argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Tributes to Charles Kennedy — House of Commons, 2015-06-03
Topic: Other
Gisela Stuart (Labour, Centre-left): Charles Kennedy was an associate editor of the House magazine, of which I am the editor, and we would have meetings every Tuesday morning for an hour to discuss what happened during the week and where we would go the following week. Charles made some of the meetings and he did not make others, but it was always very clear that we had extraordinary, indiscreet exchanges of opinion that never, ever left the room. For something like 15 years, what was said in that room stayed in that room, and the discussions were always enlightening, because Charles would come up with points of view that simply had not occurred to me. It shows his extraordinary generosity that, even when people were not just stabbing him in the back—it was quite clear that they were stabbing him from the front—he would nevertheless always be generous towards them I want to say something very briefly, given that people outside here will hear this as well. I think that Donald should read a book "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, where the Little Prince explains why he is about to die and says, "I will be a star, and every time you look up in the skies you will see that star, and it is me smiling and you will end up being glad to have known me." I think that we will all end up saying that we were glad to have known Charles. [Hon. Members: "Hear, hear."]
Tributes to Charles Kennedy — House of Commons, 2015-06-03
Topic: Other
Stephen Pelham Pound (Labour, Centre-left): Many hearts broke yesterday morning when we heard the news; it came as such a dreadful shock. It is equally heartbreaking that Charles Kennedy, our friend and fellow parliamentarian, cannot be aware of this great outpouring of affection that has swept across the whole nation and, in fact, wider than the shores of these islands. Perhaps we could have done more to help and support Charles and to let him know how loved he was, because it may be too late now, but it will be comfort to the family to know that this was a man who was loved and adored right the way across the political spectrum, across the national spectrum and across the world. Certainly, all those who came into contact with him grew to love him and to hold him in great affection. We should perhaps cherish those who are with us now and never forget that we owe that support and friendship Charles Kennedy set the industry standard for humour and wit in politics, and I have to say that that was rather distressing to some people who aspired to the foothills of that great Ben Nevis of wit that was Charles Kennedy. For many years, he and Austin Mitchell and Julian Critchley enlivened the airwaves with a three-way commentary on current affairs. They were known as "Critch, Mitch and Titch", which was unfair. Mitch was obviously for Austin Mitchell, Critch for Julian Critchley, but Titch for Charles Kennedy—no! He was a fine figure of a man in every sense, and my memories are not just of him absolutely creasing the sides of the nation until our ribs ached with the humour, not just on the radio or on television. To comment on the earlier remark made about "Have I Got News for You" that you either had to be prepared to be a prat or Charles Kennedy, I appeared on "Have I Got News for You". Demonstrably, I am not Charles Kennedy. [Laughter.] There was another side to Charles. He was a man of very great and deep faith, who drew great strength from the well of that faith. Some people in the Chamber today will know that on Wednesday evenings, when we celebrate mass here in the Undercroft, he would be there, very quietly, very much in the background. I appreciate that it is a Roman Catholic tradition to stand at the back of the church in case there is a collection, but Charles would be there very quietly just worshipping and communing with his God, from whom he drew such strength. I hope you will forgive me, Mr Speaker, for pointing out that tonight, mass will be celebrated for the repose of his soul and for the comfort of his family in the Undercroft chapel Charles Kennedy—the words must give us pause to realise how much we have lost, but how blessed we were to have known that great man. Charles Kennedy—may light eternal shine upon him and may he rest in peace.
Devolution and Growth across Britain — House of Commons, 2015-06-03
Topic: Mixed Topics
Clive James Charles Betts (Labour, Centre-left): My hon. Friend is making a very powerful democratic case for re-energising democracy through devolution to local authorities and local communities, and certainly through trusting local people to make decisions over their own spending at local level, but should we not also trust local people to have the ability to raise more of their own taxes at local level? That is a place where those on neither Front Bench have so far wanted to go, but is not fiscal devolution just as important in the total approach to devolution as the devolution of spending powers?
