hamilton East. [P001768]
Implementation of the 1995 and 2011 Pension Acts — House of Commons, 2016-10-11
Topic: Other
Owen George Thompson (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I rise to present this petition from the residents of Midlothian in the same terms as that of the hon. Member for Worsley and Eccles South, on behalf of the many hundreds of residents who have signed The Petition of residents of Midlothian. [P001781]
Implementation of the 1995 and 2011 Pension Acts — House of Commons, 2016-10-11
Topic: Other
Angus Robertson (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I rise to present this petition, signed by 1,160 people, on behalf of the residents of Moray in the same terms as that of the hon. Member for Worsley and Eccles South The Petition of residents of Moray. [P001776]
Implementation of the 1995 and 2011 Pension Acts — House of Commons, 2016-10-11
Topic: Immigration
Hannah Mary Bardell (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I rise on behalf of the residents of Livingston to present this petition of 530 signatures in the same terms as that of the hon. Member for Worsley and Eccles South. May this Government listen to the WASPI women across this country, and do them justice The Petition of residents of Livingston. [P001819]
Implementation of the 1995 and 2011 Pension Acts — House of Commons, 2016-10-11
Topic: Other
Peter Grant (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): It is my privilege on behalf of the residents of Glenrothes and central Fife, and of the neighbouring constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for North East Fife (Stephen Gethins)—my good friend—to present this petition in the same terms as those that have already been presented this evening The Petition of residents of Glenrothes. [P001824]
Implementation of the 1995 and 2011 Pension Acts — House of Commons, 2016-10-11
Topic: Mixed Topics
Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I rise to present this petition on behalf of the residents of Ross, Skye and Lochaber in the same terms as the hon. Member for Worsley and Eccles South. It is gratifying to see so many women signing the petition and so many Members in the House today. Let us hope that the Government listen, do the right thing and use the surplus in the national insurance fund to bring forward mitigation The Petition of residents of Ross, Skye and Lochaber. [P001848]
EU Referendum — House of Commons, 2016-07-06
Topic: Immigration
Questions: What assessment he has made of the potential effect on the economy in Scotland over the next five years of the outcome of the EU referendum.
Angus Robertson (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Tens of thousands of European Union citizens play a massive role in our economy and society in Scotland. The Scottish National party wants to do more than just pay tribute to them; we want them to have guarantees that they can stay in Scotland. Will the Secretary of State act in the Scottish and European interest, and guarantee the rights of fellow EU citizens to remain in Scotland, and end the intolerable worry and concern with which they are being confronted?
EU Nationals in the UK — House of Commons, 2016-07-06
Topic: Immigration
Thomas Sheppard (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I agree entirely with the thrust of the right hon. Gentleman’s argument. May I ask him to comment on one practical consideration? Many people in my constituency are deciding that they wish to apply for citizenship, as one of the options available to them, but they complain that it is very difficult. For example, my constituent Carmen Huesa, who has been here for 19 years, is a Spanish-born senior researcher at the University of Edinburgh. She has said that the application forms are very complicated; that they require information that, because she has been here for two decades, is not available any more; and that the fees are a bit of a barrier. Does the right hon. Gentleman think that while we are sorting out the mess, it would be a statement of intent from the Government if they at least committed to fast-tracking applications for British citizenship from EU citizens who have made their lives in this country, waiving the fees and putting additional support units in the UK Visas and Immigration offices to help with processing?
EU Nationals in the UK — House of Commons, 2016-07-06
Topic: Mixed Topics
Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I can trace the alienation the right hon. Gentleman mentioned in response to my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh East (Tommy Sheppard) back to the point when this House refused to give EU nationals the vote in this referendum. We gave them the vote for the independence referendum in Scotland. Does the right hon. Gentleman regret that decision by the Government?