Devolution and Growth across Britain — House of Commons, 2015-06-03
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Chuka Harrison Umunna (Labour, Centre-left): I could ask the hon. Gentleman why, in the 18 years beforehand, his party did not come up with the ideas of the Mayor of London, the Welsh Assembly or the Northern Ireland Assembly We will, of course, hear a lot more about the Government’s plans for growth in the Budget, but in the Queen’s Speech we had the enterprise Bill. To the extent that it promotes growth and supports businesses, we will support it. I see the new Minister for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise in her place. I am pleased that the Government propose to extend the primary authority scheme, which we established, to reduce the regulatory burden on business. That is good I would like the Business Secretary and his new deputy to go much further in the Bill than they have indicated they will in order to clamp down on the national scandal that is the late payment of small and medium-sized businesses by their large customers. We will press the Government on that during the passage of the Bill through this House. A conciliation service is all well and good, but what small businesses want is a regime with teeth that will impose sanctions on late payers automatically, without their having to have a row with their customers. That must be the Government’s goal To reform our economy, we must invest in our infrastructure. The key thing is to ensure that people in every part of the UK have a decent, affordable place to live. The shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government will say more about that later.
Devolution and Growth across Britain — House of Commons, 2015-06-03
Topic: Mixed Topics
Geoffrey Robinson (Labour, Centre-left): We in the west midlands look forward to the greater devolution the Government are promising, but these are just fine words. The reality is that the Government refused to sanction the multimillion pound gateway project. It was supported fully by our local enterprise partnership, and would have created jobs and growth in Coventry and the west midlands. Can the Secretary of State reconcile the two in his own mind?
Devolution and Growth across Britain — House of Commons, 2015-06-03
Topic: Housing
Stephen Pelham Pound (Labour, Centre-left): Does my hon. Friend agree that one of the tragedies and sadnesses of this Queen’s Speech is the ludicrous attack on housing associations, which amounts to nationalisation followed by liquidation through sequestration? Does she agree that the inevitable logic, if the Government wish to extend home ownership, is to extend this to private tenancies—and see what private landlords have to say?
Devolution and Growth across Britain — House of Commons, 2015-06-03
Topic: Housing
Emma Elizabeth Reynolds (Labour, Centre-left): I am not entirely sure that I agree with everything my hon. Friend has just said, but I will say this: the real test for any of the housing policies put forward by this Government is whether they ease or deepen the housing crisis, and from what we have seen so far, they are failing that test Under the previous Government, we saw the lowest level of house building in peacetime since the 1920s. [Interruption.] In terms of completions, they are bang to rights: I will take our record over theirs any time. Home ownership under this Tory Government is now at its lowest level for 30 years, and a record number of young people are living with their parents into their 20s and 30s. When I was shadow Housing Minister, I lost count of the number of people who complained to me about not benefiting from empty nest syndrome because their children simply could not get on the housing ladder.
Devolution and Growth across Britain — House of Commons, 2015-06-03
Topic: Housing
Emma Elizabeth Reynolds (Labour, Centre-left): We need radical plans and a big vision to solve the housing crisis, and this Government, like the one over the past five years, lack that vision There are 1.4 million families on council waiting lists. Let us be clear: the challenge we face in housing is one of massive under-supply, but the reforms that the current Government have set out are not equal to the scale of that challenge. They have proposed a half-baked programme to deliver starter homes at a 20% discount, without any idea of how they are going to deliver it—so much so that the then chairman of the Conservative party, the right hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps), could not quite explain it There is also the right to buy proposal, which seems to be unravelling before a draft Bill has even been printed. Opposition Members want as many people as possible to fulfil their aspiration to buy a home of their own, but housing experts and even the former head of the civil service and permanent secretary from the Secretary of State’s own department, Lord Kerslake, have said that the proposals are unworkable and that the numbers do not stack up. Yesterday, a Member from the Secretary of State’s own party said so, and even the Mayor of London, the hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), has expressed serious concerns about the proposals. There are many unanswered questions about how the proposal will be paid for, and about how the Government will deliver the one-for-one replacements that they committed themselves to in the last Parliament. As I have said, the test we will set this Government is whether their housing policies tackle the housing crisis, rather than deepen it We call on the Government to bring forward an ambitious and comprehensive plan for devolution to all parts of the country—to our cities, towns and counties—and we will hold the new Secretary of State’s feet to the fire to deliver a better and fairer deal for local government and real plans to tackle, not deepen, the housing crisis. For those reasons, I urge all hon. Members to vote for our amendment.
Select Committees — House of Commons, 2015-06-03
Topic: Other
Lindsay Harvey Hoyle (Labour, Centre-left): With the permission of the House, the motions on Select Committees will be taken together Before I call the Leader of the House to move the first motion, I should inform the House that I have selected the amendment to the second motion, in the name of the hon. Member for Nottingham North (Mr Allen). The amendment may be debated along with the first motion, and the hon. Gentleman will be called to move it formally at the end of the debate if he wishes to do so.
Select Committees — House of Commons, 2015-06-03
Topic: Civil Rights
Graham William Allen (Labour, Centre-left): Will the Leader of the House explain why the Women and Equalities Committee is not going to be a permanent feature of the Standing Orders and will fall at the end of this Parliament? I hope it is not some sort of sop on this very important subject, because I think the House would take a dim view of that.
Select Committees — House of Commons, 2015-06-03
Topic: Civil Rights
Keith Anthony Vaz (Labour, Centre-left): I support the motions, in particular the establishment of the Women and Equalities Committee. Members on both sides of the House have campaigned for a long time for the establishment of such a Committee. The problem has been that the equalities brief has travelled from the Home Office to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport; it has sometimes been held by the Department for Communities and Local Government; and a bit of it has been with the Department for Work and Pensions. Now, for the first time, we will have a Select Committee that is able to scrutinise effectively women and equalities issues I too want to pay tribute to the right hon. Member for Basingstoke (Mrs Miller) for the work she has done, and I welcome this motion.
Household Energy Bills — House of Commons, 2015-02-05
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Pamela Nash (Labour, Centre-left): With the news this week that price comparison sites do not always show customers the cheapest offers because they would not get their share, and given that switching is so crucial to the Government, is it not time that we had a non-commercial Government comparison site?
Household Energy Bills — House of Commons, 2015-02-05
Topic: Other
Gerald Bernard Kaufman (Labour, Centre-left): I am grateful to you for that guidance, Mr Speaker. I received a letter from the Department yesterday saying that my question, which was then question 22, was linked with question 5, tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Coventry North West (Mr Robinson). The Department has created great confusion which you, Mr Speaker, with your usual efficiency and consideration, are clearing up.
Solar Power Panels (Installation) — House of Commons, 2015-02-05
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Questions: What assessment he has made of the effect of recent changes to the incentive scheme for installing solar power panels on businesses that install those panels.
Graham William Allen (Labour, Centre-left): Unfortunately, I do not have many small businesses in my constituency, so it is a tragedy when I lose one; losing MG Renewables, which had invested in a fleet of vehicles, was a matter of great regret. Will the Minister reassure the House that we will have a steady and clear set of incentives, rather than this constant changing, which makes it particularly difficult for small businesses to plan and maintain their viability? Will she talk to the Treasury and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to ensure that?
Oil Prices (North Sea) — House of Commons, 2015-02-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Margaret Anne Begg (Labour, Centre-left): I am glad the Minister will finally make his way to Aberdeen, and while he is there I hope he will have discussions with all aspects of the industry and the trade unions. I have two asks of him when he is in Aberdeen. One is to talk about what will happen to replace the jobs that have been lost—in one week, 600 jobs, and over the piece it is now into the thousands in one geographic area, if we can imagine that. I wonder what the reaction would be elsewhere. The second ask is to make sure that investment continues, even though we know the industry has to squeeze costs out of the supply chain, so that when the price of oil does pick up the industry has not been decimated.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2015-02-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Tom Greatrex (Labour, Centre-left): On 13 January, when answering an urgent question in this House on decommissioning at Sellafield, the Secretary of State said on three occasions that he would engage with the 10,000 people working at that complex site. What discussions have he and his officials had with those workers?
GP Services — House of Commons, 2015-02-05
Topic: Other
Lindsay Harvey Hoyle (Labour, Centre-left): Order. May I make a suggestion? The Speaker suggested a time limit of about 10 minutes, and the hon. Gentleman has now had 13 minutes. I hope there will not be too many more interventions, and that the hon. Gentleman is coming to the end of his speech.
GP Services — House of Commons, 2015-02-05
Topic: Other
Lindsay Harvey Hoyle (Labour, Centre-left): Order. May I just stress that if we stick to 10 minutes, I can give everybody 10 minutes? If we run over, people will end up having their speeches cut and I do not want to do that to anybody.