EU Nationals in the UK — House of Commons, 2016-07-06
Topic: Immigration
Callum McCaig (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I agree very much with what the shadow Home Secretary is saying. The fact that British expats—or immigrants to other countries, as they should perhaps be known—had the right to vote in the referendum, whereas EU nationals living here did not, really underlines the crass nature of using EU nationals living here as a bargaining chip in negotiations. That is despicable and should end.
EU Nationals in the UK — House of Commons, 2016-07-06
Topic: Immigration
Eilidh Whiteford (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): More than 4,000 EU nationals live in my constituency and do essential jobs in our NHS and our schools. They also work in our private sector and play a critical role in our fish processing sector. The Government’s failure to offer reassurance on the future status of those EU nationals is causing not only distress but huge economic uncertainty. Will the Minister take this opportunity to guarantee that those already living and working here will have the right to stay?
EU Nationals in the UK — House of Commons, 2016-07-06
Topic: Immigration
Margaret Ferrier (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The Minister is generous in allowing interventions. My constituent Mrs Pearson is a Maltese national who has lived in the UK for 42 years. She has built her life in Scotland and has contributed not only economically, but socially and culturally. Does the Minister not agree that it is absolutely absurd that my 78-year-old constituent has to live in worry when the Government could sort this out now, so that she and others from Malta could have indefinite leave to remain?
EU Nationals in the UK — House of Commons, 2016-07-06
Topic: Immigration
Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The Minister highlights hate crime and our responsibility to look after EU citizens who are here. Will he come and meet our constituents? A young French teacher in my constituency is living in fear and is alarmed about whether she will be allowed to stay here in the long term. Why do we not do the right thing collectively today and say that the people who are here are citizens of our country and deserve the full rights and support that we can give them? This is not about negotiating with Europe. Let us take that off the table and do the right thing for those who live in this country.
EU Nationals in the UK — House of Commons, 2016-07-06
Topic: Immigration
Eilidh Whiteford (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Does my hon. Friend agree that the best way to protect the rights of British citizens living in other parts of the EU is to give a simple reassurance that EU nationals living here will have their rights protected?
EU Nationals in the UK — House of Commons, 2016-07-06
Topic: Immigration
Stuart Campbell McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. It is not a complicated matter. If we cannot persuade the Home Secretary on the grounds of common decency or common sense—that sometimes happens in immigration debates, unfortunately—perhaps we can appeal to her self-interest by gently pointing out to her that she is, unusually, making a fool of herself by taking this approach I genuinely believe—I certainly hope—that I am not being naïve in saying that I do not for a minute believe that the Government are realistically even contemplating removing rights from millions of EU migrants. I think that all hon. Members know that and I think that the Minister knows it; he did everything he could on Monday to hint at it without saying so explicitly. What is more, the European Commission, other member states and everyone else involved in negotiations know it, too. Sadly, the only people who really matter in all of this—the EU nationals themselves—do not know it, because the Home Secretary is not saying it and the climate that they are living in tells them the opposite. The Home Secretary needs to fix that now.
EU Nationals in the UK — House of Commons, 2016-07-06
Topic: Immigration
Stuart Campbell McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): That is a perfect example of the uncertainty we are talking about and it has to be brought to an end. As my hon. Friend the Member for Banff and Buchan (Dr Whiteford) has said, this does not require a detailed statement on exactly what form of leave is required or the precise mechanisms for implementing it. It requires a simple statement that all EU nationals in the UK today will continue to enjoy leave to remain in the UK, regardless of Brexit, and, preferably, that they will enjoy such leave on conditions that are at least as favourable as those currently in place. A simple sentence from the Minister or the Home Secretary is all that is required As the Chair of the Home Affairs Committee has said, it is also absurd to argue that the UK’s position in Brexit talks would be undermined by such a move. On the contrary, it would show that we are approaching any negotiations in good faith, co-operatively, realistically and with integrity. The Home Secretary’s posturing, on the other hand, would engender nothing but ill-feeling and bad blood.