Lack of Appropriate Parking around Shree Sanatan Mandir — House of Commons, 2015-02-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Keith Anthony Vaz (Labour, Centre-left): I wish to present a petition of 373 concerned residents and worshippers of the Shree Sanatan Mandir temple in my constituency. The petition was collected by volunteers at the temple, led by Mr Ramanbhai Barber, the president of the trust, to call for urgent measures to increase accessibility and road safety around the temple. I also wish to thank Councillor Manjula Sood, the lord mayor of Leicester, John Thomas, and the prospective council candidate, Mo Chohan, for their support. The council has restored some bollards, but there is still much work to do The petition states: The Petition of residents of Leicester East, Declares that the lack of parking, improper lighting and fast moving traffic around the Shree Sanatan Mandir is inconvenient and dangerous for worshippers and other road users. The temple has widespread links with communities across Leicester and holds many events and services for a large number of people. The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Leicester City Council to take action to increase safety and accessibility in the area, to allow visitors to reach their place of worship. The Petitioners require assurances that measures will include better parking and appropriate lighting, before any harm is caused by the current conditions And the Petitioners remain, etc [P001431]
Renewable Energy — House of Commons, 2015-06-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Stephen Nathan Kinnock (Labour, Centre-left): The hon. Lady has already mentioned the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon, which is an excellent and very exciting project that will create thousands of jobs in my constituency. It is critical that the foot is kept on the accelerator; otherwise the timings will be seriously out, seriously jeopardising the future of the project. What discussions has she had with state aid officials in Brussels to ensure that the project is not held up there?
Reports into Investigatory Powers — House of Commons, 2015-06-25
Topic: Other
Emily Thornberry (Labour, Centre-left): My right hon. Friend is making a good and comprehensive speech. Is it not appropriate that David Anderson’s report is entitled "A Question of Trust"? Surely that is one of the most important things in bringing the public with us on this issue.
Reports into Investigatory Powers — House of Commons, 2015-06-25
Topic: Other
Natascha Engel (Labour, Centre-left): Order. Before I call the next speaker, may I point out that a very large number of Members still wish to catch my eye? I do not want to impose a time limit, but if we can keep speeches to eight minutes, we can be sure of getting everybody in.
Reports into Investigatory Powers — House of Commons, 2015-06-25
Topic: Civil Rights
John Martin McDonnell (Labour, Centre-left): I am grateful to the Minister; I thought that would be his response May I ask that, this time round, any draft guidance is published in advance of the primary legislation, so that we are fully conversant with the implications of the primary legislation in detail when we discuss it? We were not capable of doing that in the past because of the rush of emergency legislation, but it would be helpful. One issue that is not addressed effectively by Anderson is prior notification. I accept that there are circumstances in which prior notification becomes difficult, some of which have been mentioned today. However, there needs to be wider discussion of this issue and it must not just be dismissed in the way that it was in the report. There also needs to be further discussion about the right of appeal in respect of any decisions by the judicial commissioners in addition to those that are set out in the Anderson report. I would welcome further consultation on those elements I will make one final point because I know that I must be brief and that others wish to speak. Anderson does, to give him his due, stress the importance of the protection of journalists and their sources, and quotes Liberty on the issue. We must remember that those are the journalists that we sometimes do not hold in great affection. They are the journalists who exposed the MPs expenses scandal and who expose corruption. They do so on the basis of information that is brought to them by sources that need to be protected. The word "chilling" was used earlier. We said in the debates about the movement from PACE to RIPA that any undermining of the protection of sources would have a chilling effect and they would not come forward, thereby undermining the democratic accountability of administrations at all levels I am grateful that David Anderson quotes Liberty and bases his proposals on its principles, which state that a "free press and the right to free speech is dependent on respect for private correspondence" If we establish those principles in the legislation that is brought forward, it will lay the basis for firm legislation. That will also inform the debate that we eventually have on the Pitchford inquiry into surveillance more generally.
Debate on the Address — House of Commons, 2015-05-27
Topic: Mixed Topics
Ian Austin (Labour, Centre-left): Many of us on the Opposition Benches are wondering what exactly the hon. Gentleman is complaining about, given that he and his colleagues spent the entire election campaign undermining the only party that had a chance of beating the Conservatives. Is it not actually the case that they wanted a Conservative victory, because they know that that is the best chance of getting another referendum and the best chance of the Scottish people voting for independence? What they should do is go and sit on the Conservative Benches with the Government they wanted to get elected.
Debate on the Address — House of Commons, 2015-05-27
Topic: Housing
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): I congratulate my hon. Friend on her re-election as my parliamentary neighbour. She has made points about building more council housing and stopping the sale of housing association and council housing. Does she agree that it is also important to devolve powers to London, so that we can have full regulation of the private rented sector? We would, be able to make the exorbitant, extravagant and appalling rents charged in the private rented sector a thing of the past and end the social cleansing of central London, which is happening because of the strategy she describes.