EU Nationals in the UK — House of Commons, 2016-07-06
Topic: Mixed Topics
Peter Grant (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): My hon. Friend has said that EU citizens who live in the UK still feel uncertainty. Does he agree that another group who need to be told in no uncertain terms that those people are welcome are the racists who are carrying out racially motivated attacks on EU and other nationals, and that they need to be given an indisputable message that those EU citizens are welcome here and that they are here to stay for ever if they want to do so?
EU Nationals in the UK — House of Commons, 2016-07-06
Topic: Immigration
Stuart Campbell McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): My hon. Friend is absolutely spot on. I will come to that issue shortly. As I have said, the Home Secretary’s negotiating position is complete and utter nonsense. Sadly, that is not out of keeping with too much of her immigration policy and indeed with too much of what passes for debate on matters of immigration. Finally, since the referendum result Members have quite rightly gone out of their way to recognise the hugely positive contribution made by nationals of other countries, including other EU countries, to the UK’s economy, society, communities and families. Members have condemned the xenophobia, racism and hostility that many are encountering There can be no shadow of a doubt that political discourse and rhetoric during, and for many years before, the EU referendum have been factors in legitimising and emboldening that very xenophobia. There has been intemperate talk of "swarms", "waves", "benefit tourists" and "NHS tourism" and an explicit Government goal of creating a hostile climate. Instead of tackling anti-migrant myths, there has been acquiescence. Instead of taking on the myth peddlers, too many have sought to ape their rhetoric. There has been empty policy after empty policy focused only on numbers, while the other major components of migration policy—integration and planning—are completely and utterly neglected Those failures precede the current Government by many years, but there can be no greater example than the net migration target, which is utter baloney. Every quarter we go through the same political pantomime of the Government wildly missing their net migration target, and the official Opposition demanding that something must be done, even though they have no idea what that something is Everybody in this Chamber knows that, whether or not we are in the EU, the net migration target is a complete myth. It has allowed the poisonous fiction to grow that the presence of EU nationals and others in this country is some sort of terrible problem that can be solved simply by turning off the migration tap without consequence, and that getting EU nationals to leave will therefore be a good thing.
EU Nationals in the UK — House of Commons, 2016-07-06
Topic: Immigration
Stuart Campbell McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I certainly hope that that transpires and becomes the case. The message should go out loud and clear from here that it is Parliament’s will that all EU nationals in this country will continue to enjoy the rights that they have just now and on the same terms and conditions I am also asking the House to think again about how we approach the debates on immigration. As I was about to say, it is absolutely no coincidence that what was an already desperate and ugly campaign went completely off the rails after 26 May when the latest net migration figures were published. Politicians have turned the net migration target into some sort of Holy Grail, regardless of the fact that it is utterly unobtainable, and we have reaped the disastrous consequences in the weeks since those results.
EU Nationals in the UK — House of Commons, 2016-07-06
Topic: Immigration
Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I am very grateful to the other Stuart McDonald for giving way. I am not suggesting for a minute that this is Scottish National party policy, but something that has been on my mind for a number of years is that, given that we know the economic benefits of immigration, why do we not shift responsibility for it away from the Home Office to the Treasury? Would that not change the terms of the debate?
EU Nationals in the UK — House of Commons, 2016-07-06
Topic: Immigration
Stuart Campbell McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): My honourable namesake makes a very good point. My point is that it is time to do things very, very differently. A few months ago, I went to Edinburgh university to meet Professor Christina Boswell who had arranged a discussion about the dangerous disconnect between political rhetoric and reality when it comes to immigration. She highlighted the launch by the German Government, back in 2000, of a cross-party commission on immigration. The German Immigration Commission brought together the main political parties, as well as representatives of business, trade unions, religious and migrant groups and immigration experts. It allowed for evidence-based discussion on all aspects of immigration, and sought to build consensus around policy reform. It examined Germany’s demographic and economic needs as well as challenges related to the social impacts of immigration and policies for integration. Perhaps more significantly, it changed the whole tenor of debate in Germany, normalising the idea that Germany was, and would need to remain, a country of immigration, and encouraged a more grounded and factually informed discussion of what that would entail We can perhaps learn too from the Government of Canada, who just yesterday launched a national conversation on immigration. Their starting point is: "Although times and conditions may have changed, 21st-century newcomers to Canada have retained…innovative spirit, enriching the communities where they settle and helping to ensure the Canada of tomorrow remains as dynamic as the country of yesterday Canada’s strength lies in its diversity. Indeed, the story of Canadian immigration is inseparable from the story of Canada itself." The conversation document seeks to engage all Canada’s citizens in a grown-up discussion of all the key questions, from "How many newcomers should we welcome to Canada in 2017 and beyond?" to "Is it important for Canada to continue to show leadership in global migration? If so, how can we best do that?"
EU Nationals in the UK — House of Commons, 2016-07-06
Topic: Immigration
Stuart Campbell McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I do not know where the hon. Lady gets that idea. I have not mentioned Australia. What I am talking about is the Canadian national conversation By asking the questions I quoted and having that grown-up conversation, Canada is already showing leadership. It is time that politicians here followed that example. As well as using today’s debate to praise EU nationals and demand that the Government confirm their status, let us think too about how we can work together across parties to combat xenophobia in all possible ways and to ensure that migration policy and debates are based on evidence and honesty rather than political expediency. Anyone who wants to be Prime Minister should sign up to that approach and start by being absolutely straight about the safe and secure future of our EU nationals in this country.
EU Nationals in the UK — House of Commons, 2016-07-06
Topic: Civil Rights
Peter Grant (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Does the hon. Lady agree that a climate in which racism can thrive has actually been building up for years, largely thanks to the shamefully xenophobic headlines we have seen almost every day on the front pages of newspapers such as the Daily Express and the Daily Mail?
EU Nationals in the UK — House of Commons, 2016-07-06
Topic: Immigration
Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): That is awfully good of the Minister. I will phone my husband and tell him We have already heard of very high-calibre people who are not coming to the UK because of this issue. I was at the graduation ceremony of the University of the West of Scotland last Friday. One of its senior lecturers was almost at the point of getting on the boat to come here, but because in less than two years he might have to move his family and children, sell the house and go back, he has decided that it is not worth it. However, we are focused not on what will happen to the people who are due to come—that will have to be looked at—but on the people who are already here. They are totally integral to our communities and our public services Obviously, my background is in the NHS. As we heard on Tuesday, 110,000 people from the EU work in our health and social care systems. About half of them are doctors and nurses, and half of them are careworkers. Although people, such as my husband, who have been here longer than five years and earn more than £35,000 will be able to stay, will that income limit apply to others? If it does, most nurses will not qualify and no careworkers will qualify. They will all have to go back, as will most ordinary teachers The Government need to think about that insecurity. The Government say, "Don’t worry about it. It might happen in two years." Does the Minister really think that families sit there and say, "Don’t worry; I know we’re going towards a cliff edge, but we won’t fret about the house, the kids and the job until a month or so before it happens." There is no reason to be so combative about this. The Minister talked about fighting for the rights of UK nationals, but it should not be a fight. If we set the example by treating EU nationals here properly and immediately giving them absolute right to remain, there will be a much greater likelihood of civilised talks and of UK nationals being well treated in the EU. If we go in saying, "You do that and we will do this," we will set completely the wrong tone The Minister talked about the fact that people who have been here for more than five years can stay, but we have to look at their rights and benefits. Will this undermine the right to be treated in the NHS, the right to claim benefits if they cannot work and the pension rights of people who have, like my husband, been here for 30 years, even though they may be approaching pension age and can do nothing about the situation? Some EU nationals have been here for years and years, contributing to the country, and to undermine what they have done for us is absolutely despicable. The Minister says that he hopes to be able to reassure them and give them certainty. He could do so now. Just do it.